Los Angeles Blade, Volume 06, Issue 50, December 16, 2022

‘A big step toward equality’

Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act in historic ceremony, page 10

Bass sworn in as mayor, marking triumph for women of color

By SIMHA HADDAD

Thousands gathered in downtown L.A. Sunday at the Microsoft Theatre to witness the historic inauguration of Mayor-elect Karen Bass. Many danced in the aisles to the upbeat music pouring into the theatre through the loudspeakers.

Bass was sworn in by the Vice-President of the United States Kamala Harris, the first Black and first woman American ever elected to hold that office.

The celebratory energy carried through to the governor and members of the legislature sitting on stage in front of a backdrop of LA’s city hall, some of them swaying and clapping along to the music as well. The ceremony had been moved inside due to the threat of rain and inclement weather.

bly. Her work there with managing state funds also earned her a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

Bass was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. She represented California’s 33rd congressional district during her first term, though redistricting moved her to the 37th district in 2012. As a member of Congress representing Los Angeles and Culver City, Bass was praised by the Los Angeles Times for creating “the most significant child welfare policy reform in decades.”

Her campaign for the office of Mayor of L.A. was largely focused on ending the homeless crisis — a promise the new Mayor addressed today.

“Tragically, our city has earned the shameful crown as being home to some of the most crowded neighborhoods in the nation—Pico Union, South L.A., East L.A., the East Valley. We know our mission – we must build housing in every neighborhood.”

As of tomorrow, Mayor Bass will declare a state of emergency on homelessness.

Today’s inauguration ceremony commenced with the National Anthem, sung by US Navy Musician 3rd Class, Alexander Charles. Invocation speeches were then given by Rev. Norman Johnson, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Dr. Sadegh Namazikah, and Rev Rene Molina.

Rev. Johnson led a prayer in gratitude for this historic event. He then praised Bass for her integrity and her championing of multi-racial democracy, stating, “her journey has been long, but she has stayed true to the values taught to her by her parents.”

“My mother always taught me that it is so easy to be kind,” said Bass in her speech, “and that having compassion and empathy is so much more powerful than self centeredness and self-promotion.”

“My father taught me to be a critical thinker and to understand the historical context of national and international events — my daily conversations with him led me to make a lifetime commitment to do whatever I can to change the world,” she added.

Rabbi Brous blessed L.A.’s new mayor for her ability to change the narrative of City politics and “whose own story is a redemption story.” Dr. Namazikhah called for vision and wisdom to guide the new mayor to make decisions that lead to peace in Los Angeles. Rev. Molina delivered a prayer alternating between Spanish and English in which he prayed for the safeguarding of Mayor Bass’ emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual states.

Upbeat and soulful performances were scattered throughout the inauguration, including surprise performances by singer, songwriter, and actress Chloe Bailey and Grammy Award winning musical artist Stevie Wonder.

Amanda Gorman and Sophie Szew read their poems about change and female empowerment. Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, had also delivered a poem at the presidential inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.

The Hamilton High School Chamber Choir from her alma mater gave a performance that earned them a standing ovation.

Bass, 69, no stranger to pioneering women’s and African American rights, is now Los Angeles’ 43rd mayor and the first woman and second African American to be elected to this position after the legendary Mayor Tom Bradley, in the City’s two hundred and forty-one year history. She won the election against billionaire businessman and developer Rick Caruso in a neck-and-neck race.

“Making history with each of you today is a monumental moment in my life and for Los Angeles,” said the new mayor in her inauguration speech and then in a nod to the L.A. County government added:

“And let’s not forget our all-female County Board of Supervisors! We are all going to make so much history together in a state that has enshrined in our constitution a woman’s right to decide what happens to her body!”

The daughter of a working-class father and stay-at-home mother, Bass earned her high school degree from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. She then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in health sciences from CSU Dominguez Hills. She then graduated from the USC Kerk School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program with a master’s in social work.

Bass started her career not working in politics, but as a nurse and Physician’s Assistant. She went on to found the Community Coalition with the goal of helping South L.A. fight substance abuse and other issues that menace underserved neighborhoods, such as inadequate income and high crime rates.

She then went on to make history as the first Black Speaker in the California State Assem-

Director of UCLA Labor Center, Kent Wong, gave a speech in which he called Bass “my friend and my sister,” stressing his support of her faith in nonviolent organization, which helps “ordinary people do extraordinary things.”

California State Senate President pro-Tempore Toni Atkins, the first woman to serve in that role, then took the podium praising the Bass for continuing to make history.

Bass also took a moment to thank outgoing Mayor, Eric Garcetti for his work.

“Mayor Garcetti – thank you for your 21 years of service to our city. When we light the Olympic Torch in 2028, when we take public transit to the airport, when we go to bed in apartments safer from earthquakes, and when we breathe in cleaner air, Angelenos will be benefiting from your legacy.”

Garcetti and California Governor Gavin Newsom were among the numerous other dignitaries present on the stage for the ceremony today.

Finally, the new Mayor called upon the people of Los Angeles to join her in the fight to mend our city.

“I call on the people of our city to not just dream of the L.A. we want, but to participate in making the dream come true. Please join me in this effort. A city where people are housed and tents are gone. A City where people are comfortable walking and shopping in all neighborhoods at all hours. A City where murals replace graffiti; A City where we lock arms with each other until we get the job done. That’s the reality we can build, Los Angeles. Let’s build it together. Thank you Los Angeles for the honor and the opportunity. Thank you.”

‘I call on our city to not just dream of the LA we want but to participate’

KAREN BASS takes the oath of office from Vice President Kamala Harris.

(Photo Credit: Bass for Mayor Campaign)

Mayor Garcetti says thanks and farewell to LA A mayor

challenged during eight years by homelessness crisis

By BRODY LEVESQUE

As Karen Bass took the oath of office from Vice-President Kamala Harris to become the 43rd Mayor of LA, the outgoing 42nd Mayor, Eric Garcetti bid his beloved Los Angeles farewell.

Mayor Karen Bass was sworn in during a ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Outgoing Mayor Garcetti, California Governor Gavin Newsom, the Vice President and other dignitaries were on-hand for the ceremony.

Bass is the first woman and second Black candidate to be elected mayor of the city. She officially takes over from Mayor Garcetti at 12:01 a.m. Monday, December 12, 2022.

In a statement and video touting his administration’s accomplishments released on Sunday, Garcetti said goodbye to Los Angeles as its Mayor.

“Three thousand four hundred forty-eight days ago, I began a journey that is now coming to an end. Every single day since then, I’ve had the unbelievable honor of getting up and going to work as your mayor. My gratitude for that is without end,” he said. Garcetti, who was term limited and is awaiting Senate confirmation as President Biden’s choice to be U.S. Ambassador to India added; “I’ve often said that the day I don’t wake up with a pinch-me’ feeling is the day I should leave City Hall. That day never came, but it’s time for my next adventure nonetheless.”

Garcetti has been challenged in his eight years in office by various issues including what the mayor often saw as his greatest nemesis, the homelessness crisis which was then exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The homeless crisis in California and in the greater Los Angeles region in particular has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic which saw thousands losing their jobs and some being evicted although moratoriums implemented by state and local officials have greatly reduced the evictions numbers.

The Los Angeles City Council in July 2021 passed an ordinance Garcetti signed that bans encampments on sidewalks and driveways, freeway overpasses and on-ramps, and near libraries, parks, schools and homeless shelters.

It specifically bans homeless encampments from within 00 feet of schools, day care facilities, parks and libraries. Under the ordinance people who don’t move would be fined, not arrested, and only after they are given two-weeks notice and offered shelter.

Also plaguing his administration was a series of sexual harassment scandals, including one involving a top aide that caused two U.S. senators to place his nomination for U.S. ambassador to India on hold last Spring. Both of Iowa’s Republican U.S. Senators, Joni Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley, are demanding details about how Garcetti handled allegations of sexual harassment by his staff.

