Editorial

OP-ED CREEP OF THE WEEK Donald Trump

By D’Anne Witkowski

REMEMBER AFTER THE 2016 presidential election when Trump supporters reached out to Clinton supporters in an e ort to understand and sympathize with our pain and fear? To better understand us so that we could remind each other that we are all Americans and we need to work together for the good of the nation?

Yeah, me neither.

I do remember seeing a lot of “suck it up, buttercup” memes and co ee mugs that read, “Liberal Tears” and shirts with, “Trump 2020: Make Liberals Cry Again” and “Grab ‘Em By the Pussy Again.” I remember seeing banners and American ags with, “Trump 2020: Fuck Your Feelings.” I remember that the “lock her up” chants never went away and, in fact, expanded to include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. I remember Trump boasting that he not only won the electoral college but that he also won the popular vote because the millions more votes Clinton got were all illegally cast. I remember Trump calling the press the enemy of the people. I remember him referring to his Democratic challengers as crooked, sleepy, nasty, crazy, brain-dead, weak, little, boring, shifty, dopey, sick, stone-cold phonies, clowns, monsters, lightweights, puppets, corrupt, phonies, unkies, horrible, jokes, stupid, dumb, sneaky, lying and low-IQ individuals. I remember when Donald Trump called for Hillary Clinton to be imprisoned, which is not hard to remember since he is still demanding that not only Clinton but Obama, too, should be locked up. So forgive me that I’m not running out to nd a Trump supporter to hug now that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have decisively won the 2020 presidential election. It’s not that I don’t know any. I have aunts who are big Trump fans. One of them posted a plea on Facebook on Nov. 4 for people to get down to Detroit to scrutinize the ballot counting going on there, the implication being, of course, that Black people were attempting to rig the election by voting and having those votes counted. Truly scandalous. I don’t need racist people in my life. I don’t need folks who nd it insulting to hear my wife referred to as “wife” and for what we have to be called a “marriage.” I don’t need people who applaud stealing the children of immigrants and asylum seekers as they cross the border. Who believe that vaccines are some kind of sinister plot. Who think that COVID-19 isn’t a big deal and who don’t think wearing masks to save lives is worth it. I don’t need toxic people in my life. And no doubt Trump supporters are scared. Clearly. ey are not ready to concede this election. ey are shocked that one of the most unpopular presidents in history not only didn’t win but that he didn’t win by a landslide. I’d be scared, too, if I believed that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization rather than a declaration of a fact too long ignored in this country. I’d be scared, too, if the Democratic party was actually just a huge Satan worshipping ring of pedophiles. at is a genuinely horrifying concept made all the more horrifying by the fact that there are people who really believe it. So while I am so relieved that Biden beat Trump, there is a lot more damage Trump could, and will, do between now and Jan. 20. People rejoicing that our long national nightmare is over are, sadly, incorrect. So stop asking women, people of color, LGBTQ people, gender non-con rming people, immigrants, people with disabilities and every other group that has been marginalized and harmed by this administration to comfort their oppressors. You can’t meet someone half way when they’ve already gone around the bend and believe that you aren’t fully human. What these folks need isn’t a little love and understanding, it’s a reality check. Maybe some therapy to explore why they are so hateful and prone to con men. I’m not going to enable them by pretending that my belief that belief that public education should be fully funded is equally valid as their believe that public schools are dens of sin that teach children to be homosexuals. Or my desire to see COVID-19 under control so that we save lives is on one side of the coin, and that Gov. Whitmer’s mandate that everyone in Michigan wear a mask makes her Hitler. You won’t see me drinking out of a mug that says, “I love the taste of conservative tears in the morning,” but you also won’t nd me trying to placate supporters of the most corrupt and hateful administration in my lifetime now that they’ve lost. You will nd me, however, continuing to ght so that they continue to lose. e

DECEMBER 9, 2020 | VOL. XI, 19

COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM

Apples are the eye of these recipes 10

D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

MY LIFE BEHIND BARS

‘Secret’ only applies to deodorant

©2020 Montrose Star All Right Reserved

Montrose Star™ Newspaper since 1976, is owned by GYLP Media, a Texas minority-certified company est. in 1990.

Published alternate Wednesday. Subscription rate: $54/year.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to the main office.

