Options Magazine-February 2017 by Options Magazine

options February 2017

LOVE ALWAYS WINS Rhode Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LGBTQ Community Magazine Since 1982

IN THIS ISSUE: 11 13 16 23 28

20 5 Publisher’s Note 6 News Briefs 8 Calendar 11 Remembering Dr. Peter Smith 13 Providence Police LGBTQ Initiative 15 Community Voices: Republicans and the ACA 16 Bi Bookshelf 20 Love Always Wins 23 What’s Love Got to Do With It 24 Happenings at ACOS 25 Out on the Town 28 Loving Openly 31 Resources 38 Poetry 38 Transosaurus Rex

Home deliver y is free! Subscribe at www.optionsri.org, email subscriptions@optionsri.org, or write to us at our PO Box. © OPTIONS 2017. Options is published monthly. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the volunteers or staff. Listings are provided as a resource and do not imply endorsement. Submissions to Options must include a phone number or email address. Names may be withheld on request. Submissions, ads, calendar, or resource listings for the March 2017 issue must be delivered by February 18.

Options | February 2017

From the Publisher Dear Readers, In a world where information is so quickly and liberally published and passed on, it’s noteworthy to highlight the care that goes into Options. Time spent by our writers; the editorial team’s impassioned conversations about the words that fill these pages; the layout, design, photo and graphics contributors; all touch these pages before they make it into your hands. Producing Options takes a team of people, most of whom are volunteer. To ensure that our publication is providing resourceful information to the community, hours of thought, research, and effort go into every issue. We must remain vigilant watchdogs at this time. With President Trump’s transition to the White House threatening to further divide our media outlets, and his administration launching what many might see as a war on the press, it’s imperative that we engage in fair, factual conversations. Inflamed dialogue, false information, and bold-faced lies help no one and further the confusion around any particular conversation. We at Options are committed to discussing real topics with honesty and integrity. It’s clear that our community is ready to participate in conversations about civil rights -- support for the Women’s March on Washington drew crowds to the streets all over the world. The representation and solidary of LGBTQ people at these marches was strong. If you have energy, passion, and conviction about the issues that surround us in today’s changing world, look no further than Options as an organization that is working to further the achievement of equality and social justice. It’s been a busy time for Options as we restructured the publication’s editorial team. For the past three months, Brendan Chipley Roane served as our interim editor in chief. Brendan isn’t going far, he’ll continue to serve as a board member and has big plans ahead. His efforts are appreciated should not go unnoticed. With the publishing of this issue, I’m pleased to welcome Marie Hopkins as our managing editor. With more than a decade of editorial experience, her work will only enhance this publication. Last month, we hosted an editorial planning session in an effort to hear directly from community members about what you want to see in these pages. We’ve got great things planned for future issues and we’re excited to share them with you. There are two major upcoming events where you can support our efforts. In March, we’ll host our annual meeting where the board of directors will present a financial update, appoint new directors, and report on the previous year’s activities. An announcement concerning the final date time and location will appear on our website. Second, we are very excited to announce the celebration of 35 years in print. Save the date of May 20 to join us at Skyline, the newest venue in the heart of downtown, Providence. More details soon! It takes a village to produce this publication, and there are many seats open for you at our table. You have capacity to influence these pages and shape our community. I implore you to use it. Onward, Kyle McKendall Publisher

Options | February 2017

options

Rhode Island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community news source since 1982. February 2017, Vol.XXXV, Issue 10

Publisher Kyle McKendall kyle@optionsri.org Managing Editor Marie Hopkins editor@optionsri.org Resources Editor Myra Shays resources@optionsri.org Calendar Editor Jen Stevens calendar@optionsri.org Copy Editors Christopher Cedroni, Marie Hopkins, Rex LeBeau, Kyle McKendall, Christine Pavao, Myra Shays, Jen Stevens Graphic Design Theresa “Reese” Barzyk Contributors Felicia Nimue Ackerman, Noah Bogdonoff, Adam Brooks, Christopher Cedroni, Emily Crowell, Anthony F. DeRose, Paul Fitzgerald, Lindsay Lague, Rex LeBeau, Sarah Rowley, Haley Star Photographers Jen Bonin, Ryan Clark, Ryan Welch Finance Director Will Menihan billing@optionsri.org Subscription Manager Francis Ryan frank@optionsri.org Advertising advertising@optionsri.org

Cover: Bradford & Anhell Hyde

NEWS BRIEFS

California Bans Travel to Discriminatory States As a result of Assembly Bill 1887, in which California’s legislature determined that the state must ensure that it avoids supporting and/ or financing discrimination against the LGBT community, California has banned state-sponsored travel to four states. California will no longer approve funding requests for statesponsored trips to North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, or Kansas. The bill, which was signed into law in September 2016, has officially gone into effect as of January 1. The bill was prompted by the passage of House Bill 2 in North Carolina, which prevented transgender people from using the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity. California is one of a group of states and businesses that have chosen to boycott states that adopt such transphobic policies. “California has said clearly, our taxpayer dollars will not help fund bigotry and hatred,” said Assemblyman Evan Low, who co-authored Assembly Bill 1887. “If other states try and pass similar laws, we will work to stop them. Our zero-tolerance policy says there is no room for discrimination of any kind in California, and AB 1887 ensures that discrimination will not be tolerated beyond our borders.”

by Adam Brooks

Indiana Mayor Runs for DNC Chairman Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced last month that he is running for Democratic National Committee Chairman as an alternative to the two leading candidates. The openly-gay 34-yearold mayor will be running against Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez and Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Buttigieg is not well known to most members of the DNC, but his resume has caught the attention of a number of Democratic voters. He is currently in his second term as mayor and is a Harvard graduate in addition to being a Rhodes Scholar. Buttigieg is a former naval officer who served in Afghanistan. “This is one of the most talented young leaders in the Democratic Party,” said David Axelrod, President Obama’s former chief strategist, “and he comes from the middle of the country, where the par ty needs to be strengthened.” While Buttigieg lost a bid for the role of state treasurer in 2010, his chances now seem more promising. Many of his suppor ters believe that he has ambition and drive that could eventually propel him fur ther than the position of DNC Chairman.

“Moonlight” Wins Golden Globe for Best Drama The gay-themed film “Moonlight” won the category of Best Drama at the Golden Globes last month. The movie depicts a young AfricanAmerican man who grapples with his sexuality. “Moonlight” was nominated in six categories, but lost most of them to the musical “La La Land”. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” snagged the award for Best Drama and was named Best Film by the National Society of Film Critics. In his acceptance speech, Jenkins talked about his experience and that of other African-Americans growing up in cities like Miami, where “Moonlight” is set. “We have to give people things not to escape to — there’s a place for that — but reaffirm that if you feel something you should speak it, and people will be there to hear it,” he said. This win is par ticularly impor tant for the LGBT community, given the recent unstable political environment, and also to the African American community, whose film contributions deserve recognition.

Options | February 2017

Jailed Trans Army Leaker has Sentence Lifted by President Obama As one of his last acts in office, President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 209 jailed individuals and pardoned another 64 last month. One person of note who had her prison sentence commuted was Chelsea Manning. Manning, a former United States soldier, was incarcerated in 2010 and sentenced to 35 years in prison after violating the Espionage Act by leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. Manning exposed many in the Army for unjust and unlawful actions. For her illegal action, many considered Manning to be not a traitor, but a heroic whistleblower. As a trans woman, Manning’s time in jail has been grueling, both physically and psychologically. She has not been allowed to grow her hair out and was sentenced to a lengthy solitary confinement stay after a suicide attempt. “I’m relieved and thankful that the president is doing the right thing and commuting Chelsea Manning’s sentence,” said Chase Strangio, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT Project representing Manning,“This move could quite literally save Chelsea’s life, and we are all better off knowing that Chelsea Manning will walk out of prison a free woman, dedicated to making the world a better place and fighting for justice for so many.” Options | February 2017

South Kingstown School Committee to Review First Draft of Transgender Policy Last month the South Kingstown school committee set a date for a first read-through of the school district’s transgender policy. In October, the committee held an open discussion addressing the possible adoption of a transgender policy. The input of the South Kingstown High School Gay Straight Alliance,Youth Pride Inc., and several lawyers were welcomed. All helped to determine the necessity of the implementation of the policy. The South Kingstown Transgender Policy will be created following the format of the Providence School District’s current policy. After the policy’s first read-through, committee members are planning to move the process along as quickly as possible. “I know that it’s impor tant to get it passed,” said school committee member Raissa Mosher in an interview with RICentral.com. “This is a very big thing to come to the district, and I know there is a sense of urgency. But I think we need to be mindful about getting all of the information that we can so we can make sure that it’s done very, very well.”

