O&AN | August 2016

OUT AT THE HELM OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OUTANDABOUT NASHVILLE.COM

AUGUST 2016

VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 8

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THERAPY ANIMALS PROVIDE COMFORT IN THE WAKE OF TRAGEDY LOCAL SHOW RAISES FUND FOR ORLANDO PROGRAM STAFF

Paws for Hope is a robust pet therapy program at Orlando Health, which received the patients from the Pulse shooting. The therapy program was a blessing during this time when the hospital was filled with patients, families, and friends related to this tragic event.

Paws for Hope has 57 pet therapy teams that visit with patients at Orlando Health. The pet therapy teams worked non-stop during the first two weeks after the event and continue to visit with the patients that remain in the hospital.

Programs such as this help relieve the unbelievable tension of victims’ families, as well as first responders and other healthcare providers.

Nashville is stepping up to the plate to support these unsung heroes. Adam Wakefield of NBC’s The Voice Season 10 will join forces with fellow artists Macy Martin, Renn, and Skye Claire for a special Sound Image-sponsored performance Sunday, August 7 beginning at 7 p.m. at Nashville’s 12th & Porter.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Paws for Hope & the Alliance of Therapy Dogs in their efforts to comfort the victims in the PULSE nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, as well as those affected by disasters across the country.

Tickets are on sale now at 12thandporter.com and in person at the 12th & Porter box office. Tickets are $20.00 in advance, $25.00 at the door.

For more information on Paws for Hope, visit:orlandohealth.com/volunteerservices/pet-therapy-program.

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MARYLAND FARMS YMCA HIT WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT MEMBER ACCUSED OF MULTIPLE MEN’S LOCKER ROOM ATTACKS JOSEPH BRANT

A man in Williamson County is suing both the Maryland Farms YMCA, as well as a former advisory board member of the Brentwood YMCA. He alleges that the latter individual sexually assaulted him at the Maryland Farms Y on at least three occasions, and that the organization did nothing about it when he complained.

Adam Boswell filed the suit in the Williamson County Circuit Court on July 8 alleging that Jack Dabney approached him a total of four times in either the Jacuzzi pool or the steam room at the Maryland Farms YMCA. During the first encounter, on July 10 2015, Dabney is described in the claim to have “aggressively and forcibly reached into Plaintiff’s clothing and sexually assaulted Plaintiff.”

Just one week later, on July 17 2015, Boswell entered the steam room “where again Defendant Dabney approached him and grabbed his genitals.” At this point, Mr. Boswell reported both incidents to staff at the Y who told him they were aware of the individual and that Boswell’s wasn’t the first complaint they’d received.

Seven months later Dabney is alleged to have approached Boswell in the steam room again. “On or around February 12 2016, Plaintiff entered the steam-room at the YMCA and was again approached by Defendant Dabney,” the statement reads, “who grabbed his leg in an attempt to sexually assault Plaintiff.”

Boswell again reported the incident, this time to the executive director at the Y. In both instances, he was assured the organization would ensure that he and every other patron would be protected in the future.

One week later, Plaintiff Boswell alleges that Defendant Dabney intimidated and harassed him at the location. He subsequently filed a police report. Brentwood police could not comment on the ongoing investigation, but Assistant Chief Tommy Walsh confirmed that a report had been filed and the investigation was active.

It is important to note that the lawsuit filed on July 8 is a civil lawsuit, filed just last week, and that none of the allegations have been proven in court.

Boswell is suing for $1 million and

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requests a jury trial, where he’ll also ask for punitive damages.

Nashville area YMCA centers have come under scrutiny in the past regarding unwanted sexual touching in the men’s rooms. Over ten years after its initial publication, Out & About Nashville’s story “Why I Canceled My YMCA Membership” consistently remains one of the most viewed articles on the O&AN website.

In that article, Cooper Pfeene extensively recounts his experience at the Green Hills branch of the YMCA where he was accosted by an older gentleman.

What follows happened in the space of twenty seconds or so. I took my shower supplies to the counter by the sinks, setting them there so I could dry myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an older man approaching. He was fully dressed and carrying a black comb in his right hand. Though I was by no means in his way, I stepped farther to the right and turned my back to him, thinking I was being polite, which, in a way, I suppose I was. This, like a much milder version of dropping the

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AUGUST 2016

soap in a federal pen shower, was a mistake. While drying my hair and face, he grabbed my left ass cheek and squeezed like he was testing the ripeness of produce.

From there, Pfeene goes on to share a story similar to the one alleged in the Williamson County lawsuit.

YMCA staff said they were aware of the individual in question and his men’s room proclivities, yet did nothing to support the complainant or any other patrons.

Also from the O&AN archive, in 2005 Terry Lee Derrick wrote about his experience at the downtown YMCA and its decision to close the outdoor pool but only on Sundays, because, as he was told, “we have not been able to get these behaviors under control.” Derrick wrote then: I decided to speak with the management about this situation.

Without much prompting, [the manager] was very forthcoming about the inappropriate behaviors in the locker room. He said that those “incidents” (which it seems no one has actually been caught doing or kicked out for) are indeed the reason for closing

the pool on Sundays. I responded that a few people who don’t know how to comport themselves shouldn’t be allowed to run the gym, i.e., to change the rules for all. He agreed but said that these kind of problems (I presume the complaints of sexual impropriety) have become so rampant and overwhelming, especially on Sunday afternoons, that he was at a loss as to what else to do.

Derrick was particularly frustrated because his own access to the pool was being limited by the careless use of the facility by others. He ended his screed by admonishing those in our community who might be contributing to the lewd activity.

NOTE: The lawsuit filed in Williamson County makes no reference to the stated sexuality of either the plaintiff or defendant. The Maryland Farms YMCA is included in the lawsuit, according to the plaintiff, because it was negligent in hiring and training employees, in screening the membership, and in its security measures to ensure patrons are protected from those previously identified as harmful.

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POKÉMON GO CRAZE TAKES COUNTRY BY STORM NASHVILLE LGBT COMMUNITY ENTHUSIASTIC JAMES GRADY

In its twenty years, the Pokémon franchise has diversified from its origins in video games into arenas from merchandise and comics to movies and toys. And of course there are the trading card games. I have a nine-year-old son, and so every time I clean my car, or couch, or do laundry, it seems like I find another Pokémon card.

The fact that my son has Pokémon cards to burn, and Nintendo 3DS cartridges to loan out, has often left me scratching my head. But it’s made The Pokémon Company and its partners very happy. Pokémon’s total worldwide market share? ¥4.8 trillion, or roughly $45 billion.

And if you haven’t been living under a rock, you know that that number has gone WAY up with the release of the “augmented reality” game, Pokémon Go. Using a mobile device and the Pokémon Go app, Pokémon trainers can hunt and

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capture the mythical creatures against the backdrop of the real world.

The game is getting enthusiasts out of their houses to play. Many focus on the exercise benefits (to find off-thebeaten-track Pokémon and to hatch eggs, trainers must WALK—yes the app has capped the speed you can move and still rack up distance). Further, Pokémon Go actually encourages sociability.

It’s an amazing thing to venture out to Centennial Park at night and see small and large groups of friends laughing, talking, walking about, and calling out to others to let them know the location of new Pokémon. Even those not playing often accompany their friends on their adventures.

“I play because it gives me street cred with my students when I go back to school teaching fourth grade,” explained Niki Albertson. “My gf doesn’t play, but she likes to go wander around with me. We love to see others playing;

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AUGUST 2016

Bicentennial Park has felt very European lately, with the late night crowds promenading through the pathways!”

Jennifer Klackle and girlfriend Kristin Hinman say they’ve spent a lot of time enjoying the game with family while on vacation.

“The week it was released,” Klackle said, “we spent hours with my daughter … and Kristin’s son … playing the game down at the river front in Clarksville, driving out to Grand Rivers, KY, and walking around our neighborhood. Kristin and I are on vacation in Massachusetts and after a day of fun in the sun, we spend our evenings hunting Pokémon in the resort villages of Cape Cod. We talk, laugh, and hold hands while playing, and not once have we encountered homophobia here in Massachusetts, but back home in Tennessee we don’t dare for fear of discrimination and hate.”

“I’m heavily into the LGBTQ

scene here in Nashville,” added Audrey Arndt. “The thing about Pokémon Go is that it really doesn’t matter who you are... People are finding common ground and uniting over a silly game that gets us out more as gamers.”