During a hearing on his nomination by President Joe Biden late last year, the mayor told the senators he never witnessed a former top advisor, his former Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Jacobs, harass one of his police bodyguards, an allegation that’s at the center of a lawsuit filed against his administration.

A lawsuit filed in July 2020 against Jacobs by LAPD Offi-

cer Matthew Garza, a member of Garcetti’s security detail, alleges that Jacobs sexually harassed him.

Garza sued the city saying that Jacobs made crude sexual comments, massaged his shoulders and hugged him between 2014 and 201 . Garza alleged that the harassment happened in front of the mayor, but that Garcetti did nothing to stop it, KTLA reported.

Some of the allegations against Jacobs were publicly disclosed earlier this month in New York Magazine. Naomi Seligman, Garcetti’s director of communications, told journalist Alissa Walker that after returning from an event, Jacobs who was her boss charged into the office, “He crushes me against his body, pulling me in with all his strength,” she said. “I’m like a rag doll. He’s pulling me into him and kisses me on the lips for some long, uncomfortable period of time. He kisses me on the lips. I’m trying to push back, but he has my arms pinned down against the sides of my body so I have no leverage to push back.”

In a wide ranging interview in March of 2020 with journalist and former Los Angeles Blade news editor Karen Ocamb, Mayor Garcetti responded to uestions regarding his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his relationship with the LGBT community.

The LGBT community is not invisible to Garcetti, who has been a strong ally for decades. He is keenly aware that his emergency order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-1 is an inconvenience – but one that will save lives, not overwhelm hospitals and not crash the unprepared system of healthcare.

“I know this is an anxious time for a lot of people, but Angelenos should stay focused on preparation and protection — not panic,” Garcetti said issuing his directive ordering temporary restrictions on restaurants, bars, gyms, and other gathering spots in the City of Los Angeles. “We will continue doing everything we can to help guide people through this situation, and working closely with our local, state, and federal partners to keep our communities safe, aware, and informed.”

“Unlike past emergencies where we’ve had heroic first responders, each one of us is a first responder,” Garcetti told the Los Angeles Blade in a March 1 phone interview. “It’s a different mindset to think that it’s not just a firefighter or a police officer who might save my life — it’s now literally me. We’ve got so many people, we know them even today, while most people are abiding by our mandate, we all have friends who are saying, I’m young, I’m healthy, even if I get it, it’s not going to be too much’ —  and they’re not practicing safe practices,” meaning the precautions recommended by the CDC to vigorously wash hands and follow “social distance.”

“That isn’t just a threat to them, that’s a threat to people they know, people they love, people they interact with. We all have seniors who we know and love and in our family we have people who are fighting diseases and are immunocompromised,” says Garcetti. “In the LGBT community, we have practice with that. But now is a moment when in these two weeks, we’ll either push the curve out and atten it or it will spike and the severity of deaths, the damage to our econo-

my, the length of this crisis is literally in our hands and those hands shouldn’t be touching other people.”

In 201 , under the mayor, LA became the largest municipality to formally include LGBT businesses in their contracts. Nationally, LGBT businesses contribute 1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy, generate, on average, 2,47 , 42 in revenue, and create more than 33,000 jobs, according to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

In January of this year, Garcetti nominated Out lesbian Deputy Chief Kristin Crowley to be the first woman to lead the Los Angeles Fire Department replacing outgoing LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to confirm Kristin Crowley on March 1.

In June during the Los Angeles Mayor’s Pride Garden Party held at The Getty House, the official residence of the mayor Saturday afternoon, Garcetti spoke to the Los Angeles Blade re ecting on Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Garcetti noted that “here in LA we defend those rights” after taking aim at the actions of the high court Friday in the ruling on the Mississippi case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health clinic. “Make no mistake, we have to be active,” Garcetti added.

In the latest crisis of governance this past Fall over a leaked audio tape in published articles and audio by the Los Angeles Times of racist comments regarding openly gay LA city councilman Mike Bonin’s black son and other city and county officials by three city council members and a prominent labor leader- Garcetti responded in a statement saying: “Bigotry, violence, and division too often live in unseen and unheard places, but have severe conse uences on the lives of our fellow Angelenos when they are not confronted and left to infect our public and private lives. Stepping down from the council would be the right response by these members in a moment that demands accountability and healing at a time of great pain and deep disappointment.”

Last month for the Thanksgiving holiday 2022, in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day, Garcetti joined Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub, celebrity supporters and 22 volunteers and staff to prepare and deliver 7,400 meals on Thanksgiving Day to seriously ill and housing insecure people throughout 4,700 s uare miles of L.A. County.

MAYOR GARCETTI bids farewell to Los Angeles. (Screenshot/YouTube)

State of hate: LA reports most hate crimes in 19 years

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations (LACCHR) released a report Wednesday that showed that hate crimes in Los Angeles County have reached a total that is the highest recorded in 19 years.

Since 1980, LACCHR has compiled, analyzed, and produced this annual report of hate crime data submitted by over 100 law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and community-based organizations in Los Angeles County.

Crime data submitted by over 100 law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and community-based organizations in Los Angeles County was used showed that hate crimes in Los Angeles County grew 23% from 641 to 786 in 2021, according to the report. This is the largest number recorded since 2002.

The crimes overwhelmingly included acts of violence, and more than half were spurred by racism. Blacks, Latinos, Jews and LGBTQ individuals were the most-targeted groups. While Black residents only make up 9% of the county’s population, the report showed that they comprise 46% of hate crime victims.

“The year 2021 began with a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, led in part by white nationalist groups,” said Robin Toma, the Commission’s Executive Director.  “The shocking revolt was evidence of not only growing political polarization, but a country deeply divided along lines of race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender.  Against this backdrop, hate crimes across the nation, including L.A. County, skyrocketed in 2021.”

The report noted that transgender people experience the highest rate of violent crimes at 93%, and racial crimes against the Black, Hispanic, Asian and Muslim communities all increased.

“The rise in hate crimes across Los Angeles County is deeply distressing. Our most vulnerable neighbors are facing enough challenges, and now have to worry about a greater risk of being attacked or harassed because of who they are. That is unaccept-

able,” said Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “As Chair of the Board I’m looking forward to engaging with our partners across the County and with community groups to tackle these crimes. Hate has no place in LA County.”

The report’s significant findings include the following:

Hate crimes have grown 105% since hitting an all-time low in 2013.

The overall rate of violence increased from 68% to 74%, the highest rate in at least 20 years* Transgender victims experienced the highest rate of violence (93%), followed by homophobic (89%), racial (78%), and religious crimes (53%).

The 23% increase in hate crime was largely due to a 17% spike in racial crimes. Crimes targeting African Americans, Latino/as, Asians and Middle Easterners all rose dramatically. Racist offenses constituted 8 of all hate crimes.

As in past years, Blacks were grossly over-represented. Although Blacks constitute only 9% of County residents, they comprised 4 of racial crime victims.  Anti-Black crimes jumped 30% from 169 to 219.

Latino/as comprised 25% of racial victims and anti-Latino/a crimes rose 10% from 106 to 117. Latino/as were the most likely of the larger targeted groups to be targets of violent racially motivated crime. In 78% of these crimes, anti-Mexican slurs were used.

Crimes targeting Asians grew 67% from 46 to 77 and comprised 1 of racially motivated offenses. In 23 of these crimes, the suspects blamed the victims for the COVID-1 pandemic.

Crimes targeting persons of Middle Eastern descent rose 267% from 3 to 11.

Crimes in which suspects used specifically anti-immigrant slurs skyrocketed 48% from 56 to 83, the largest number ever recorded.

Sexual orientation attacks grew 15% from 124 to 142 and made up 17 of all hate crimes. Eighty-five percent of these crimes targeted gay men.