White House’s LGBT Web Page Removed Just Moments After President Trump’s Inauguration Moments after his swearing in as 45th President of the United States, President Trump and his administration provided Americans with what could be an indication of intent not to carry out the Obama administration’s unwavering support of LGBT rights. The webpage on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, introduced by the Obama administration to highlight major legislative achievements and policy changes, was removed within an hour of the inauguration. Also removed from the site was all mentions of climate change, and pages that highlighted civil rights and healthcare. The Department of Labor’s report, Advancing LGBT Workplace Rights, was also removed from the department’s website. While President Trump was endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans, the top LGBT Republican group, and was called “perhaps the most pro-LGBT presidential nominee in the history of the Republican Party,” Vice President Mike Pence has been a vocal opponent to LGBT rights. Pence voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have prohibited discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace, publicly opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and has been outspoken on marriage equality. q

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FEBRUARY

Wed. 1 RI Pride Events Committee Meeting, 7pm. 1055 Westminster St, Providence. All are welcome to plan upcoming events, like the Goddess Show and Triple Crown Pageant. Email info@prideri.com for more information.

Feb - Tue. 7

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Wed. 1 SalsaConSoul by TeamFusionRI, 8pm-1am. Aurora, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. Open to dancers of all levels of experience. No partner needed. $15 cover, includes a lesson. $10 after 10pm. For more info, facebook. com/SalsaConSoul. Wed. 1 Brown University’s LGBTQ+ Center’s Zine Collection Opening, 5:307pm. Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, Brown University, 26 Benevolent St, Providence. Free and open to the public.

Feb - Sun. 12 We Love Gingah:

Feb - Thu. 1

Cupid’s Stooopid Drag Bingo,

Thu. 2 Zines and Radical Librarianship: A Talk by Jenna Freedman, 3:30-5pm. Rockefeller Library, 10 Prospect Street, Providence. Hosted by Brown University’s LGBTQ+ Center. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Brown LGBTQ Center’s Facebook page. Thu. 2 Queer Zine-making Workshop with Jenna Freedman, 7-10pm. Rockefeller Library, 10 Prospect Street, Providence. Hosted by Brown University’s LGBTQ+ Center. Craft supplies will be provided. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Brown LGBTQ Center’s Facebook page.

Fri. 3 HomeGrown Comedy, 8pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $10. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 2287222. Sat. 4 Jumpstart Your Career in Sexual Health, 11am-2pm. Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, 250 Main Street, Pawtucket. Workshop explains careers available in the sexological job market, higher education options, and necessary certifications. $50. Register at: http://bit.ly/Jump625 . Sat. 4 Sarah Rich &The Invincible We, 8:30pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 2287222. Tue. 7 National Black HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day. AIDS Project RI joins the National Black Leadership on AIDS, the Centers for Disease Control, the Black AIDS Institute, and other organizations by participating in a day of awareness and offering expanded testing hours. Free, fast, and anonymous testing will be offered from 12pm-7pm at 9 Pleasant Street, Providence. Testing will be on a walk-in basis; no appointment is necessary. For more information, visit www.aidsprojectri.org.

Thu. 9 Sweet Little Variety Show, 8pm. Aurora, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. A queer-produced potpourri of entertainment. $7. Find Sweet Little Variety Show on Facebook.

Fri. 10 Stumbling Murphy, 9pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 2287222. Fri. 10 Roxie Van Cartier’s Official Candidacy Party, 9pm show. Mirabar, 15 Elbow Street, Providence. $10 to benefit the Imperial Court of RI. Sun. 12 RI Prime Timers, 4:30-7pm. Social, dinner, and networking group for older gay and bi men on the second Sunday of each month. For more info, www.riprimetimers. org or call Steve at 996-3010. Sun. 12 We Love Gingah: The Official Candidacy Party for Gingah Rale, 8pm show and bachelor auction. The Dark Lady, 15-17 Snow Street, Providence. $5 to benefit the Imperial Court of RI. Wed. 15 Queer Book Club, 7-9:30pm. Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street, Providence. Reading: Hissing Cousins by Marc Peyser & Timothy Dwyer. Discount if book is purchased at Books on the Square. For more info, email queerbookclub@ gmail.com. Thu. 16 Cupid’s Stooopid Drag Bingo, 6-9pm. Riviera Bingo Palace, 1612 Elmwood Avenue, Cranston. $20 gets you in all games with over $2,000 in cash and prizes awarded monthly. Hosted by Haley Star and LaDiva Jonz. All funds raised benefit AIDS Care Ocean State and AIDS Project RI.

Options | February 2017

Fri. 17 SAGE LGBT Café, noon-2pm. Church of the Transfiguration, 1665 Broad Street, Cranston. A delicious, low-cost lunch in a gay-friendly setting sponsored by Meals on Wheels, the Department of Elderly Affairs, and SAGE-RI. Programming after lunch. A $3 donation is suggested for LGBT people 60+ and people with disabilities; a $6 donation is suggested for all others. Reservations required. Call Pauline at 351-6700. Fri. 17 Jamie Lee and the Bobby Fleet Band, 9pm.The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 2287222. Sat. 18 Tammy & Jeanna, 8:30pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 2287222. Sun. 19 Interweave Potluck Dinner and Trans 101 Presentation, 5:30-8pm. Parish Hall of Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham Street, Newport. All are welcome. Bring a dish to share. At 7pm, Valerie and Rex will present the basics of being transgender, share personal stories, and address current events. For more information, contact Rex at 595-9068 or interweave@ channingchurch.org . Thu. 23 - Fri 24 Radical Black Love: a Political Act, presented by Brown University’s LGBTQ+ Center. Join activist couple Tiq and Kim Milan as they talk about blackness, queerness, and love in

Options | February 2017

the face of adversity. For more information, visit the Brown LGBTQ+ Center’s Facebook page. Fri. 24 Rachael Sage, 9pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www. thevillageri.com or 228-7222. Sun. 26 Diana Prince: The Last Show, 8pm. Le Place, 20 Kenyon Street, New Bedford, MA. $5 to benefit Chrissy and Courtney Silvia, who lost their home in a fire. Hosted by Adam and Genesis.

MARCH

Wed. 1 SalsaConSoul by TeamFusionRI, 8pm-1am. Aurora, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. Open to dancers of all levels of experience. No partner needed. $15 cover, includes lessons. $10 after 10pm. For more info, facebook. com/SalsaConSoul. Fri. 3 HomeGrown Comedy, 8pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $10. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 228-7222. Sat. 4 Third Annual RI Trans Health Conference, 8am4pm. Alpert Medical School at Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence. Co-sponsored by TGI Network, Alpert Medical School, and the Rhode Island College School of Social Work. For more information and to register, visit www.tginetwork. org .

Sun. 5 18th Annual RI Pride Goddess Show, doors noon/ show 1-6pm. Aurora, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. A celebration of women in the arts featuring Adrienne MackDavis, the Becky Chace Band, Tammy & Jeana, Bettysioux Tailor, Ms. Lesbian RI 2016 Aly P. Sha, Miss Gay RI 2016 Neoki Feytal, and hosts Lulu Locks and Reece Cotton. $20 in advance at www.prideri.com, $25 at the door. Thu. 9 Sweet Little Variety Show, 8pm. Aurora, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. A queer-produced potpourri of entertainment. $7. Find Sweet Little Variety Show on Facebook.

Feb - Fri. 24 Rachael Sage

March - Sat. 4 Trans Health Conference

Fri. 10 Baby Oil, 9pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www. thevillageri.com or 228-7222. Sat. 11 Jodi Jolt & The Volt, 9pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 228-7222.

