Losangelesblade.com, Volume 05, Issue 09, February 26, 2021

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The finish line?

Sen. Merkley on prospects for Equality Act and killing the filibuster, PAGE 10

F E B RU A RY 2 6, 2021 • VO L UM E 05 • ISSUE 0 9 • AMERICA’ S LGBT Q NEW S SO U R C E • LO SAN G ELESB LAD E. C O M

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Newsom signs relief package, answers critics on vaccination missteps Speeding relief to families and businesses suffering the most ./(.0,12(3)%)+45)

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<"-D'(*/;%08*%6&59&.*%7*67*,*(0,%&%0"0&1%":%X$W%-'11'"(%6&4-*(0,%0"%1"+A'(5"-*%<&1':"7('&(,$ Provides $2.1 billion – a four-fold increase over the $500 million currently being distributed M%:"7%.7&(0,%36%0"%EFX;TTT%:"7%,-&11%D3,'(*,,*,%'-6&50*/%D4%08*%6&(/*-'5;%&(/%&11"5&0*,%EXT% million of this total for non-profit cultural institutions.

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!"#$%&'( )'**#+( '( ,$-#*."#( "%/#*0.1#( .1( 2#34( 21: 500,000 people dead from the novel coronavirus in the year since it hit U.S. shores. Official counts fail to include LGBTQ victims of COVID-19, though reports consistently document the terrible impact on people of color.

Ironically, it was the mysterious deaths of five gay men in Los Angeles that marked the beginning of the global AIDS pandemic in a CDC report 40 years ago, on June 5, 1981.

That report did not mention race.

“The first five patients were white,” Dr. Michael Gottlieb, who co-authored that first CDC report with gay Dr. Joel Weisman, told PBS’s Frontline in 2012. “The next two were black. The sixth patient was a Haitian man. The 7th patient was a gay African-American man, here in Los Angeles.

Most of those first patients died within months. We had no information and no treatment.” Not mentioning the race of the first patient was “an omission on our part.”

By July 1982, Blacks accounted for more than 86 cases of AIDS – 20 percent of all CDC cases reported that year.

By Oct. 1995, more than 500,000 people had died and while the rate of cases among whites decreased from 60% to 43%, and the proportion among Blacks had increased from 25% to 38%. By 1996, as new medications made HIV/ AIDS a chronic manageable disease, the CDC reported: “HIV no longer leading cause of death for all Americans ages 2544; remains leading cause of death of African Americans in this age group.”

To ensure that Blacks lost to AIDS are not ignored — including those who chose to remain anonymous — longtime HIV/AIDS advocates Jeffrey King, Founder and Executive Director of In The Meantime Men’s Group, Inc., The Black LGBTQ+ Mecca in South Los Angeles, and Cynthia Davis, MPH, the renowned Professor at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine — recently convened a community meeting to create a Black AIDS Monument on the grounds of the Carl Bean House in South LA. “All Black Lives Matter. Every Black life lost to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic still matters today. It is my responsibility to educate those who are here today about the long and painful journey to now,” King tells the LA Blade. “I am honored to work alongside Cynthia Davis and key community stakeholders as we collectively create both physical and virtual spaces that will commemorate those lost along the way and those who have dedicated their lives to ending the epidemic. We have entered the 40th anniversary of the HIV/ AIDS global pandemic and Black people continue to be disproportionality impacted.

I have dedicated a great portion of my adult life to educating and preventing the spread of HIV in the Black community. In The Meantime has been on the forefront

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and in the trenches — outreaching, testing, and linking our people to lifesaving treatment and medical care. The Los Angeles Black AIDS Monument (LABAM) will serve as a focal point for healing.”

The convening came up with numerous agreed-upon recommendations for the project, including that LABAM will be a fixed water fountain at the Carl Bean House built with the theme ‘Pouring Into Each Other.’ A Virtual/ Digital Monument will feature names of those lost, as well as Black people who have served in the field of HIVAIDS. The LABAM team will also ask several writers to conduct interviews with key community stake holders to document the Black history of the AIDS epidemic and its impact.

A question remains about displaying names. Should the physical monument feature names of the dead, inspirational quotes or remain untouched to spiritually honor and remember the anonymous dead, a monument akin to the revered Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

The first phase of the project will rollout in June for National HIV Testing Day, June 27, 2021. The LABAM team intends to complete the project by World AIDS Day, December 1, 2021.

“I am honored to be co-chairing an initiative to erect the Black AIDS Monument in South Los Angeles,” Davis tells the LA Blade. “Having been proactively involved in working to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Black community and other communities of color over the past 37 years, when Jeffrey King came to me about the project, I was ecstatic. I felt this initiative was long overdue. As we approach the 40year anniversary when the HIV/AIDS pandemic was officially recognized, we all should be counting our blessings that in 2021, there are lifesaving ARVs [Antiretroviral medications] available domestically and globally, as well as, other primary prevention initiatives such as PrEP [ pre-exposure prophylaxis] and PEP [post-exposure prophylaxis] to help slow the spread of this dreaded disease. However, after 40 years, we still have our work cut out for us. I look forward to the day when we can say emphatically, ‘we have defeated the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.’”

The LABAM team is asking those interested in this Black community endeavor to collect the correctly spelled names of both the dead and community leaders in the HIV field, including their positions. King requests that those lists be submitted to him by March 15, 2021 at inthemeantimemen@aol.com.

The next LABAM meeting on Zoom is scheduled for Monday, March 22, 2021.

Karen Ocamb is a veteran journalist, the former news editor of the Los Angeles Blade & a longtime chronicler of LGBTQ+ lives in Southern California.