One woman who identifies as a “newly disabled queer player” shared her perspective on the way the game has encouraged her to connect in new ways. “It’s not the most accessible game to people with disabilities (I may never ‘catch them all’), but it’s not impossible for my particular disability, and many things do feel impossible.

Because everyone wants to talk to you who is playing Pokémon,

it also has greatly enhanced the number of people I talk to in a given week. I began to feel like a shut in, but now just going and sitting in the park or at the chicken restaurant is an adventure!”

As an LGBT person she’s also been deeply encouraged and emboldened by encountering the new community of Pokémon trainers. “I only ever grew up with bullying surrounding sexual orientation and gender presentation. To

“I PLAY BECAUSE IT GIVES ME STREET CRED WITH MY STUDENTS WHEN I GO BACK TO SCHOOL TEACHING FOURTH GRADE.” have these kids hear about my partner (who often accompanies me) like it’s no big deal has been this hugely novel experience for me and it’s been pretty positive. And somehow playing Pokémon makes me seem less scared to come out to other people playing, especially if we have done something together like take down a red gym!”

If there’s one complaint, it’s that so few of our LGBT spaces are landmarks

in the game. “I live near Nashville West Shopping Center where there’s 8-12 PokéStops in the area and it’s amazing to pull up at 10:30 at night and see everyone else just out and hanging around trying to ‘catch ‘em all,’” Arndt said. “If anything, I’m kinda disappointed that queer spaces that I like to go to, such as Lipstick Lounge, are not PokéStops or gyms, because it means that I’m spending less time with my community and family of friends and more time out in non-LGBTQ spaces.”

I’ll admit, despite my long-time inability to get the appeal of Pokémon, I was an early adopter of the game, and I definitely see its appeal. I’ve been out to the park, and other landmarks, myself with friends and my boyfriend, I’ve randomly run into people I know from the community and took part in impromptu battles.

I definitely feel like it gives me something in common with people I haven’t connected with before, and that’s beautiful.

If you have any interest in the game, by groups like PokéQueer on Facebook and others are giving people spaces to organize group play or just share their adventures with others. Talk to your friends or explore the internet. And I guarantee, if you show some interest, someone in your social network would love to share! @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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AUGUST 2016

ENSURING LGBT VETERANS’ ACCESS TO CARE

NASHVILLE VA HOSPITAL AT THE FOREFRONT WITH LGBT PROGRAMS JAMES GRADY

According to the web page of the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), “America is home to an estimated one million LGBT service members and Veterans who have served in the US military with honor and distinction.” For many years they served in secret, and if they were honorably discharged with benefits, they would seek their medical care at the VA without bringing special attention to their specifically LGBT needs.

In recent years, however, things have changed at the VA. As Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) was repealed and gradually more and more federal benefits were opened to LGBT people and their families, the VA has done its best to keep up with the changes.

“Changes really started picking up three or four years ago after ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ (DODT) was repealed,” said Deanne Novak, the LGBT awareness coordinator in the local VA system, who also happens to be a transgender veteran.

When the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) introduced its Healthcare Equality Index, the VA hospital at Vanderbilt developed a program to seek that accreditation. “When it first started,” Novak mused, “I think we were one of four VA hospitals, and now I think almost all of the VA hospitals have it.”

As far as programming went, staff training was the primary early priority, and Novak has been involved in that from its inception. “What I do is train the staff to make sure that they understand the cultural diversity and things like that,” she said.

Since LGBT programming coordinates with a number of other departments, another key figure in assuring that the needs of LGBT people are served is Helen Jarboe, the office’s veterans care coordinator (VCC). Jarboe helps LGBT veterans navigate the system. This is especially important now that rules and regulations have changed, allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military.

The VCC can assist those seeking to transition determine what care they can receive from the VA. While the process follows the same course as it would for those receiving civilian care, Jarboe “is

the one that deals with all of the veterans that call in, to help them navigate through the system, getting them to a primary care provider, who will refer them to mental health, where they can work toward a referral to endocrinology, for services like hormone therapy.”

Novak says she is amazed by how far LGBT programs have come at the VA. “We started just by putting out information of interest to LGBT veterans, including copies of O&AN. Then we got mental health involved, and they’ve helped train the primary health providers. Any person who represents as female can be seen at the female clinic now, and of course people use the bathroom of their choice. The policies are there, the Equality Board is there, the support from the director is there, support from all of the clinics is there.

It’s taken baby steps, but it’s a process.”

Getting the word out about programs, like the monthly support groups, is the biggest challenge, but it’s necessary to make sure veterans get the care they need, and to develop the best programs for the community.

“We’re hoping that, by being more public about our offerings,” Novak said of her program, “people will realize that the VA does offer these programs, they do offer hormone replacement therapy, they do offer pre- and post-operative care. This is important information for someone trying to navigate the VA system and trying to figure out just what is available.”

“We want to get this message out in a positive way, to say ‘Hey, yes, the VA does have this, and we do welcome you,’” she added. “That’s what we’re ready for and that’s what all this training has been leading up to. That’s why we have these positions dedicated to this and why the director’s office is as involved as it is. I’m hoping that the more it gets out that the VA has these programs for the LGBT community, the more that come in and the more desire they have for programming, then we’ll look at that!”

For Novak, it’s a personal quest, not just because she’s been involved with the process from the beginning. As a transgender veteran herself, she says,

“Every veteran who walks through those doors needs to know that they deserve to, and will treated fairly… Our group is directed at LGBT equality, but this affects all veterans, because if we can’t represent all veterans equally, then something is wrong…”

For more information about LGBT Programs at the VA in Middle Tennessee, visit TennesseeValley. va.gov, or email Deanne Novak (Deanne.Novak@va.gov) or Helen Jarboe (Helen.Jarboe@va.gov).

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@O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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LGBTQI HEALTH CARE AND CARING PROJECT

HEALTH CARE CAMPAIGN COLLABORATES WITH PFLAG NASHVILLE STAFF

The Tennessee Health Care Campaign (THCC) is a nonprofit consumer health care advocacy group working for health care justice for Tennesseans. Working since 1989 to guarantee affordable health care options for all citizens, the group has collaborated with other advocacy groups and community leaders in the past.

The Affordable Care Act held a great deal of promise as it relates to moving the THCC’s goals forward, but the political climate in Tennessee and obstruction of Governor Haslam’s Insure Tennessee have created a number of obstacles that have yet to be overcome. And for specific groups, like the LGBT community, other laws have posed new threats to providing adequate and affordable care for all citizens. For instance House Bill 1840—the so-called counseling discrimination bill—clearly impacts LGBTQ citizens’ access to health care, but has wider implications for denial of services.

Provisions of the ACA are meant to prohibit just this kind of discrimination.

As Walter Davis, THCC’s executive director, pointed out, the National Women’s Law Center has argued that “[ACA] Section 1557 also protects LGBT individuals through its

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prohibition on discrimination based on gender identity or sex stereotyping…

This means that health programs that are covered by Section 1557 cannot treat people inequitably because they are pregnant, have had an abortion, are unmarried, are transgender, are gay or lesbian, or don’t meet traditional sex stereotypes.”

However, Davis acknowledged, “We have a challenge before us in Tennessee to look at the promises of new standards for health insurance coverage and what the actual treatment of LGBTQI Tennesseans is in reality.”

In order to better understand the needs of the LGBT community, as well as to work to make sure that LGBT citizens have the information they need to make informed choices about healthcare, THCC is partnering with the PFLAG Nashville to collect data, as well as to disseminate information and offer training.

“The collaboration between Nashville PFLAG and the Tennessee Health Care Campaign,” Davis said, “seeks to inform LGBTQI Tennesseans of their health insurance options but also to find out if their rights are being observed.”

THCC, PFLAG and researchers at Vanderbilt are currently working to begin

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circulating a survey that seeks to identify how LGBT people are being treated in the insurance marketplace, with the goal of identifying and examining at least 50 cases where discrimination has been experience in insurance coverage or in medical treatment.

Additionally, volunteers and interns will complete a review of plans offered in markets across the State of Tennessee in advance of this fall’s open enrollment to identify those of best value for LGBT community to insure that at least one plan in each major market is responsive to their special health care needs— including mental health, hormone therapy, surgery, and reproductive assistance—that is also affordable.