March - Sun. 5 RI Pride Goddess Show

Sun. 12 RI Prime Timers, 4:30-7pm. Social, dinner, and networking group for older gay and bi men on second Sundays. For more info, www. riprimetimers.org or call Steve at 996-3010. Wed. 15 Queer Book Club, 7-9:30pm. Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street, Providence. Reading: The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis. Discount if book is purchased at Books on the Square. For more info, email queerbookclub@gmail.com.

March - Sat. 11 Jodi Jolt & The Volt

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Thu. 16 Drag Bingo: St. Paddy’s Day Bingo – Wear Green!, 6-9pm. Riviera Bingo Palace, 1612 Elmwood Avenue, Cranston. $20 gets you in all games with over $2,000 in cash and prizes awarded monthly. Hosted by Haley Star and LaDiva Jonz. All funds raised benefit AIDS Care Ocean State and AIDS Project RI.

March - Tue. 28 Adoption RI Information Meeting

March - Fri. 31 Sticky Stories

Fri. 17 SAGE LGBT Café, noon-2pm. Church of the Transfiguration, 1665 Broad Street, Cranston. A delicious, low-cost lunch in a gay-friendly setting sponsored by Meals on Wheels, the Department of Elderly Affairs, and SAGE-RI. Programming after lunch. A $3 donation is suggested for LGBT people 60+ and people with disabilities; a $6 donation is suggested for all others. Reservations required. Call Pauline at 351-6700. Fri. 17 St. Paddy’s Day with Allston Police, 9pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www. thevillageri.com or 228-7222. Fri. 18 Sister Funk, 8:30pm.The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www. thevillageri.com or 228-7222. Sat. 18 – Sun. 19 Sexual Attitude Reassessment Seminar (SAR). The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health SAR leads participants through the process of evaluating their feelings, values, and attitudes around sexuality. It applies

the lens of intersectionality to human sexual behavior, and examines societal attitudes about a variety of sexuality topics. Email info@thecsph.org for more information.

Sat. 18 Bachata/Kizomba Fusion Night by TeamFusionRI, 8pm-2am. Aurora, 276 Westminster Street, Providence. Open to dancers of all levels of experience. No partner needed. $20 cover, includes two lessons. $15 after 10pm. For more info, facebook.com/SalsaConSoul. Sun. 19 Interweave Potluck Dinner and Programming, 5:30-8pm. Parish Hall of Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham Street, Newport. All are welcome. Bring a dish to share. At 7pm, a former member of ACT UP tells stories of the rallies, protest marches, collaboration, arrests, and shootings that took place surrounding the AIDS crisis. For more information, contact Rex at 595-9068 or interweave@ channingchurch.org . Fri. 24 Dreams featuring Keturah, 9pm. The Village, 373 Richmond Street, Providence. $5. Reservations can be made at www.thevillageri.com or 2287222. Tue. 28 Adoption RI Information Meeting, 6pm. The Village, Richmond Street, Providence. Learn about the adoption process and ways to be involved. Free. For more info, call 865-6000 or visit www.adoptionri.org.

Thu. 30 - Sun. April 2 Imperial Court of RI Coronation XXV Weekend. Visit www. icriprov.org or www. facebook.com/imperialcour tofrhodeislandatprovidence for more information. This year’s beneficiaries are Options Magazine and Interweave Channing. Fri. 31 Sticky Stories, doors 8pm/show 9-11pm.AS220, 115 Empire Street, Providence. Fifth comedic storytelling event that has included live readings of diary entries, sex adventures gone hilariously awry, and the challenges of sexting. Submit a story at http://bit. ly/MyStickyStory. For tickets: http://bit.ly/StickyStoriesV q Regularly Scheduled Support Groups: ACOS (HIV/AIDS): youth,Tue. 4pm/gay males, Wed. 1:30pm LGBT Alcoholics Anonymous: Tue. 7pm PFLAG (parents, friends, allies): 1st & 3rd Wed. 6:45pm TGI Network (trans): 1st & 3rd Tue. 7pm/Sat. 1pm TransFamily New England: 2nd Mon. 6:30pm YPI (youth): Way Out,Thu. 4pm/Gender Spectrum,Tue. 4pm/youth 13 and under:Thu. 5pm See Resources on page 32 for more

Options | February 2017

Remembering Dr. Peter Smith By Paul Fitzgerald, President Emeritus, AIDS Care Ocean State

Dr. Peter Smith died on December 9 after a ten-year struggle with Parkinson’s and Lewy body disease. His wife Heidi, and children Kevin and Fiona, were at his side. Peter, a friend, and renowned pediatric hematologist/oncologist, was the founding Medical Director of AIDS Care Ocean State (ACOS)’s Family AIDS Center for Treatment and Support (FACTS) House . Peter treated the first infants in Rhode Island living with AIDS in the mid-eighties and was named to the US Surgeon General National Conference on Pediatric AIDS. He helped forge a pediatric HIV infrastructure in Rhode Island for chronically ill, infected children modeled after his nationally recognized hemophilia clinic. Peter worked tirelessly in the pediatric clinic at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, providing state-of-the-art care while overseeing the progress of the children in the FACTS nursery. Peter’s work changed the way local school districts viewed children living with HIV. For example, he played a role in the life of a young teen who contracted HIV. Because of his work, a Swansea school accepted the boy with open arms. The school was later renamed, Mark Hoyle School, in memory of Options | February 2017

the student.

AIDS there. He also told about In addition, Peter was a member how child- welfare foster parents of the research faculty at the refused to take a baby with HIV Brown University AIDS Program exposure, and how other, similarly and he established the first Rhode ill children were cared for at Rhode Island Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials. Island Hospital’s Potter Building. He shepherded best practice I was struck by the fact that our methods for clinical management community needed to help. We in prevention of mother-to-child needed to get the word out HIV transmission. about AIDS and help galvanize I remember Peter as a cherished resources. I invited Peter to speak friend and doctor who traveled to the parishioners at St. Michael’s the country, attending conferences, Church in Providence. From workshops, and institutions this meeting, Peter and those to learn, teach, and advise on dedicated parishioners developed the leading edge treatment for FACTS/ACOS. This wonderful journey lasting over two decades Pediatric AIDS. has been providing healing and Dr. Peter Smith’s journey to what care for children and adults living is now AIDS Care Ocean State is with and affected by HIV/AIDS. of great personal significance to my wife and me. It was during my I remember Peter as a hero, a son Kevin’s care at the pediatric healer, an advocate, and a friend hematologist/oncology clinic that to people with HIV. He stood we first met Peter. It was our shoulder to shoulder with those in regular routine to engage in casual the community, never silent. He conversation with the doctors. remained dedicated to treatment During one of our conversations, and research to end the dreaded we spoke about attending the US disease of AIDS. Surgeon General’s Workshop on Children with HIV Infection and Their Families, in Philadelphia, in Rest in peace, Peter. 1987. Peter told us about going to q Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and attending the Surgeon General’s Workshop on Pediatric 11

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Options | February 2017

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LGBTQ INCLUSIVE TRAINING IN UPCOMING ACADEMY

By Lindsay Lague and Emily Crowell

Representatives from the police department and Mayor Jorge Elorza’s office partner with local LGBTQ-advocates to promote LGBTQ inclusiveness for new and current officers. Mayor Jorge Elorza and Colonel Clements have announced a partnership among the Providence Police Department (PPD) LGBTQ liaisons, PPD Training Academy, Sojourner House, The RI Commission on Prejudice & Bias, and the Providence Human Relations Commission (PHRC), dedicated to creating LGBTQ-inclusive policies for members of the department as well as a specific training curriculum for the upcoming academy. Dr. Jodi Glass, Coordinator of the RI Commission on Prejudice & Bias, called this group together following the horrific attacks at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June. The goal is to help the LGBTQ community feel more supported by, and comfortable turning to, law enforcement when they are in need. The group meets monthly and has already conducted LGBTQ cultural competency training for some Providence police officers. “The implementation of this curriculum in the upcoming academy will help our officers become more aware of issues facing the LGBTQ community in Providence,” said Colonel Clements. “Creating policies that are inclusive and providing training to our officers is imperative before they are on the street.” “Now, more than ever, it is important that every member of our community feels safe and protected,” said Mayor Jorge Elorza. “This partnership is a way to let the Providence community know that we support them and we are ready to respond to their needs. As part of