Religious-motivated offenses spiked 2 from 8 to 111 and

made up 14% of all hate crimes. The rate of violence (53%) was the second highest on record   The Jewish community was targeted in 74% of these cases.

Anti-transgender hate crimes rose 24% from 33 to 41. This number nearly tied the largest number ever reported (42, in 2019).

The largest number of hate crimes took place in the Metro Service Planning Area, which stretches from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights, followed by the San Fernando Valley region. However, if one compares the populations of the areas to the numbers of reported hate crimes, the Metro region had the highest rate, followed by the Western region (which includes parts of West L.A., Beverly Hills, Culver City, and several a uent beach communities).

Hate crimes committed by gang members increased 69%, from 32 to 4. Seventy-four percent were racial and the majority targeted African Americans.

“There is no room for intolerance and hate against anyone in Los Angeles County. I am disappointed by the most recent statistics that show we are going in the opposite direction of being inclusive,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc n. “My office is committed to prosecuting those types of crimes that are motivated by hate and anger toward any group based on their race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender identity or sexual orientation. We need to recognize, respect, and celebrate our differences so we can build a stronger foundation of healthy and safe communities.”

Since launching in June 2020,  LAvsHate.org website content has been viewed over 1 billion times and has been shared more than 180 million times. Since September 2019, when L.A. vs. Hate and 211 began accepting calls, L.A. vs. Hate has received more than 1, 00 reports.  Approximately, 0 of those callers have requested assistance via case management.

To view the complete  report, including hate crime maps, graphs, and tables, as well as specific race ethnicity data and examples, please visit https: hrc.lacounty.gov.

BRODY LEVESQUE

Armed man prompts evacuation of the Abbey

Nightlife patrons at the Abbey Food and Bar in West Hollywood had a gun scare after West Hollywood Sheriffs stormed the popular bar in search of an alleged armed man inside.

Deputies from the West Hollywood Station launched an investigation after a security guard called alleging a man had a gun. Deputies evacuated The Abbey and swarmed the club but did not find him. Authorities said surveillance video captured images of the suspect in the bar with the weapon.

“We do have our EPT team, which is our entertainment policing team — they’re always doing patrol checks at all the businesses on Sunset and Santa Monica, so that’s why we got here within seconds,” LASD spokesperson Sgt. Joana Warren told KABC 7 Eyewitness News.

Media footage of the incident shows multiple units and a swarm of deputies in protective gear surround the bar and they cleared the location on Robertson Boulevard.

A number of other businesses in the area were informed about the incident when it happened and they were given a description of the man.

The scare is very close to the deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub, Club Q, in Colorado Springs, Colorado in

which at least five people have been killed and dozens more were injured in the incident which occurred on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security DHS  issued a terror threat bulletin November 30, warning that domestic extremists have posted online praise for the fatal shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado earlier this month. and have called for copycat attacks.

In its bulletin, DHS officials noted that several recent attacks, plots, and threats of violence demonstrate the continued dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment in the United States:

“Some domestic violent extremists who have conducted attacks have cited previous attacks and attackers as inspiration. Following the late November shooting at an LGBTQI+ bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado—which remains under investigation—we have observed actors on forums known to post racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist content praising the alleged attacker. Similarly, some domestic violent extremists in the United States praised an October 2022 shooting at a LGBTQI+ bar in Slovakia and encouraged additional violence.

The attacker in Slovakia posted a manifesto online espousing white supremacist beliefs and his admiration for prior attackers, including some within the United States,” DHS warned.

The City of West Hollywood is working with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Block by Block Security Ambassadors program to expand patrols in the City’s Rainbow District.

If you see something, say something. Anonymous tips can be called into Crimestoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. If you see something, say something. Anyone with information can also drop a tip at https: www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Your identity is always encrypted and anonymous. No personal information, phone number, e-mail, IP address or location is ever requested, saved, traced, tracked or monitored. Period.

(Additional reporting from The Los Angeles Blade. Paulo Murillo is Editor in Chief and Publisher of WEHO TIMES. This article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.)

PAULO MURILLO

heri B address B safety in rie ng

In light of recent events impacting the LGBTQ community around the nation, including the deadly shooting at the LGBTQ+ Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs last month, the Los Angeles County West Hollywood Sheriff’s Substation in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), hosted a briefing to address LGBT safety.

The presentation was held Thursday, December 8th, was conducted by a terrorism expert from the FBI’ Los Angeles Field Office that included details of the June 201 mass-shooting at the LGBTQ+ Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida, covering topics such as information leading to the attack, the aftermath, and lessons learned.

Security concerns are currently elevated in West Hollywood’s Rainbow district after nightlife patrons at The Abbey Thursday had a gun scare when deputies stormed the popular bar in search of an alleged armed man inside.

Deputies launched an investigation after a security guard called alleging a man had a gun. Deputies evacuated The Abbey and swarmed the club but did not find him. Authorities said surveillance video captured images of the suspect in the bar with the weapon.

“We do have our EPT team, which is our entertainment policing team – they’re always doing patrol checks at all the businesses on Sunset and Santa Monica, so that’s why we got here within seconds,” Sgt. Joana Warren with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told reporters outside of the Abbey.

In the spirit of collaboration and teamwork, the attendees from the FBI briefing included officers from surrounding police agencies, Block by Block safety ambassadors, code enforcement and parking enforcement personnel for the City of West Hollywood.

“Thanks to our partners in WHD Community Safety and the FBI, who assisted us in making this possible,” reads a post in the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station’s official Instagram account. “We look forward to hosting more critical incident reviews so we can continue to learn, collaborate, and work as one team to keep our communities safe.”

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

LACCHR released a report Wednesday that showed that hate crimes in Los Angeles County have reached a total that is the highest recorded in 1 years.

The crimes overwhelmingly included acts of violence, and more than half were spurred by racism. Blacks, Latinos, Jews and LGBT individuals were the most-targeted groups. While Black residents only make up of the county’s population, the report showed that they comprise 4 of hate crime victims.

LGBTQ+ people were too often the victims of these hate crimes. Crimes based on sexual orientation went up by 1 , with 8 of them targeting gay men; 8 of these incidents were violent. Meanwhile, of the 41 reported anti-transgender crimes, 3 were of a violent nature—a rate of violence higher than any other marginalized group recorded by the report. These numbers only re ect a fraction of actual hate-motivated incidents; it’s estimated that nearly half of all hate crimes go unreported.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security DHS  issued a terror threat bulletin November 30, warning that domestic extremists have posted online praise for the fatal shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Colorado earlier this month. and have called for copycat attacks.

In its bulletin, DHS officials noted that several recent at-

tacks, plots, and threats of violence demonstrate the continued dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment in the United States:

“Some domestic violent extremists who have conducted attacks have cited previous attacks and attackers as inspiration. Following the late November shooting at an LGBT I bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado—which remains under investigation—we have observed actors on forums known to post racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist content praising the alleged attacker. Similarly, some domestic violent extremists in the United States praised an October 2022 shooting at a LGBT I bar in Slovakia and encouraged additional violence. The attacker in Slovakia posted a manifesto online espousing white supremacist beliefs and his admiration for prior attackers, including some within the United States,” DHS warned.

Joshua Schare, Director of Communications for the City of West Hollywood in an email noted:

“The City of West Hollywood has taken any action to enhance security following the Club mass shooting. There are expanded patrols and personnel have been deployed by the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and the City’s Block by Block Security Ambassador program within the Rainbow District. This deployment will continue in the foreseeable future as the City’s law enforcement partners continue to assess any risks identified locally and throughout the region.

The Sheriff’s Station is fielding Holiday Community Safety Patrols to proactively prevent crime during the holiday season so that residents and businesses can continue to be safe and so that people coming to our community to shop, eat at a restaurant, enjoy our nightlife, or stay at a hotel will also be safe and the Sheriff’s COPPS Team is out during the days and its Entertainment Policing Team (EPT) is out at night proactively ensuring safety in the community.”