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#$%&'()%*)+,-.,(&-/& “In January, I decided to reinstate him to the team. However, after team !"#$#%$&"'(")*$"+,-.$&/-)0"'("123-('&,-2"4'/"!,5$3$/"6&'//76'8,)&09")&26:" #$#%$&/"2,<")*$"2)*3$)-6"6'##8,-)0"$?>&$//$<"6',6$&,9"-)"%$62#$"63$2&" and field teams has been removed after a months-old video surfaced last )*2)" *-/" 6',)-,8$<" -,.'3.$#$,)" =-)*" )*$" )$2#" -/" -,6'#>2)-%3$" =-)*" )*$" ;8,<20" (&'#" 2" +14!" &8,,$&" =*'" 8/$<" *'#'>*'%-6" 2,<" &26-/)" 32,5825$" 683)8&$"'("#8)823"/8>>'&)"2,<"&$/>$6)"=$G&$"('/)$&-,59"H"!,<$&/',"=&')$" <-&$6)$<"2)"2,"$?75-&3(&-$,<@ Monday then added; “I know realize that the decision to reinstate him was 1*&-/"A$-32,<9"2"/$,-'&9"=2/"&$#'.$<">$&#2,$,)30"',"B',<20"%0"+14!" ,')")*$"&-5*)"<$6-/-',9"2,<")*2)")*$"26)-',")'<20"-/"%$/)"('&")*$"=$337%$-,5" Track and Field Director Avery Anderson who released a statement Monday '("'8&")$2#@H $.$,-,5@ The UCLA Black Student-Athletes Alliance issued a statement Monday on According to a video posted by the account ucla_is_racist on Instagram, Instagram asking for Weiland’s removal for the team: )*$"CD7#-,8)$"3',5".-<$'"&$6'&<$<"-,/-<$"2"<2&:$,$<"62&9"2>>$2&/")'"/*'=" F!/" 2" 8,-.$&/-)0" )*2)" 6*2#>-',/" -)/$3(" '," )*$" 266'#>3-/*#$,)/" '(" -)/" A$-32,<" )23:-,5" 2%'8)" *-/" 5-&3(&-$,<" 6*$2)-,5" '," *-#" =-)*" 2" >$&/'," 32)$&" Black athletes that have broken the barriers of social justice, we find it identified as his mother according to sources knowledgeable of the incident <$$>30" <-/)8&%-,5" )'" 3$2&," )*2)" +14!" :,$=" 2%'8)" 2," -,6-<$,)" '(" %32)2,)" who also identified and verified that the person in the video was in fact &26-/#9" *'#'>*'%-2" 2,<" /$?-/#" 2,<" <-<" .$&0" #-,-#23" 26)-',/" 2%'8)" -)@" A$-32,<@ J*$"&26-/)"26)-',/")*2)")'':">326$"%0"2"#$#%$&"'(")*$"6&'//"6'8,)&0")$2#9" A$-32,<9"=*'"-/"=*-)$9"8/$<"%')*"*'#'>*'%-6"2,<"&26-/)"32,5825$E 2&$"8,266$>)2%3$"2,<"<-/&$/>$6)(839"2,<"=$"2)"K;!!"&$(8/$")'"266$>)")*$" FA*$," /*$" /20/" /*$" <'$/,G)9" 0'8" :,'=9" =2,)" )'" 5$)" %26:" )'5$)*$&9" =*0" 26)-',/"'(")*2)"2)*3$)$9"2/"=$33"2/")*$"326:"'("26)-',")'"2<<&$//")*$"-//8$"%0" do you think?” Weiland asks. “It’s because she wants to be with this fucking the coaches, staff and administration. We do not feel safe with this person (255')"=*'"*2/",'"(8)8&$@";*$G/"5'-,5")'"%$"=-)*"2"/)8>-<",-55$&"=*'G/"5'-,5" ',"62#>8/9"2,<"=$"<$#2,<"+14!"2)*3$)-6/")2:$"26)-',"-##$<-2)$30"2,<" )'"%$"-,"6'##8,-)0"6'33$5$"233"*-/"3-($@H &$#'.$")*-/"/)8<$,)"(&'#")*$")$2#@H The woman identified as his mother responded telling him not to talk like UCLA Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, gymnast Margzetta that. He snapped back: “I don’t give a fuck.” *)+,-%0/,1(&2, a senior, Frazier and women’s basketball player Michaela Onyenwere were “When first learning of this a few months ago, I was disgusted and was removed from his team among the current UCLA athletes with verified Instagram accounts who immediately suspended him indefinitely from the team,” Anderson said in permanently on Monday.

(Photo courtesy University of California Los 6'##$,)$<" FL86322)*3$)-6/H" '," K;!!G/" >'/)" )'" %&-,5" 2))$,)-'," )'" )*$" *-/"/)2)$#$,)@"FI.$,"-,"#0"<-/58/)9"2/"2"6'26*9"#0"-,)$,)-',/"2&$"23=20/")'" Angeles Athletics Instagram) university’s athletic department the San Bernardino Sun reported. lead and educate and make the change happen that I want to see in the The Los Angeles Times reported that the video was recorded before Weiland enrolled at world. I can talk about changing the world, or I can put in the work to do so and that is what I +14!"-,")*$"(233"'("MNOP@ *2.$"<',$"'.$&")*$"32/)"($="#',)*/"=-)*")*-/"-,<-.-<823@H A$-32,<" -/" (&'#" Q2,6*'" 1862#',52@" R$" />$,)" ',$" /$2/'," 2)" 123" ;)2)$" ;2," B2&6'/" )='" Anderson’s decision to have Weiland reinstated in January touched off a firestorm of protest #'&$"2)"B)@";2,"!,)',-'"1'33$5$"%$('&$")&2,/($&&-,5")'"+14!"-,"MNOP@ %0"')*$&"/)8<$,)"2)*3$)$/"2,<"#$#%$&/"'(")*$"+14!"/)8<$,)"%'<0@

