Los Angeles Blade, Volume 07, Issue 32, August 11, 2023

LA Black-owned vegan burger pop-up suffers loss & needs help

LOS ANGELES - Jeremy and Gregory Pearson poured their life savings into a pop-up vegan burger restaurant and after two years were seeing success. Then, on July 29th, after a night at a flea market with satisfying sales the brothers headed home to their Rampart Village neighborhood, but the secure facility where they normally store their gear was closed and locked up. They parked the truck just outside of the facility instead.

The next morning their U-Haul packed with all of their gear, utensils, and supplies was gone. Nearby video surveillance footage captured the thieves driving away with their rental truck as another SUV followed closely behind. The thieves drove away with more than the truck full of equipment the brothers told KTLA 5 in a recent interview.

“Just to get everything taken away is heartbreaking,” Gregory said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

“I get emotional, man,” Jeremy said. “But we are thankful to you guys at KTLA and the community and people spreading awareness. God willing, we’ll be able to get back on our feet. We have the utmost faith that this won’t set us back, but launch us forward”

The idea for the brothers’ vegan pop-up Slides ‘N Fries was drawn as inspiration from devasting personal losses in their family. In the GoFundme created to raise the funds to relaunch their pop-up vegan burger joint the brothers

wrote:

“Growing up and witnessing the gruesome, long, painful and untimely deaths of both our grandmothers and our aunt due to diabetes, we knew that it was the food that was killing us. As adults, we knew we had to be the change we wanted to see. Not only for us but for our family.

“We are now proud to say that we have been on our plant-based journey for the past 4 years. We were inspired to start SLIDES ‘N FRIES after our mother beat Type 2 Diabetes within six months, simply by switching to a plantbased diet. This is why SLIDES ‘N FRIES is so important to us. Because we never want anyone to experience the pain of losing a loved one from something that could have been avoided.”

The Pearson brothers also detailed the pain of the loss of the business taken away by the theft:

We are still deeply hurt by this. We know that material things can be replaced. So that’s not what hurts the most. What hurts the most is, we worked day in and day out to create SLIDES ‘N FRIES. It took us a whole year before ever selling one single burger, just to come up with the recipe. We’re talking countless hours of planning, long days of food prepping, writing business plans, applying for permits, saving up all our money to buy equipment, maxing out our credit cards for expenses, neglecting our personal needs

to see our business flourish, working endlessly in the hot sun at flea markets, working long nights into the wee hours of the morning in front of night clubs and venues, only to come home and have it all taken away in an instant.

The brothers told KTLA that they have filed a police report but said authorities told them getting their equipment back will be unlikely.

Anti-hate mural unveiled in Long Beach’s Bixby Park

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A new mural was unveiled at Bixby Park in Long Beach celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, presented by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations’ initiative LA vs Hate’s Summer of Solidarity, in partnership with The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach.

The mural, titled “Long Beach Embrace,” evokes a tableau of people, movements and issues of significance to the LGBTQ+ and greater community, and will be revealed as part of the Long Beach Pride celebration.

The mural was designed by Myisha Arellano, a queer, migrant artist born in Mexico City and raised in LA County.

“The mural presents two large figures forming an embrace at a distance, reflecting the community connection and support for one another,” explained Arrellano. “This embrace, a universally recognized symbol of care and affection, allows the viewer to immediately understand the larger implications of the work. The figures create vignettes of symbolic stories based on community anecdotes and values that represent care, solidarity, and showing up for one another. The mural includes depictions of people marching and celebrating together, as well as historic landmarks, movements and resources for the LGBTQ+ community in Long Beach.”

The mural comes at a time where reported hate crime events against the LGBTQ+ community increased across California, rising 29% from 303 in 2021 to 391 in 2022.

Recent violent clashes in LA County, including brawls at a Glendale school board meeting and a North Hollywood school.

New data from the Long Beach Police Department shows the number of hate crimes has risen since 2022, and this year’s total has already surpassed last year s. Out of 39 hate crime incidents reported in Long Beach the past two and a half years, the most targeted group was the LGBTQ+ community.

“Being a local partner for The Summer of Solidarity campaign has been a unique privilege because it has allowed me to show the LGBTQ+ residents of the City of Long Beach just how integral they are to the culture of this city,” said Cindy Allen, Long Beach Vice Mayor. “‘Long Beach Embrace’ will be the first new addition to LGBTQ+ Cultural District since the visioning process began last year. There is no room for hate in Long Beach or anywhere in Los Angeles County, and this mural will reflect that in Bixby Park for years to come.”

The mural is part of LA vs Hate: Summer of Solidarity, a summer-long celebration of the County’s cultural and community diversity and unity against prejudice, discrimination and bigotry. The series of events includes monthly art-led and community-centered events in each of the county’s five supervisorial districts.

“Pride is a time for celebration, reflection and solidarity, and that is what this mural honoring the LGBTQ+ commu-

nity here in Long Beach is all about,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Myisha Arrellano and the community have created a vibrant, powerful mural for people of all walks of life to enjoy for years to come.”

“LA vs Hate recognizes that art possesses a rich, extensive past as an instrument for connection, healing, and unity among people,” said Robin Toma, Executive Director of the LA County Commission on Human Relations. “This mural was created by the community, sending a message that Long Beach and all of LA County holds no space for hate, and that the LGBTQ+ community is celebrated, loved, and welcome here.”

“The LGBTQ Center Long Beach is proud to partner with LA vs Hate on this mural,” said Ellie Perez, Interim Executive Director of the LGBTQ Center Long Beach. “It has been uplifting and inspiring to be part of such a wonderful collective of individuals coming together to envision a mural that celebrates our LGBTQ+ community’s history and future.”

As the LA vs Hate: Summer of Solidarity continues, new murals will be commissioned and revealed, celebrating different communities and cultures across the County through partnering with community organizations. LA vs Hate will reveal a new mural that celebrates LA County s Indigenous and Native communities on Saturday, September 9 at the Grace Resource Center in Lancaster. In the weeks to come, two additional murals will be revealed, honoring the Latine and Black communities.

Additional supporting partners of the mural include Long Beach Human Dignity Program, Vice Mayor Cindy Allen’s Office, Long Beach Parks & Recreation and The Museum of Latin American Art.

LA BLADE STAFF

BRODY LEVESQUE

JEREMY and GREGORY PEARSON, the owners of Slides ‘N Fries.

(Photo Credit: Slides ‘N Fries GoFundMe campaign)

The mural was designed by Myisha Arellano, a queer, migrant artist born in Mexico City and raised in LA County.

(Photo by Jade Blairs)

Bonta launches civil rights investigation into Chino Valley Unified

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday that his office is opening a civil rights investigation into potential legal violations by the Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), which adopted a policy that forces schools to “out” students whose gender identities may be changing.

In an urgent letter sent to Superintendent Norman Enfield and the Board of Education has month, Bonta expressed serious concern over the then proposed Parental Notification policy, emphasizing the potential infringements on students’ privacy rights and educational opportunities.

After a contentious board meeting two weeks ago after forcing the removal by local police officers of California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, who personally attended and addressed the board, at the direction of school board President Sonja Shaw, the board voted 4-1 to involuntarily Out trans students to parents or guardians in a new parental notification policy

The “Parental Notification Policy” requires schools to inform parents, with minimal exceptions, whenever a student requests to use a name or pronoun different from that on their birth certificate or official records, even if such disclosure is against the student s wishes or could expose a student to parental abuse or increase their risk of selfharm or suicide.

The policy also requires notification if a student accesses facilities or participates in programs that don’t align with their sex on official records.

“Students should never fear going to school for simply being who they are,” said Bonta. “Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy threatens the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students vulnerable to harassment and potential abuse from peers and family members unaccepting of their gender identity. Today’s announcement stresses our commitment to challenging school policies that target and seek to discriminate against California’s most vulnerable communities. California will not stand for violations of our students’ civil rights.”

A group of Chino Valley parents who have been battling for the LGBTQ+ students in the district issued a statement regarding the AG’s announcement:

“We hope the civil rights investigation launched today by Attorney General Rob Bonta serves as a sign to other districts that these invasive and discriminatory practices will not stand. This was never about parental rights. If it was, the CVUSD Board would not have actively inserted its employees into the private affairs and parenting practices of CVUSD parents.,” said Kristi Hirst, a spokesperson and COO for Our Schools USA.