From an education perspective, PFLAG and THCC are seeking to develop new methods to more effectively educate and advocate around health insurance consumer issues for the LGBT. This includes working through special events, such as local Pride celebrations, PFLAG meetings and conferences, support groups, and other venues. For instance, so far this year, the two groups have done joint outreach at Pride events in Cookeville, Knoxville and Nashville.

PFLAG Nashville and THCC will also be working together to develop

and pilot presentations that other PFLAG chapters across the state can use to educate members of the LGBTQ community, their families, and allies on how the ACA affects LGBT families and individuals, anti-discrimination issues, how to use health insurance coverage effectively through health insurance literacy training, and how to seek redress for plan inadequacies.

More directly, the two groups will also be conducting direct enrollment outreach to the LGBT community, families and allies, with an emphasis on reaching smaller PFLAG chapters across the state, where LGBTQ communities have fewer allies and cultural assets.

Awareness of under-served communities in upper east Tennessee, Chattanooga, the upper Cumberland and west Tennessee will be at the forefront of the teams’ planning.

The groups will focus on educating those involved in providing assistance to marketplace enrollees. All navigators and certified assistance counselors associated with the two statewide networks will be offered Out2Enroll training before Open Enrollment Four of the Affordable Care Act beginning in November. This training will help professionals better assist LGBT Tennesseans in selecting the best value for their special health care needs.

Finally, the partnership will further advocacy efforts aimed at preventing the revival and passage of bills like last session’s “bathroom bills” or “religious freedom” measures. It is the belief of these advocates that effective education by the transgender community put off the “bathrooms bill,” and that greater public understanding of the issue can prevent its passage when it finally returns in the next session.

LGBT Tennesseans face an uphill battle in the fight to secure adequate and affordable healthcare, but the partnership between THCC and PFLAG Nashville seems poised to organize effective advocacy and to provide new and helpful resources for the fight going forward.

For more information about the THCC, visit their website at thcc2.org.

To participate in their survey, go to is.gd/LGBTQITNHealthSurvey2016.

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QUEERING THE LOCAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

TENNESSEE YOUNG DEMOCRATS LAUNCH LGBTQ CAUCUS JAMES GRADY

It’s 2016, and the political climate in America is one of the scariest or most exciting (depending on who you ask) that we’ve seen in years. Insurgent candidate Donald Trump has taken the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Bernie Sanders, longtime Independent from Vermont, rattled the Democratic Party establishment with his revolutionary campaign, pushing the party back to the left before endorsing Hillary Clinton.

Sanders was particularly effective amongst young voters, demonstrating that this demographic may be ripe for pursuing a much more progressive agenda for the Democratic Party, if the party can convince them that it can be a vehicle for such change. One group within the party—the Young Democrats of America—aims to do just that.

Founded in 1932, the Young Democrats of America is the largest partisan, youth-led political organization in America. Their stated mission is to elect Democrats, advocate for progressive issues, and train the next generation of progressive leaders.

This year, the Tennessee Young Democrats, the youth arm of the Tennessee Democratic Party and the official state affiliate chapter of the Young Democrats of America, has launched its LGBTQ Caucus as part of an organizational expansion launched under the leadership of the Tennessee Young Democrats President London Lamar and Executive Vice President Darrell Bouldin.

The LGBT Caucus joins other “constituency caucuses”—the Black Caucus, the Women’s Caucus, the Rural Caucus, the Veterans Caucus, and the High School and Teen Caucus— which exist to facilitate their members’ participation in advocacy and outreach programs, and which are open to county chapter and at-large members of the Tennessee Young Democrats.

Aimed at serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/ Questioning members of the Tennessee Young Democrats, the caucus’ “mission is to engage more LGBTQ young people in the TNYD, the Democratic Party and

the political process. We advocate for youth mobilization within the LGBTQ Community, and LGBTQ causes within the Democratic Party and the Tennessee Young Democrats.”

In a year when so much of the political turmoil circles issues of importance to the LGBT community, from attempts to strike back against same-sex marriage to “religious freedom” laws that seek to legalize discrimination, the LGBTQ Caucus promises to offer both community and an avenue for activism for young, politically engaged members of that Democratic Party in Tennessee.

The inaugural chair of the LGBTQ Caucus is Darrell Bouldin of Rutherford County, who, in addition to serving as executive vice president of the

Tennessee Young Democrats, sits on the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Advisory Board and is president of the Rutherford County Young Democrats. The vice chair of the caucus is Blake Kitterman, president of Bradley County Young Democrats.

Both Bouldin and Kitterman were also elected to serve as delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District. Their selection means that the a district will be represented by two openly gay men in the male delegate slots for the first time in Tennessee’s history.

While this group is sure to be one of the Tennessee Young Democrats’ most active, one upcoming event they wish to highlight—though still in the planning

Darrell Bouldin & Blake Kitterman with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz

stages as of this writing—is a reception to coincide with Murfreesboro Pride, which will occur on August 27, 2016.

Visit the Tennessee Young Democrats LGBTQ Caucus on Facebook and at tnyoungdemocrats. org/tnyd_lgbtq_caucus, or email lgbtq@tnyoungdemocrats.org, for more information on the group and its upcoming activities.

...the Young Democrats of America is the largest partisan, youth-led political organization in America. Their stated mission is to elect Democrats, advocate for progressive issues, and train the next generation of progressive leaders.

Tennessee Young Democrats

@O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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PRIDE SPREADS TO MURFREESBORO

interest has been shown by businesses and organizations that most of the approximately 70 booth spaces may be filled. “Once we confirm participation with those organizations,” Sanders explained, “we will open up the remaining spaces to other interested vendors and organizations. Those interested should watch for announcements on the Facebook event page.”

TEP ORGANIZES CITY’S FIRST PRIDE FESTIVAL STAFF

The first Murfreesboro Pride will take place on August 27, 2016, on the public square in Murfreesboro. The event is the result of a great deal of work on the part of LGBT advocates, who have long worked to establish a foothold in Rutherford County. Expected to draw over 500 participants, the festival also known as Boro Pride will include information booths, activities, and musical and spoken word performances.

“The Tennessee Equality Project Project (TEP) established a committee in Rutherford County in the late 2000s,” according to Chris Sanders, TEP’s executive director, “but it had not been active on a regular basis until the fall of 2014 when Brendon Holloway took over as chair.”

Since 2014, however, work has been in earnest under Holloway’s leadership. “He has established monthly meetings and outreach to community organizations,” Sanders

said. “That committee was instrumental in organizing the turnout of almost 100 advocates in red at the Rutherford County Commission earlier this year.”

Under pressure from those advocates, an anti-marriage equality resolution was gutted by amendments.

Sanders credits some of the progress to changing demographics.

“Given the significant population growth in Rutherford County, we have found improved participation in our efforts there,” he said.

The TEP has said that they will have a significant partnership with MT Lambda in the event, and that many Nashville-based LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations will also participate, as well as candidates for office.

According to organizers, this has also resulted in an increased interest in having an event like Pride. Enough

Tennessee Equality Project Rutherford County Committee Chair Brendon Holloway notes, “The community has expressed so much enthusiasm and so many volunteers have come forward that I know we will have a fun event for LGBTQ people and allies. It’s a huge opportunity to show our strength in Rutherford County.”

For more information on Boro Pride, be sure to check out their event page at goo.gl/y7LBZh.

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OVER

the RAINBOW

WHERE ADVOCATES DARE TO TREAD “The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch.”

JULIE CHASE

Days after Orlando, I was headed south.

Tipped off by a Facebook posting, I was traveling to a not-so-secret gathering of like-minded folk. This group would be attempting to organize a local resistance chapter to traditional Southern culture, and socially liberal Yankees like me always fantasize about taking part in something like this. We really shouldn’t, but we do.

It’s in our blood. Solving blatant inequality north of the Mason-Dixon Line just isn’t as appealing.

I married into the culture and have always secretly liked parts of it, but the antebellum homes and large well-tended lawns of the traditional south have always been alien territory for this trans girl. The folks are nice enough, but without my southern-raised soulmate riding shotgun, I get a little nervous. On this mission, I was traveling very much alone.

Williamson County has long been considered an impregnable fortress for the LGBTQ nation. A firebreak from recently liberated Davidson County politics, she is populated by more than a few church-going ultra conservative types seeking newer homes, bigger lawns, better schools and less folks like me.

Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), felt his organization’s presence there was long overdue. Armed with evidence of an expanding e-mail list from around the county in support of his organization, he called a local meeting to explain why.