Brush with Purpose 5% of sales support the LGBTQ+ community

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VA Secretary orders greater LGBTQ inclusivity 6$%,&,&4(-&(,&/:3',7"(,&#"$%/#,-&(8,#5(E3""$(7"#"$%&' /0(/1+#2(3$4$'5,$

!"#"$%&'( )*+,&,'#$%#,-&( ."/$"#%$0( 1/2-&-345( ,''3"*( %( +"+-$%&*3+(63"'*%0(*,$"/#,&4(5,'(%4"&/0(#-($"7,"8(,#'(9-:,/,"'( %&*(9$-/"*3$"'(%'(,#($":%#"'(#-(#5"(/%$"(-;(<=>6?(7"#"$%&'@(#5",$( ;%+,:,"'@(/%$"4,7"$'@('3$7,7-$'@(%&*("+9:-0""'A McDonough told reporters in a briefing that he expected the policy review would be finished by March 30.

B10( 4-%:( %'( '"/$"#%$0( ,'( #-( +%C"( '3$"( !)( ,'( 8":/-+,&4( #-( %::( 7"#"$%&'@(,&/:3*,&4(-3$(#$%&'4"&*"$(7"#"$%&'@D(5"('%,*A 1/2-&-345( '#$"''"*( #5%#( 5"( %&*( 5,'( %4"&/0( 8-3:*( ;-/3'( -&( ,&/:3',7,#0@( *,7"$',#0( %&*( "E3,#0( 3&*"$( 5,'( #"&3$"( %'( !)( '"/$"#%$0( following President Biden’s recently signed Executive Orders (Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform, signed on January 25, 2021, and Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation, signed on January 20, 2021) 65"(."/$"#%$0(#-:*($"9-$#"$'(#5%#(%'(5"(/5--'"'(5,'(:"%*"$'5,9( #"%+( 5"( 8,::( "&'3$"( #5%#( #5"$"( 8-3:*( F"( ;3::( /-+9:,%&/"( 8,#5( the president’s executive orders. He didn’t volunteer any further ,&;-$+%#,-&(-&(9-#"&#,%:(/%&*,*%#"'(;-$(#5-'"(9-',#,-&'A 65%#( 8,::( F"( %( $"%::0( ,+9-$#%&#( 9,"/"( -;( *"+-&'#$%#,&4( +0( seriousness about diversity and inclusion,” he said. “Our political appointees to date reflect that, and that’s intentional.”

Under the terms of the memo VA Under Secretaries and Staff Offices directed to execute the following: • Conduct a policy review to determine whether any regulations, directives, policies and procedures promote equity for and inclusion of LGBT Veterans, families, caregivers, survivors or employees. Design and implement a remediation plan if the review identifies discriminatory policies towards LGBT beneficiaries and employees.

Veterans Administration Secretary #$%&'()*#+%+,-. directed his agency to review its policies and procedures as it relates to the care of LGBTQ veterans.

• Perform an assessment of the necessary steps to eliminate the exclusion of “gender alterations” as currently stated in the medical benefits package, more commonly referred to as gender affirmation care and services, to include assessment of statutory and regulatory requirements as well as funding, staffing, technology and other resources required to provide all medically necessary services.

• Develop means to measure the experience of LGBT beneficiaries and employees and to include their perspectives in the development of future guidance and any barriers that LGBT beneficiaries and employees may face in accessing the full range of VA care, benefits and services are identified and addressed.

• Develop a plan to ensure that employees are trained on inclusive, respectful and welcoming interaction with LGBT beneficiaries and implement an enterprise plan to enhance data and information systems with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity, such that beneficiaries and employees may independently and securely self-identify and be addressed by their preferred name and pronouns.

!" • FEBRUARY 26, 2021 • LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

(Official VA Photo)

Stars and Stripes reported that McDonough also promised to address racial inequity at the agency during the news briefing. Last year, a group of Black VA employees organized to voice their experience with racism, which they said was +%*"(8-$'"(F0(:"%*"$'(85-($";3'"*(#-(%**$"''(,#A “Confronting this question of racial inequity will be a fundamental part of my #"&3$"(5"$"@(&-#(:"%'#(F"/%3'"(#5"(9$"',*"&#(,'(*"+%&*,&4(,#@D(5"('%,*A The VA currently provides LGBTQ specific care to veterans. California, the most populous state in the nation, has the largest veteran population (1.56 million) ,&/:3*,&4(<=>6?(7"#'A

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Merkley hints at scrapping filibuster to pass Equality Act ‘I think we’re starting in a very exciting place’

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the chief sponsor of the Equality Act, hinted at support Tuesday for scrapping the legislative filibuster in the U.S. Senate to advance the comprehensive LGBTQ legislation.

Merkley, speaking with the Washington Blade in a phone interview, said the filibuster amounts to a Republican caucus veto when asked whether the Equality Act merits scrapping the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.

“I don’t believe that Mitch McConnell should have a veto over fundamental rights and I’ve been very clear about that over time,” Merkley said.

Merkley, a longtime proponent of filibuster reform, based his grounds for potentially ending the legislative filibuster squarely in terms of the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to expand its prohibition on anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

“I don’t think [McConnell] should be able to veto legislation that enables every American to participate fairly in the housing market and on juries and in financial transactions and public accommodations,” Merkley said. “I think most Americans are still stunned to learn that in the majority of America’s states you can still be thrown out of a restaurant, legally, because of who you are or who you love. It’s an outrageous situation and it needs to be remedied and Mitch McConnell should not have a veto.”