“All this policy has accomplished is making students afraid to return to school. It does not create an environment of trust, one that should exist between parents, students, teachers, and staff. It has merely been a major distraction from the larger issues facing the school district, which actually need immediate attention,” she added.

Requests for comment from the Chino Valley Unified

School District or its board went unanswered.

UPDATE: KABC 7 reports:

The school district board president said state officials are “overstepping their boundaries.”

“This is a ploy to try to scare all the other boards across California from adopting the policy,” Sonjia Shaw said in a statement to The Associated Press. “I won’t back down and will stand in the gap to protect our kids from big government bullies.”

A spokesperson for the school district said that Bonta did not notify them about the investigation. The board has argued that parents have the right to know.

BRODY LEVESQUE

New WeHo street lanterns are up & lit on Santa Monica Blvd

WEST HOLLYWOOD - Street lanterns have been installed on Santa Monica Boulevard in the Mid-City area and they are currently lit without any glitches. The string of colorful rainbow lights start on Santa Monica Boulevard where Holloway and Olive Drives meet and stretch towards Crescent Heights Boulevard.

The mid-city street lanterns are similar to the temporary lights installed during 2019 LA Pride in West Hollywood, on Santa Monica Boulevard between Robertson Boulevard and Hancock Avenue.

The City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a permanent, commercial-grade system of lanterns. The original permanent colorful globe lanterns were installed on December 2019 and provide a bright atmosphere and welcoming feel to the City’s LGBT “Rainbow District” during nighttime. The cost of installation for the Westside was $289,000.

In May 2021, Council directed staff to move forward with issuing a RFP to establish a similar system of lanterns on the City’s eastside. The new lights were installed on April 2022. They highlight the City’s eastside gateway and make the entrance into West Hollywood more obvious along Santa Monica Boulevard. The eastside lights run along Santa

Monica Boulevard from N. Vista Street to La Brea Avenue. The cost of installation for the eastside project was estimated to be $329,000.

On April 2022, Council decided to extend the colorful lan-

terns to Mid-City and once again, the city issued a RFP for a permanent, commercial-grade system of lanterns on Santa Monica Boulevard.

The City contracted St. Nick’s of  T&G Global, LLC. They are same vendor that the city used to install the lanterns in the LGBT Rainbow District and at the West Hollywood Gateway. The bid for the most current project in Mid-City was $298,206.

The lanterns  are programmable either as individual lanterns or entire strands of lights, which allow the City of West Hollywood to recognize national events or celebrations that traditionally use signature colors.

All lanterns have UV protection to prolong the life and ensure clarity of the shield around the light fixtures. In addition, the lanterns feature easily replaceable fixtures and are custom-made in the United States of commercial-grade construction to withstand the elements for successful permanent exterior installation.

The lanterns are engineered to meet the weight and wind-load requirements of existing light poles to which they are attached and are compliant with fire safety regulations.

PAULO MURILLO

California Attorney General ROB BONTA (Photo Credit: Office of the Attorney General/Facebook)

West Hollywood Rainbow lanterns in Mid-City (Photo courtesy WHEO TIMES)

Vanderpump sued as Venice’s Roosterfish expands to WeHo

WEST HOLLYWOOD -

Lisa Vanderpump’s husband, Ken Todd, is being sued for nearly $1 million for allegedly breaching his rental contract with the landlords of the former Pump Restaurantlocated at 8948 Santa Monica Boulevard.

As of August 1, 2023, a legal case was initiated by 8948 Santa Monica Partners LLC, a California Limited Liability Company, against P U M P, LLC, another California Limited Liability Company, along with other parties. The lawsuit, falling under the category of “Other Contract,” was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Courts, specifically at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. The current status of the case is listed as pending.

Page Sixreports that The company 8948 Santa Monica Partners claims that Pump – of which Todd is the guarantor – has failed and refused and continues to fail and refuse to keep and perform” their lease conditions.

The company pursuing the legal action is seeking $750,000 in damages for the alleged breach of contract and an additional $200,000 due to purported failure to transfer a liquor license, which holds an estimated fair market value of $150,000, among other claims.

In a statement provided to Page Six, the owners of 8948 Santa Monica Partners LLC expressed their determined pursuit of damages, emphasizing Todd’s full liability in the matter.

P U M P was expected to transfer the liquor license to the next tenant upon surrendering the property on July 13, 2023. However, it is claimed that Todd, at 77 years old, has

retained the liquor license, causing a delay in the opening of a new restaurant on the premises. This delay is said to have incurred monthly losses of around $56,500 in base rent and related charges for the landlords.

The property owners assert that Todd engaged in deliberate and malicious fraudulent activities when entering the lease contract in 2013. They believe that Todd’s actions were carried out with a disregard for ethical and legal standards.

Responding to these allegations Todd stated that when they took over the location, known as Pump, a decade ago, it was a vacant parking area. He maintained that they had planted olive trees and installed antiques like chandeliers, which he claimed to have carefully removed when they vacated the property. Todd also insisted that the liquor license in question had been in use by their business for the past decade and was rightfully theirs, although he expressed a willingness to sell it to the other party at a fair market value.

Pump Restaurant closed its doors in West Hollywood on Wednesday July 6, 2023.

ET reported this week that Roosterfish will be taking over the spot as soon as next month Roosterfish is coming to West Hollywood. It turns out the rumors are true that the Venice watering hole is opening a new location at 8948 Santa Monica Boulevard, which was formerly home to Lisa Vanderpump’s PUMP restaurant.

ET reports that Roosterfish, which currently has a space located at 1302 Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, will open another location on the corner on Santa Monica Boulevard and Robertson Boulevard made famous by Lisa Vanderpump and her reality TV show Vanderpump Rules. They are hoping to open as soon as next month.

A source tells ET, “Roosterfish has already started con-

More Californians are accessing higher quality health care services

SACRAMENTO — A new reportfrom the Department of Health Services (DHCS) found an increase in Californians accessing and utilizing the wide array of benefits and services provided by the Medi-Cal program’s Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports during the first year of implementation.

These resources are available through Governor Newsom’s CalAIM initiative. ECM and Community Supports are focused on the most vulnerable Californians with the most severe health conditions. These programs provide hightouch, person centered care and access to assistance, like housing and healthy meals. Together, these initiatives will help reduce overall health care costs borne by taxpayers and improve outcomes.

KEY DATA:

In the first 12 months: 109,004 Medi-Cal members received Enhanced Care Management benefits(40% increase between end of Q1 and end of Q4), and 36,391 members received 80,859 Community Supports services (160% increase between end of Q1 and end of Q4).

The most utilized support was housing transition navigation services, which helped more than 40% of members who received Community Supports find, secure, and maintain stable housing.

The second most utilized support was the housing tenancy and sustaining service, which provides members with landlord coordination assistance, eviction prevention resources, and the annual housing recertification process.

The third most utilized support was housing deposit assistance, which helps members pay for housing security deposits, first and last month’s rent, and first month of utilities and related setup fees. Members can also receive funding for medically necessary items like air conditioners, heaters, and hospital beds to ensure their new home is safe for move-in.

“California is investing in innovative solutions to make sure people get what they need to live healthy, stable lives. Increasing access to quality health care dramatically impacts people’s lives for the better, which is why we are expanding access so more Californians can get the help

struction and if everything goes as planned, it will open next month.”

The new location will be different from the original, which used to mostly be known as a gay watering hole. Roosterfish West Hollywood will serve food. “They’re going to be doing lite casual Italian fair,” reports a source to ET.

The Venice gay bar closed on May of 2017, after being open for 37 years. Owners announce it was re-opened back in September of that same year. They hosted a pop event to raise funds for Venice Pride.