Conventional wisdom has always been that it would truly take a miracle for Team Pride to penetrate this traditionalist bastion.

Deep in the heart of Tea Party Central however, a well-dressed team of what passes for radicals down there sipped beverages on a warm June evening to hear Sanders’ plan.

TEP’S most important organizational units are its county and local counterparts, Sanders said. Only local residents can really monitor and respond to anti-LGBTQ bias in their backyards. By monitoring local governments, school boards and media sources, local TEP members operate as a first line of defense against potential trouble.

They also help to educate their neighbors about LGBTQ issues and give support to

local entities who treat all people fairly.

He told the room that the 2006 anti-samesex marriage vote result showed a noticeably higher proportion of Williamson County voters rejecting legalized discrimination of LGBTQ people compared to its surrounding counties. While not entirely surprising due to an expanding population base, this fact is in marked contrast to a commonly held perception of the county as a hotbed of antiLGBTQ sentiment.

However, harmful state legislation and anti-LGBTQ agendas often come from Williamson County legislators, Sanders explained, and while these viewpoints probably do not represent the majority of Williamson County residents (including the majority of politically conservative ones), it does not look that way to the local and national media.

The problem, according to Sanders, is that local people are not calling out the politicians and social demagogues who embrace and encourage anti-LGBTQ viewpoints and other extremist positions.

They use local political success as a springboard for state and federal ambitions while garnering out-of-proportion media coverage due to their sensational and often reprehensible ideas.

Sanders feels that some of this coverage comes from the failure of major media outlets to seek other viewpoints in an overwhelmingly politically conservative region. It also happens because anti-LGBTQ organizations do a far better job of influencing local media outlets, governments and school boards than we do. This makes their position loud, drowning out the other point of view.

Sanders believes that the solution is for local LGBTQ people, allies and friends to openly speak out about LGBTQ issues, to show public support for them and to respond publicly to those who oppose full equality.

Sanders thinks that there is incredible potential for support of the LGBTQ community and its ideals in untapped rural areas—Williamson County being a prime candidate. TEP has the resources and ability to help local advocates respond to antiLGBTQ agendas in their own communities, but the volunteers and motivation must come from those areas.

Only locals can truly invite other locals

Illustration by: Melissa Gay - melissagay.com

William Shakespeare’s Richard III, Quote (Act I, Scene III).

to take a stand for basic freedoms. Local governments, school boards and houses of worship respond much better to advocacy from people they see on a regular basis than from outside organizations. And local communities of LGBTQ people, allies and friends can do one thing that outside groups really cannot: keep an eye out for each other and help create safe spaces for all people to thrive.

The core message for this newly-minted team of Williamson radicals was clear: The fight is always primarily a local one and the final result will depend upon all of you. Are you ready to fight for full equality? Because change does not come unless you are willing accept that you may have to fight for it.

The battle for the conscience of Williamson County has now officially

begun in earnest, and the side that wins this potentially sharp fight will hold a strong advantage in influencing the rest of the state.

As I drove back home on the Franklin Pike, I wondered what my late Green Beret dad would have thought of all this. Dad was packed off to a southern military school at a young age after one too many run-ins with the NYPD. He would not have been surprised at what I was supporting, but he probably would say that we were all about to get married to a good deal of trouble.

And then he would smile.

Julie Chase is the pen name for a local 40-something trans woman. A graduate of The University of the South at Sewanee, she loves butterflies, strong women and the Austrian School of Economics. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

17

JAMES GRADY

Coaches are leaders and, for many, heroes, from the little leagues where they shape and guide our youth to the Olympics and the pros, where they lead some of our society’s most influential role models.

In our current athletic landscape, openly LGBT coaches are rare, which makes Vanderbilt’s selection of Stephanie White as its new head coach of women’s basketball all the more remarkable. Last year, White, head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, came out as a lesbian in protest of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

In the coming months, White’s new role will no doubt make her a household name in Nashville. And there is no doubt that, as she leads Vanderbilt to victory, she will also become a role model, particularly for for LGBT youth in Tennessee and LGBT athletes across the country.

THE EARLY YEARS White’s youth was dominated by sports. Growing up in the rural Midwest in the 1980s, options for girls in athletics were extremely limited. This didn’t stop White—she just went toe-to-toe with the boys.

“When I first started playing

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organized basketball in the fourth grade, I played on the YMCA boys’ team in Danville, Illinois,” White said. And it wasn’t just basketball. “I was on the boys’ soccer team because, again, they didn’t have girls’ teams, and baseball.

My dad coached a little league baseball team. So growing up I always had to play with the guys, because there just weren’t opportunities at that young age to play girls’ sports.”

While it wasn’t unheard of, it wasn’t common either. “Usually I was one of a few girls,” she said, “but there weren’t any issues. Every once in a while you’d get boys heckling you, but once they realized you could play, they stopped. And that happened in nearly every sport, especially baseball more than anywhere else.”

Proving herself with the boys cemented some lifelong friendships, she explained: “What’s fun is … a lot of these guys I grew up playing soccer with, I still keep in contact with… Same thing with my Y basketball teammates.”

THE SCHOLARSHIP DREAM At a young age, White started to think about playing college ball. “I told my parents that I wanted to get a college scholarship,” she said, “and, of course, I

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AUGUST 2016

think that they wanted to support my goal.

But coming from a small town in that day and age it didn’t seem as realistic. But my parents did everything they could to put me in a position to get that scholarship: they took me to camps, they let me play AAU [Amateur Athletic Union Girls Basketball], and were out and involved in trying to get me to places where I might get seen.”

In middle and high school, White joined the girls’ teams. Around this time, her dream of a college scholarship started to seem attainable. In middle school, she explained, “I got my first college letter, ironically from Louisiana Tech’s Nell Fortner, who became one of my college coaches [at Purdue], and I got a letter from Colorado.”

Her high school career cemented that collegiate dream. “In Indiana at that time we didn’t have a classed basketball system, we were all once class, and I think we lost maybe nine games my entire high school career. We never won a championship, but at the same time it was a pretty successful high school career!”

COLLEGE BALL Ultimately, White’s decision came down to Purdue versus Vanderbilt,

ironically, and Purdue won out. She joined a team just coming off a Final 4 appearance, and White’s freshman year the team was, on paper, one of the most talented in the country. But the team underperformed that year, and Purdue sacked coach Lin Dunn.

White’s sophomore year thus began with a team in disarray: three scholarship players returned—plus two freshman recruits—and the team was rounded out by walk-ons. However, under the leadership of Nell Fortner, the Purdue women won the Big Ten title that year [1996-97].

“Then Nell Fortner left to become the Olympic coach,” White explained, “and Carolyn Peck, who was an assistant, took over for my last two years. So I played for three coaches in four years. We were fairly successful … won multiple Big Ten championships, and won a National championship my senior year.”

White’s summary of her college career, particularly her senior year, is overly humble. That season, her team went 28-1 during regular season play, and the team won the 1999 NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament—a first for Purdue women’s basketball. White was named National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year, among many other honors.

THE PROS: FROM TEAM PLAYER TO COACHING STAFF Playing professional ball wasn’t a dream of White’s growing up, as college ball had been. “When I started college, there was no professional women’s basketball league,” White recalled. “We had to go overseas to play.”

Halfway through her college career that changed with the formation of the WNBA. “That inaugural season was when it first became a reality,” she said, “and I thought, ‘Hey, I might be able to play after college!’ Before then, it really wasn’t a thought…”

White seized the opportunity when drafted by the Charlotte Sting, where she played one season before the Indiana Fever was added to the WNBA as an expansion team. “I came back and played four seasons in Indiana for the Fever.

Being able to continue to play in my home state was awesome.”

Injuries cut White’s career short. “I started coaching college, then came back into the pros … to be a part of first WNBA championship team in Indiana [as assistant coach] in 2012. So the journey from being on the inaugural season with the Fever to the team’s very first championship as assistant coach to then being head coach of the franchise I started for is really pretty cool!”

PERSONAL STRUGGLES Throughout her early life, White’s personal life often took a back seat. “It was my family and it was basketball, and relationships were just something that hung out on the side,” she said. “My exhusband and I started dating at fourteen, but it was really still ... that was kind of on the back burner.”

White basically described a situation where she coasted along, guided by societal expectations. “You grow up in a small town, and you say, ‘Okay, well, I’m going to meet somebody, I’m gonna get married, and I’m gonna have children, and that’s just how it’s going to happen.’ We kind of did it because it was the next thing we were supposed to do.”