Additional reporting from The Los Angeles Blade. Paulo Murillo is Editor in Chief and Publisher of WEHO TIMES. This article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.

PAULO MURILLO

Chaos er pts as de e n ret rns to City Co ncil cham ers

For the first time since the Los Angeles Times published the leaked audio recording of a homophobic and racist conversation among L.A. City Council members and a prominent labor leader last fall, Councilman Kevin de León returned to L.A. City Council chambers.

His presence did not go unnoticed for long as minutes after he took his seat on the horseshoe shaped dais, the room descended into chaos, with about a dozen protesters screaming at De León and who have called for his resignation from the council, to leave and supporters of the embattled council member chanting “Kevin, Kevin, Kevin.”

City Council President Paul Krekorian called for a 10-minute recess and then got up to speak with de León who, after about 10 minutes, left the room.  The recess ended up lasting 4 minutes as LAPD officers and staff regained control of the room.

Protestors are angered that Councilmembers Kevin de Le n and Gil Cedillo have defied widespread calls for their resignations after a leaked 2021 audio tape of them and

former councilmember Nury Martinez with a former labor leader were heard making racist and homophobic comments.

Protesters have attended council meetings regularly since the scandal broke.

In October Councilmember de Le n told Univision’s Le n Krauze that he intends to remain in office telling Krauze; “No, I will not resign because there is a lot of work ahead. I feel very bad, I feel very sorry for the damage, for the wounds that exist today in our communities.”

De Le n’s statement followed widespread calls for his resignation, including Los Angles Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA mayor-elect Karen Bass, President Joe Biden and councilmember Mike Bonin, who along with his minor son, was a target of the racist and homophobic comments on the audio recording released.

KCAL CBS LA reported that de León has been criticized for drawing a paycheck while not showing up for city council meetings. He asked to be excused from meetings, but

that re uest has not been granted.

De Le n is currently facing a recall effort that kicked off this week.

Today’s Friday session is the last meeting of the current council before new members are sworn in.

BRODY LEVESQUE

B m lti agency B afety Brie ng

co rtesy eHo heri )

KEVIN DE LEON a es to s pporters. ( creenshot ia o e)

‘Today’s a good day’: Biden signs Respect for Marriage Act

Historic moment triggered by fears of Supreme Court attack on Obergefell

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law in a White House ceremony attended by hundreds of LGBTQ advocates from around the country.

“Today’s a good day,” said Biden during a signing ceremony that took place on the White House’s South Lawn. “Today America takes a big step toward equality.”

The ceremony took place fi ve days after the Respect for Marriage Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives with 39 Republicans voting in favor.

The bill passed in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 29 by a 61-39 vote margin. The Respect for Marriage Act fi rst passed in the House in July.

Prop 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. The Supreme Court on June 25, 2015, issued its landmark Obergefell decision that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples across the country.

Harris noted Tuesday is “a day, when thanks to Democrats and Republicans, we fi nally protect marriage rights in federal law.” Dozens of same-sex couples who sued for marriage rights across the country and their families stood on the steps leading to the Truman Balcony as she and Biden spoke.

“For millions of LGBTQI+ Americans and interracial couples, this is a victory and part of a larger fi ght,” said Harris.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurring opinion he wrote in the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade suggested the Supreme Court should also reconsider Obergefell and two other decisions that guaranteed the right to private, consensual sex and the ability of married couples to purchase and use contraception.

The House fi rst passed the Respect for Marriage Act less than a month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson. California Congressman Mark Takano, who is openly gay, earlier this month told the Washington Blade that Congress was “reeling” from the ruling and Thomas’ opinion and lawmakers said “we need to protect what we can.”

utive Director June Crenshaw and Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Offi ce of LGBT Aff airs, are among 5,300 people who attended the ceremony.

Sinema, Baldwin, Collins, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D.N.Y), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) were also in attendance.

Biden during the signing ceremony specifi cally thanked U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and other lawmakers who helped secure the bill’s passage. Biden also reiterated calls for Congress to pass the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law, and for an end to anti-LGBTQ violence in the wake of last month’s massacre at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the proliferation of anti-trans bills across the country.

“When a person can be married in the morning and thrown out of a restaurant in the afternoon, this is still wrong,” said Biden. “We must stop the hate and violence.”

Vice President Kamala Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney in 2004 when she became one of the fi rst public offi cials in the country to offi ciate a same-sex wedding. Harris was California’s attorney general when she successfully challenged the state’s Proposition 8 before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on June 26, 2013, struck down

Harris said the Dobbs decision is a reminder that “fundamental rights are interconnected, including the right to marry who you love, the right to access contraception, and the right to make decisions about your own body.” Biden noted Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act “because of an extreme Supreme Court has stripped away the right important to millions of Americans that existed for half a century.”

House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.); Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith, one of the plaintiff couples in the lawsuit that led Massachusetts to become the fi rst state in the country to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in 2004, also spoke at the ceremony. Cyndi Lauper, Sam Smith and members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performed.

Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg; National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director Kierra Johnson; Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund Executive Director Andy Marra; David Mixner; Robyn Ochs; Alabama state Rep. Neil Raff erty; Pennsylvania state Sen. Malcolm Kenyatta; Arizona state Rep. Daniel Hernández; former New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson; Maryland state Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City); GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis; Garden State Equality (N.J.) Executive Director Christian Fuscarino; Equality Florida Communications Director Brandon Wolf; Wanda Alston Center Exec-

“Today is a historic day and a much-needed victory for our community,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a press release. “It should be lost on no one that this bill signing comes less than a month after a deadly attack on our community in Colorado Springs, and at a time when the community continues to face ongoing threats of online and o ine violence, as well as legislative attacks on our rights. In signing this bill, President Biden has shown that LGBTQ+ peoples’ lives and love are valid and supported.”

GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders Janson Wu said “millions of couples and their children across the country now have the assurance that their families will continue to be respected by our state and federal governments because President Biden has signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law.” Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang echoed these sentiments.

“This is an historic milestone for our movement and an important victory for hundreds of thousands of loving couples and their children across the nation,” said Hoang in a statement. “All Americans deserve the freedom to marry the person they love, and this bill is a re ection of the fact that for the majority of Americans — across all political parties, backgrounds, and in every corner of the country — the debate over marriage equality is settled.”

President JOE BIDEN (center) signs the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

The White House is lit in rainbow colors following the signing ceremony on Tuesday. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

on inary go t official charged ith second l ggage theft

Sam Brinton, the fi rst openly gender uid person appointed to a senior government post, was served with a felony arrest warrant last Friday following a second incident in which they were accused of stealing luggage from an airport.

New charges accuse Brinton of grand larceny of property valued between 1,200 and ,000, for stealing luggage at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. They were previously charged with a felony for lifting a suitcase from baggage claim at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sept. 1 .

Brinton joined the U.S. Department of Energy this year as deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition. The New York Post reported they were put on leave following the fi rst incident.

“ The Department of Energy takes criminal charges against DOE employees and clearance holders very se-

riously,” a Department of Energy spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “ Sam Brinton, a career civil servant, is on administrative leave. The department is limited by law on what it can disclose on personnel matters, such as an employee’s clearance status. Generally, as the department has previously stated, if a DOE clearance holder is charged with a crime, the case would be immediately considered by DOE personnel security offi cials, and depending on the circumstances, that review could result in suspension or revocation of the clearance.”

On Dec. 7, a group of 1 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, including far-right Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene Ga. , Andy Biggs Ariz. and Louie Gohmert Texas , called on Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to demand Brinton’s resignation.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

inema changes party affiliation to independent

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said during an interview with POLITICO last Friday that she will switch her party affiliation from Democrat to independent but pledged not to change the way she has voted over the past four years in the Senate.