Progressives are already calling for an end to the legislative filibuster, which is criticized as a relic of structuralism racism, as the only way to make sure the Equality Act reaches Biden’s desk.

At the same time, Merkley recognized that option, which would require a majority vote in the Senate and is opposed within the Democratic caucus by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), may not be immediately available.

“If your question is the Senate on the verge of eliminating the filibuster, and the timeframe that we hope to pass this bill, it does not appear so,” Merkley said. “And so I think the appropriate model is the model we had in 2013 to pass employment non-discrimination and build that super majority, and that’s what I and fellow advocates and civil rights groups are going to do everything in our power to achieve.”

In the meantime, Merkley is buoyed in his pursuit of the traditional path of finding 60 votes in the Senate by an upcoming House vote and a supportive administration in the White House.

“I think we’re starting in a very exciting place, a place with a lot of momentum,” Merkley said in the interview, which was held shortly after he introduced the bill.

Reflecting on the first time he introduced the comprehensive LGBTQ bill in 2015, Merkley said progress had already been made upon introduction of the legislation this time around.

“We’re kicking this off with some 600 organizations endorsing it, some 300 businesses endorsing it,” Merkley said. “Two years ago, we had 47 sponsors, now we have 49 sponsors.

We have the Supreme Court ruling in Bostock, a ruling that adds to the momentum. Just the fundamental sense that discrimination against LGBTQ Americans is absolutely wrong continues to grow across the land.”

But the cherry on top, Merkley said, is having President Biden in the White House, who campaigned on the Equality Act as his No. 1 legislative priority.

“In addition to everything else I just mentioned, we have a president who would sign the bill, so it’s fast forward,” Merkley said.

Finding 60 votes in the Senate to end a legislative filibuster, which means having 10 Republicans in addition to a united Democratic caucus in a 50-50 Senate, is a clear hurdle, especially after comments from Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) against supporting the bill.

Merkley, however, was unfazed when asked about the challenge and said it was “the exact question I was asked back in 2013” when he brought the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to the floor. Although there was no certainty about having 60 votes, they came together.

“We’re reaching out to Republican colleagues to hold individual conversations about the bill and get them answers to questions that they are raising,” Merkley added. “And so we hope that just as we were able to build eight years ago a super majority support for the bill, we’re going to apply ourselves to do the same this time around.”

Merkley said a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is planned for the Equality Act, but the timing isn’t yet certain. A Democratic aide said no information was immediately available on when the hearing will be.

But with 49 co-sponsors, the entire Democratic caucus isn’t united in supporting the Equality Act. Merkley wouldn’t name who it was, but Manchin wasn’t a co-sponsor in the previous Congress. Manchin’s office hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment in the !"!"!#$%&'(&)!*+,!*-*.!"!/01(23$/$1%/(4$5607

,-&./(01&#2/3123&4&56789:79;<=:8>?=@AB57C& past week on whether he’d support the legislation.

“Not sponsoring doesn’t mean you’re going to vote against against the bill,” Merkley cautioned. “It may often mean for a Republican or a Democrat you have additional questions that you desire to get answered, or you simply don’t want to prejudge your position until you heard the issues raised in an upcoming hearing.”

Generally speaking, the Republican caucus is expected Sen. #$%%&'$()*$+ 8490:;<=>?!@A;BC@!BD!DE;!:;F>D:=GHIDF=>! =J!DE;!$KHBLFDM!(ID!BD!DE;!'515!6BAFD=L!=>!7BM!*,!*-.N5! to oppose the Equality Act 8OB@EF><D=>!%LBG;!AE=D=!PM!7FIEB;L!Q;M? fiercely. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already staked out a position about the participation of transgender girls in school sports, saying it amounts to allowing boys to take part in girls’ events and calling it “bizarre.” Romney said he concurred with Paul on the issue Asked about the nuts and bolts of the wording of the Equality Act, including whether he’d rule out any changes to accommodate concerns from Republicans like Paul and Romney, Merkley hedged.

“In terms of the dialogue that is held between the two chambers and with the Republican colleagues, that dialogue will happen in close consultation with the civil rights groups that have enormous expertise and working to make sure that no modification or clarification is anything that undermines the opportunity of LGBTQ Americans to thrive in our society,” Merkley said.

Merkley also paid heed to the organizations that are supporting the legislation, including the Human Rights Campaign and the NAACP. “What made it work in 2013 was very close engagement and collaboration with our civil rights groups at every stage of the process, and we’re going to be engaged in that very, very much the same way this time round: Close consultation with those groups — including groups like HRC, NAACP and so forth that have strong civil rights backgrounds — to take this forward as we work to get this enacted into law,” Merkley said.

Biden, in his role as chief legislator as president, would also be expected to play a role in bringing support to the Equality Act. Merkley, asked whether Biden would be able to keep his campaign promise to sign the legislation within 100 days, beamed over the White House issuing a formal Statement of Administration Policy on Tuesday signaling Biden “strongly supports” the legislation.

Asked whether the White House was being helpful behind the scenes, Merkley said the priority is passing Biden’s coronavirus package, but he expects that to change soon.

“I have no doubt that Joe Biden and his team will be working very closely with us to help get this passed at every point,” Merkley said. “He’s affirmed his administration’s strong support for equality to end discrimination in every sphere of American life. He made an executive order right at the beginning of this administration to review all the different departments of the federal government to make sure they’re operating without discrimination and provide additional recommendations. I think we have a real champion for equality of opportunity for all Americans in the White House.”

The new effort to pass the Equality Act is sandwiched between two U.S. Supreme Court rulings: A landmark decision for LGBTQ rights last year in Bostock v. Clayton County, which determined anti-LGBTQ discrimination is an illegal form of sex discrimination, and an imminent decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which will determine whether religious-affiliated foster care agencies have a First Amendment right to reject same-sex couples.