So while White excelled in her sport, her personal life was marked by relationship and internal struggles. “As we struggled with being young and immature, and dealing with finances and everything you have to deal with in a normal couple anyway, then I started struggling with my identity as well,” she said. “I just wasn’t in a very good place.”

“It took—even after my divorce—a number of years for me to work through that,” she added, “and to get myself out of being depressed, to get myself out of

worrying about disappointing people, to really find who I am on a personal level and how I can find happiness and fulfillment outside of the sport of basketball.”

COMING OUT … THE FIRST TIME Key to living more authentically, it turned out, was meeting Michelle Fletcher, her future wife, while in Boston for the Final 4. “I went to the Final 4 in Boston with my friends,” Fletcher recalled.

“Somehow we ended up at the same bar, and we ended up meeting and talking for a long time. We exchanged numbers, but at that time I wasn’t even sure what her sexuality was.”

“I just knew that I was immediately drawn to her when I met her in Boston,” Fletcher readily admitted. In fact, she added, “I mean I knew right away that I wanted to marry her, as soon as I saw her: you know how you kinda meet someone and say, ‘Hey, I could see myself marrying that person...’? It was exactly like that for me.” She added, with a laugh, “It took her a little bit longer!”

Not too much longer, though. Over the following year, while White was coaching in Toledo and Fletcher was working in Florida at Disney World, the two developed a relationship and got to know each other, largely by phone.

“I hadn’t known her long,” White said, “but I knew that this relationship was different, and so I wanted to talk to my family about it, and my parents were awesome… My family had seen me go through some struggles, and they certainly knew that it was difficult for me to find myself in the public eye.”

No doubt, after her coming out, their successful daughter’s personal trials made more sense. “I had struggled with myself, with my confidence, with letting people down and disappointing people. And I think at that time I really had to realize that my identity isn’t wrapped up in my sport, it’s not wrapped up in whether I’m gay or straight or my sexual orientation. My identity is wrapped up in my heart,” White said, “and I had to come to grips with that.

And I don’t think I was able to do that until I met Michelle…”

When White was hired by the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, the couple made a big leap. Fletcher told White, “Hey, I’m a Midwest girl, I need to get back to the Midwest anyways. Why don’t I just move to Chicago, and we can start our life there?”

They lived in Chicago for about three-and-a-half years, and along the way, a friendly bet culminated in a Disney Land elopement! As the “loser” of friendly wager on a football game, White @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

19

had to take Fletcher on a vacation to her destination of choice: Disney Land.

“It just so happened it was right when California decided to allow samesex marriage, before Prop 8,” Fletcher explained. “So she said to me before the trip—and I don’t know if she was joking or not—”We should just get married out there.’ I was like, ‘You want to get married?’”

“At that point in time, we just decided that it was just going to be us. We told our families later that we’d done it,” Fletcher said, and she admitted that, “they were a little mad that they weren’t at the wedding.

I keep telling her we should renew our vows, but that’s not going to happen this year, so I guess we’ll have to wait for the twenty year!”

When their three-and-a-half years in Chicago drew to an end with the opportunity to return to Indiana, White had some concerns. “One of the things that concerned me,” White said, “was, ‘Am I ready emotionally—am I ready to be Stephanie White in Indiana again— with my wife?’ We knew at the time that we were going to start having children.

And I was. I felt very comfortable, I felt very content. We had come a long way in the world by that time… Everybody

welcomed us with open arms. But I still hadn’t publicly come out.”

COMING OUT PUBLICLY In fact, even after having had three children together, the couple still hadn’t come out publicly when the controversy over Indiana’s RFRA began to unfold in 2015. “It’s not like we were hiding who our family was,” Fletcher explained. “We just weren’t putting it out there, and we were trying to protect our children too.”

“We had just had our twins, and we have an older son Landon,” White said, “and I just felt like it was the right time for me to use my voice and to talk about the reality of how the legislation would impact real families. Ultimately, I didn’t want our children to feel any different, that our family’s any different than any other family… We want to be treated the same way that every family is treated. And I don’t want to have to explain to them one day why we aren’t. So it was the right time and the right moment…”

“So, she actually came to me,” Fletcher recalled, “and said, ‘Hey, this RFRA thing is horrible. I’ve been contacted by this guy named Bob Kravitz, who is a writer. He wants me to talk about our family and how RFRA affects us.’”

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Fletcher, a self-described extrovert, said she was open to whatever, as long as the children were protected, but she was concerned for White, whom she described as a very private person. “She said, ‘I feel like I’m someone who could have a voice and I want to do it’,” Fletcher recalled.

“And I said, ‘Okay, well I support you, if you are comfortable with everything that’s going to bring.’”

For White, it was simple. “I felt like for as many people as think they know me, if they don’t know about my personal situation, maybe lending a face and a voice to the issue would help them not be on the fence. ‘Oh, well I know her. I didn’t know that.’ Or, ‘Oh, I guess I didn’t think about how it might affect her children growing up.’”

Fletcher is most proud of the message White sent their own children. “A big part of her … didn’t want our children to look back and say, ‘Hey, why weren’t you involved in this?’ It was almost like she was thinking, ‘I want our children to be proud that their mother was involved in something like that,’ which brings tears to my eyes because it’s a really big thing…”

White’s move had some of the impact she hoped. “I have had people who have written me or messaged me and just talk about how incredibly proud they are of me and my family,” she said.

She has also gotten “letters from young people—especially young people who grew up the same way I did, in small towns, but who may not have had the same family support—talking about the fact that ‘When my parents found out about you, they accepted me, and it helped me so much to be able to have this conversation with my family or with my friends or with other people.’”

For White, this is the most important opportunity her position has brought her.

“It brings tears to my eyes a lot of times to read the struggles that some of these young people go through … I’m so grateful that they have people that they can look up to and say, ‘Well, they made it through, it’s going to be better. I can have all the things that I want to have, I can have a family, children, a career—a life—and I can be who I am, and I don’t have to second guess that.’ And I think that’s so powerful, and I’m so lucky, and humbled, that I’ve been able to have a small impact in someone’s life that way.”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Before coming out, White and Fletcher engaged the LGBT community in a more limited way. “We have been involved a lot—my team, my organization,

and myself—in the Pride activities and Pride Week that go on here,” White said.

“The team has been actively involved in a lot of things.”

But since RFRA, they have expanded their involvement significantly. “Michelle is actively involved in Indiana Youth Group, an organization here that helps young people—teenagers and young adults—who really don’t have any other outlets…. I went to an event last summer that was really the first time I had any involvement with Indiana Youth Group, and I told Michelle, after going to that event and hearing the stories of the survival … I just said, ‘We have to get more involved!’”

White said her wife has “really hit the ground running, and I get involved and help her and help the organization in any way that I can, whether it be events or speaking or lending a hand in any way, but she’s really spearheaded that effort…

I was really, really proud of Michelle, because she helped the group put on its very first gala this year to raise money, to raise awareness...”

For Fletcher, who has a strong background in event planning from her work at Hyatt and Disney, that work gave her an outlet for her own gifts. “Basically the reason for our gala was to shine a light on suicide prevention, so I helped with a lot of the sponsorships and a lot of the planning, and I really got my feet wet again in event planning, sponsorship and marketing,” she said. “And it was for an incredible cause. Through that experience I kinda found my passion again.”

NASHVILLE BOUND Now that White is headed to Vanderbilt, they plan to bring that same energy here. “We decided,” Fletcher said, “from a community standpoint, we wanted to be involved in anything that involved children’s organizations, LGBTQI, of course, and health and fitness.”

Specifically, Fletcher mentioned her hopes that they would be able to support programs at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, OASIS Center, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Girl Scouts, the YMCW/ YWCA (all pending compliance approval

by Vanderbilt).

Such engagement isn’t just part of their family’s personal commitment to the community. It’s also part of White’s vision for building her team. “We want our team to be able to reengage with the community, be very service oriented,” she said. “One of the amazing experiences I had as a player at Purdue was that our fans were family…

We were actively engaged in one another’s lives, and I want that for our team and I

want that for our community.”

“I think that our players can find great resources and mentors with strong community leaders,” White said, acknowledging that it’s not just the community that benefits from such engagement. “We’re going to grow our fan base by being engaged. We’re going to give back to our community by being out and about … and we’re going to grow in every way possible. We want to be championship people, championship athletes, championship students—we

she said. “I just want to continue to build upon what [Coaches Foster and Balcomb] have done and take this program to a championship level.”