According to its website the original Roosterfish no longer identifies as gay:

When [Roosterfish] first opened, it quickly claimed itself as a gay bar, welcoming only patrons of similar sexual orientation. With this safe haven claimed, patrons were able to drink in peace without judgment from an archaic-minded society…with modern-day Roosterfish, its doors have reopened, welcoming in all walks of life. As one of the original bars along Mr. Kinney’s boulevard, is a part of a rare collective of original restaurants along Abbot Kinney, embracing the openness that makes Venice, CA as unique and special as it is! Roosterfish was one of the first progressive bars for the community and the new owners have kept its namesake in respect to the history Roosterfish has undergone.”

Lisa Vanderpump announced PUMP restaurant was closing on May 4th via a statement, in response to rumors and reports that the space had been listed for lease on LoopNet, the online marketplace for commercial property, which listed the 2,865 SF space as a storefront retail.

The listing has been removed from LoopNet as Roosterfish gets ready to move into the restaurant space known for its courtyard covered with olive trees.

The closure of PUMP restaurant was filmed for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules.

PAULO MURILLO

they need. We are showing what’s possible when government prioritizes people and embraces innovation,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement Thursday.

Managed care plans (MCPs) and health care providers are moving to swiftly train new staff, build capacity, and develop new infrastructure to reach more members. To support this, DHCS’ $1.85 billion Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) initiative is building the capacity and infrastructure of on-the-ground partners, such as community-based organizations, public hospitals, county agencies, tribes and others.

Roosterfish is moving to Pump Restaurant

(Photo courtesy WEHO TIMES)

California Department of Health Services (DHCS) headquarters, Sacramento. (Photo Credit: State of California)

Orlando Magic $50K donation to DeSantis ‘Incredibly Disappointing’

ORLANDO, Fla. — The owners of Central Florida’s men’s pro basketball team are on defense following revelations that they donated $50,000 to the super PAC raising money for the Gov. Ron DeSantis presidential campaign.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that the Orlando Magic has chosen to publicly align themselves with his brand of right-wing extremism,” said Brandon Wolf, press secretary for the LGBTQ civil rights group Equality Florida, and a survivor of the 2016 Pulse massacre. “This is really a moment for those businesses who declare their values of inclusion so loudly to make those values actually mean something.”

On Thursday, the players’ union issued a statement on its website calling the NBA team’s donation to the DeSantis White House campaign “alarming.”

“A political contribution from the Orlando Magic is alarming given recent comments and policies of its beneficiary,” the group said, meaning Florida’s governor.

“NBA governors, players and personnel have the right to express their personal political views, including through donations and statements. However, if contributions are made on behalf of an entire team, using money earned through the labor of its employees, it is incumbent upon the team governors to consider the diverse values and perspectives of staff and players.

“The Magic’s donation does not represent player support for the recipient,” said the National Basketball Players Association.

Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) called her hometown team’s move baffling, CNN reported.

“Gov. DeSantis has based his entire political career on targeting, demonizing and taking away health care from LGBTQ+ people, including youth,” she said. “It’s incredibly disheartening that a team that markets itself as being welcoming to all people, behind the scenes, gives $50,000 to a DeSantis PAC.”

As The New York Times reported, the donation highlights repeated efforts by the billionaires who own NBA teams to undermine the league’s public stance in support of progressive causes, such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights and criminal justice reform.

The vast majority of NBA players are Black, as NBC News reported. NBA Commissoner Adam Silver told The Undefeated in 2016 that he felt a “particular obligation to focus on the African-American community in that we have a league that is roughly 75 percent African-American. And I feel part of the obligation comes from the history of this league that I’ve inherited.”

History, particularly the teaching of history of slavery, has become a flashpoint in Florida in recent weeks, with DeSantis defending a new curriculum that claims Blacks benefited

from their enslavement by developing skills like blacksmithing. His administration has also banned advanced placement psychology classes in high schools, criminalized the use of public bathrooms by transgender people and stripped the state of gender-affirming care for children and adults. And of course, there’s also the state’s expanded “Don t Say Gay” law banning any mention of LGBTQ+ life in schools from kindergarten through 12th grade.

In the case of the Magic, the team is owned by Dan DeVos, brother-in-law of the transphobic former Secretary of Education in the Trump administration, Betsy DeVos.

When asked for an explanation, the team itself dribbled, until finally issuing a statement Thursday.

“No member of the DeVos family has endorsed or offered financial support to any 2024 Presidential candidate at this point,” Nick Wasmiller, a DeVos family spokesperson, told CNN in an email. “They are undecided.”

“To clarify, this gift was given before Governor DeSantis entered the presidential race. It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida.”

However, according to a report by CBS Sports,records from the Federal Elections Commission show the team’s donation was received on June 26, more than one month after DeSantis announced his run for president, on May 24. The team claims its check was dated May 19, which would be prior to DeSantis’ official announcement, but long after reports about his plans to run for president.

As of press time, the DeSantis campaign and its super PAC, Never Back Down, has not responded to media inquiries.

DAWN ENNIS

World Cup Elimination: Women’s Team USA loses to Sweden

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Sweden’s superior goalkeeper, three missed penalty shots by Team USA and technology called the “Video Assistant Referee” combined to eliminate the Americans from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sunday.

Sweden defeated the world’s top-ranked team, 5-4, on penalties after a scoreless draw in the round of 16, the first round of the knockout stage. The stunning result of their best performance so far in this tournament shocked the U.S. women, who had never finished worse than third at any previous World Cup.

“This is like a sick joke,” said Megan Rapinoe, 38, as she reflected on what she’s said will be her final World Cup game. “For me personally, this dark comedy. I missed a penalty.”

When Rapinoe s critical shot went over the crossbar, her immediate reaction was to hang her head and laugh at herself, before rejoining her teammates in tears.

Then Sophia Smith went way wide, and Kelley O’Hara’s shot hit the post.

The deciding goal by Lina Hurtig was so close, the referees had to turn to technology to determine if it was good.

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who scored a penalty against Sweden s goalkeeper Zecira Musovic of Chelsea for Team USA in the shootout, thought she had saved the game and extended it to an extra penalty kick period when she swatted Hurtig’s shot up and away from the net. But VAR showed the ball had fallen back down, just barely over the goal line, and all the way over, as is required by the rules.

“We just lost the World Cup by a millimeter,” said Naeher. “That’s tough… We had great chances, hats off to the Swedish goalkeeper for a number of great saves on her end to keep it at 0-0. I’m proud of the battle, proud of the group. We showed that American mentality again that’s been standard for this team. To come up short hurts, it’s going to hurt for a long time.”

As Naeher said, the match was scoreless through 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time, and Team USA came close so many times, especially when Alex Morgan, their leading goal scorer, was in control. But Musovic stood in her way as well as against Trinity Rodman and Lindsey Horan.

“I’m devastated, it feels like a bad dream,” said Morgan. “I feel like we dominated tonight but it doesn’t matter… we are going home, it’s the highs and lows of the sport of soccer.”

“I thought we played really well,” Rapinoe said. “I’m so happy for us that we went out like that, playing the way that we did, and having a ton of joy on the ball.”

But their biggest joy went unfulfilled. Rapinoe had gone into the tournament hoping to win her second World Cup, a third consecutive title for her team.

Sunday’s match was historic on multiple levels. No other team has dominated the World Cup like the U.S Women s National Team. The Americans boast four titles in their trophy cabinet, the most by any women’s soccer team. And up until this game, in every World Cup appearance, the USWNT has managed to at least secure a spot in the semifinals. Their loss

marks the earliest exit by the USWNT at any major tournament, having reached the semifinals at all but one World Cup and Olympics. In an eerie coincidence, it was at the 2016 Olympics in Rio that the USWNT lost on penalties to Sweden.

This was also the first 2023 World Cup game to go to extra time. Until Sunday, no 2023 World Cup game had gone to penalty kicks. And it took a seventh round of penalties to determine the winner.

So now the Americans head home and to their respective clubs, while Sweden advances to play Japan in a quarterfinal Friday in Auckland, New Zealand.

“This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game,” said Rapinoe after the match. “I think it can be cruel and, not our day, but I still feel really grateful and joyful and…” The out lesbian icon s voice cracked as she paused to sum up her feelings to a Fox Sports reporter.

“I know it s the end, and that’s sad, to know this is the only time I’ve been in one of these, this early, says so much about how much success I’ve been able to have, and just how much I’ve loved playing for this team and playing for this country. It’s been an honor.”