Montrose Star | 1712 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006 CONTACT US: Ph. (713) 942-0084 | Fax (713)9420085 WAIVER: The Montrose Star Newspaper reserves the right

MontroseStar.com | TheMontroseStar@gmail.com to refuse any ad order. Publishing ads are presumed to contain valid information and the advertiser is duty autorized to use The entire content of Montrose Star is protected under Federal images shown within hi/her ad. Montrose Star is not liable for Copyrights Act. Reproduction of any portion of any issue is not any ad content nor is Montrose Star responsible for advertisers' permitted without the written permision from the Publisher. claims of performance. Find us on P v Facebook.com & t Twitter

CONTENTS

HRH Report......................................................... 4 OP-ED.................................................................... 5 Positive Thoughts.............................................. 6 Cooking with Paula Dream.......................... 10 Foodie Diaries...................................................

What a World....................................................

My Life Behind Bars.......................................

Across the Causeway....................................

REVIEW...............................................................

Crossword Queeries.....................................

Deep Inside Hollywood...............................

Guide to the Clubs.........................................

National Advertising: RIVENDELL MEDIA | (212) 242-6863 Sales@rivendellmedia.com Printed in the USA on post consumer content

CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATION

December 9, 2020. None as of press time.

PAGE 6 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday December 9, 2020 POSITIVE THOUGHTS Fighting for our shot

How HIV activists won their fight for inclusion in a major COVID-19 vaccine study

By Rick Guasco

VICTORY CAME IN THE FORM OF A TWEET POSTED in the middle of the afternoon on Aug. 5: Pharmaceutical company Moderna was dropping its exclusion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) allowing those whose immune system was stable while on antiretroviral treatment to take part in the drug maker’s Phase 3 study of a leading COVID-19 vaccine candidate. e reversal was a huge win for a group of HIV advocates scattered across the country who had pulled together to urge the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to convince Moderna to change its protocol. e Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company had already started recruiting 30,000 U.S. volunteers for a Phase 3 clinical trial of mRNA-1273, one of the more promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Je Taylor, of the HIV+Aging Research Project who lives in Palm Springs, discovered that people with HIV were excluded from the study. “I didn’t realize they were starting to recruit already, so I checked out the clinicaltrials.gov listing,” Taylor said. “I alerted my activist colleagues, who swung into action. Lynda Dee led the charge in contacting o cials at NIAID and at the company itself. We rapidly put together a sign-on letter that we distributed widely.”

A quick sequence of events followed. Dee emailed Richard Je erys, of the Treatment Action Group (TAG), a community-based research and policy think tank devoted to better medical research on HIV, HCV and tuberculosis. Together, Dee and Je erys drafted a letter to Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH. To ensure diverse representation in the sign-on letter, they reached out to Daniel Campbell, of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition; Guillermo Chacón, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS; and NMAC’s Moises Agosto, among others. Nelson Vergel helped with the Change. org petition, which drew more than 1,100 signatures. “It was extremely important for people living with HIV to be included in the Phase 3 trial because we need safety and e cacy data on PLHIV,” said Lynda Dee, a long-time advocate at AIDS Action Baltimore. “Without this essential data, how would we know if the Moderna vaccine is safe and if it works in PLHIV?” e Infectious Diseases Society of America/HIV Medicine Association sent a letter of its own to NIH director Collins and to o cials at Operation Warp Speed, the White House’s e ort to speed up COVID-19 vaccine development. Dee credits Carl Die enbach, director of NIAIDS’s Division of AIDS (DAIDS) for working “diligently” to “persuade” Moderna. e federal government has committed up to $955 million for the drug maker to develop mRNA-1273. Moderna’s study makes use of the federal government’s existing network of DAIDS clinical trial sites across the country. “Moderna got a small fortune from the government and is using DAIDS clinical trial networks to conduct their studies on the taxpayers’ dime,” Dee remarked. An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While it is unclear whether HIV by itself makes a person more vulnerable to COVID-19, the majority of people with HIV are now over age 50 and many live with co-existing conditions (or comorbidities) such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, which can put them at greater risk. e study’s original exclusions disquali ed anyone who is in an “Immunosuppressive or immunode cient state, including human immunode ciency virus (HIV) infection.” However, the study’s inclusion criteria include, “Healthy adults or adults with pre-existing medical conditions who are in stable condition.” “From what’s known about people with HIV on stable treatment with CD4 counts in the normal range (which is quite wide), there’s no issue with mounting protective responses to routine immunizations,” Je erys said. “So, there’s no obvious reason why people with HIV shouldn’t have the option to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine e cacy trial if they choose.” Dee compared Moderna’s exclusion of PLHIV to Gilead’s study of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF, Descovy) for HIV prevention (PrEP), which did not include cisgender women. Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women took part in the study, leading to last year’s FDA approval of TAF for PrEP, but not for use in receptive vaginal sex. “No data in women, no FDA approval [for women],” Dee said.