Merkley said the Bostock ruling “has been a very positive factor” in efforts to advance the Equality Act, saying it has demonstrated the lack of issues with LGBTQ non-discrimination protections in place. !!"#$%&'()*%$+: The Blade has created a detailed chart on the differences between the Equality Act and the Fairness for All Act, as well as the situation with current law after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year in Bostock v. Clayton County. ,++)-./+)01.)

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R:;B?AA?-9:C@?E:F-C?;989?CB-SPE-1*#*-#:;?A:-SEPL-T?* Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announced on Tuesday evening his candidacy for U.S. Senate, setting himself out on a path that, if elected, would make him the first openly gay Black senator. `#'8,((,),''.6'2#&)-%$)2,'&%&,28).')_QX*K)B%(-)-.$()a.8)J#%&+)B-%2-)B,$)/.77.B#&)%::#&%,(#78)E8) ,')#:,%7)E7,$()/".:)(-#)<=*>?)S%2(."8);6'&C “He is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Patrick Toomey — one of four anti-equality U.S. Senators that have announced they won’t be running in 2022,” the Victory Fund email says.

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irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by unelected state officials "%7' G<7&*)' $&%?6$%&' ),",*' *#*8,$?%' #":)H' "%7' "' -<%7">*%,"#' #"8.' ?-' ="##?,'$%,*&6$,B'"%7'="##?,')*8<6$,B3['+9*H'#$.*'?,9*6)':9?'8#"$>*7',9*' )">*',9$%&H'8?<#7'%?,';6?E$7*'"%B'*E$7*%8*'-?6',9?)*'8#"$>)3'@:$,,*6' officials flagged her post for containing false information on election -6"<73 a?6',9?)*'"%7'?,9*6'"8,$?%)H'A*"%'(#>*%7?6-'",'9*6'"#>"'>",*6H' Harvard, kicked her off the advisory board of the Institute of Politics. @9*' K"6E"67' F"&"D$%*' 6*;?6,*7' 9$)' ),",*>*%,' :9*%' 7?$%&' )?3' “Elise has made public assertions about E?,*6'-6"<7 in November’s ;6*)$7*%,$"#' *#*8,$?%' ,9",' 9"E*' %?' =")$)' $%' *E$7*%8*H' "%7' )9*' 9")' >"7*';<=#$8'),",*>*%,)'"=?<,'8?<6,'"8,$?%)'6*#",*7',?',9*'*#*8,$?%' ,9",' "6*' $%8?66*8,3' F?6*?E*6H' ,9*)*' "))*6,$?%)' "%7' ),",*>*%,)' 7?' not reflect policy disagreements but bear on the foundations of the *#*8,?6"#';6?8*))',96?<&9':9$89',9$)'8?<%,6BN)'#*"7*6)'"6*'89?)*%3[' _,'$)'>B'9?;*'?,9*6'$%),$,<,$?%)':$##'=*&$%',?');*".'?<,'"&"$%),',9*$6' &6"7<",*)':9?'8?>>$,')*7$,$?%'"%7')<;;?6,'$%)<66*8,$?%3'@9?)*'#$.*' `?)9'K":#*B'/01F$))?<6$5':9?'&6"7<",*7'-6?>'+,"%-?67'"%7'4"#*'"%7' @*7' !6<D' /01@*W")5H' "#)?' -6?>' K"6E"673' L$.*' A*"%' (#>*%7?6-' ,9*B' )9?<#7');*".'?<,'%?,'"=?<,';?#$8B'7$)"&6**>*%,)'=<,'"=?<,'"8,$?%)' ,6B$%&',?'<%7*6>$%*'"%7'7*),6?B'?<6'7*>?86"8B3' It is rumored Stefanik is looking for higher office and actually hired a former Trump staffer. If that’s true voters must demand she explain :9?')9*'6*"##B'$)H':9$89':?%N,'=*'*")B'8?%)$7*6$%&'9*6'"8,$?%)3'+9*' :$##'"#:"B)'=*')"77#*7':$,9'@6<>;'"%7'8#*"6#B'$%'2*:'4?6.',9",'$)%N,' "':$%%$%&'#??.'8?%)$7*6$%&'M$7*%'&?,'?E*6'bRc'?-',9*'E?,*',9*6*3'J' 6*8*%,' 8?>>*68$"#' 6*#*")*7' "&"$%),' 9*6' )"B)' $,' 8#*"6#B3' _-' F"6G?6$*' @"B#?6'C6**%*'/01C"35'"%7'L"<6*%'M?*=*6,'/01!?#?35':*%,',?'K"6E"67' ,9*B':?<#7'=*'(#$)*'+,*-"%$.3' _,' :")' 6*;?6,*7' =B' #?8"#' >*7$"' "%7' 6*;*",*7' $%' ,9*' I?),' T:9*%' +,*-"%$.' :")' $%' ].#"9?>"' ,?' );*".' ",' "' @6<>;' 8">;"$&%' 6"##BH' ,9*' ;6*)$7*%,' d' )**,9$%&' ?E*6' ,9*' )>"##' 86?:7' ">$7' ,9*' ;"%7*>$8' d' first skipped her introduction entirely, then mispronounced her %">*' ?%),"&*3[' F"B=*' ,9*' %*W,' ,$>*' )9*' $)' <;' -?6' *#*8,$?%' E?,*6)' )9?<#7'-?6&*,'9*6'%">*'")':*##3