Rapinoe then wiped away tears, calling their victory to win equal pay, “changing the world forever” — as well as the teammates she’s played alongside — that is what has meant the most to her.

DAWN ENNIS

Florida Governor RON DESANTIS with Magic CEO ALEX MARTINS (r) and Greater Orlando Sports Commission CEO JASON SIEGEL prior to the 2019 NBA Playoffs Game 3. (Photo Credit: The Orlando Magic/NBA)

Trevor Project in crisis amid financial woes, staff dissension, ‘union busting’: sources

Long wait times, calls going unanswered plaguing critical LGBTQ youth resource

By JOEL LEV-TOV

(Editor’s note: This article contains references to suicide and self-harm. If you are having thoughts of suicide or are in crisis, call 988 to talk to a counselor or 911 for medical attention.)

He was cutting himself and his mother was worried.

Whom should she call? Who could help her son John, who is gay, and doesn’t have an accepting community in Asheville, N.C.? She asked around. Trevor Project, one person said. Trevor Project, another said. Trevor Project. Trevor Project. Reach out to the Trevor Project, the world’s largest nonprofit assisting LGBTQ+ youth.

Phone service, his mother Darlene Coleman said, is unreliable in the town so she selected “chat” on the organization’s homepage, hoping to talk to a counselor.

She waited. And waited. For five minutes, then 10, 15, 40, and 47 minutes. No one answered. The website warned her that hold times were longer than usual. But this long? It had taken her forever to convince John, who asked for his name to be changed for fear of backlash, to even talk to someone. This wasn’t helping.

She checked back later that day. And waited on hold. And waited some more. She gave up, then tried the hotline the next day. Again she waited and waited until eventually giving up.

What, she wondered, was going on at the Trevor Project? How could the organization dedicated to preventing LGBTQ+ youth suicide not help her son? Coleman reached out to several other organizations before getting help from the Rainbow Youth Project, but the question still haunts her: What if someone wasn’t as determined as she was? What if someone in crisis didn’t want to wait around for hours to talk to someone?

Her son looked at her and said, “They really don’t give a damn if I’m here or not.”

“I’ll never forget that as long as I live,” Coleman said, tearing up.

Her experience isn’t an anomaly. Josh Weaver, who was Trevor’s vice president of marketing until November 2022, said the average wait times to talk to a Trevor counselor are about three minutes. But during nights and weekends, they said, wait times often exceed 30 minutes. Another employee confirmed that wait times could stretch anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours during peak periods.

“That could be life or death,” Weaver said.

The Human Rights Campaign has issued a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States. Legislators around the country introduced and passed a record 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills just eight months into 2023.

The stakes could not be higher. A Trevor Project study found that close to half of LGBTQ youth considered suicide in 2022. But when those LGBTQ youth were surrounded by communities supportive of their identity, the study found, the rate of attempted suicide dropped dramatically.

In 2022, Trevor’s phone and chat lines supported a record number of people, more than 236,000, through calls, texts, and online chats, according to the organization’s 2022 annual report. And the organization has been rapidly expanding, seeking to help more and more youth.

But in interviews, 11 current and former Trevor employees, many speaking to the Blade anonymously for fear of retaliation, said that growth was much too fast and came at the cost of service.

Former CEO Amit Paley spearheaded the organization’s expansion from a handful of people to a massive organization with more than 700 employees. In the process, the employees said, it became more like a corporation than a nonprofit.

“A lot of us were joking that it was the most corporatized nonprofit that anyone has ever worked for,” said a former mid-level employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It was very money driven, very growth, growth, growth.”

Trevor’s coffers had $9.7 million in them in 2018 and rose to more than five times that in 2022, close to $55 million. The marketing, content, and communications team was even called the “growth vertical.”

Informed about the size of Trevor’s assets, though, Coleman was outraged.

“Fifty-four million dollars,” she repeated. “And they can’t answer a damn phone?”

That growth put massive pressure on Trevor’s staff, especially the people running crisis services.

“Those wait times are there because it’s demand, demand, demand, demand, let’s get everything out there,” Weaver said. “Let’s get as many people as possible and not think about the quality of it.”

Suddenly, crisis workers couldn’t take time off between calls to regroup without taking paid time off or sick leave. The crisis workers criticized that policy, saying that they needed to be doing well to support callers, but management didn’t budge. The managers cited Trevor’s “tools to support wellness” in an email seen by the Blade.

“We are building structure and accountability so that we have counselors available when youth call. That means putting structure around when and how crisis workers are spending time not interacting with youth,” an email sent on Sept. 2, 2022, from the lifeline management team – Richard Ham, Vivian Suniga, and Heather Gillespie – read.

A month later, on Oct. 20, 2022, the team followed up

with an even more blunt email message.

“Given our current call per hour metrics (1.2 calls per hour per crisis worker), September’s call outs and partial shifts would equate to 470 LGBTQ youth in crisis we were unable to support.”

A Trevor employee familiar with Trevor’s crisis services speaking on condition of anonymity said Gillespie resisted calls for crisis counselors to get more time off – despite the difficult job counselors have.

“The work is very heavy, it’s very challenging,” the employee who used to be a crisis counselor said.

Counselors are often working with youth contemplating suicide or even in the process of taking their own lives and many of the counselors are coping with their own stress because they are also members of marginalized groups, they said. Not to mention the prank calls and callers using the line for sexual gratification.

The three managers who had authored that blunt assessment in the email as well as three other Trevor Lifeline leaders were later fired after being placed on administrative leave, but the policy didn’t change, the anonymous source said. Counselors were reportedly told to take as many calls as possible.

Some transgender staff, staff of color, and disabled staff felt erased and unable to be themselves, which reached a breaking point at a routine meeting in October 2022. In it, top staffers presented the results of that year’s staff climate survey.

The results of the survey were harrowing. About twothirds of staff said they weren’t satisfied with how decisions are made at Trevor, according to its results reviewed by the Blade.

A majority – 55% – of Trevor employees said they hadn’t seen positive changes based on the last climate survey. Most employees said they weren’t satisfied with the leadership or had no opinion. Only slightly more than half of the staff said they wake up feeling fresh and rested for work – though, the data emphasized, that was up 12% from the previous year. Far fewer employees – though still a vast majority, three quarters – said they would recommend Trevor as a great place to work.

In previous years the results presented to staff didn’t break down the satisfaction by race or gender. When Black staffers pointed that out, they were “completely dismissed,” said Preston Mitchum, who was the director of advocacy and government affairs at Trevor before he quit in February.

“With the numbers that have been presented, we have an obligation to maintain a level of confidentiality and anonymity within this process,” Meg Fox, who was the director of people, culture, and experience until July, said in a recording reviewed by the Blade. “Again, for 20 years I’ve been doing surveys, that has been the path paramount principle by which we live by, so nobody is trying to silence anybody’s voice here.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 09

Former Trevor Project CEO AMIT PALEY spearheaded the organization’s expansion from a handful of people to a massive organization with more than 700 employees. (Screenshot via HRC Youtube)

17-year-old charged with hate crime in murder of O’Shae Sibley

BROOKLYN - The 17-year-old suspected of fatally stabbing of Out Black dancer O’Shae Sibley a week ago, has been charged with murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD officials and community leaders spoke at a public press conference held at the location of the deadly stabbing in Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood detailing the charges brought in the case.

Mayor Adams told those gathered that “[Sibley’s] parents have lost a child in something that was clearly a hate crime.” The Mayor then thanked the NYPD reflecting that the apprehension of the teenager was made possible by the contributions of “everyday New Yorkers” in aiding the NYPD with information and tips.

The Mayor then addressed the fact that initially it seemed “that the hate was coming from the Muslim community against the LGBTQ+ community- that was in fact not true,” Adams said. “These are both important communities in the City of New York, they contribute to the community, [...] and both are against any level of hate.” He then pointed out that both of those minority communities have been targeted by hate. “They have been united in fighting any form of hate in this city,” the Mayor added.

“This is a city where you are free to express yourself, and that expression should never end with any form of violence,” Adams said.

After the Mayor’s remarks, Joseph E. Kenny, the NYPD Assistant Chief of the Detective Bureau took to the podium and summarized the case facts.