Options | February 2017

the One Providence initiative we have worked each week to reinforce the message that Providence is a home to all, and this inclusive policy speaks directly to that effort,” Mayor Elorza stated. The Providence Police Training Academy staff has been taught how to improve law enforcement’s relationship with the LGBTQ community. They have recently attended a seminar exclusive to this topic, which will be included in next year’s training for the entire department. Dr. Glass believes that the goals that the partnership set for 2017 are critical now. “We know that the LGBTQ communities are at greater risk of experiencing victimization. The RI Commission on Prejudice and Bias follows the Southern Poverty Law Center’s work collecting data on hate crimes and addressing related policy issues across the country. Data suggests that hate crimes have risen since November. For example, in the ten days following the election, 867 bias-related incidents were reported nationwide. We want our law enforcement and community service providers to be equipped to respond to increased need. The training, education, support, and conversations that this partnership provides will help to create a community that is safer for all of its members,” stated Glass. In addition, Glass highlighted a current resource in Rhode Island available to assist victims of hate crimes, adding, “This urgency has sparked us to work with Rhode Island’s statewide helpline. It is answered 24/7 by trained staff who are able to deal with those needing help or referrals about a

possible hate incidence or hate crime.” (Helpline 800-494-8100.) Sojourner House, a local domestic violence and sexual assault services provider, has been conducting LGBTQ cultural competency training for law enforcement and social service providers in the state for the past few years. “As an organization, we are dedicated to providing culturally competent services for all victims and survivors. We have programming specifically dedicated to the LGBTQ population and believe that providing inclusive services, and training other organizations on how to become more inclusive, is so important. We are excited to continue our work with the partnership and to assist local law enforcement with becoming better equipped to respond to the needs of all community members,” said Vanessa Volz, Executive Director of the organization. Providence residents who have experienced bias,violence or discrimination are encouraged to call 1-877-3HCRIME (1-877-342-7463) , which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other departments in the state with LGBTQ liaisons, or who have an interest in learning more, are encouraged to contact the group and attend future meetings. For more information, please contact either of Providence Police Department’s LGBTQ Liaisons, Michael O’Toole at Motoole@providenceri.gov , or Captain Alyssa DeAndrade at Adeandrade@ providenceri.gov . q

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Options | February 2017

COMMUNITY VOICES:

OP ED —

By Anthony F. DeRose

REPUBLICANS AND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT With the beginning of a new year, we face a new set of challenges and changes. However, the Senate Republicans voting to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the first day of the 115th Congress should not be one of them.

In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson introduced the nation to the Great Society. This was our government’s effort to tackle poverty, racial injustice, education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, and transportation. Fifty years later, President Barack Obama continued the mission of the Great Society with the introduction of the ACA, which connected millions of uninsured Americans with the resources needed for medical care and treatment. Some of those uninsured are people within the LGBTQ community. How would the dismantling of the ACA affect the LGBTQ community? Beyond the loss of access to routine and emergency medical care — such as wellness visits, emergency room treatment, mammograms, hospitalizations, and the like — there are other concerns. When it comes to HIV/ AIDS, for example, insurance is vital. We have already felt the disappearance of funding for Rhode Island’s Education, Needle Exchange, Counseling, Outreach, and Referral (ENCORE) program, which gave counseling and protection to intravenous drug users 18 and older. ENCORE provided outreach workers for anonymous HIV testing, referrals to drug treatment, medical care, social services, clothing and personal hygiene items to those in need. Following the loss of that $68,000 program, elimination of services provided by the ACA will only compound the damages, negatively affecting the incidence and severity of new infections in our state.

increase in funding by this new administration, considering that Vice President Pence once said money to help those with HIV/ AIDS should go to organizations, “which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.” The ACA helps people living with HIV/AIDS by ensuring coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, expanding Medicaid coverage, lowering prescription drug costs for those on Medicare, and providing other essential health benefits. There are also the expected, serious impacts upon the transgender community. Transitioning is not easy: it requires extensive medical and behavioral health care to folks already facing much discrimination in the healthcare system. Many of those in the transgender community do not have health insurance and rely on the ACA to get the help they need for these treatments. Taking away resources from those struggling to live their true lives is not only disgraceful, it puts their bodies and minds at risk, too. These are just a few examples of the vital services and resources the ACA provides to not to just LGBTQ people, but the country as a whole. So before Republicans throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater, maybe they should reflect on the real reason they were sent to Washington - to work toward making the lives of all Americans better. And, if that doesn’t help motivate them, there’s the simple reminder that midterm elections are only two short years away.q Anthony F. DeRose is Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party’s LGBTQ Caucus; Chair of the 2017 AIDS Walk for Life - Rhode Island; a community activist; and drag performer, Jacqueline DiMera.

Now, let’s look at the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program providing HIV-related services. I am not confident of any potential

Options | February 2017

The Bi Bookshelf-By Sarah E. Rowley.

Reprinted with permission from the Bi Women Quarterly. Read and subscribe free of charge at biwomenboston.org

Options | February 2017

Big Book News We’re now at the height of book awards season, and a novel focused on a bi woman has been shor t-listed for the National Book Award for Fiction, one of the country’s most prestigious literary prizes. August, the narrator of Jacqueline Wilson’s “Another Country,” has both male and female lovers as an adult. Most of the book is focused on her African-American girlhood in a Brooklyn neighborhood in the 1970s and 80s, and her relationships with her family and female friends.

New Fiction Featuring Bisexual Women In Farzana Doctor’s “All Inclusive,” as she struggles with the mystery of her father’s disappearance, bi and polyamorous heroine Ameera finds her job at a Mexican resor t at risk because of rumors about her sex life. This is the third novel from the Indian-Canadian author who won the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers; it appears to have a touch of magical realism. Robin Talley’s “Our Own Private Universe,” published in the US in January, centers on a fifteen-year-old girl who knows she’s bisexual, but has dated only guys. That changes when she falls for another girl on a youth-group mission trip. Out author Talley has published three previous young adult books about lesbian and genderqueer youth: the award-winning “Lies We Tell Ourselves,” “What We Left Behind,” and “As I Descended.” Alexis M. Smith’s second novel, “Marrow Island,” centers on two bi women, childhood first loves now par tnered with men, who reunite on their home island in Washington State. One has joined a cult trying to repair the damage from the environmental cataclysm that forced them to flee. Some readers love Smith’s natural description of post-disaster Washington State and thoughtful musings; others have been frustrated with its slow pace. African-American science fiction author Nisi Shawl’s first novel, “Everfair,” is an alternative history in which AfricanAmericans, Europeans, and Africans band together to prevent one of history’s great atrocities, the mass murder of ten million people in the Congo by Belgium between 1885 and 1908. Two of the

Options | February 2017

main characters in her steampunk novel are Daisy and Lisette, poly bisexual women whose complex love affair encounters as many challenges as their utopian African nation. British rapper Kate Tempest expanded the main plot lines from her critically acclaimed hip-hop album “Everybody Down” for her widely-anticipated first novel, “The Bricks That Built the Houses.” The book centers on the relationship between a bi sex worker and a lesbian drug dealer in contemporary London. One of contemporary South Korea’s most acclaimed authors, Bae Suah, has a new novel, “A Greater Music,” out in English translation by Deborah Smith (the first translator to ever share the Man Booker Prize; for her rendition of Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian”). When the narrator falls into an icy river, her memories shift between her present, with her metalworking boyfriend Joachim, and her past with a female lover called M. Well-established US novelist Cathleen Schine has received widespread acclaim for her darkly humorous new novel, “They May Not Mean To, But They Do,” about the relationship between an elderly mother and her middle-aged children. The adult daughter in the book, like Schine herself, left a long-standing marriage to a man to marry another woman. “The Dream Lover” by Elizabeth Berg, an extensively-researched novel based on the life of pioneering nineteenth century French feminist and author George Sand, is out in paperback. Berg covers Sand’s relationships with many famous men, including Frédéric Chopin, but suggests that the actress Marie Dorval most deeply captured her hear t.

Bisexual Memoirs Out bisexual actor Alan Cumming, fresh off the success of his first memoir, “Not My Father’s Son,” presents a series of stories from his life involving famous names like Elizabeth Taylor and Oprah, illustrated by his own photographs. The book is called “You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories and Pictures.”