V O L U ME 05 I S S U E 09

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designate’s Miguel Cardona’s confirmation hearing in C"19"'"#'&(13'+$(0&8#03#$'7($+1917(+1*0'10'&7*$+&'(;*/0+&' +*'())*C108'.*2&'10'81$)&'#=#0+&'(03'C(&'M.1R($$#4P MF#' ;(3#' (' =#$2B' =#$2' 8**3' 7*10+BP' A*;0#2' &(134' MS%=#' 8*+' 719+/$#&' *,' ;2' #18"+' 8$(033(/8"+#$&B' (;*08&+' &*;#' 8$(03&*0&B'.#"103';#4'!"#2'&"*/)30%+'.#'9*;7#+108'C1+"' people who are physiologically in an entirely different 9(+#8*$24P T1+"'A*;0#2%&'0*'=*+#B'1+'C1))'.#'"($3#$B'1,'0*+'1;7*&&1.)#B' for supporters of the bill to find 10 GOP votes to end a filibuster. ?#04'?/&(0'U*))10&'VAL@(10#WB'+"#'*0)2'A#7/.)19(0'ED/()1+2' >9+' 9*L&7*0&*$' 10' +"#' 7$#=1*/&' U*08$#&&B' 1&' $#7*$+#3)2' (08$2' (+' +"#' F/;(0' A18"+&' U(;7(180' ,*$' #03*$&108' "#$' :#;*9$(+19'*77*0#0+')(&+'2#($B'7#$'+"#'6)(3#%&'$#7*$+1084' U*))10&' "(&' $#,/&#3' ;/)+17)#' 6)(3#' 10D/1$1#&' (.*/+' "#$' position on the bill this year. So another so-called GOP

;*3#$(+#' 1&' 7)(2108' 9*2' (.*/+' +"#' .1))4' A#;#;.#$B' +"1&' “moderate” voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the ?/7$#;#' U*/$+' (;13' 9$#31.)#' (99/&(+1*0&' *,' &#</()' (&&(/)+4 >0*+"#$' 0(;#' +"(+' 9*;#&' /7' (' )*+' 10' :#;*9$(+19' =*+#L counting fantasies is Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who (00*/09#3'"#'C1))'0*+'$/0',*$'$#L#)#9+1*04'Q*$+;(0'"(&'(' 8(2'&*0'&*'"1&'=*+#'&"*/)3'.#'('81=#0B'2#+B'1+%&'0*+4'Q*$+;(0' "($&")2'9$1+191R#3',*$;#$'Q$#&13#0+'!$/;7'*=#$'+"#'U(71+*)' $1*+B'2#+'=*+#3'+*'(9D/1+'"1;'10'+"#'?#0(+#4'E=#0'M;*3#$(+#P' A#7/.)19(0&' 0*+' &+(03108' ,*$' $#L#)#9+1*0' $#,/&#' +*' 3*' +"#' $18"+' +"1084' >&' *+"#$&' "(=#' 0*+#3B' +"#$#' &1;7)2' ($#0%+' HX' .(9-.*0#&' 10' +"#' ?#0(+#' A#7/.)19(0' 9(/9/&4' !"#2' C*0%+' oppose Trump and they won’t take a stand on anti-LGBTQ 31&9$1;10(+1*0'(03'7/&"',*$'+"#'ED/()1+2'>9+%&'7(&&(8#4' In the face of all this flip-flopping and hand-wringing *=#$' #(&2B' *.=1*/&' 9"*19#&B' :#;*9$(+&' C1))' 0##3' +*' )#($0' "*C'+*'7)(2'"($3'.())'+*'(99*;7)1&"'(02+"108'&/.&+(0+1=#4' But those efforts took a hit too, after Sens. Kyrsten Sinema V:L>$1R4W' (03' 5*#' @(09"10' V:LT4Y(4W' &(13' +"#2%3' =*+#' +*' reject an effort to do away with the filibuster. Neither Sinema nor Manchin’s office responded to the Blade’s $#D/#&+&',*$'9*;;#0+'*0'+"#'ED/()1+2'>9+4' >&' /&/()B' :#;*9$(+&' $1&-' &0(+9"108' 3#,#(+' ,$*;' +"#' jaws of victory. They must act decisively to combat COVID, $#,*$;' 1;;18$(+1*0' )(C&B' 9*0,$*0+' $(91()' 10#D/1+1#&B' protect LGBTQ workers, among other priorities, if they ($#' +*' 7$#&#$=#' +"#1$' 9*()1+1*0' (03' "*)3' *0+*' 7*C#$4' !"#' A#7/.)19(0&';(2'.#'10'+"#';10*$1+2B'./+'*0)2'.($#)24'!"#2' 8(10#3'&#(+&'10'+"#'F*/&#'(03'9*/)3'$#+(-#'+"(+'9"(;.#$' next year. They are at a 50-50 tie in the Senate and their $(91&+B' 9$1;10()' 7$#&13#0+1()' 9(0313(+#' C*0' ;*$#' =*+#&' 10' 2020 than in 2016. The Republicans are not as weak and 10' 31&($$(2' (&' &*;#' C1&",/)' +"10-#$&' (;*08' +"#' 7*)1+19()' 9*;;#0+($2'9)(&&'&##;'+*'+"10-4

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ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZALEZ, PARKER PURIFOY, CHRISTOPHER KANE, AUSTIN MENDOZA, JOHN PAUL KING, JOEY DIGUGLIELMO, CHRIS JOHNSON, LOU CHIBBARO JR., MARIAH COOPER, REBEKAH SAGER, JON DAVIDSON, SUSAN HORNIK, CHANNING SARGENT, SAMSON AMORE, CHRISTOPHER CAPPIELLO, MICHAEL JORTNER, DAN ALLEN, SEAN SHEALY, SCOTT STIFFLER, RHEA LITRÉ