Taylor raised another consideration. “If there’s no data about PLHIV, insurance companies and other payers might refuse to cover the cost of any vaccines approved, in an e ort to save money until there’s data proving e cacy in this population.” Communications among pharmaceutical companies, federal agencies and the HIV community need to be improved, the activists said. eir battle underscores the need for community involvement in designing and developing clinical trials. “HIV activists have a 35-year history of responding to inequities and bad science in research, and have a lot to o er researchers and biotech to ensure they do research right,” said Taylor. Other companies developing COVID-19 vaccines such as Sano , NovaVax and Johnson & Johnson are all including PLHIV in their studies, according to Dee, as will another Phase 3 study of a vaccine from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. Soon after the Moderna announcement, P zer responded to a separate letter it had received from the activists. “P zer has already been in the process of amending the protocol to clarify that people with stable HIV, HBV and HCV infections can enroll in the study,” said the letter, signed by the company’s senior vice president of vaccine clinical research and development. “ is will require discussions with regulators, who will ultimately make the decision whether this clari cation can be included.” “I very much hope it encourages other COVID-19 vaccine developers to review exclusions for their large-scale e cacy trials – not just for HIV, but other infections such as hepatitis B [HBV] and C [HCV], and populations often studied as an afterthought, such as pregnant women and children,” said Je erys. To volunteer for a COVID-19 prevention study, go to coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org. For more information on ongoing and upcoming clinical trials for treatment and prevention of COVID-19, go to clinicaltrials.gov and enter COVID in the search term.

Connecting our communities to health every day, in every way

Legacy Community Health has opened our doors and our hearts to people from all walks of life. We provide a wide range of quality health care services to all of our neighbors, regardless of ability to pay.

Services: Adult Primary Care Behavioral Health Body Positive Wellness Dental Gender Health & Wellness HIV/AIDS Testing & Prevention Nutritional Counseling OB/GYN Pediatrics Pharmacy Ryan White Health Care Services STD Screening & Treatment Transgender Specialty Care Vaccinations & Immunizations Vision

PAGE 8 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday December 9, 2020 Queering Christmas

Kristen Stewart on what’s personal about playing queer in her gay Christmas rom-com and how ‘the time calls for it’

By Chris Azzopardi

KRISTEN STEWART IS WAVING around what appears to be a joint. Even her Happiest Season co-star Mackenzie Davis, who’s seen on Zoom with Stewart, doesn’t quite know exactly what Stewart has lit. “Oh my god,” Davis says. “I thought that was a blunt.”

It is actually Palo Santo, a South American tree that translates to “holy wood.” But for a moment, Stewart gets silly and pretends her soothing wood stick is an actual joint, moving it toward her mouth as if she’s going to smoke it. ey both crack up at the thought of Stewart maybe getting blazed during our interview. “Just cleansing the energy!” Stewart assures.

After her Twilight years, a Charlie’s Angels reboot and a range of indies, Stewart’s latest movie, Happiest Season, feels a lot like taking a whi of some Palo Santo – an energy-cleanser. For 102 festive minutes, it restores some of the downer pandemic energy of 2020 with comfort, joy and the promise of a yuletide so gay it makes sense that Clea DuVall, the openly lesbian actress who starred in the 1999 queer camp classic But I’m a Cheerleader, directed and co-wrote it. e lm is the rst of its kind: a major studio-backed holiday rom-com with a queer love story at its center. In the movie, Stewart stars as Abby, whose girlfriend, Harper (Davis, who is straight and adored by the LGBTQ community for playing queer in the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror), invites her home for Christmas. At rst, she’s not sure about meeting Harper’s family, but then decides she’s all in. Abby even plans to propose to her (with guidance from BFF John, played by Dan Levy). But what Abby doesn’t know until they’re en route: Harper hasn’t come out to her family. Shot in February just before the lm industry was forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the movie was originally slated for a wide theatrical release backed by Sony’s TriStar Pictures. But with many theaters still shuttered, Happiest Season has found a new (streaming) home for the holidays on Hulu. During our recent Zoom call, Stewart and Davis talked about moving beyond the fetishizing of lesbian relationships, why they love gay bars and how Stewart plans to continue to use her A-list power to radicalize conventional genres with queerness. As a kid, could you have imagined a world in which a movie like this existed? Kristen Stewart: Yeah! at’s kind of why it seems a little bit overdue now. But we have a bunch of really rad stories, like fringy independent lms that I grew up with that didn’t lack in joy or sort of splendor, even Clea’s movie that I love so much, But I’m a Cheerleader. ey’re very much together and happy and run o into the sunset. But that’s a tiny, little movie and not everyone has seen it, and it’s so nice to think that you don’t have to go out and search for this movie. It’s inviting, it’s warm, it’s open. And yeah, helpful!