Sinema’s announcement comes just two days after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia prevailed in a runoff election against Republican challenger Herschel Walker, widening Democrats’ razor thin majority in the upper chamber.

“I don’t anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure,” Sinema told POLITICO. “I intend to show up to work, do the same work that I always do. I just intend to show up to work as an independent.”

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson told the Washington Blade in a statement: “The issues of the

LGBT community are beyond partisanship. We at the Human Rights Campaign will be looking for Sen. Sinema to show us her continued advocacy and support for the community regardless of her party affiliation.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement on her decision: “Senator Sinema has been a key partner on some of the historic legislation President Biden has championed over the last 20 months, from the American Rescue Plan to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, from the In ation Reduction Act to the CHIPS and Science Act, from the PACT Act to the Gun Safety Act to the Respect for Marriage Act, and more.

“We understand that her decision to register as an independent in Arizona does not change the new Democratic majority control of the Senate, and we have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with

her.”

Sinema’s reputation as an iconoclast has occasionally frustrated her Democratic colleagues in the chamber as well as progressives more broadly. Critics were puzzled by what they saw as the Arizona Senator’s fealty to multinational pharmaceutical companies, hedge funds, and venture capital firms.

More recently, however, Sinema was credited for her instrumental work earning her GOP colleagues’ support for the Respect for Marriage Act, which earned a filibuster proof majority and is now on its way to be signed into law.

Sinema made history with her election to the Senate in 2018, becoming the first bisexual and second LGBT person behind Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin to serve in the upper chamber.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Brittney riner ret rns to . .

WNBA star Brittney Griner returned to the U.S. last Friday after Russia released her in exchange for a convicted arms dealer.

Griner landed at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio at around :30 a.m. ET.

Media reports indicate Griner then went to the U.S. Army’s Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. They also said she will undergo a medical examination at the Brooke Army Medical Center.

“So happy to have Brittney back on U.S. soil,” tweeted special envoy Roger Carstens. “Welcome home BG.”

Griner had been serving a nine-year prison sentence in a penal colony after a Russian court convicted her on the importation of illegal drugs after Russian customs officials in February found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

President Biden last week announced Russia had re-

leased Griner in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 2 -year prison sentence in the U.S. Russian media broadcast a video of the exchange that took place at an airport in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, was with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken when they spoke with Griner from the Oval Office before she left for the U.S.

“She is safe,” said Biden. “She is on a plane. She is on her way home.”

Advocacy groups are among those who welcomed Brittney Griner’s release. Cherelle Griner and the Biden administration have said they remain committed to securing the release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is serving a 1 -year prison sentence in Russia for spying.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

SAM BRINTON (Photo co rtesy of Brinton)

BRITTNEY GRINER efore she left Mosco on ec. . ( creen capt re ia ssian tate Media)

WAYNE BESEN

is the founding executive director of Truth Wins Out, the Center Against Religious Extremism. (TWOCARE.org)

Sam Brinton: A story too good to be true? Non-binary official steps down after arrest

Sam Brinton, a non-binary, LGBTQ activist and outspoken opponent of conversion therapy, has been charged with felony theft. They allegedly stole a woman’s suitcase worth $2,325 from a carousel at the Minneapolis Airport. Brinton, who served as a nuclear expert at the Department of Energy, before being suspended from their duties, has a Dec. 19 hearing. They face up to five-years imprisonment, a 10,000 fine or both.

The criminal case against the activist is damning. Brinton had no checked luggage, precluding this being a case of accidentally taking the wrong bag. Video surveillance captured Brinton removing the suitcase from the carousel and putting the bag’s tag in their handbag before leaving “at a quick pace,” the police complaint read.

While this is a personal calamity for Brinton, the fallout faced by the LGBTQ community could have easily been avoided. The red ags regarding Brinton were overwhelming and obvious to all who cared to see them. Unfortunately, some of America’s top LGBTQ activists and organizations were willfully blind to Brinton’s shortcomings.

These organizations, such as the Trevor Project and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, (NCLR) ignored clear warning signs and incontrovertible evidence because Brinton provided these groups with a seemingly perfect “ex-gay” survivor story to expose horrific conversion therapy practices and ideology.

While these advocates were well intentioned, they took a shortcut, looked the other way and elevated them without ever asking: Is Sam Brinton’s story too “good” to be true? It remains an open question to whether Sam Brinton’s story was contrived or embellished to manipulate high profile leaders to elevate themself into the upper echelons of LGBTQ activism and achieve a level of celebrity? But “ex-gay” conversion therapy needs no sensationalism and Sam’s story, if truly fabricated or exaggerated, adds to that destruction by undermining credible survivor stories.

Sam Brinton burst on the scene on October 1, 2010. In a riveting two-part interview with I’m from Driftwood, they revealed the most shocking conversion story activists had heard since the 1 0’s. It involved Brinton coming out to their parents at age 11, and their father reacting with a swift punch to their face.

“Dad just started punching,” Brinton said. “That was the first day that I was sent to the emergency room, because I had ‘fallen down the stairs’. I was sent to the emergency room about 6 more times for ‘falling down the stairs’ or ‘tripping on the sidewalk’. I’m in this constant state of fear.”

Brinton also claimed, “My dad has held a gun up to my head multiple times.”

Brinton says that they were then sent to a cruel and sadistic Florida conversion therapist, who they saw for two or three years [Brinton’s timeline periodically changes depending on the media interview]. Brinton alleges this practitioner used aversion therapy, which included sessions where they were

tortured with extreme heat, ice and needles.

“We then went into the ‘Month of Hell’,” Brinton alleged. “The ‘Month of Hell’ consisted of tiny needles being stuck into my fingers and then pictures of explicit acts between men would be shown and I’d be electrocuted.”

The idea was to associate homosexual feelings with extreme pain, so the urges would disappear. While such practices were more common in the 1 0’s and 1 0’s, it was exceedingly rare to find such cases when Brinton allegedly attended therapy, approximately between 1 -2001. The paucity of finding active cases, that employed such barbaric techniques, meant that added due diligence was necessary to ascertain the veracity of Brinton’s explosive testimony.

Brinton also claimed that conversion therapy led them to attempt suicide, and they were later thrown out of the house by their parents.

As an LGBT activist fighting against conversion therapy with my organization Truth Wins Out, as well as the author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth”, I had hoped to work with Brinton to expose the harm of conversion therapy. Their story was compelling and could in uence public opinion against “ex-gay” practices, which has been my life’s mission.

I excitedly reached out to Brinton, and they were oddly inaccessible, communicating indirectly through intermediary LGBTQ activists in the Boston-area, where they were attending MIT. The reason for Brinton’s scarcity had to do with two simple questions I had asked them: Who was your conversion therapist and in which facility did the therapy occur?”

This basic inquiry was critically important for two reasons. First, in order share Brinton’s story, we had to verify if it was true. Second, Brinton’s testimony involved a torture center where hideous abuses were presumably still occurring against children at least as young as eleven years old. If such a place existed, there was a moral imperative to rapidly identify the abusive therapist and contact the authorities to stop the atrocities.

Why was Sam Brinton the ONLY survivor of conversion therapy I’ve encountered since 1998 who refused to answer these questions? Not only had every other survivor provided this information willingly, but they were eager to fight back and shut down their own therapist or “ex-gay” minister.

Rapidly embraced by activists who were enamored by their story, youth and charisma, Brinton began widely sharing their story in Boston. Soon, people began asking me why I wasn’t promoting such a powerful example of the harm caused by conversion therapy. On October 11, 2011, I wrote in the comments section of Queerty:

“Until he provides more information to verify his experience, he makes it impossible for us to use him as an example. Indeed, it would be grossly irresponsible for us to do so.” [At this time, Sam did not use they/them pronouns.]