+,%)-'&%#.%/'0(12,3.4+-'3( !"#$%$#!&'(#)%*+ ",%/#,10/,() CHRISTOPHER JACKSON, 562-826-6602

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!"#$%& '& ()*+,& #-.& /0& 1)*)%.2).%& #-3#& 4.56#.4& )*& '1.2)73& 8*& 9:;& <3=& >.5?&@A+&5.B3*&)#%&C8*B&B.%#3#)8*&)*&#-.&1)*4&8D&86#&%72..*E2)#.2&F6%%.CC& T. Davies back in 1995, even before he wrote his first high-profile gay TV 42313+&!G6..2&3%&>8CH?,& Following a group of young gay men (and their straight female BFF) through the early days of the AIDS epidemic in London, the series draws heavily on Davies’ own memories of the ‘80s, and of friends he knew during the era, with an eye toward delivering an authentic presentation of gay experience while providing a wide-angle view of the disease’s impact as it took its toll across various sectors of British society. Touted as the first British television drama to deal seriously with the AIDS epidemic, its debut in England proved an unequivocal success – a surprise considering it was rejected by the nation’s BBC One and ITV networks for its subject matter before it was finally taken on for development by Channel 4. Even more gratifying, its airing resulted in a boost to HIV awareness in Britain, resulting in an uptick of almost 400% in testing.

Written and directed by out gay men and featuring out gay actors in all its gay roles (including cameos by two out “big names,” Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Fry), the series has won well-deserved praise for its success in capturing both the exuberance and the heartbreak of gay life in 1980s London, and for Davies’ success in weaving together so many threads and characters without sacrificing the depth and emotional layering of his story.

An outstanding ensemble cast, led by Years and Years lead singer Olly Alexander and aided by veteran director Peter Hoar, delivers universally excellent performances, taking viewers through the emotional roller coaster of its narrative with the authenticity that can only come from deep commitment and investment to their roles. It’s no spoiler to say that things get pretty grim, but Davies’ script doesn’t allow it to become unrelentingly mournful; instead, he makes sure that the good stuff about being young, gay, and out – the fun, the friendship, and yes, the joy – are never far out of focus. When “It’s A Sin” reaches its conclusion, despite the multiple tragedies it makes us endure alongside its characters, the impression it C.3I.%&D..C%&182.&C)H.&3&7.C.523#)8*&#-3*&3&C31.*#?

Unsurprisingly, as with any show covering a subject that casts such a shadow 8I.2&3*&.*#)2.&B.*.23#)8*+&#-.2.&-3I.&5..*&85J.7#)8*%?&(81.&E-8&E.2.&8*&#-.&D28*#& lines of activism during the epidemic have criticized the series for vagueness and inaccuracy on the historical context surrounding the battle against the disease, and of course there are many people – queer and straight alike – who feel that LGBTQ experience has been depicted as tragic for long enough in our cultural narratives and that creators should strive instead for more positive, aspirational stories.

An issue that has raised predictable controversy with straight audiences (and due to concerns about representation, with some non-straight ones as well) is the show’s depiction of gay sex. While some have been shocked by its explicit-if-notgraphic sex scenes (filmed with the extensive involvement of intimacy coordinators to make them as authentic as possible), others have taken exception to the fact that the people in them are simply having too much fun. After all, in a show about a sexually transmitted disease that has killed millions to date, is it really appropriate to make sex look so enjoyable?

The answer, according to Hoar, is a resounding “yes.”

K-.&4)2.7#82+&E-8%.&72.4)#%&)*7C64.&#-.&76C#&-)#&!L2?&M-8,&3*4&58#-&!L32.4.I)C,& and “The Umbrella Academy” for Netflix, told DigitalSpy, “I’m not going to worry about how people feel about it because this is our sex, and this is the way it is,” says Hoar. “And how can you show the story of men having a life they loved, and dying from it, if you don’t show that sex?

!M.&-3I.&#8&%..&-8E&167-&D6*&)#&)%?, Those gleefully authentic scenes go a long way toward refuting and rejecting the shame that has long been so tenaciously attached to gay sex. Besides sending a refreshingly contemporary message of sex positivity, they also serve as a defiant counterpoint to the repressive homophobia and bigotry that haunts so many of the show’s other scenes – and that cuts right to the heart of what Russell Davies is ultimately trying to get across in “It’s A Sin.” In its final minutes, the series includes a stirring monologue in which Jill (Lydia West), who has served as the emotional glue at the center of the story as well as D82&-.2&7)27C.&8D&D2).*4%+&78*D28*#%&#-.&18#-.2&8D&8*.&8D&-.2&D3CC.*&781234.%&E)#-& the hard truth that it was her own shame she instilled in her son over his own very nature, that ultimately led to his death. This is not a new argument – the idea that internalized homophobia was a factor that helped to fuel transmission has been expressed many times before.

But “It’s A Sin” does more than just tell us that. It shows us, in myriad ways we don’t necessarily connect until they culminate in that climactic speech, how the effects of all that hate become entwined into the personas of its people and manifest in their choices and behavior. We see gay men who deny their sexuality even while -3I)*B&D62#)I.&%.=&E)#-&8#-.2&1.*+&E-8&.*462.&%.=63C&-323%%1.*#&D281&7C8%.#.4& bosses for fear of being exposed, who resign themselves to the vitriolic hate hurled upon them by random strangers on the street; we see gay men lose their jobs with no explanation, rejected and bullied by their own families, and locked away as outcasts or prisoners simply for being sick; most to the point, we see gay men so used to being demonized that they greet a killer disease with disbelief and denial, who end up becoming infected and then go on to infect others, simply because they are more afraid of being found out than they are of dying.