Originally published in 2015, Meags Fitzgerald’s “Long Red Hair” is now getting more attention. It’s a graphic memoir focused on the author’s coming out as a bisexual woman in the 1980s and 90s, and includes meditations on both poly relationships and celibacy.

Out bisexual Haitian-American feminist and culture critic Roxane Gay has delayed her memoir, “Hunger,” which focuses on her struggles with weight and body image, until next year, but published a shor t story collection in January titled “Difficult Women.”

New Work from Out Authors The biggest news on the literary front is Ali Smith’s “Autumn,” the first in a projected quar tet of novels about the seasons from the writer largely acknowledged to be this generation’s Virginia Woolf. Smith is a disabled Scottish lesbian whose genderbending and experimental narratives (most recently the delightful “How to Be Both”) have won many awards. Publication will occur in February 2017.

Lesbian Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue has been deliberately inclusive of bi women in both her fiction and nonfiction since the 1990s. Her latest novel “The Wonder,” is a psychological thriller focused on an 11-year-old girl who becomes a sensation in 1850 Ireland by refusing to eat for several months, and the nurse determined to save her life.

mini-series.

The New Zealand-raised, U.K.-based lesbian author Stella Duffy has a new novel out: “London Lies Beneath,” is historical fiction about three boys from a South London slum on a 1912 sailing trip. In related news, HBO has optioned both of Duffy’s novels about the Byzantine ruler Theodora, the sixth-century childsex-slave-turned-empress, for a television

U.S. author Nicole Dennis-Benn has won high acclaim for her first novel “Here Comes the Sun,” set in her native Jamaica. Protagonist Margot, forced into prostitution to suppor t her younger sister, longs to admit her love for another woman, who is shunned for being a lesbian. You may better know Dennis-Benn and her par tner Emma Benn for holding the first lesbian wedding in Jamaica in 2012, though their union was not legally recognized. Her for thcoming novel “Run Free,” tells the story of a transgender son of Jamaican immigrants. Naomi Jackson’s debut novel “The Star Side of Bird Hill” is now out in paperback. This coming-of-age story focuses on two sisters. Sent from Brooklyn to Barbados when their mother cannot care for them, they explore their sexuality and learn about their own family history.

Trans author Jia Qing Wilson-Yang’s debut novel “Small Beauty” tells the story of mixed-race Chinese trans girl Mei’s journey in small-town Canada. Early reviews call it “luminous.”

Randa Jarrar, the queer Muslim PalestinianAmerican author who won awards for her autobiographical novel “A Map of Home,” has a second book of fiction out: a shor t story collection called “Him, Me, Muhammad Ali.”

Author Kirsten Valdez Quade continues to win praise for her shor t story collection “Night at the Fiestas,” now out in paperback. Set mainly in tight-knit Catholic, Mexican-American communities in New Mexico, the book has won awards from the National Book Critics Circle, the American Academy of Ar ts and Letters, and the National Book Foundation.

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Transman iO Tillett Wright has published “Darling Days: A Memoir,” about growing up in New York’s bohemian East Village neighborhood during the 1980s and 1990s with a loving but unstable addict mother. Reviews praise Wright’s depiction of gender-variant childhood and gentrification.

National leader in education and inclusion.

At The Grace School every student can be themselves.

Also out in paperback is “Jam on the Vine” by Lashonda Katrice Barnett, which explores African-American history in the Progressive Era (1897-1925). Heroine Ivoe Williams grows from a book-loving girl in rural Texas to a crusading journalist who finds sex and love with women. Alas, the ex-girlfriend who marries a man is a villain straight out of central casting, but out lesbian Barnett shows the rise of police abuse and the convict labor system in eye-opening ways relevant to the US justice struggle today.

Other Books of Interest History professor Rachel Hope Cleves has been getting rave reviews for her nonfiction book “Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America,” about two women who used a loophole in Vermont's common-law marriage statute to live as a married couple from 1807 to 1851. It’s rare to see such love among ordinary readers for a book by an academic, but readers have found it incredibly moving. US-born, UK-based Sara Taylor’s novel “The Lauras” has a genderqueer narrator, Alex, whose mother takes them both on a road trip across America to confront their family history. It joins other recent novels about non-binary characters like Jeff Garvin’s “Symptoms of Being Human” and Robin Talley’s “What We Left Behind.” q

Open House - Feb. 4, 11 am to 1 pm RSVP at 401-533-9100 or info@meetingstreet.org 1000 Eddy Street - Providence www.thegraceschool.org

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Options | February 2017

Love Alwa Options | February 2017

hen Bradford and Anhell returned from their visit to Mexico on May 22, 2016, they got into two different lines at JFK Airport: Bradford in the line for citizens, and Anhell in the line designated for visitors. Anhell was familiar with the routine. A Mexican citizen, he had been living in the United States for three years on a visitor visa.They planned to meet at the baggage carousel. Bradford waited and waited, but Anhell never arrived. Finally, Bradford went to the foreign visitors arrivals door. There he could see Anhell in the distance, arguing with an immigration officer. “I’ve seen him get upset before. I knew something was really, really wrong,” Bradford said. Not allowed to enter, Bradford could only watch as another officer came up to Anhell and led him away in handcuffs. Later that night, Bradford called JFK and was finally able to speak with Anhell. He discovered that officials had gone through photos and texts on Anhell’s phone. “When he found pictures of the two of us, the officer asked who I was. Anhell said, ‘my boyfriend.’ ” “So you’re gay,” said the officer. When Anhell said yes, he was told that his visa, even though is was valid until 2023, had expired. When Bradford finally got to talk to someone in charge, he was told that that Anhell was being returned to Mexico for traveling without a valid visa, the penalty for which is automatic refusal of entry to the United States for

a minimum of five years. Bradford and Anhell, both 26 at the time, met in 2013 through the “Plenty of Fish” dating app. “I had just gone on a horrible date,” Bradford said, “and I thought, ‘this is hopeless,’ but as I was driving home, he messaged me. I’m not sure why, but it felt like I’d give it one more chance.” It was a chance that paid off. The two started texting and video conferencing, and soon hit it off. Although Anhell was in Bardona, New York and Bradford was in Norwich, Connecticut, the two had an undeniable connection, and the distance didn’t seem like too big a deal. “We would visit each other and spend as much time together as we could,” Bradford says. He wasn’t fazed by the fact that Anhell wasn’t a citizen, but was here on a visitor visa, requiring him to go back to his home in Tlaxcala, Mexico, every six months. Eventually they moved in together, and it wasn’t long before they started talking about marriage. “We used to argue about two things: I wanted to get married and I wanted him to become an American citizen, both of which Anhell had little interest in.” Bradford said. “What is a marriage certificate? And, for that matter, what is citizenship going to do for us that we can’t do for each other,” Anhell would say. “These are just pieces of paper, and we don’t need them to be in love.”

Still, Anhell knew it was important to Bradford, and Bradford could tell Anhell’s heart was softening on the subject. Finally, with a combination wedding/ engagement ring in his pocket, Bradford popped the question, nervously and prematurely—his plan was to propose at their favorite restaurant. As the two arrived, Anhell noticed a jeweler in the same plaza. He said yes to the marriage and, by extension, citizenship, on one condition—if Anhell could also buy a ring for Bradford. That way, to Anhell, it was as if they were proposing to each other. They planned a small, unpretentious wedding on the beach in late August, and it seemed that everything was falling into place. That is, until they returned from their May trip to Mexico to visit Anhell’s friends and family. The day after, as Anhell was being flown more two thousand miles away, Bradford got in touch with his immigration lawyer, whom he had hired to help navigate the red tape that surrounds citizenship. He put them in touch with a lawyer in New York, who would have stronger ties with the JFK Port of Entry, and whose interest in helping Bradford and Anhell was as much personal as professional. “She went through the same exact thing with her partner,” Bradford said. The wedding, just two weeks away, was cancelled, and Bradford and Anhell’s relationship went back to texting and video conferencing.