Dr. Fauci to be succeeded by first openly LGBTQ director of NIAID

WASHINGTON - Doctor Jeanne Marrazzo has been named director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, becoming the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role when her tenure begins this fall.

Marrazzo currently leads the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, where her research interests included HIV and STIs.

The university, in a press release announcing her appointment to the agency, called her “a trusted advisor and friend who gave us the insights, guidance and confidence that allowed our institution to thrive in spite of immense challenges” amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As NIAID director, Jeanne will oversee NIAID’s budget of $6.3 billion supporting research to advance the under-

standing, diagnosis and treatment of infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases,” said UAB in the press release.

“The NIAID research response to outbreaks of infectious diseases, from HIV to Ebola to COVID-19, has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests and other technologies,” UAB noted.

“Dr. Marrazzo brings a wealth of leadership experience from leading international clinical trials and translational research, managing a complex organizational budget that includes research funding and mentoring trainees in all stages of professional development,” NIH Acting Director Lawrence A. Tabak said in a press release Wednesday.

Tabak thanked Hugh Auchincloss, Jr. for serving as Acting NIAID director after the longtime director Dr. Anthony Fauci stepped down in November 2022.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

“As the group began to yell at Mr. Sibley and his friends, they began to call them derogatory names and used homophobic slurs against him,” Kenny said.“ They also made anti-Black statements, all while demanding that they simply stop dancing.”

“This encounter lasts for approximately four minutes, when the victim and the known perpetrator come together,” Kenny continued. “This perpetrator retreats away from Mr. Sibley, while striking him one time with a sharp object, piercing his chest and damaging his heart. Mr. Sibley falls to the sidewalk while the perpetrator flees the scene in a Toyota Highlander.”

Kenny noted the 17-year-old suspect’s identification happened “quickly,” saying he lives in Brooklyn and is a student at a “nearby high school.”

Kenny said that the apprehension was a joint effort by NYPD’s fugitive task force and the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Regional Task Force. The 17-year-old was charged under NY Penal Law § 125.25: Murder in the second degree with a hate crime enhancement, he’s also being charged with criminal possession of a weapon and has been remanded into custody.

BRODY LEVESQUE

New York City Mayor ERIC ADAMS, NYPD officials and community leaders spoke after a teenager was charged with a hate crime in the deadly stabbing of O’Shae Sibley. (Screenshot/YouTube CBS New York)

JEANNE MARAZZO (Photo credit: UAB Heersink School of Medicine)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 07

Trevor Project staff allege union busting

When the results were finally released after several weeks of pressure, Latinx staffers showed the lowest level of satisfaction, numerous former staffers said.

That process angered staff who were tired of being ignored, Mitchum said. Resentments deepened following reporting in HuffPost about Paley’s role, when working as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co., working to reduce Purdue Pharma’s legal liability over opioid litigation brought by 47 state attorneys general.

“It became a ticking time bomb,” Mitchum said.

Enter the Trevolution — or the Trevorpocalypse, depending on whom you ask. The fire burned and burned, and Trevor’s board of directors eventually forced Paley out of the organization. The board quickly replaced him with Trevor’s co-founder, Peggy Rajski, in November 2022.

Trevor’s board, a former manager said, wanted to portray stability with her hire. But it ended up only exacerbating the controversies within the organization. Richard Vargas, who was Trevor’s senior operations associate and used to run the organization’s New York office, was one of many who raised red flags about her performance.

Critics pointed to her ousting from Loyola Marymount University, where she was the dean of its School of Film and Television for less than three years.

“She was known to rant and rave at people,” a former Loyola Marymount University professor said, according to The Wrap, which was first to report Rajski’s ousting.

Rajski spent her first weeks organizing listening tours –with a select few people chosen from each department and affinity group. Sources familiar with those conversations said she was sympathetic to staff concerns, saying that she couldn’t believe what Paley put the organization through.

The honeymoon was short lived as she started describing staff who spoke out as rude, arrogant, and worse, sources told the Blade. Current and former staff said she criticized workers for speaking out, blaming problems on everyone but herself, misgendering staff – and being offended when corrected – and making everything about herself.

“I saw that in all hands meetings, she would get very snippy, very combative,” said Vargas, the former New York office manager.

During a meeting in which she announced layoffs at Trevor – 12% of its workforce – she chided staff for using emoji reactions in the chat, he said.

The 44 mid- and upper-level staff were laid off after, seemingly, a huge budget hole emerged. It’s unclear how big exactly that hole is – a Trevor Project statement revealed a “sharp drop” in revenue but did not provide an exact figure, and no current and former employees who spoke to the Blade were able to provide an exact figure.

One former employee said they were told there was a $25.2 million deficit in late April of this year, but former Head of Finance and Administration Joel Lam said he had gotten the deficit down to about $6 million. Another former employee familiar with the organization’s finances confirmed that the deficit was between $4 million and $7 million around then.

That didn’t worry the Trevor Project’s executives, according to a former employee, because the organization had more than enough money in its reserves – about $55 million at the end of July 2022, according to public financial

documents – to cover that loss.

But sometime between late April and June of this year, the Trevor ship sprang a huge leak.

The entire recruitment team, payroll team, the training team for Trevor’s hotline, much of the financial team, as well as other staff were laid off, sparking anger.

What, they wondered, happened to the $55 million the organization had reported in assets?

No one is sure what happened and a Trevor spokesperson declined to make executives available for an interview. But the staff have some ideas. They cite Trevor’s rapid expansion in the past years under Paley as a main cause and some described wasteful spending.

Trevor’s leadership would tell employees to spend surplus funds at the end of year, instead of putting them into Trevor’s reserves – even when the deficit was discovered, according to a former employee.

“There were no policies around spending either,” the source said.

views. He did not respond to a request for comment.

988 Suicide Hotline & the Trevor Project

The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 created 988’s LGBTQ+ subnetwork as a pilot project. During that pilot, the Trevor Project was the only organization running the section of 988 dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth. Mitchum said he pushed back on that, saying Trevor did not have the resources to run the lifeline by itself and even if it did, more than one organization should provide support. Then-CEO Paley, though, reportedly disagreed.

“I think Trevor became so bogged down in the minutiae of money, of notoriety, of power, that it lost all ideas of responsibility to LGBTQ people,” Mitchum said.

Nevertheless, 988 lifeline administrator Vibrant Emotional Health sent out a request for proposals for the pilot project, several former employees confirmed to the Blade, but it is unclear if any organizations other than Trevor applied.

The Trevor Project was the only organization running the LGBTQ+ line. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, charged with federal oversight of the 988 program, pumped $7.2 million into the pilot. The federal government vastly underestimated the numbers of callers and texters to the line, leaving Trevor short-staffed and unprepared for the surge of people seeking support, a source told the Blade. Long wait times were the norm, so much so that Vibrant rebuked Trevor over the issue, two former staffers told the Blade.

Trevor kept the news about the dedicated LGBTQ+ line quiet until December, when it announced the service in a press release – despite its soft launch in September of 2022.

A Trevor Project statement said that the organization made budget cuts, reduced outside consulting expenses, instituted a hiring freeze, limited non-urgent work travel, and used its reserve to close the deficit. Two current employees confirmed that travel restrictions seem to have taken place.

The organization created a new role that oversees both Trevor’s digital operation and its phone lines – instead of hiring one person for each. It did not hire more lifeline associates, a source told the Blade. Both employees pointed out, though, that there are several open roles on Trevor’s website. One employee said the organization considered the positions “mission critical,” which is why they were posted.

It’s unclear how much revenue Trevor lost – representatives for the federal government, Trevor, and for Vibrant Emotional Health all declined to reveal the figure. The Blade has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the numbers.

The layoffs upset those close to the Trevor Project, but they didn’t receive widespread recognition. Layoffs among the 988 anti-suicide line staff representing the Trevor Project did, though, thanks to TikTok.

“Basically, we are being told, you are without a job – we can try and get you a job but you might have a job, good luck out there,” Eli, a former crisis counselor working for Trevor, said in a viral TikTok video that racked up 62,000

“The Trevor Project is incredibly thankful to the federal government for the major investment in these life-saving specialized services,” Mitchum said in the press release. “It’s vital that all young people have access to culturally competent care in moments of crisis.”