I was into strange movies when I was little; that’s not the most normal thing, do you know what I mean? But I’m a Cheerleader is seminal and it’s iconic, but I wish it was bigger and this is, so that’s rad. is is a big year. You’re part of a queer Christmas movie movement. Lifetime, Hulu, Hallmark are all doing them. Mackenzie Davis: Hallmark’s doing a (queer) Christmas movie? Stewart: Ohh… really? But we want to be the only one! Davis: No, no, no. We’re the rst. No. I’m just shocked that Hallmark is doing that. ey are historically not progressive, to say the least. Ha! at’s so cool. Stewart: You know what’s cool? Now they have to be, or else they get left behind! Ha! Kristen, this movie is a big deal to a lot of LGBTQ people. But for you, what is the signi cance that you are an openly queer A-lister playing a queer character in a major studio queer Christmas movie? Stewart: It’s really fun. I love playing characters that feel sort of further away from my natural wheelhouse because I like to expand my horizon, and also kind of deeply explore uncharted territory within myself that exists but might not be the most obvious.

But what feels great is leaning fully into what’s easy and obvious and comfortable when it is supported and recognized and loved. I’ve never had that on such a big movie that people were willing to put so much money into. Because that is a huge risk! And, like, the fact that people are taking risks for, well... look, it’s not a huge risk. It’s that the time calls for it. And there’s a huge gaping desire for it. And that is something I feel because I live in this world.

So the fact that I got to play this part after being in so many big movies where I never feel like I’m not being myself or trying to pass or anything like that, but I do feel like I’m ambitious about hitting marks that people don’t think I can hit. So this one was not that, this was the opposite of that. It was, no, no, no; I get to be the star of a big movie, and also get to be this person? It felt great. With Runaways, I remember a lot of talk about your kiss with Dakota Fanning. It seems dated to be talking about a girl-on-girl kiss at this point. Obviously you two kiss in this movie, but with Happiest Season, do you get the impression that people and the press are less like, “A gay kiss! What was that like?” and is that a relief? Stewart: Yeah, nobody’s asked that. Davis: Oh, god. It hasn’t been brought up. Culture’s moved so fast after not moving (laughs) at all for a very long time. But in the last 10 years it feels like so much has changed.

Stewart: No, nobody has fetishized it in (that) way. I have experience with that being, like, “So tell me about the …,” especially depending on who it’s coming from. You sit down with some news outlet man who’s been a news outlet man for, like, 50 years… Davis: Ha! Stewart: … and you’re like, “Don’t ask me that.” Wow, that’s so weird. Makes me feel really weird. Yeah, we haven’t had that. Davis: I just wanted to change the subject so badly when Matt Lauer (asked) Anne Hathaway about when she was not wearing any underwear. It’s like the absolute worst moment I’ve ever witnessed.

Even though this is based on Clea’s story, it will be relatable to a lot of queer people, like myself. What parts of this Abby-Harper dynamic of coming out and self-acceptance did you identify with the most? Stewart: Look, doing things that are really normal and natural to you physically and then having to sort of curb those instincts around people because you don’t want to make other people uncomfortable so you are willing to make yourself so uncomfortable for other people’s bene t is something that I have done (and) probably still (do).

I tried to go on a houseboat trip recently and it was in northern California, like around Tahoe. It’s a really Trumpian area up there, and I was like, “We gotta get the fuck outta here.” I was holding my girlfriend’s hand, just walking around. I’m not saying every single person… I don’t even know what I’m saying. But I didn’t feel safe. I don’t mean to imply that I know where that would’ve gone, but even just emotionally, it was a violent experience.