ays Wins

By Christopher Cedroni

Options | February 2017

Dejected by what happened but buoyed by love, they decided to get married anyway. While it would have no legal impact on what had happened at the JFK Airport, Bradford flew to Mexico two weeks later to tie the knot amid a patchwork of Mexican state and federal laws governing gay marriage. They faced homophobia and bureaucratic resistance at every turn, and were finally denied a marriage by a municipal judge, forcing the wedding to be postponed yet again. Finally, on September 9, armed with apostille-approved papers, certificates, and tax stamps, Bradford and Anhell were married in a courtroom before a judge who, try as she might, couldn’t come up with a legal reason not to do it. Once Bradford was back in this country, the daunting legal battle began in earnest. The first order of business was to file a Petition for Alien Relative, approval of which can take years. Since Anhell’s visa had been destroyed on the night he was refused entry he also filed a petition for a new visa. “Our lawyer says it’s almost

100 percent guaranteed to be denied,” Bradford said, “but we need it to be denied so we can actually appeal it.” To further complicate their situation, Bradford has scoliosis which requires major surgery, adding to the emotional, physical, and financial strain they have been under. And the uncertainty of the new Trump administration looms heavily as well. Elected on a campaign of being tough on Mexican illegal immigrants, and leading a political party that has opposed marriage equality, the couple and their lawyer are wondering in which direction the wind will blow over the next four years. So now they wait as their paperwork snakes its way through Immigration, and they continue to hope. They have reached out to their Congressional representatives. Joe Courtney, their Democratic Congressman, agreed to help expedite the process since Bradford’s surgery warrants immediate attention and Anhell’s support will be needed while he is recovering.

The process of getting Anhell back into the United States will be a long and costly one.The best-case scenario would have Bradford and Anhell together permanently in about two and a half years if they can’t get their case expedited. The expense? Somewhere between eight and twelve thousand dollars, just for lawyer and filing fees. To help offset expenses, Bradford and Anhell set up a crowdfunding campaign. Still, Bradford and Anhell remain optimistic. “We’ve had so many wins,” Bradford said: “Every time someone donates to our funding page, every time we get a letter from Immigration saying that this or that form has been received, we know we are one step closer. What we are doing is about us, but we know that this will affect every binational couple in the future. Although we are apart, we see the dedication and the sacrifices we are going through. What we are doing brings us closer.”q

We’re all Rhode Islanders, and we each have our own stories. At Blue Cross, we know Rhode Islanders are as unique as our accent and as diverse as our foods. That’s why we’re committed to meeting the varied health needs of the communities we serve.

Safe Zone

www.bcbsri.com Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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Options | February 2017

What’s Love Got To Do With It By Haley Star

he rush of the holiday season is finally over and now that we’ve finished decking our halls and trimming our trees, many of us shift to our New Year’s resolutions and how we will make this year better than the last. Maybe it’s that looming gym membership, crossing off a couple of bucket list items, or finally meeting your soul mate– we all have our goals. But if it is a soul mate you have in mind, then you may be thinking beyond a New Year’s resolution and looking ahead to the next holiday… Valentine’s Day. Admit it, you dread this day just as much as the next person. Whether you think it’s a commercialized holiday made up by corporate America in order to boost sales in a dim post-holiday season, or if it’s figuring out what to buy for that special someone – some small part of you dreads this day. For most millennials like myself, Valentine’s Day has turned into a social media frenzy over who looks cuter for a night out with their special someone (or in my case, my solo date with my burrito bowl at Chipotle). Instead of focusing on the special person

Options | February 2017

in their life, youngsters wait with bated breath to see how many likes they can get on their #VDayOutfit. When you’re young, you think that Valentine’s Day is all that matters when it comes to romance, and if you don’t have someone to share that day with, then you worry that you amount to nothing. I’ve had my fair share of Valentine’s Days – some with a special person, some with close friends, others (back when I was a young, overly-dramatic twentysomething) spent at home wondering why I am alone on the most romantic day of the year. But as I have gotten older, I have begun to realize more and more that this day is just another day. Sure, it gives us a reminder to go out to dinner with our significant others, spend time with friends, or wallow in our own self-pity at home. But, what we fail to see is that we don’t need just one day a year to show an abundance of love. The opportunity presents every single day. Many people, myself included, get too caught up with the idea of being in a relationship and forget what love really is. Rather than concentrate on

scouring dating app after dating app to find gratification in a picture of someone who might satisfy your need for love– look in the mirror instead. The love you crave so badly can be found from within! So, instead of focusing on others, turn that focus toward yourself and appreciate the beauty you possess. Besides, you need to truly fall in love with yourself before you can give an ounce of love to anyone else. Being in a relationship might make you feel better, but you don’t need to be in one in order to prove your worth. We need to take the time to be at peace with ourselves before rushing into a relationship just for the sake of it. So, for all my single friends out there, Instead of wasting one more swipe on “Tinder,” spend more time with yourself. Read a book, explore a part of the city you’ve never been to, volunteer for a local non-profit, start a new hobby, the options are endless. Take time to be present in the moment and share it with friends and family; life is too short to be anything but happy, so this year… make that your resolution. q

HAPPENINGS at

AIDS Care Ocean State By Christopher Cedroni

Rent Event!

Strike Out AIDS Bowling

AIDS Care Ocean State (ACOS) and the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) are pleased to present an opening night reception for the award-winning Broadway musical, “Rent.” The show, which debuted on Broadway in 1996, is celebrating its twentieth year with a special tour. The Providence stop will be extra special, as it will begin with a 6:00pm cocktail reception before the 7:30pm curtain. Guests who purchase tickets through ACOS will be eligible for excellent orchestra or first dress balcony seats and, after the show, will have priority seating at a special meet-andgreet session with members of the cast and creative team.

Like bowling? Want to do your part to support people living with HIV/AIDS? Then ACOS has just the event for you! Join us at Town Hall Lanes, located at 1463 Atwood Avenue, Johnston, on February 18 for the second annual Strike Out AIDS Bowing event, where teams of 4-6 people will compete for the title of champion. The $25 per-person admission covers two hours of bowling, shoe rental, a pitcher of soda, and a 14-inch cheese pizza. Reservations can be made by going to bit.ly/BOWLING2017 .

ACOS and PPAC are proud to partner for the event. “Rent” tells the story of a group of friends who are affected by HIV and AIDS as they search for love, artistic expression, and human meaning. It was the first Broadway musical to deal with the AIDS crisis head-on. Set in a gritty backdrop of 1990’s New York City, the show remains topical even after 20 years, as HIV-positive people today still struggle to gain access to expensive healthcare, overcome addiction, find love, and keep hope alive. Tickets may be purchased by visiting bit.ly/RENT2017 . Prices range from $50 to $150. Seating for this fantastic, one-of-a-kind experience is expected to sell out quickly.

Individuals and groups under four people are also welcome to attend, and will be paired with other groups to make equal teams. This event is a partnership with Town hall Lanes and Rotary International. Proceeds will benefit ACOS. ArtBeat is a Heartbeat Away ACOS’ ArtBeat event is being held on October 27, and preparations are underway. The event, which incorporates a silent auction and gala with several art installations, is a must for the art lover, AIDS activist, or ACOS supporter. This year marks the twentieth anniversary for the ArtBeat Event, and ACOS is anticipating a fantastic turnout. Details are still being worked out, and help is needed. If you are interested in donating art pieces or auction items, or you’d like to volunteer to make this year’s ArtBeat extraspecial, contact George Marley at georgem@aidscareos.org.

Options | February 2017

partner’s) status by getting tested frequently pays off in lots of ways. If your test comes back positive, you’ll be able to get medicine and support right away, which can typically lessen the negative effects of HIV. If your test comes back negative, you’ll know that your safer sex strategies are paying off—just keep in mind that HIV can take several months to appear on a test.

February Safe Sex At ACOS, we think of every month as safe sex month. With long winter nights and Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s natural that love (and sex) will be in the air, and it’s the perfect time to review some safer-sex techniques and strategies that can help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections(STIs). If you’re sexually active, take a moment to review the following list.