The 988 program was successful enough for Vibrant to make the hotline a permanent fixture less than a year later in July. This time, the federal government allocated $29.7 million to the LGBTQ+ subnetwork – more than three times the amount that the entire 988 lifeline received in 2021.

As part of the expansion, Vibrant decided to increase the number of call centers running the LGBTQ+ crisis line from just one, the Trevor Project, to seven, with Trevor still on board. The change meant a smaller piece of the pie for Trevor – the $29.7 million would now be distributed among seven different organizations.

That decision came as a shock to Trevor, Mitchum reflected.

“After a while, Trevor leadership genuinely thought we would never have additional providers outside of Trevor,” Mitchum told the Blade.

A Trevor Project spokesperson said in a June statement that the organization had “recently learned” about the expansion of the LGBTQ subnetwork. The Trevor statement noted that the expansion would lead to “an exponential increase in support for the number of LGBTQ callers and texters to the 988 Lifeline.”

Trevor Project co-founder PEGGY RAJSKI now serves as CEO. (Screenshot via Youtube)

ROBBY

DIESU’S

husband worked for Apple for 11 years. The Blade is withholding his name out of fear of reprisals by the company.

Apple’s commitment to diversity ends when asked to do the right thing Another corporation that profits off of Pride but fails to offer equal benefits

My husband and I took a chance with his former employer. He was offered a promotion and transfer to the United Arab Emirates to help open a new store for them. He had lived in the UAE before and oddly our transcontinental love affair kicked off in this anti-LGBTQ country. While we were a bit nervous, we assumed, wrongly, that a company that prides itself on being supporters of our diverse LGBTQ community would offer benefits to LGBTQ employees.

Although in their stores they sell rainbow watch bands, when it comes to providing benefits to same-sex couples when not required by law, they do anything but that.

Before he accepted, my husband asked directly what benefits would be offered. The regional manager said he would check back in with my husband after it was stressed to him that we would not be taking the transfer if they didn’t offer us equal benefits. They responded quickly with an offer to cover a freelance visa option, which also requires health insurance to be issued. After a bit of self congratulating about how great of a company they were to offer these basic things, off we went.

Surely it would be company policy to offer basic benefits to LGBTQ employees, even when not required by law, since their CEO is a high-profile openly gay man and the first to run a major tech company.

Once we landed in the UAE it became clear that our worst fears were just starting. While any international move will have its bumps, one expects the bumps to not be made worse by an uncaring upper management. When my visa was delayed, we were ostracized for not signing a lease until the visa was issued. When the relocation service told us that they didn’t put us both on the lease and I would need to sneak into our new building, we were told we were making it a bigger deal than it was. When we asked about how to access the healthcare that was a part of my visa we were told: “Why do you think that your family deserves these benefits?” “Why don’t you just sleep on it before asking the higher ups?” “You should have known better than to expect us to do this.”

In the end, we paid out of pocket for my health insurance. The writing was on the wall all along, but we made a commitment to this company to stay for at least two years and we were not going to break it.

One month before my visa was set to be renewed, with one

year to go on our two-year commitment we received an email asking if I wanted to renew my visa. After affirming we would, we were simply sent a price list by the company. When asked if they would be covering the cost still, they stopped responding. After two weeks of emails, and with two weeks until my visa was set to expire we were told that the company would not cover the cost. This kicked off three months of abuse by upper management to my husband as we tried to understand what was happening. We were told:

“Why can’t you just pay for it yourself?”

“Why do you think people like you deserve these benefits?”

“You should be happy with what we have done for you.”

“You need to be careful asking for these things.”

“It is just your perception that we are discriminating against you. We are just respecting local customs by not providing you and your family healthcare and visa benefits.”

After the second month of them stringing us along, and numerous investigations from various HR department heads, we had to move into a hotel or be forced to sign another year lease for our apartment. We stayed in the UAE until the very last day that I legally could without risking being fined. We gave them every opportunity to do the right thing.

But Apple never did the right thing. Apple, a company run by a gay man, Tim Cook, whose senior vice president of retail and former head of People is also a member of our community, Deirdre O’Brien, who every Pride month proudly claims “support” of our community, openly discriminated against our family for being LGBTQ.

Apple, which forced my husband to give presentations on benefits for married and unmarried heterosexual couples, was forced out of his job because he simply asked for them to give us those same benefits.

Apple forced my husband out of his career of 11 years for simply asking them to live up to the values that they claim.

What’s next? There is no recourse for us, but other LGBTQ employees of Apple should know that Apple’s commitment to diversity and inclusion ends when they are asked to do the right thing. Our community should know that Apple is just another corporation that gladly profits off us but runs away when asked to treat us with dignity.

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Today’s 2024 general election presidential

polls mean nothing

The fight will again come down to a handful of swing states

The recent New York Times/Sienna College poll shows President Biden and Donald Trump in a virtual tie. It is getting headlines across the country and yet means absolutely nothing. As these headlines show, the only thing it does is give journalists, columnists, and TV pundits, something to endlessly write and babble about. Of course, adding insult to injury, all these polls are hypothetical. We have no assurance Trump will be on the ballot. We are surer Biden will be. Who knows what the Republican Party, or as some call it, the Trump Cult, will do as he has just been indicted for the third time, and the fourth indictment is in the offing in Georgia?

The sad truth about our country today is we are so divided the results of the presidential race will be decided again, not by national vote totals, but rather by results in maybe eight states. It is clear no matter whom the Republicans nominate, that person will not win California or other Northwest states. Nor will they win New York and other Northeast states. Biden will not win Deep South states. This may be a sad state of affairs, but it is reality.

In 2020, the states we looked at for the final Electoral College vote were Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and maybe one or two others. That will be the case again. If Trump is the Republican candidate, I predict, without any polling, Biden will win by 10 million votes, three million more than last time but will not add one additional electoral college vote. If Trump is not the candidate, the election will be closer. But if the Republican Party runs on the same issues, and continues to run to the right, which all their current candidates are doing, Biden will still win. But as with any election, if Democrats want this to happen, they will have to work hard. They don’t need any poll to tell them that.

The majority of the nation, including women (they are a majority on their own), the LGBTQ community, and African-American community all have something to fear from a Republican president, no matter who it is. Even those who sound slightly sane, like Chris Christie and Asa Hutchison, will hone to the far right to win MAGA votes. Any Republi-

can administration will continue to strip away personal rights from women, and will do nothing to further the fight for equality for the LGBTQ community and African Americans. The Republican Party today won’t even acknowledge structural racism. The one African-American candidate running for their presidential nomination, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), claims we are not racist. Mind-boggling in so many ways.

I feel a certain sadness when I write this, along with some anger. Sadness because I have for years thought our country had been making strides toward equality. Today we are either at a standstill, or regressing. Anger at some of the most egregious of the racist, sexist, homophobes, elected by Republicans, winning their districts to the detriment of the voters who elect them. The country is surely in trouble when people elect crazies like Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), among others. What is incomprehensible is these nutcases are now pulling the strings of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as if he is a puppet, and they are the puppeteers.

History has shown except for the most committed voters who decide early, those who will make the difference in this election won’t make their final choice of a candidate until after Labor Day 2024. The state of the economy today doesn’t matter nearly as much as what the state of the economy will be in June 2024, nearly a year away. At that time inflation, prices for gas and in the grocery store, unemployment will impact their vote. Democrats must be able to count on, and motivate to vote women, African Americans, and the LGBTQ community, whose issues go beyond the economy. For them it is personal safety and personal rights. Those voters will make the difference for Democrats at all levels of government.

So, you need not worry about general election presidential polls at this time. They simply make money for the pollsters, and provide fodder and publicity for anyone reporting on them. They don’t mean a thing, and judging by experience, most likely aren’t even accurate.

Charming ‘Royal Blue’ surpasses rom com tropes with expert delivery

An insightful voice enhanced by artfully cinematic approach to material

By JOHN PAUL KING

Before nonbinary author Casey McQuiston’s 2019 novel “Red, White, and Royal Blue,” was even in print, Amazon wanted to buy the movie rights.