In response to my public comment, Brinton finally addressed my questions at Queerty:

“I was indirectly in contact with Wayne and although I know he wants me to send the information of the therapist that is simply not an option. Counselor after counselor has seen me revert to near suicidal tendencies when I try to dig deep into the memories of the time, and I simply don’t have his name. I can picture him clear as day in my nightmares, but his name is not there.”

Brinton’s reply raised some serious questions. If Brinton was in such a psychologically fragile state, why were LGBTQ activists having them talk to the media and lawmakers? Wouldn’t this be a cruel form of exploitation that placed Brinton’s mental health at risk? At Truth Wins Out we vet our spokespeople and would never expose a person, enduring this level of trauma, to intense public scrutiny.

To believe Brinton, one would have to suspend reality and buy their explanation that they couldn’t recall the name of a therapist that, “For over two years, I sat on a couch and endured emotionally painful sessions.” Does this sound plausible? Or is Brinton more concerned about keeping their story unverifiable

One also wonders how Brinton can recall vibrant, unusually specific details about their therapy experience, but not the identity of their therapist. In one striking instance, they told NBC News, “There were seven King James Bibles on a stack on the coffee table,” recalling the conversion therapist’s small office in an Orlando, Florida strip mall.

I checked with a top expert on conversion therapy in the Orlando region. He said that there is no known conversion office in a strip mall that existed during the years that Brinton attended therapy. After the airport incident, I called Brinton’s mother, Peggy Jo Brinton. She told me that her son had attended therapy, but that “it was not a conversion therapist”. She refused to provide the name of the mystery counselor, but added, “I do love them [Sam] dearly.” For the record, she also denied that Sam was physically abused or attempted suicide. [Of course, let’s not deny there is a compelling interest in refuting these serious allegations]

In their Queerty post, Brinton says, “I can picture him [the therapist] clear as day in my nightmares.” Well, if that’s true, why hasn’t Brinton tried to identify this monster by finding his picture online? After all, how many conversion therapists are there in the Orlando area? Have they ever reached out to experts in the region to help find this abominable culprit who is presumably still preying on children?

Other holes in Brinton’s story have emerged. In some versions Brinton claims that they went to a Florida therapist. Yet, the Des Moines Register reports that they “began a series of out-of-state treatments.” Why won’t Brinton clarify which state the reporter was referring to?

Continues at losangelesblade.com

MICHAEL WEINSTEIN

is president of Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization.

Condoms are Plan A: Back to the future of condoms

Pharma greed, gov’t squeamishness left us unprotected from tidal wave of STIs

The world has completed a ten-year experiment with HIV prevention and the results are clear. PrEP and HIV treatment to prevent transmission have been found wanting. 1.5 million people globally became infected with HIV last year [1]. STIs are at an all-time high, a tragic turn from where we were just twenty years ago when syphilis was close to being eradicated. The US alone had 2.5 million combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in 2021 [2]. Not to mention millions of teen pregnancies and unwanted babies.

For anyone looking at our circumstance objectively, it is clear that the pure biomedical interventions will never take the place of condoms as the first line of defense against HIV, STIs, and unplanned pregnancy. Yet condom promotion is virtually non-existent, and the condom culture is destroyed.

A combination of pharma greed, government squeamishness, and the libertine position of many advocates has left us unprotected against the tidal wave of STIs that is sweeping the world. It is easy enough to understand why condoms are not popular. Many people feel they’re uncomfortable, interrupt spontaneity, aren’t there when you need them, and on and on.

Governments don’t want to promote condoms because it would force them to talk about the “icky” subject of sex. Religious groups oppose them because they promote sexual pleasure over reproduction. Libertarians see them as a restriction on their freedom.

Beyond the health implications, it is time to look at condoms as an alternative to abortion. With the right to choose having been trashed by the Supreme Court, alternatives to medical abortions are getting a second look. The public health system in the US must choose an avenue to focus on where primary prevention will take place.

Plan B medication interrupts conception within 72 hours of a sexual encounter. Plan C can end a pregnancy.

Why not have a Plan A—Condoms. Hershel Walker, who recently lost his race for the Senate in Georgia, repeatedly asked a woman to have an abortion. Did he consider a

condom Arnold Schwarzenegger had an affair with the housekeeper that busted up his marriage. Did he consider a condom?

At AHF Wellness Centers, we have many fre uent yers who routinely test positive for STIs. Antibiotics do the job (for now), clearing up infections quickly so the next infection can take its place. Is using a condom such a high price to pay for preventing multiple infections? People who test positive for STIs are more likely to get HIV in the future [3]. If we continue down this route, we know where it goes. Rampant increases in STIs are costly, can result in infertility, cause still births due to syphilis (congenital syphilis rates tragically increased 184. over the past five years , create drug resistant gonorrhea, and incite relationship break-ups [2]. Despite these serious outcomes, we see STIs as a temporary inconvenience and do not take them seriously.

There has never been any question that biomedical interventions can help an individual and should be freely available without any stigma. However, ten years in there still isn’t any proof that biomedical interventions alone will reduce HIV, but we know they will stoke STIs. Nevertheless, we are heavily exporting this failed experiment to the world. And who benefits most—Pharma giants Gilead and GSK.

Government policy must adjust to the realities of primary prevention. We need to go back to basics and promote condoms as the primary means to prevent HIV/STIs if we are to have any chance of bringing rates down. Focusing in on condoms gives the power of prevention and control back to the individual, it won’t get tied up in medical appointments and pharma profits.

Some want us to double down and give preventative antibiotics to stave STIs. This may lead to increases in unprotected sex and inevitably to antibiotic resistance, which is a growing existential public health threat [4].

Prevention is a tough road to hoe. You will never be completely successful in promoting healthier behavior. But, having bent the stick so dangerously in one direction it is time to bend it back.

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Queer creator blends Shakespeare with iconic music of Pat Benatar

By JOHN PAUL KING

For millions of GenX-ers, the music of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo – Benatar’s longtime lead guitarist, collaborator, and producing partner, and her husband since 1982 – has been an iconic generational touchstone for more than four decades. This might be especially true for queer GenXers, who found inspiration during their formative years in the defiant spirit that resonated through many of the duo’s songs.

One of those queer GenXers was Bradley Bredeweg, the out co-creator of another queer touchstone, television’s “The Fosters,” which became a hit for five seasons on FreeForm with its story of a lesbian couple raising five adopted children. Now, Bredeweg – a self-described “theater kid” – is helping to bring Benatar and Giraldo’s music to a new generation of rebellious youth with “Invincible,” a new musical that intricately weaves the couple’s legendary catalogue with inspired new songs to re-imagine Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” for the 21st century.

“When I got into writing for television, I realized that I missed the equal exchange that happens between the people on the stage and the audience,” explains Bredeweg, who spoke with the Blade ahead of his show’s Nov. 22 opening at Beverly Hills’ Wallis Center for the Performing Arts. “I love film and television, obviously, I’m so grateful for it, but after a couple of years of doing it, I was like, ‘I miss that inner theater child, so I’m gonna moonlight.’”

The result of his “moonlighting” turns Shakespeare’s classic Verona setting into a modern, war-torn metropolis, and places his timeless tale of star-crossed lovers in a time of great transformation. Love and equality are forced to battle for survival as a newly elected chancellor works to return the city to its traditional roots and destroy a progressive resistance that is trying to imagine peace in a divided world – and if you think that sounds familiar, it’s by design. Its current run at the Wallis is its world premiere, but if things go as hoped, this is just the first step toward Broadway.

According to Bredeweg, however, it’s far from the beginning of his show’s journey.