Having connected with her team, White is clearly pumped. “We have a great group, and I’m really excited to get to work with them,” she said. “Every time I’m talking to them, I can tell they just get it. And now we want to give them the resources to go out and be able to make a difference in other people’s lives, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re so excited!”

“Ultimately, I didn’t want our children to feel any different, that our family’s any different than any other family…We want to be treated the same way that every family is treated. And I don’t want to have to explain to our children one day why we aren’t....” don’t want one or the other… I know that’s a process, but we want to start by hitting the ground running and the most important thing for us is to establish relationships.”

White looks forward to this chapter in her career with great anticipation.

“Vanderbilt brings the mentality of being a champion on every level—academically achieving greatness, athletically the opportunity to achieve greatness— because high achievers come to Vanderbilt University, and that’s what I want to be surrounded by, high achievers. We want to take the program to another level,”

On a personal level, too, White and Fletcher look forward to the opportunities the move brings their family. “We are super excited about our family being able to be actively involved with the whole athletic program and just being able to put down roots.”

For more information about Coach White and Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball, visit vucommodores.com.

And, of course, head down to Vanderbilt for the first official game of the season on November 11, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

21

MAPPING THE HIV EPIDEMIC IN NASHVILLE LOCAL DATA ADDED TO AIDSVu MAPPING + - + - + - + - + - + JAMES GRADY

AIDSVu is an online project that provides interactive, online maps illustrating the impact of HIV across the United States.

Using the latest publicly available data at the city, state, and county levels, the new maps visualize disparities in HIV infections and mortality, both geographically and among different demographics. The project, undertaken by researchers at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in partnership with Gilead Sciences, is now in its sixth year.

“The maps are really designed to let people understand more about HIV where they live that’s intuitive to people,” explained Patrick Sullivan, an epidemiologist at the Rollins School of Public Health and principal researcher for AIDSVu. “Our health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do a great job of collecting really high quality data but usually they’re put out in cables of data. We felt like the ability to see data in maps would let people zoom in on the areas of interest to them and make it a little more understandable.”

According to Sullivan, the expansions in capacity, not only in geographical coverage but also in terms of data mapped, will offer more insight into changing shape of the epidemic. “This year we are offering more data about new diagnoses at the city level, and we are offering additional information about mortality related to HIV. Those are key indicators for an overall understanding of the epidemic.”

“Our earlier maps were prevalence of HIV cases or people living with HIV,” he explained, “and compared to that new diagnosis let us see a little more about what’s happening currently with the epidemic.

Deaths among people living with HIV are a good, high-level indicator of how well we are doing with helping people who are living with HIV learn of their status and get into care and get the maximal benefits from care.”

As of this year’s update, AIDSVu now maps county-level data for forty-eight states, and ZIP code-level maps showing HIV prevalence for six new cities have been added, for a total of 40 U.S. cities that represent more than 60 percent of the U.S. HIV epidemic. Among the six new cities is Nashville/Davidson County.

The reality illustrated so clearly by the maps is stark. “It’s clear that, when you look at the maps,” Sullivan said, “even on first

22

glance… The Southern U.S. has about 37% of the country’s population, but half of all new diagnoses and nearly half of all deaths in people living with HIV. That just speaks to the disproportionate impact in the South.”

Overall, there are other disturbing trends in the data. From 2008-2014, “Overall in the US new diagnoses decreased by about 11%, but during that same period of time new diagnoses among 13-24-yearolds increased by 11%... When you apply that to young men who have sex with men (MSM) particularly, that increase was 27% in that same period. So it just lets us see over time what are the populations for whom diagnoses are still increasing.

Despite the national progress there are still some populations that are not sharing in that benefit, and that’s young folks and particularly young MSM.” The AIDSVu maps provide more than illustrations however. They can be important tools for shaping policy, especially at the state and local levels, particularly in places like Nashville where the ZIP code level maps are available. “I like to think of HIV surveillance data in general, and what we provide at AIDSVu in particular, as a roadmap to how to get the most out of our prevention programs,” Sullivan explained.

“The maps allow us to see, within a city, down to a smaller, finer geographic level, which areas might be in most need of services.”

Two examples provide some insight into the exciting possibilities now available to Nashville. A program in Philadelphia doing door-to-door HIV testing used maps from AIDSVu to prioritize locations where it would offer HIV testing.

“The idea here,” Sullivan said, “is that ... because most sexual partnerships happen between people who are relatively close geographically, so areas of high HIV prevalence are also areas where we would want to have a high offering of HIV tests to folks who don’t know their HIV status.

And so there the maps were used to target essentially a testing intervention.”

Another interesting case comes from Alabama. “A community-based organization that focused on providing medical services to people living with HIV used the maps to identify basically gaps in medical provider services,” Sullivan said.

“So they looked to see where the very heavily impacted counties were, and then they matched that up with a map of where there were healthcare provider shortages.

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AUGUST 2016

They identified some critical areas where we know there are a lot of folks living with HIV and there’s a low capacity for provision of medical services. They targeted those areas to put in telemedicine centers that would link folks living in that area to infectious disease experts in other parts of the state … using data from the AIDSVu maps of Alabama.”

According to Doug Alexander of Nashville CARES, the organization is still exploring the new potential offered by AIDSVu mapping in the local fight against HIV. The AIDSVu project provides guidance in a number of ways: “One is the section of the website called ‘How Do You AIDSVu?’, which is a place where people can upload information on how they’ve used data, and so that might be a good example for another, comparable organization,” Sullivan said.

“But we also … try to help connect folks with others who have similar programmatic needs, we can produce custom maps that might be for educational materials, or we can suggest map uses that might be most useful based on a programmatic goal. So we definitely are open to being in discussion with people about how they’d like to use

the data and making suggestions or making connections.”

Thirty-five years into the epidemic, Sullivan realizes there is no magic bullet, but he does see that his project has the potential to make a tangible impact in the fight. ““The maps on AIDSVu allow for the most in-depth look at the HIV epidemic in the U.S. and enable people working in HIV research, prevention, and care to turn big data into action on the ground. Seeing where changes in the epidemic are happening helps people at the federal, state, and local levels to most effectively deploy resources to stop the spread of HIV.” For more information about the project, or to view the maps, visit aidsvu. org.

Patrick Sullivan

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COVER TO COVER

k.d. lang IS STILL AN ICON JESSICA GIBSON

k.d. lang has certainly had her share of artistic moments, from her rockabilly days in the 1980’s to the exquisite Ingénue album of 1992, with its smash hit “Constant Craving,” and, of course, the moment she performed “Hallelujah” at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Her voice is at once soothing and soulful, attention-grabbing without being overly showy.

However, mention k.d. lang and the conversation will rather quickly circle to “The Cover.” It’s not often that the pinnacle of a career can be encapsulated in one photograph, but the cover of Vanity Fair’s August 1993 issue detonated like a neutron bomb.

Having already come out publicly as a lesbian on the cover of The Advocate’s June 1992 issue, Lang was one of the first to openly celebrate her sexuality—at a time when doing so was almost unthinkable.

“I knew it was an important issue at the time because AIDS had really impacted the gay lifestyle and gay culture. QueerNation was outing people... it was a very tumultuous time,” she mused. “I didn’t have any idea what the reaction was going to be. I thought, ‘I may lose everything.’ I thought my career could be demolished. But I really felt like it was the most responsible thing to do—to own it, to be it, and to just say it, take the pressure off other people that might be going through it. Thankfully for me and for society it turned out to be a positive experience.”

The pride in her voice seeps through, even now. The eventual outcome, not just for her but for so many like her, an outsize reward for the trailblazer who risked it all.

Still, it was the Vanity Fair cover that got the attention. Dressed in a dark, pinstriped suit with matching vest, she reclines in a barber’s chair with her face lathered in shaving cream, as Cindy Crawford—herself at the height of supermodel fame—drags a straight razor across her face.

It was instantly iconic.

Of “The Cover” Lang said, “I think we, as queers, know that taking

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a provocative picture for the front of Vanity Fair is pushing the envelope. But at the same time [photographer] Herb Ritts was a good friend of mine, and I had met Cindy Crawford a bunch of different times socially, so it was just another day at work. I don’t think Cindy was prepared [for the reaction to the cover]; I don’t think I was prepared. And I don’t think I had the objectivity that I do now. And certainly knowing how impactful the cover was now, I have a great deal of pride that we were able to make a social statement in an artistic way.”