It’s easy to see why. It’s a steamy-but-sweet same-sex romance between a British Royal and the son of the American president that takes place in a world where that president is a woman. Yes, it’s all optimistic fantasy – which is, of course, the whole appeal. Isn’t that what the romance genre is all about?

The book went on to become a bestseller, winning honors at the 11th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards, and Amazon went on to make its screen adaptation, hiring Tony-winning queer playwright Matthew Lopez (“The Inheritance”) not only to co-author the screenplay (with Ted Malaher), but to make his debut as a feature film director. The finished product, which drops on the streaming giant’s platform Aug. 11, validates that choice.

Admittedly, the premise evokes one of those much-maligned Hallmark movies; First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) is handsome, charismatic, and popular with the American public; across the Atlantic, Britain’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) — second in line for the British throne — is equally adulated. Naturally, they can’t stand each other, but after an encounter at a royal wedding that snowballs into an embarrassing incident, they are both under order to enact “damage control” by pretending to be friends. Forced to spend time together, their animosity soon turns to something else, and they are drawn into a deepening romance that might not only threaten the re-election hopes of Alex’s mom (Uma Thurman) but shake the traditions of the British monarchy to their ancient core.

It would be easy enough to dismiss it all as mindless, trope-driven hokum, or to take a perspective from which the whole thing seems like just another iteration of some tried-andtrue yet unrealistic “fairy tale,” if not for the insightful voice that is preserved and enhanced by Lopez’s artfully cinematic approach to the material.

Claiming advantage of the change in medium, Lopez achieves a vision of McQuiston’s novel, which captures the essence that has made classics of all the “great” cinematic rom coms. Blending the political idealism and social equity that elevated the screwball classics of the golden age above the melodrama of their predictable plotlines with the elegance and style of the saucier “sex farces” that would come later, he crafts his story by blending the traditional technique-based conceits of old with the form-bending embellishments of the contemporary age; tropes and expectations are turned on their ear by unexpected twists that emphasize modern understanding over social constructs about “normalcy” and the immutability of tradition.

As an aesthetic, Lopez’s collaboration with cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt (“The Hunger,” “Batman and Robin”) creates a cinematic manifestation of the novel that fully embraces both the heart-on-its-sleeve idealism of the golden age “screwball comedies” — which were always as much about challenging societal norms as they were about escapism — and the stylistically elegant romances of the 1950s, both the overwrought socially relevant melodramas of Douglas Sirk and the racy comedies epitomized by the effervescent Doris Day/Rock Hudson gem, “Pillow Talk,” in a cinematic presentation awash with both the colorful palette and near-surreal visual nuance that marks all the great absurdist comedies of modern cinema history.

For make no mistake, the film adaptation of “Red, White, and Royal Blue” is a gently absurdist comedy in the classic sense. On one level, it makes its points through the sheer ridiculousness of some of its farcical conceits; on another, it drives them home through a plot which dares to suggest that a mere reframing of our expectations is enough to render most of our objections to change antiquated, if not entirely irrelevant. What could be a more relatable way to get that across than a story about two people who realize that being in love is important enough to swim against tan overwhelming tide? Even non-queer people can understand what it’s like to be attracted to someone to whom you’re not allowed to be attracted. These themes, however, though they are there for the taking by anyone who connects the dots to find them, never threaten to overpower the movie’s sentimental tone. Unabashedly idealistic, shamelessly geared to trigger all our warmest, feel-good-iest emotional reactions and reinforce our notions about the inevitable power of love, it plays whole-heartedly into hope and humanism with its insistence on honoring the imperative of inner experience over the imposed demands of an outside world. In today’s atmosphere of scrupulously-managed public persona, such a seemingly-basic but mostly--disregarded outlook on life feels not only refreshing but subversive.

All of this is to drive home the point that while “Red, White, and Royal Blue” might appear to be nothing more than a shallow and simplistic emanation of pop culture, it contains more than enough solid material to make it worthwhile for those who might normally eschew such idealized, borderline-elitist tales of privilege in which a stigma that is unavoidable within most class hierarchies can be overcome thanks to fame, economic advantage, and (yes, let’s admit it) attractiveness. Lopez, bringing his own queer experience to the fore, manages to convey the authentic queer perspective of McQuiston’s book, and that’s what elevates his adaptation of the novel above the level of the typical. None of what we hear, see, or feel is mere “lip service” – it all comes from a genuine perspective in which “why not?” is a valid answer to the question of whether such things are even possible.

From our standpoint, Lopez is the true star of the film, but kudos are definitely deserved by the entire cast, headed by the impossibly beautiful (yet entirely relatable) Perez and Galitzine, whose considerable surface charms are given weight by the emotional truth of their performances and the tangible charge of their onscreen chemistry. Also notable is an awards-worthy supporting turn by Sarah Shahi, as an eyes-on-the-prize deputy chief-of-staff who does her best to manage the political fallout from Alex and Henry’s clandestine affair, and a deliciously ironic appearance by Stephen Fry — second perhaps to only Ian McKellen as Britain’s foremost vocally “out” queer actor — as a tradition-embracing King of England. Thurman, bringing the weight of her “star presence” to the role, makes for a more-than-sympathetic mother (and president) in a performance that plays against tropes to find a human element that transcends concerns of reputation and decorum.

Of course, even if all that praise arises from a genuine appreciation of the film’s artistic prowess, it doesn’t mean that “Red, White, and Royal Blue” is for everyone. If you’re not a fan of rom coms in general, or films that embed idealized hope into their messaging for the presumed sake of reinforcing populist sentiment, it still might not be your cup of tea.

But if you like movies that imagine the world as it could be, rather that the world as it is, it’s a surprisingly welcome treat that may not be as guilty a pleasure as it seems.

TAYLOR ZAKHAR PEREZ and NICHOLAS GALITZINE in ‘Red, White, and Royal Blue.’

Swedish indie-pop star on the rise, Oscar Stembridge debuts in LA

Stembridge is very much his authentic self

By SIMHA HADDAD

HOLLYWOOD - Swedish indie-pop star on the rise, Oscar Stembridge, made his Los Angeles debut Wednesday at Hotel Café in Hollywood.

An intimate crowd gathered in the cozy room, filling the dimly lit space with anticipatory buzz. A group of ladies ordered cocktails and wine at the full bar while chatting excitedly with the bartender about the 15-year-old indie-pop rocker. Audience members seated in the scattered chairs around the half-moon stage waited expectantly for the young winner of the Swedish pop awards to appear.

Promptly at 9:15, Stembridge stepped on stage, guitar slung over his shoulder, his signature floppy blond hair covering half of his boyish face. His demeanor was immediately likable, modest yet confident, and grateful for the chance to play for his first-ever Los Angeles audience.

“Thank you all so much for being here,” said Stembridge, his smile a mix of young Harry Styles and his own unique brand of innocent teenager.

While Oscar may look even younger than his fifteen years, his originally composed songs cover weighty adult topics like climate change and the Russian-Ukraine war. Topics that Oscar told The Blade were as close to his heart as his teenage woes, like breakups and being dumped.

“With the Russian-Ukraine war starting and with the climate and food crisis getting worse, it all felt like too much for me,” Oscar told the crowd. “I thought, what if I wrote a song where the world didn’t have all these problems?”

“If I’m a fool for dreaming, then what is left for me?”

The song entitled “What If” resembles a modern-day “Imagine” by John Lennon and describes a similarly idealistic alternate reality followed by the particularly poignant question, “If I’m a fool for dreaming, then what is left for me?”

The audience applauded heartily throughout the set that weaved between released and unreleased original songs and covers by well and lesser-known artists. The crowd was particularly moved by Oscar’s intermittent speech about “being your authentic self.”

“If anyone here feels like they have to put up a façade, you don’t have to do that,” Stembridge said before performing his song “Fake Front.” “People will like you if you are being authentic to yourself.”

True to his song, Stembridge is very much his authentic self. His intelligent but easy-going nature was natural and unrushed as he moved slowly through the crowd after his show, taking time to give each person a turn of his full at-

tention, engaging every fan in easy and flowing conversation.