“About 12 years ago, I realized I hadn’t read ‘Romeo and Juliet’ since high school and decided to read it again,” he tells us. “The next day I had to take a road trip – this was back in the era when I still had a CD book in my car – and I came across the “Best of” album of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, so I popped it in and started driving. And because the story was obviously fresh in my head, I was listening to all these songs and realizing that if you line them up a certain way they totally tell the tale of Romeo and Juliet.’ I wrote a first draft a couple of weeks later and then I just put it away and forgot about it.”

Much later, in 2015, he walked into a Los Feliz bar called the Rockwell (“It was this really cool kind of spot that we don’t have a lot of in LA, because we’re not a theatrical town”), where cabaret performances were sometimes mounted by visiting Broadway talent and Jeff Goldblum would do a gig every Wednesday night. Inspired by the vibe, he suddenly remembered, “this thing I had come up with all those years ago” and impulsively pitched the idea of putting it on to the bar’s manager. I said, ‘I’ve got this crazy idea where I want to combine Shakespeare with Pat Benatar,’ and she said, ‘That’s insane, but I’m a huge fan of your show and I love it, so let’s do it.’”

This early incarnation then called “Love is a Battlefield” was an unprecedented hit, enjoying a six-month run to sold out houses – that is, until Benatar and Giraldo’s manager attended

a performance and recorded a video of the whole thing on his iPhone. He showed it to Benatar and Giraldo, and they were intrigued; but at the time, unbeknownst to Bredeweg, they were working on developing their own life story as a musical using their songs, so they sent a “cease and desist” letter to the Rockwell and the show was forced to shut down.

“It was heartbreaking, for all of us,” says Bredeweg, “because we knew we had something with real potential.”

Then, a year later, he got a call from a producer who told him Benatar and Giraldo wanted him to come to New York and discuss his musical.

“Of course, I said yes and got myself there immediately. We took a meeting on their tour bus, and we started talking about the musical they were developing, and suddenly we all started to move in the direction of doing Love is a Battlefield.’ By the end of it we were all laughing about how we had started out with a ‘cease and desist’ order and here we were talking about coming together to do a show.”

In part, says Bredeweg, the couple was convinced to change course by their discussion of the proliferation of so-called “jukebox musicals” that have increasingly populated Broadway in recent years.

“We talked about how they have a shelf life, especially if they’re focused on a specific artist. They have a built-in audience, but beyond that, how can they stand the test of time? The real test of a timeless musical is if, in 40 years, every high school is doing it. I think that’s why we went back to using their iconic music to reinvent this epic, timeless tale.”

Another part of the appeal was how aptly the couple’s songs fit into Shakespeare’s classic – a coincidence, perhaps, but one that might be better described as synchronicity.

“When Pat and Neil met back in the late ‘70s it was supposed to just be a working relationship, but they fell head over heels in love with each other,” Bredeweg says. “When I got close to them, they told me they had been called the ‘Romeo and Juliet of the music world’ because the labels and managers and PR people were trying to break them up. They wanted Pat to stand on their own and Neil to just be her producing partner, and so much of what the two of them were creating at that time was about that struggle, about fighting that music industry system and saying, let us figure this out for ourselves.’ That’s why so much of their music works inside of this story.”

For Bredeweg, the chance to realize his vision struck an intensely personal chord, too.

“I was always obsessed with the classics, but as a gay kid growing up in the 80s, I knew I felt different from everyone else, and as much as I loved them, I couldn’t really ‘attach’ to any character inside them. Nothing felt familiar to me, everything was from the point of view of a white cisgender person – and I always had these dreams, if I ever had any say, that I would love to tackle these classics in a different way and reposition them for a more diverse audience.”

In keeping with this mission, “Invincible” doesn’t just make Verona into a more modern city, but a more diverse one as well. The Capulet and Montague houses are run by the women, whose husbands are both dead; Romeo’s chum Benvolio is nonbinary, and falls in love with Juliet’s nurse; Juliet’s cousin Tybalt is secretly in love with her would-be husband, Paris; Paris himself is the city’s new chancellor, seeking the marriage as a means to control the vast Capulet fortune and deploy it to shore up his political power. In Bredeweg’s updated take on

the tale, it’s a story about powerful men with powerful motives, with a matriarchy fighting against the traditional patriarchy and a younger generation trying to take control of its own destiny – and to ensure that it includes the freedom to love who they want.

“That’s obviously something the queer community can really understand,” says Bredweg. “We’ve been there and done that, the fight for marriage equality is all about that. It’s very much at the center of the show, and it was a big reason why I wanted to tackle the story, why I’ve rewritten so many characters with ueer identities – taking these figures we thought we knew and giving them a more modern point of view.”

“Our culture is shifting in such huge ways,” he continues. “It goes back to my experience of not being able to find myself in these old tales. We are looking at our past, and pieces of art or the written world, or things in our politics, and we’re trying to reinvent these pinnacle moments in a way to make sure that history doesn’t always repeat, to move forward in different directions that are better for all of us. Especially the younger generations – they’ve stepped into this world where they’ve had no say in how chaotic things feel, and they are trying to take control of their identities and their path forward. That’s really what’s at the heart of our show.”

“Invincible” is not, of course, the first time “Romeo and Juliet” has been deconstructed and rebuilt as a musical; apart from the obvious example of “West Side Story,” the recent London import “& Juliet,” now a hot ticket on Broadway, presents an alternative version of the story in which the title character doesn’t kill herself, set to the music of pop songwriter Max Martin – responsible for hits from Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Céline Dion, among others.

Bredeweg isn’t worried about the competition.

“I never think about that kind of thing,” he tells us. “There’s always room for interpretation with classics of this stature. There’s space for both.”

His production, of course, has the added advantage of showcasing the music of two deeply beloved icons whose recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has catapulted their names back into the public arena in a big way – not that they were ever very far out of it.

For Bredeweg, though, the Benatar/Giraldo connection has always been much more than just a way to make his show marketable. It’s the whole reason “Invincible” even exists.

“Pat captured my heart as a young gay kid for obvious reasons. There was something about her music, and her energy and messaging.

“It made me feel that if someone as powerful as her could exist, then I could, too.”

“Invincible” continues its run at the Wallis until Dec. 18. For tickets and more details, visit their website.

Could LA’s production of ‘Invincible’ make it to Broadway?

KAY SIBAL and KHAMARY ROSE star in ‘Invincible.’

olden lo e nods re ect more eer incl sion

t is it eno gh

Awards season is in full swing

By JOHN PAUL KING

Ready or not, Hollywood’s annual awards season has arrived.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association – better known as the institution behind the annual Golden Globe Awards and undoubtedly eager to kick off their comeback after scandal, censure, and boycott sidelined them from the limelight last year – started the week with a pre-dawn Monday announcement the nominees for the 80th annual awards presentation, honoring the best in film and television for 2022.

For those who weren’t paying attention or simply don’t recall, the HFPA fell into disfavor within the industry after a bombshell 2021 LA Times investigation revealed a lack of diversity within its voting body and strongly suggesting numerous improprieties around its nomination process and financial practices. A majority of Hollywood heavy-hitters opted to boycott the Golden Globes – three-time winner Tom Cruise, for instance, returned his trophies in protest – and NBC, the network that had long been home to the annual presentation, canceled the telecast. The 2022 awards for content released in 2021 proceeded, but they were announced via a comparative non-ceremony on Twitter.

honorees, the overall slate re ects a shift in industry inclusivity that makes that conclusion feel much less cut and dried.

For instance, among the nominees for its major film categories are such titles as “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “T r,” “The Whale,” “Babylon,” and “The Inspection,” all of which feature ueer characters or storylines, and ueer filmmaker Baz Luhrmann earned a nod as Best Director for “Elvis.” Likewise, the TV nominations include ueer inclusive shows like “Ozark,” “Hacks,” “Euphoria,” “Better Call Saul,” “The White Lotus,” “Andor,” “Severance,” and “Only Murders in the Building” – not to mention “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmner Story,” the controversial but acclaimed Ryan Murphy limited series that is arguably the most overtly ueer title in the crop.