In the movie, it’s really nice to be able to laugh at certain feelings that are more heavy because when you repossess and then sort of release a feeling, it feels cool and triumphant and like I’ve won something back. ere were things in the movie – just little moments – where we have to drop each other’s hands or, even though we know we’re lying for just a brief period, the lie hurts and, yeah, I’ve never gone home with someone and had to lie.

I’ve never speci cally had to keep myself in a closet with a person, but all of that, as somebody who’s grown up queer – not to put any limits on my own sexuality – I’ve dealt with that forever. And that’s triggering. But, speci cally, just the general experience of being gay and thinking that maybe people think you’re gross or weird is something that is nice to laugh at in this environment. In the lm, you’re at a gay bar and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are performing. What’s the best time you’ve had at a gay bar? Stewart: Even before I knew I was gay – even before I had a girlfriend! – I was like, “Oh my god, this is the most fun I’ve ever had at a bar ever! Why are you all the best people?!” Davis: Yeah, being a female and experiencing men at bars and being in a space where you can... Stewart: Dance! Davis: … be completely unleashed and not fucking worry about anybody touching you or approaching you or coming up behind you is especially – when I was younger it was just such a safe, incredible feeling. It felt very great. And also not worrying about how you looked because nobody wanted to fuck you. Stewart: Ha! I know! You never want to take up space where you don’t belong, but it’s typically not an alienating group, not to generalize, and it’s such a nice feeling to go into a queer bar and be like, “Doesn’t matter, whatever, no one’s coming for you.” Kristen, after playing queer in Charlie’s Angels and now in Happiest Season, do you plan to continue radicalizing conventional genres with queerness? Basically, will you continue trying to actively make Hollywood gayer? Stewart: Yeah! Yeah, naturally. But, like, it’s funny when you start just applying restrictive rules on who is allowed to have what perspectives. I still want to play straight sometimes, if that’s OK! Ha! But I will say that, primarily, it’s really important for me to really pick and choose those opportunities and not have it be the default-given setting that someone is straight in a movie when maybe it’s not a romantic movie.

If it’s not about the romance, then why am I playing straight? Because it’s normal? Well, that’s a ridiculous idea. Because in Charlie’s I didn’t have any romantic (interest). I had no one in the movie. But I just thought it was important to drop an Easter egg and be like, “No, that doesn’t mean you can have me, boys.” e This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Zoom video interview with Kristen Stewar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LSp9vaQs5s&t=71s

COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM Apples are the eye of these recipes

e

By Paula Dream (AKA Kale Haygood)

HOLIDAY GREETINGS TO everyone. Wow, what a year this has been! And where did the time go? Here we are into the holidays already. Hopefully you have stayed well and Covid will soon be on its way out.

Even though our traditional gatherings may be hampered a bit, maybe a smaller intimate gathering will be in your future. ere’s always the question: “What can I bring to the table?” I’m giving you three recipes that are simple and you probably won’t have to worry that someone else will be bringing the same thing.

Enjoy your holidays the best that you can.

FARM COLE SLAW

4 cups cabbage, shredded 1 large apple, chopped ¾ cup raisins ½ cup celery, chopped ¼ cup purple onion, chopped ¼ cup mayo 2 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon salt In a large bowl combine all ingredients and toss to make sure shredded cabbage is well coated with wet ingredients. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

APPLE WALNUT SLAW

¾ cup mayonnaise ¾ cup buttermilk 4 to 5 tablespoons sugar 4½ teaspoons lemon juice 3/4 teaspoon salt ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper 6 cups cabbage, shredded 1½ cups carrots, shredded 1/3 cup purple onion, finely chopped 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped ¾ cups raisins 2 medium apples, chopped

In a medium size bowl, whisk together rst six ingredients to make dressing. In a larger bowl combine remaining ingredients. Add dressing and mix to coat

2710 Montrose Blvd. Houston, TX 77006

713.526.0202

Order Online www.pepperonis.net

all ingredients. Chill before serving.

APPLE-OATMEAL SHORTBREAD BARS

Cookie base: 1 bag (17 ounces) sugar cookie mix ½ cup butter Filling: 5 cups Granny Smith apples (usually 5 or 6, peeled and chopped) ⅓ cup sugar 3 tablespoons flour Topping: 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup old fashioned oats 3/4 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13”x9” dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix cookie base ingredients, using a fork until well combined. Press into bottom of dish. In a medium size bowl, toss lling ingredients. Spread over base, evenly. In a medium size bowl, mix brown sugar, oats, our and salt. Cut in cold butter, using a fork until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over lling. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.