Hotel Café was a first stop on a long list of to-dos for Stembridge’s one week in the US. Between being featured in a documentary, an exciting new collab with YouTube violinist Karolina Protensko, and several other professional engagements, Stembridge’s short trip to the States is jampacked with projects aimed at increasing his presence in the US.

“I feel amazing,” Stembridge told The Blade after his per-

formance. “As an indie artist, I was able to come here and do my first gig in Los Angeles. It’s a dream come true.”

After LA he travels to Austin, Texas where on August 9th, he’ll attend the world premiere screening of Primitive Planet Director Brian Gregory’s film, ‘Trust Your Wild Side with Oscar Stembridge,’ a captivating documentary that follows the incredible journey so far of Stembridge.

After the screening, he will perform his first headlining concert in the USA, playing to thrill the audience with his catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics.

OSCAR STEMBRIDGE made his Los Angeles debut at the Hotel Café in Hollywood, August 2, 2023. (Photo by Simha Haddad)

OSCAR STEMBRIDGE performing at the Hotel Café. (Photo by Simha Haddad)

BOOKS ‘Moby Dyke’ a funny memoir-in-a-bar

A writer’s quest to visit the 20 remaining lesbian bars in U.S.

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

The last stool on the left, over by the neon beer sign, is yours.

That’s your spot, the place where you can see almost the entire place. You hold court there, have a few drinks there, and you meet new friends. On that stool, you’re among your people but enjoy it while you can: In “Moby Dyke” by Krista Burton, your seat is in a dwindling place.

A few years ago, toward the end of the pandemic, masking, and lock-downs, Krista Burton was asked what she missed most. Her answer was a surprise: she longed to be in a crowded “dyke bar,” shoulder-to-shoulder with people like her.

Dyke bars. Wouldn’t that make a great subject for a book?

Burton found an agent but then she found bad news: supposedly, there were just 20 lesbian bars left in the entire country.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, and with book contract in hand, Burton began planning roadtrips. It was, she said, “the gayest possible dream project.”

She began in San Francisco at “the oldest ... lesbian-founded, owned, and continuously operated bar” there. From her home in Minnesota, she flew to New York City to visit two lesbian bars. A visit to a San Diego bar was wrapped up with a friend’s wedding.

By Krista Burton

Burton’s husband, a trans man, loved the football atmosphere in a Milwaukee lesbian bar. She caught a drag show in Indiana. Columbus, Ohio was “extremely queer-friendly.” She endured karaoke in Nashville, and she visited a cannabis dispensary while in Denver. Seattle was a place of nostalgia. She was mistaken for straight in Houston, was impressed by a real Dallas club, almost missed visiting a Mobile bar, wanted to quit when she was in Atlanta (but didn’t), then went to Phoenix and Richmond, imagined herself as a “senator’s gay wife” in Washington D.C., and she wrapped her tour up in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Once, Burton says, LGBTQ people were persecuted and arrested for dancing, drinking, and for being themselves in a public place.

“We could all go anywhere now.”

Just 20 lesbian bars? You’re giving that “Whaaaat?” squint, aren’t you?

It’s OK, author-blogger Krista Burton addresses that number at the end of “Moby Dyke” by writing with delight that since lock-downs ended, lesbian bars have rebounded.

She doesn’t address the bars she missed in the first place.

And yet, you’ll get the picture with the 20 she includes – in part, because, as she admits and as many bartenders and owners told her, lesbian bars aren’t just for lesbians anymore. To call a drinking establishment a “lesbian bar” ignores the diverse crowds, drag shows, quiet activism, and the inclusion that’s now offered alongside the fun Burton craved.

Don’t think this book is all about bar-hopping, either. It’s funny, with observations that are so sharp, they’ll cut you, and it’s part memoir that’ll hurt your heart.

Yes, there are omissions in this book but what’s here overshadows what’s missing. If you want a funny memoir-in-a-bar, grab “Moby Dyke” and pull up a stool.

‘Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America’

c.2023, Simon & Schuster $28.99 | 320 pages

New sonnet collection inspired by queer love and chemistry

‘Periodic Boyfriends’ offers intriguing poetry from Drew Pisarra

By KATHI WOLFE

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If you’d told me that I’d get as much of a kick out of sonnets inspired by the Periodic Table of Elements as Cole Porter got from Champagne, I would have thought you’d had too much bubbly. Until I read “Periodic Boyfriends,” queer poet and writer Drew Pisarra’s intriguing new poetry collection.

With his sleight of hand, Pisarra puts all of us, chemistry lovers and naysayers, under his spell.

“Periodic Boyfriends” is a collection of sonnets inspired by queer love and the periodic table of elements.

Periodic Boyfriends

By Drew Pisarra

c.2023, Capturing Fire Press $20 | 152 pages

Pisarra writes sonnets that Shakespeare, who some scholars think was queer, would, I’d wager, have enjoyed reading with his BFFs.

Each of the witty, sometimes poignant, nearly always captivating, sonnets in “Periodic Boyfriends” is titled with the name for an element in the periodic table (such as the poems titled “Hydrogen,” “Boron,” “Lithium” and “Palladium”).

The sonnets riff off Pisarra’s one-night stands, cybersex encounters and memories of queer men who’ve died.

Through his poetic alchemy, Pisarra makes you see why combining queer eros with periodic elements isn’t an obscure mystery.

Chemistry as defined by the “Oxford English Dictionary,” is “the complex emotional or psychological interaction between two people,” Angie Morrill notes in the introduction to “Periodic Boyfriends.”

Chemistry contains the elements – from silver to tin to gold – that make up the world.

Pisarra’s sonnets illuminate how his onenight stands are immersed in chemistry (in all senses of the word). He uses the periodic table of elements to track his erotic encounters with more than 118 men.

If anyone else tried this, it would likely be a snooze. After the sonnet about the 50th boyfriend, the reader might well wonder: are we there yet?

But, there are no worries with Pisarra. In the tight form of the sonnet – in just 14 lines – Pisarra presents a narrative with as many twists and turns (infused with irony, snark and tearing-up moments) as a compelling novel or must-binge-watch TV show. You can’t wait to turn the page or

watch the next episode.

Pisarra, 58, decimates the image of the poet as an ethereal bard nesting in the clouds — sipping the nectar of the angelic gods.

You can tell from just a line of his poetry that he isn’t based on Mount Olympus. Pisarra, who grew up in Silver Spring, Md., now lives in New York.

“Periodic Boyfriends” is steeped in the images, music, and beat of New York City streets and queer culture (with some literary, but not pompous, allusions tossed in the mix).

“You occupy a space inside my skull/though who gave you access I’ve not a clue,” Pisarra writes in “Polonium,” a sonnet addressed to one of his boyfriends from the past. “The ache’s persistent, illogical, dull./Your thermal imprint’s one I can’t undo./”

Pisarra’s sonnets often joyfully combine the everyday language of love and insults. “Calling the ugliest lay from my past./,” he writes in “Dubnium,” “Guess what, babe. You rocked. That night was a blast.”

The poems in “Periodic Boyfriends” will pop for readers, queer and hetero. But there’s no way of missing (who would want to?) that these sonnets are immersed in a queer sensibility.

“You lived next door! I heard” Pisarra writes in “Rutherfordium,” “you were a hairdresser from Ecuador/(the last queen to top me in Baltimore).”

Pisarra uses the tight form of the sonnet and his playfulness and wit to speak not only of dancing, and “the hate fuck” but of more somber parts of life (and death) from becoming sober to suicide.

In the “Lanthanides,” a series of sonnet-like poems (that tamper a bit with the structure of a sonnet), Pisarra turns elegiac. In these poems, he writes sometimes playfully, sometimes wistfully, by turns, poignantly about LGBTQ men who have died. “Uncle Jimmy had a lover. Sadly/” he writes in “Lanthanum, “for Uncle Jimmy and my dad)”, “no one knew his name.”

Another sequence of poems, “The Actinides,” is about Pisarra’s online sexual encounters. Accounts of cyber trysts are rarely such fun. Check out “Periodic Boyfriends.” It’s like hanging out on a summer’s night with the acclaimed queer poet Frank O’Hara and Dorothy Parker.

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