So, when Jill offers that searing indictment at the end, she is not just speaking about social theory. She is testifying as a witness to the things we have seen for ourselves. And while it might be oversimplifying matters to explain such a complex bundle of issues with a single unifying thread, no matter how profound, it might just as easily be overcomplicating them not to acknowledge a patently obvious 78**.7#)8*?

Whether or not “It’s A Sin” makes a convincing case for its equation is up to the individual viewer, of course, but what is hard for anyone to deny is the show’s success at creating an infectious and emotionally satisfying saga that manages to both engage and uplift us while still honoring the weight of its subject matter.

Intended as neither a documentary nor an activist’s-eye view of social injustice, it is instead popular entertainment at its best – the kind that seeks to enlighten and inform with just as much passion as it puts into its sex scenes.

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FILM

!"#$%&'()*+%,'-.*/)'/0',%*.12'34.'*#-2%0-/1/-5 HBO Max film a tender, affirming look at a trans journey !"#$%!#&'()%*

HBO Max and HBO Latino will premiere the darling of the film festival set, “Lupe,” on !"#$%&'%()%*%+$,$ The film opens with a beautiful panorama of farmland in Cuba and a young boy calling out for his caretaker and older sister. He is looking for her.

“Looking for her” becomes the theme of the film, and it also became the theme in the lives of many associated with this cinematic gem.

Rafael, the lead character, absorbs the toxic masculinity of his Cuban village, comfortable under the care of his sister Isabel (portrayed by Lucerys Medina). Then one day, she is missing. He (portrayed by Rafael Albarrán) has embraced his machismo as a trained boxer and sets out to New York “looking for her.”

His search for Isabel is merely the journey for him on a wholly other adventure in which he discovers that the “her” he is looking for, is the woman 8',1%0%'3.4K'!"#$%>&' LM24-4'14#.-%,5'N<6'@*O'*0P'N<6'"*-/04Q within himself. Along the way, (adjusting pronouns) they find their sister’s companion Elsa (portrayed by Christine Rosario Lawrence) who helps them think back on their Cuban roots, a boxing student, Arun (portrayed by Kadeem Henry, who shows them that life in authenticity can come with bitter rejection and a transgender woman Lana (portrayed by Celia Harrison), who helps them envision and embrace the future.

The film is tender, poignant and ultimately affirming.

The scenes are simple, sometimes austere, and often deeply beautiful. Albarrán displays magnetism throughout, drawing us into the emergence of the inner life of Rafael to an external expression – often quietly with just the look in their eyes.

To quote the RuPaul franchise, “If you are only watching the surface production, you are only seeing half of the story” rings true to the full story behind the realization of the movie.

While a transgender journey is portrayed on screen, another has played out behind the scenes.

The film was written, and directed by two white New Yorker cisgender men, André Phillips and Charles Vuolo, telling the story of a transgender woman. What could go wrong?

As it turns out — nothing. Even though the production work started six years ago, well before transgender artist voices were raised asking that their stories actually include them in the making, Phillips and Vuolo already knew what they did not know. They did not know the transgender experience.

They were looking for “her”: she who would take ownership of the transgender experience.

They found her in Celia Harrison. They wrote a framework of the story, and turned to Celia to guide them on the real life experience that she knew to be trans.

They cast Albarrán, a gay Latino man, after his second audition. Rafael was sensitive, vulnerable, and yet also brought a strong “street fight” charisma to the part. They also turned to Celia to play his best friend, even though she was not a trained actor.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Rafael the actor and Rafael the character were beating with the same heart, and a deeply similar journey. He told me recently, “I was not prepared for was to what I was about to discover of myself. At the minute when we were on set, and I got the part and I got cast in it, I immediately understood the weight and responsibility that I had. Six years ago I identified myself as a gay man. I start to realize how ignorant I was in the themes of trans and, and all the topics that embark the trans umbrella. And all of a sudden here I am going on a journey in a movie with the characters covered in their femininity and her femininity, and how it looks like, and how it feels like. To the point that six years after the process started, I no longer consider myself, or refer to myself as a gay man. I am a non-binary human – that process started and the discovery of myself through this character.”

Looking for her.

In 2017, the production team recruited and brought on an executive producer, Kerry Michelle O’Brien, who was well established and famous for her production work, and had only recently identified herself as trans. She told me, “Sharan reaches out to me, shows me this piece. Even in its rough cut state, we could see what an amazing piece of work the boys have done, Raphael’s acting is just unbelievable.

It just spoke volumes off the screen. It was amazing and beautiful to actually see a film in which we’re represented not as a sociopath, or serial killer, or on the game, you know, we’re actually reflected as human beings, sort of just fumbling and stumbling along and trying to find our way. We just want to be loved and be genuine and to see that evolve in Raphael to Lupe’s characters is just beautiful.”

The impact did not stop with Kerry in the post-production room. She carried it on into her own life, in her own quest for her own authenticity. “I actually took it upon myself to actually become genuine with my family in the UK so I reached out to my children.

Last weekend, I came out as transgender to them. I wasn’t dressed, but they were very accepting and the real beautiful point of that was my eldest took it upon herself to come out to me as bisexual at the same time. So, you know nothing but good things are coming from discussions around this movie. That was the level of impact it was me — to finally admit to myself, ‘I’m OK being the Kerry Michelle that I am, and I’m now ready to tell my family about it.”

Looking for her.

As Rafael Albarrán sums up, “In the end, it is not just a story about trans, about being a woman or a man — it is a story about authenticity. And I feel like that is something each one of us struggles with on our journey. Regardless of our gender or sexual orientation, it’s about being authentic with you and empower yourself however that might look like.”

Lupe airs on HBO Max Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.

(Rob Watson covers LGBTQ lives, culture, and politics as a contributor to the Los Angeles Blade and is the host of the Hollywood-based weekly radio podcast RATED LGBT RADIO.)

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