ACOS offers testing at several locations throughout Rhode Island, where trained, supportive staff can help you understand your results. Visit aidscareos.org/ GetTested to find out more. Whether your test comes back positive or not, ACOS can connect you with medical, psychological, and social services right away to help you stay healthy. Communication: Having a serious conversation on safe sex with your partner before you engage in a sexual act is one of the best ways to know what you’re getting into. Asking a person’s status (and being willing to disclose your own), discussing what safe sex actually means to you and your partner, and discussing any concerns you have about STIs can help you make informed decisions and help keep you healthy.q

Abstinence: The most effective, most unrealistic, and least-fun safe-sex technique; abstinence offers the most total protection from HIV, pregnancy, and virtually all sexually transmitted infections. Condoms: When proply used, condoms offer the best protection from HIV and pregnancy as well as many, but not all STIs for sexually active people. Both male and female latex condoms offer excellent protection by stopping the exchange of bodily fluids. Condoms come in a variety of sizes, colors, and flavors. Our prevention center has safe sex kits that help you stay safe. Pick one up at our Broadmed facility located at 557 Broad St, Providence, or visit AidsCareOS.org/ GetTested/FreeSafeSexKits to order . Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): PrEP is a medical intervention that protects you from getting HIV. Truvada is the brand name for the medication used as PrEP. When used properly, PrEP can reduce the risk of infection in high risk people by greather than 90 percent. ACOS is working with The Miriam Hospital’s Infectious Disease Center to make PrEP available for people who qualify. Call the ACOS Prevention Center at 401-781-0665 for more information on PrEP and to find out if it is right for you. Knowing your status: Any general will tell you that war favors the well-informed. Knowing your (and your

Options | February 2017

AIDS Care Ocean State provides comprehensive AIDS services, supportive housing, emergency funds, and a Speakers Bureau. Located at 18 Parkis Avenue, Providence. (401) 521-3603. Appointments: (401) 781-0665. aidscareos.org.

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OUT ON THE TOWN

Imperial Court of RI’s Halves Show at Mira Bar, a benefit for AIDS Care Ocean State & the Alzheimer’s Association — January 14. Photos by Jen Bonin.

Para Dylan fashion show at RISE at Rooftop at Providence G hosted by Mr. Gay Rhode Island 2016 Joe DiMauro — January 15. Photos by Ryan Clarke and Ryan Welch.

Options | February 2017

Imperial Court of RI’s Halves Brunch, held at The Village — January 15. Photos by Jen Bonin.

Imperial Court of RI’s Tacky Holiday Party at Mira Bar, a benefit for Youth Pride Inc. — January 21. Photos by Jen Bonin.

Options | February 2017

Loving Openly R

elationships are challenging. They demand a level of kindness, communication, and selfawareness that is hard to perfect and even harder to maintain. This is true for all relationships, whether they’re monogamous or not. People who are monogamous, however, have many resources to help guide them towards fulfillment and relationship health. If you are monogamous, all you have to do is open a book or turn on the television

to see your own relationship style reflected in the world around you. If you see a therapist (either alone or with your par tner) your therapist will have training and experience working with people like you. If you ask your friends for relationship advice, they’ll probably be able to give it. Those of us who practice nonmonogamy—in the form of polyamory, sexual openness, or something else entirely—are somewhat less for tunate in that regard. Non-

monogamy has historically been vilified in the United States as deviant or unwholesome, so there are very few representations of healthy non-monogamous relationships in popular media. Because of this, not all therapists, friends, or family members are receptive to the idea that nonmonogamous relationship styles can be healthy and valid. This lack of representation and validation can make non-monogamy hard to manage for a few reasons.

Options | February 2017

Navigating Open and Non-Monogamous Relationships by Noah Bogdonoff

First, because nearly everyone is socialized to believe that monogamy is the only healthy choice, exploring non-monogamy can bring up feelings of guilt, shame, or fear. Anyone who’s struggled to accept their gender identity or sexual orientation knows this feeling—going against the dominant narrative can make us anxious and defensive when we mean to be loving and compassionate. Additionally, because they haven’t seen many examples of healthy non-

Options | February 2017

monogamy, it is often harder for people in non-monogamous relationships to recognize and address unhealthy and abusive behaviors. This isn’t because non-monogamy promotes unhealthy behaviors. All relationships rely on the same basic emotional and social skills, but when you’re flying blind, it’s hard to stay airborne. Despite these challenges, people find love, comfor t, and fulfilment in nonmonogamy every day. That’s why the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health

(CSPH) has star ted Loving Openly, an eight-week suppor t group for people in open and non-monogamous relationships. It’s a chance to build community, and gain knowledge and skills that will help carry you towards relationships that work for you. The next section of Loving Openly star ts in May. If you’re interested in signing up, please call the CSPH at 489-5513 or email therapy@thecsph. org. q

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Options | February 2017

RESOURCES Options originated in 1982 as the offical newsletter of the Rhode Island Gay Task Force. Editor Jos Fayette explained, “The RIGTF wants to make the homosexual community aware of their options as gay men and women in Rhode Island. And it’s only because we live, work, love, and play in this state that there are such a large number of options available to all of us.” Options has always, and will continue to print LGBTQ resources so that you can, as Fayette went on to say, “Exercise your OPTIONS

Addiction Support Groups

AA Brothers in Sobriety: Saturday 7:30pm. 372 Wayland Avenue, Providence. 751-9328. AddictionCenter.com: Web information guide for addiction resources nationwide. Or call 1-877-830-2915. Alcohol/Drug Helpline: RI Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence. 24hr. (866) 252-3784. RI LGBT AA Group: Tuesdays 7 -- 8 pm Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell St., Providence, 273-5678. All are welcome. Seven Hills Behavioral Health: Addiction support services and Narcan. 1173 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA, 508999-4159. 310 S. Main Street, Fall River, MA, 508-235-1012. Leonard Amaral, Program Manager, lamaral@sevenhills.org. Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous: 12-step program. Fridays at 7pm. Providence Presbyterian Church, 500 Hope Street, Providence, side entrance, downstairs to the left. Gay, but all are welcome. YPQT (Young People Queer, Trans) meeting of AA. Fridays 7:30 -- 8:30pm., Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, 250 Main St., Pawtucket. 489-5513.

AIDS/Health Resources

Afia Center for Health & Wholeness: Meals, food pantry, HIV support groups, recreational and social activities. Sponsored by AIDS Project RI. Free to clients.. Wed. and Thurs. 12 -- 3pm. 134 Mathewson St., Providence. John Fruscella, 831-5522, Ext. 3835. AIDS Action Hotline: MA only. (800) 235-2331. www.aac.org. AIDS Care Ocean State: Confidential HIV & Hep C testing, safersex supplies, case management, emergency funds, clinical services, assisted and supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, street outreach, ENCORE, HIV+ support groups. Speaker’s Bureau, 18 Parkis Ave., Providence. 521-3603 (call 781-0665 to schedule an appointment). www.aidscareos.org. AIDS Project RI: Division of Family Service of RI. Case management, buddies, COBRA and dental services, emergency fund, mental health counseling, nutrition support, assessment and referral, wellness programs, advocacy, strength training, prevention education, HIV testing. 9 Pleasant Street, Providence. 831-5522 www.aidsprojectri.org.

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today to make positive changes in your life tomorrow.”

Help us help you! Email info@optionsri.org if you come across a resource listing that needs updating. New, updated, and featured resources are highlighted. Phone numbers are in the 401 area code and addresses are in Rhode Island, unless otherwise indicated.