During our interview, she spoke sparingly, listened and laughed a lot.

When asked about being quoted as having said her sexuality isn’t “her cause,” though, she jumps in quickly.

“Let me clarify [what I mean] when I say my sexuality isn’t ‘my cause’. It’s not the entirety of who I am or who I see myself as. I’m a Buddhist, lesbian, vegetarian, Canadian—all sorts of categories I could put myself in. I never wanted to be a singular spokesperson for the LGBTQ community, because the culture and community is extremely diverse and I could never speak for all of the community! That’s why I never wanted to be a spokesperson. I tried to be as open as possible, without forcing my own identity into the LGBT community.”

Lang has an upcoming appearance at the Ryman on August 6, 2016, with the trio she’s formed with Neko Case and Laura Veirs, calling the project case/ lang/veirs. Asked about the genesis of the group she said, “I had just moved to

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Portland [Oregon] from Los Angeles and met Neko and Laura around the same time and…

Just one night—a real instinctual gut reaction—I thought, ‘That would be an interesting trio.’

We have enough differences, enough similarities, I trust them as people, I’m a fan of their work, and I just felt like that would be an interesting combination. So I wrote them emails, and I heard back from both of them in about a half an hour, and they said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it!’”

Lang certainly doesn’t have anything to prove with this venture, as her career has netted her a total of eleven Grammy nominations to date, with four wins. Still, the reviews have been glowing for the trio and the album that was released on June 17th.

As well, Lang is no stranger to Music City, having been drawn to the music of Patsy Cline while in college.

She even formed a group called the Reclines in honor of Cline. As she was

recording her second album in Nashville, she sang “Crying” with Roy Orbison and garnered her first appearance on the country charts in 1987. In 2010, she recorded her album Sing It Loud in Nashville with Nonesuch records.

It’s been a remarkable career for this trailblazer from Canada. It can be easy to forget how brave souls staked their careers to speak their truth, to forget just how much vitriol and hatred they received for their honesty. But it’s damn hard to forget that cover. case/lang/veirs will perform music from their debut album at the Ryman Auditorium on August 6, 2016.

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NASHVILLE PRIDE PRE-PARTY ‘ROCKED’ NEW VENUE COMMITTEE RECOGNIZED COMMUNITY SERVICE STAFF

Photos: James Grady

Each year, Nashville Pride kicks off the festivities with a pre-party, where it honors community service and leadership. This year’s party, held on June 23 at the Hard Rock Café, was one for the books.

Country Music Television’s Cody Alan hosted the event and presented a series of five awards— the Ally Award, The Mark Middleton/Bianca Page Pride Volunteer Award, The Mark Manasco Community Service Award, The Nashville Pride Rising Star Award, and the Philanthropic Business Award—to a individuals and groups who have made positive impacts on the LGBT community in Middle Tennessee over the past year.

This year’s recipients include: • THE ALLY AWARD - State Senator Jeff Yarbro and State Representative John Ray Clemons, for their consistent and unwavering support of the LGBT community in the state legislature • THE MARK MIDDLETON/BIANCA PAGE PRIDE VOLUNTEER AWARD - Lisa Howe, director of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and The Oasis Center for their work with homeless LGBT youth in Nashville • THE MARK MANASCO COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD - Marisa Richmond, executive director of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition and Justin Sweatman-Weaver, co-chair of GLSEN Tennessee.

• THE NASHVILLE PRIDE RISING STAR AWARD - Brandon Anderson • THE PHILANTHROPIC BUSINESS AWARD - Ed Smith and Paul Johnson of Bacon & Caviar Gourmet Catering

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NASHVILLE PUT ITS PRIDE ON DISPLAY IN 2016 STAFF

Photos: Jennifer Sheridan and James Grady

Not quite two weeks after the Orlando attack rocked LGBT communities worldwide, Nashville came together to put on its own Pride celebration. Amidst tightened security and with heightened anxiety, the city pulled together and showed why it’s one of the greatest cities in the country.

Over three thousand people showed up bright and early Saturday morning for the now-annual Nashville Pride Equality Walk, kicking off a day that would demonstrate the strength and resilience of the LGBT community, as well as the extraordinary level of support it now enjoys from allies from all walks of life.

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Photos: Jennifer Sheridan and James Grady

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AUGUST 2016

Photos: Jennifer Sheridan and James Grady

SNARKOLOGY: BRO’ING OUT AT PRIDE DISCLAIMER: Amy Sulam is a comic, and not everyone thinks she’s as funny as she does. We condone nothing she says, particularly not if you decide to take the following seriously. It should not be taken as such.

AMY SULAM | @Amysulam

So, I brought a bro to Nashville Pride. When I tell you I brought a former Knoxville frat boy to Pride, what’s your initial thought?

Most likely, “Was he lost?” or “This must be vagina motivated.” I think you’d actually be surprised how many keg stand champions are down for our cause.

Adam had never been to Pride before or anything else LGBT related, to be honest, before he met me. He has always supported our cause but never participated in community events. Adam knew a little bit about the LGBT community, he attended Easter services this year with Sully and I at Covenant of the Cross and met Pastor Greg. It was definitely an eye opening experience for him to be at an LGBT church.

Adam has been learning a lot about advocacy and being an ally over the past several months. Considering that Sully and I are his tour guides, it’s been more of a baptism by fire.

Adam got super bro’ed out for Pride—he got a rainbow tank top, cape and sunglasses.

He also picked up a penis water gun at the Lion’s Den booth, but that was less about advocacy and more about having a penis water gun to shoot his friends with because … frat boy.

Side note: Adam is definitely twink material and got hit on a lot. I needed a needle to pop his overinflated ego after the Pride festival. Thanks a lot, skanks!

Anyway, Adam’s tour de Pride started at the Out & About booth, where he met Allison—a transgender woman—as well as her wife and their daughter. This was Adam’s first real opportunity to hear firsthand what it’s like to be an LGBT family. It was an eye opening experience to be sure.

Next Adam got to meet our editor, James (clock the first time he got hit on LOL), but then came my favorite part! Adam got to meet a cub at the booth! Watching his face as we explained bears, cubs, and what a leather night was is probably one of my favorite things I’ve EVER seen. Adam also got to meet some of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and learn about their work in the community.

Next we took Adam to the Vanderbilt Equality Tent, where he got a lesson in gender identity and the importance of using correct pronouns. He said, “I guess I never realized how important it was before. How people want to be addressed should be respected, that’s easy…”

Next we took Adam to his first drag performance—Raja on the mainstage.

Now it’s no secret my daughters are HUGE Drag Race fans. My youngest is a hardcore Raja fan. Adam got a complete rundown of the “who’s who” amongst Drag Race alumni and why “Raja is literally everything, besides Bianca de Rio, who is also literally everything” from my nine-year-old. Adam got the distinct honor of propping LeNugget up on his shoulders for the entire show. It’s not easy being short in a world of queens in heels.

It wasn’t all light hearted fun. In the shadow of the Orlando shooting, Adam got to see firsthand the toll bigotry and hate take on us as a national community. He also got to see the “never back down” attitude and strength and this community.

“It was really an eye opening experience.

I had no idea there was this amount of bigotry,” Adam said, seeing why it’s so important for our straight allies to show up and show solidarity. Adam began to understand why some of us are terrified to hold our partners’ hands in public and just be who we are.

We live under a real threat of violence. “It pisses me off that anyone would be afraid to hold hands [with their significant other],” he observed. “It’s not right.”

Adam knew a little bit about what we go through just from knowing my daughters. My oldest daughter had posted a picture of myself and my then-girlfriend on her Instagram, and very plainly said “My mom and her girlfriend.”

While most of the kids in her grade were supportive, the silent backlash was evident.

Some kids were no longer to allowed to hang out at her house, a few had nasty things to say, and some parents even kept their children from attending her Bat Mitzvah. (As a Jewish parent, I’m deeply embarrassed by the actions of some of the parents in our community surrounding that event: we are so much better

than that.) The struggle of being “out” and being a parent is tough, as he has seen.

Adam saw the beauty and fun of our community. “I had a great time,” he said afterwards. “It was a lot of fun and I definitely want to come back next year.”

Adam has also started taking a more active role as an ally and understands now why showing up to community events is so important.

Presence shows solidarity best.