As for the performers, several of them earned their nods for playing LGBT characters. Among those in the film acting categories are frontrunners Cate Blanchett “T r” and Brendan Fraser “The Whale” , both straight actors giving sensitive and widely praised performances, and out ueer actor Jeremy Pope “The Inspection” . “Everything Everywhere” actresses Michele Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis, nominated in the Lead and Supporting Actress Comedy categories, respectively, could arguably be added to the list, too, since the film features scenes of an alternative universe in which the two are in a lesbian relationship.

As a relevant side note, Fraser has already vowed to boycott the ceremony, citing his accusation that he was groped by former HFPA president Philip Berk in 2003.

On the TV side, nominees like endaya “Euphoria” , Colin Firth “The Staircase” , Evan Peters “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and out bisexual actress Hannah Einbender “Hacks” snagged nods for playing ueer characters, while bi actresses Aubrey Plaza “The White Lotus” and Niecy Nash “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” , as well as nonbinary talent Emma D’Arcy “House of the Dragons , scored for their work, as well.

What does all of this say about the state of LGBT representation in Hollywood While it’s true that straight performers are still earning accolades for “playing gay” on film, a lingering tradition decried by many observers as being out of step with evolving ideology around ueer representation, the fact that they are sharing the spotlight with authentic ueer nominees represents an unmistakable step forward. Similarly, though few of the nominated films and shows are predominantly focused on ueer subject matter, a significant percentage of them – including Best Picture nominees “Everything Everywhere” and “T r” – include a strong LGBT presence, and many heavily feature LGBT characters and plot lines within their larger scope. On top of those points, it should not go unnoticed that ueer comedian Jerrod Carmichael has been tapped to host the Golden Globes when they air in January.

Now, however, after implementing a self-imposed list of guidelines including restructuring its voting body with a 0 increase in membership and a deliberate focus on diversity and BIPOC inclusion, along with reforms to limit and restrict gifts and promotional materials to HFPA members from studios and publicists , the Golden Globes have been restored to favor, and are slated to return to NBC for the live broadcast of their awards ceremony on Jan. 10.

Whether or not the organization’s reforms will result in any meaningful change remains to be seen. Either way, the Globes — long seen as a precursor to the Oscars — are back in the awards game; and as always, the Blade is here to offer a ueer perspective on the films and individuals in the running to take home a trophy.

At first glance, many observers accustomed to the traditional Hollywood erasure of any LGBT presence from its content might see the list of 2022 nominees as disappointing; yet while it’s true that there are few openly ueer people or directly ueer films among the

In other words, it just might be that we are entering an age when we must adjust our assessment of ueer representation in Hollywood to fit an evolving model in which LGBT people are so regularly woven into the tapestry of film and television content as to be ubiuitous. It will always matter for openly ueer actors to be acknowledged for their work, it will always be important for some percentage of movies and shows to put ueer stories front and center, and it will likely always be necessary for us to fight to ensure those reuirements are met by an industry that has traditionally treated us as irrelevant – but maybe, just maybe, if the trend suggested by the HFPA’s picks continues to hold, it might also be a little less necessary to keep such a tightly watched score card when it comes to being included.

Of course, it’s worth noting that the brilliant but hopelessly straight Martin McDonough film “The Banshees of Inershin” leads the Golden Globes tally with seven total nominations, and that among the notable snubs were Net ix’s “Heartstopper” and any number of other strong, positive ueer-centric titles. So perhaps, after all, it’s a little early to ease our pressure on the entertainment establishment; it might be doing better, but it still has a long way to go. Until it gets there, we’ll keep looking at awards season as a barometer for Hollywood’s evolution into a ueer-friendlier place.

In that way, it seems the Golden Globes are still relevant, after all.

EVAN PETERS in Monster the e rey ahmer story. (Photo co rtesy of et i )

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Lightning strikes twice with all-electric Ford F-150 pickup

This dazzling eco-ride will take your breath away

By JOE PHILLIPS

Years ago as I was walking to work, a driver wielded his ginormous Ford F-150 pickup truck into a parking space barely big enough for a Mazda Miata. He then strode into my office building with the swagger of a total yahoo: seemingly clueless about parking eti uette, let alone climate change.

A short time later, this urban cowboy was introduced as our new supervisor. My internal eye-rolling kicked in after learning he had three toddlers. I mean, how practical is a monster hauler—with its sky-high ground clearance and limited interior cargo room—when ferrying around a trio of rugrats?

But my haughty ’tude soon started to wane after learning he also had a minivan. This dude just couldn’t uit his F-1 0 because it was tough and “free spirited.” While I appreciated his passion, I didn’t fully understand it. Pickups to me are workaday trucks: basic, utilitarian and, well, no big whoop.

That is, until last week when I tested the all-new, all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. This dazzling eco-ride took my breath away, blasting off from a standstill to 0 mph in four seconds and dodging through traffic like Lionel Messi.

Call it a jolt (or lightning bolt) to the senses, but now it’s my turn to be the total yahoo when it comes to a pickup.

FORD F-150 LIGHTNING

$52,000-$97,000

MPGe: 76 city/61 highway Range: up to 320 miles on a full charge 0 to 60 mph: as quick as 4.0 seconds

During the past year, various all-electric pickups have gone from concept to reality. There’s the cartoonish-looking Rivian, with a smiley front end that looks like something out of a “Cars” movie, and the GMC Hummer EV, which could easily be mistaken for a modish lunar rover.

Enter the Ford F-150 Lightning, with its sprinkles of futuristic styling cues, including distinctive light bars atop both the grille and tailgate. While the overall design may not be as outre as a Rivian or Hummer, the Lightning still turns plenty of heads.

Most notable, the Lightning is very practical. A Rivian, for example, is 14. inches shorter so has less passenger and cargo room. A Hummer is seven inches wider, making it harder to navigate city streets. And both the Rivian and Hummer are taller than a Lightning,

which—yikes!—can barely scooch under the clearance bar in a parking garage itself.

There’s lots of leg room in both the front and back seats. And those rear seats ip up, allowing you to conveniently stow gobs of gear underneath. There also are a few dividers to help keep cargo organized and prevent items from jostling around.

But perhaps the coolest feature is the “frunk,” or front trunk. This storage space—where the engine used to be—is an impressive 14.1 cubic feet. That’s enough room for two golf bags or three medium-sized suitcases. The funky frunk is also water-resistant, drainable, lockable and has four 120-volt outlets and two USB chargers. There’s even an emergency release latch, just like in a standard trunk. Best of all, the lid opens and closes electronically, with just two taps to the keyfob. When I did this the first time, it looked as if the Lightning was actually yawning—or getting ready to eat someone.

And here’s a first: If your household ever loses power, a fully charged Lightning can serve as a backup generator for up to three days.

The real excitement, though, is behind the wheel. Power comes from two electric motors configured to provide standard all-wheel drive. Add in the extended-range battery for more horsepower and tor ue, and this pickup handles just like a sports car. The instant acceleration—especially when stomping on the gas, er, throttle pedal—must be what it’s like when a spaceship rockets off the launch pad. Except in the Lightning, there’s no backand-forth shuddering, and no noise. Everything’s perfectly, eerily uiet in the well-insulated cabin.

Many interior features in the Lightning are also in the snazzy Ford Mustang Mach-e crossover, including the optional 15-inch infotainment screen that looks and behaves like an iPad. Other pleasing add-ons include max-recline seats, hands-free driving system, Bang & Olufsen premium stereo and twin-panel moonroof.

For more than 40 years, the traditional gas-engine F-150 has reigned as the best-selling vehicle in America, so the Lightning is a big risk for Ford. Yet with stellar performance and boffo functionality, it’s hard to see this electrifying pickup losing the crown.

FORD F-150 LIGHTNING