Who knew all we had to do get the frat bros on team ally was tell them they’re

pretty and give them penis shaped water guns? Now, I challenge each of you: fetch us one new straight ally. But remember—tell them they’re pretty.

“It pisses me off that anyone would be Afraid to hold hands [with their significant other] ... It’s not right.”

@O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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EDUCATING ABOUT AND LOBBYING FOR MALE SEX WORKERS

ACADEMICS LAUNCH NEW MULTIMEDIA BLOG SUPPORTING DECRIMINALIZATION JAY GORDON

The world’s oldest profession?

Probably not, but it’s probably pretty high on the list and it makes for a good quote. Sex work is, however, one of the most misunderstood and maligned of all the professions, and male sex work is certainly an object of particular scorn even within the industry.

Male sex workers, as a group, are the object of a number of inaccurate fantasies, as well as narrowly construed and largely negative stereotypes, such as, “Guys become prostitutes because they’re too dumb to get a ‘real job’” or “They do it to support a drug habit.” People, even within the LGBT community, target male sex workers with some of the same talking points that have been used against us: “They must be self-hating victims of sexual abuse. They have low self-esteem.

They are walking petri dishes of yet uncatalogued STDs.” From porn and high-end escorting to old-fashioned prostitution, the realities of male sex workers are as complex and diverse as you can imagine. Male sex workers come from nearly all walks of life and economic strata, and their interests and personalities vary as widely as those of any large group of men might, as the research in Male Sex Work and Society (2014), coedited by researchers John Scott and Victor Minichiello, demonstrates.

Now, Scott and Minichiello, armed with their scholarly research, are seeking to engage the public imagination via their new website, Me, Us & Male Escorting (aboutmaleescorting.com). They hope that this forum will allow industry advocates to challenge ignorant misconceptions, and to also lobby for the decriminalization of sex work through an on ongoing series of engaging and informative blogs/ videos and other resources, from firsthand accounts by male sex workers to scholarly research.

Scott and Minichiello intend “to create an innovative forum of collaboration between researchers, writers, sex workers, sex work organizations, and the media to further support the development of an ethically operated and entrepreneurially

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responsible business enterprise in society.”

Inaugural blog posts include “The Professionalization Of Male Escorting,” “Women Who Buy Sex: Challenging Popular Prejudices,” and two blogs written by male escorts, “Male Escorting: What It Takes To Make It Work” and “The Benefits Of Prostitution To Society.”

A forthcoming blog will discuss the differences between legalization and decriminalization and highlight the benefits of decriminalizing sex work.

Me, Us & Male Escorting offers resources of value to everyone from male sex workers to their friends, families and romantic partners, to government agencies and the general public. “Male sex workers face a double stigma because same sex relationships are stigmatized and sex work is stigmatized,” the site’s founders explain. They hope that by guiding a more informed discussion around the issue, the stigma can be eased and progress can occur.

In the Southeast, where LGBT stigma is high, fueling rising epidemics of STIs, including syphilis and HIV, the practical benefits of this sort of advocacy makes the work even more necessary. “What the research shows very clearly,” Minichiello explained, “is that criminalization forces the sex work industry to be less open and for both clients and sex workers to operate in less safe environments in terms of exploitation, violence and higher reported levels of STIs….”

“We need the government to come on board and see this as work,” said Scott. “That makes it better for the sex workers who can manage their health and safety and if sex work is decriminalized better in terms of making it easier for people to pay tax and follow all the regulations like all other occupations.”

From a health perspective, Minichiello added, “What we know from studies reported in the medical science research literature is that decriminalization of sex work can reduce HIV by 30 per cent and some studies show higher figures.

Decriminalization creates an environment of providing better education to both clients and sex

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workers, creating more responsibility and accountability for selfcare, and better access and interactions with health providers.”

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They do believe the atmosphere is ripe for this kind of advocacy. “There is a changing public attitude towards supporting a more open transparent sex work industry, including in the southeastern US states,” Minichiello said, “and sex work organizations and public health experts are working with community and political leaders to better inform them about the benefits of decimalization of sex work. The reality is that sex work exists, and will always exist. The responsible question now is what are the conditions to make this work more safe and professional for both clients and escorts.”

In addition to the website, aboutmaleescorting.com, the soon to be released Me, Us & Male Escorting companion Android app, MALES, will allow both male and female clients to search a directory of over 300 escort websites in 60 countries.

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33

THIS TRANSGENDER LIFE

KATHY HALBROOKS:

Photos: Julius Greene

“DOING THE RIGHT THING”

BOBBI WILLIAMS

If you have ever been to a protest in support of LGBT rights or the homeless in Middle Tennessee or nearby, you may have seen a very unassuming older woman with a gentle smile and quiet grace calmly going about her business of promoting equality.

That woman is Kathy Halbrooks, the cochair of PFLAG Nashville.

PFLAG is an acronym for the group’s original name, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Families being added later), though in 2014 the group officially changed its name to PFLAG. It is the United States’ largest non-profit organization focused on helping family and friends accept their LGBT loved ones.

Halbrooks is also on the board of GLSEN of Middle Tennessee (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) and is the Middle Tennessee Coordinator for the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (TTPC). So when she’s not at work at Metro Water Services there’s no telling where she might be, though her foremost commitment lies with PFLAG. “Over the past few years we’ve seen a tremendous increase in the number of parents of transgender youth coming to PFLAG,” she said. “It has coincided with the rise in the level of awareness of transgender issues on a national level. The youngest trans youth whose parent has

recently attended is nine.”

She explains that this growth has meant addressing unique issues that exist for the parents of transgender youth. While most are accepting of their child’s gender identity, there are many who see it as their fault, the result of something they did wrong in raising the child. And, to some extent, meeting the accepting parents can be intimidating to those who don’t fully understand their child’s identity issues.

Members who have been coming for a long time urge new attendees to share their stories, knowing they will be affirmed and respected no matter where on their journey to acceptance they may be.

Parents’ difficulties dealing with trans children’s needs are compounded by the question of sexual orientation. Parents often do not make a distinction between the two. “The identification of a child’s gender identity can emerge very early,” she explained. “Long before sexual orientation becomes an issue. Clearly, there is a distinction between the two, but society has yet to get that across to everyone.”

What is perhaps most interesting is that Kathy’s awareness of prejudice and injustice and the true meaning of equality developed as a child growing up in Alabama, not as a result of her environment but in spite of it. “I don’t know why,” she said, trying to explain it. “I just knew that the attitudes of everyone around me didn’t ring true. I knew they were wrong, but I also knew it wasn’t a good idea to say so.”

She kept those perceptions to herself and married a local man whose work transferred him to Nashville. He didn’t like Nashville. She did. They divorced, and she has been here ever since. After

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completing her Bachelor’s degree through a contract learning program at Troy State in Montgomery, Alabama, she enrolled in the Masters program at Belmont University.

In Belmont’s Humanities department, which she found to be liberal, she was exposed to ideas that correlated with what she had always believed. And that’s when she got involved with PFLAG. “At Belmont I expanded my view of equality,” she said. “I realized that it applied to everyone, regardless of their skin color or sexual orientation or, eventually, of their gender identity.” This view propelled her to be more active, joining the PFLAG board and then agreeing to serve as co-chair (with Michael Reding), the position she holds now.

“A few years ago, only one or two parents of trans kids came; now the attendance is often more than 4,” she said.

“A youth group called TYME (Trans Youth Meet to Empower) meets the same time as PFLAG Nashville, so parents can attend PFLAG while their children go to TYME. And we have reached out to other groups like Launch Pad.” Launch Pad is a safe sleeping initiative for the young adult homeless population of Nashville and is located at the East End United Methodist Church. Their

work is especially focused on those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender.

“I think the most frustrating part of it all is having to deal with some of the Tennessee legislators,” Kathy said, shaking her head. “I don’t know how they can rationalize their actions when they’re based on nothing more than fear and ignorance.” She paused and sighed. “I have always known in my heart what I believe is right and what is wrong. Many of their arguments use the Bible, but they take verses out of context and don’t realize that the words applied to tradition and cultures of the time. They also don’t acknowledge that not everyone is Christian and that not everyone is a believer. We all should have equal rights and protections under the law.

The recent bathroom harassment bill was an attack on children. What is in the heart of someone who wants to attack a child?”

And at that I have to shake my head too.

“...Tennessee legislators...I don’t know how they can rationalize their actions when they’re based on nothing more than fear and ignorance.”

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