AIDS Quilt RI: Displays local AIDS memorial quilt panels, panelmaking programs including Anna’s Workshop, HIV/AIDS education for young people. PO Box 2591, Newport. 434-4880. admin@ aidsquiltri.org. www.aidsquiltri.org. Brown University AIDS Program: Clinical trials, public policy, research, lectures, conferences, patient and community education. 121 South Main Street, Second Floor, Providence. 863-6790. brunap@brown.edu. brown.edu/Departments/BRUNAP. Community Care Alliance: Case management, support, personal care items for people living with HIV/AIDS in northern Rhode Island. 245 Main Street, Woonsocket. 235-6092. lcohen@famresri.org. Comprehensive Community Action Programs: Medical, mental health, dental, social services, LGBT outreach. 311 Doric Avenue, Cranston. Also Coventry, Pawtucket, and Warwick. 467-9610. Gabriel Care, LLC: Nursing/social worker case management and financial compensation for assistance and supervision for those living with HIV. MassHealth funded for MA residents. 376 South Main Street, Fall River, MA. Contact Jenn, (508) 678-1002. HIV Antibody Testing: Anonymous. Free or sliding scale. RI Department of Health. Providence, Newport and other locations. 222-2320. Home and Hospice Care of RI: Medical care management for HIV/AIDS. 24hr nursing staff for treatment. 1085 North Main Street, Providence. Referrals: 782-0725. Bereavement groups: Contact John Charette, 727-7079. Main Office: 415-4200 or toll-free 800338-6555. www.hhcri.org. House of Compassion: HIV/AIDS housing. 2510 Mendon Road, Cumberland. 658-3992. LGBT Caregiver Online Support Group: For LGBTs caring for someone with chronic health problems. www.caregiver.org Luis E. Martinez House CHS, Inc.: Supportive, permanent housing for 10 adults living with HIV/AIDS and/or substance abuse. New Bedford, MA. Contact Joe Taylor. (508) 984-7514. Partners in Learning About AIDS: Outreach to minorities, women of color, and LGBT community at clubs and other locations. North Providence office provides free condoms and information about STIs and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. 1006 Charles Street, Suite 5, North Providence. 484-7523. info@plaidsproject. org. www.plaidsproject.org

Planned Parenthood of So. New England: Confidential, lowcost, same-day & walk-in STD and HIV testing. Commonsense approach to health. 111 Point St., Providence. 800-230-7526. www.ppsne.org. Prima CARE Transgender Clinic: Fall River, MA. Counseling, hormonal reassignment, referrals for surgery. Kishore Lakshman, MD. 508-235-0481. Seven Hills HIV Prevention & Screening: TWIST program, HIV and STI prevention and testing, partner care. 1173 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA, 508-999-4159. 310 S. Main Street, Fall River, MA, 508-235-1012. Contact Leonard Amaral, lamaral@sevenhills.org. SSTAR (Stanley Street Treatment & Resources): Counseling, drug treatment, detox, domestic violence programs, free and confidential HIV, HEP C, and STD testing, education, case management and support. MA and RI locations. 386 Stanley Street, Fall River, MA. (508) 679-5222. Project Aware (HIV/HCV); (508) 324-3561. Family Healthcare Center; (508) 675-1054. www.sstar.org. Steppingstone, Inc.: Welcome Home Medical case management program. One-on-one peer support in Somerset to Wareham area. HIV support groups available. Free and open to any HIV+ person 18+. 5 Dover Street, New Bedford, MA. (508) 984-7514. www.steppingstoneinc.org. Tranquil Mind & Wellness: Counseling, alternative healing, yoga, Pilates, meditation.109 Rhode Island Road, Lakeville, MA. (508) 947-1683. www.tranquilmind.net. Thundermist Health Center: Provides HIV/AIDS services including medical care and treatment by an HIV specialist, dental care, behavioral health counseling, nutritional assessment and counseling, pharmacy consultation, free and confidential HIV testing. 450 Clinton Street, Woonsocket. Contact Philip Kane. 7674100 ext. 3516.

Information/Education The Center for Sexual Pleasure & Health: Education, pleasure, health, advocacy. Tues. -- Sat. 12 -- 6 and by appointment. 250 Main Street, Unit 1, Pawtucket. 489-5513. www.thecsph.org. Fenway Community Center LGBT Helpline: Support, information and referrals. Fenway Community Health Center, Boston. Open daily 6-11pm. (617) 267-9001 or 888-340-452 GLBT National Help Center Hotline: Local resources nationwide provided by social services agency. 888-843-4564. www.glbtnationalhelpcenter.org. Newport Out: LGBT website for Newport. www.newportout.com. RILGBT-News: Low-volume email distribution list for LGBT & AIDS news from RI. Not a discussion list. To subscribe: tinawood@cox.net. South Coast LGBTQ Network: Information & advocacy network for individuals of all ages. 774-371-0711. info@ sclgbtqnetwork.org. www.sclgbtqnetwork.org. United Way of RI Referral Line: 2-1-1 on your telephone.

Nightlife The Alley Cat Providence: Downtown neighborhood bar. Monday-Thursday 3pm-1am, Friday 3pm-2am, Saturday 2pm2am, Sunday 2pm-1am. 19 Snow Street, Providence. 272-6369. Bobby’s Place: Dancing, pool, video lounge, karaoke. SundayWednesday 5pm-1am, Thursday-Saturday 5pm-2am. 62 Weir Street, Taunton, MA. (508) 824-9997. www.bobbysplacema.com. Brooklyn Coffee Tea House: 209 Douglas Ave., Providence: public/private venue for music, art, film screenings, weddings, showers, etc. RHODYWOOD@yahoo.com; 359-0192. Club Body Center: Gay men’s sauna. Membership required. One-day pass available. Open 24hr. 257 Weybosset Street, Providence. 274-0298. www.cbcresorts.com. The Dark Lady: Downtown bar and nightclub. TuesdayThursday 9pm-1am, Friday & Saturday 9pm-3am, Sunday 9pm1am. 17 Snow Street, Providence. 272-6369. EGO: Providence’s newest gay nightlife performance/event space. Sunday and Thursday 9pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 10pm-3am, 73 Richmond St, Providence. 383-1208. www.egopvd.com. Indigo Lounge: 599 Tiogue Ave, Coventry RI 02816. Breakfast buffet, specialty pizzas, T Dances, live entertainment, karaoke Thurs. Hours vary, closed Mon. www.indigopizza.com. Mirabar: Downtown bar and nightclub. Monday-Thursday 3pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 3pm-2am, Sunday 3pm-1am. 15 Elbow Street, Providence. 331-6761. www.mirabar.com. Providence Eagle: Leather, Levi, bear cruise bar. MondayThursday 2pm-1am, Friday 2pm-2am, Saturday-Sunday 12pm2am. 124 Snow Street, Providence. 421-1447. The Stable: Downtown video bar. No cover. Monday-Thursday 2pm-1am, Friday 2pm-2am, Saturday 12pm-2am, Sunday 12pm1am. 125 Washington Street, Providence. 272-6950. The Village: Downtown Providence’s newest LGBT owned and operated restaurant and live entertainment venue. Lunch & dinner Wednesday through Sunday for varying hours. 373 Richmond St. 228-7222, www.thevillageri.com

Political & Legal Groups American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): 128 Dorrance Street, Suite 220, Providence. 831-7171. riaclu.org. Amnesty International OUTfront: Program to campaign globally for LGBTQ human rights. (212)807-8400. Cvohs18904@yahoo.com. www.amnestyusa.org. Brown University Queer Alliance: Student advocacy and support organization. queer@brown.edu. Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD): LGBT/ HIV legal info hotline. Weekdays 1:30-4:30pm. 30 Winter Street, Suite 800, Boston, MA. (617) 436-1350 or (800) 455-GLAD. gladlaw@glad.org www.GLAD.org. Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund: 120 Wall Street,

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Suite 1500, NY. (212) 809-8585. www.lambdalegal.org. Lawyers for Equality and Diversity (LEAD): Advocates for LGBT causes. lawyersforequality@gmail.com. National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Assoc./New England: Works for fair and accurate media coverage of LGBT issues. info@nlgja.org, www.nlgja.org. The Next Thing (TNT): Political and support group for queer people of color located at Brown University. 863-3062. tnt@brown.edu. RI Commission on Prejudice and Bias: Hate crime awareness training program. www.hatecrimeri.org. RI Socialist Action: 952-5385, adgagneri@gmail.com. Spanish: 351-3514, walsil@cox.net. RI Human Rights Commission: Anti-discrimination law enforcement agency with jurisdiction in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. 180 Westminster Street, 3rd floor, Providence. 222-2662 TTY: 222-2664, richr.ri.gov. Scouts for Equality: An organization composed largely of Boy Scouts of America alumni dedicated to ending the BSA’s ban on gay members and leaders. Contact Carol Crowther. ccrowther1@gmail.com. Facebook.com/riscoutsforequality. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: Serving LGBT military personnel and veterans. PO Box 65301, Washington DC. (202) 328-3244. or (800) 538-7418. sldn@sldn.org. www. sldn.org.

Religious & Spiritual All Saints Memorial Church: 674 Westminster Street, Providence. 751-1747. asmcri@verizon.net. www.allsaintsmemorial.org. Amicable Congregational Church: UCC. Open & Affirming. Pastor William Sterrett. Sunday 10am. 3736 Main Road,Tiverton. 624-4611. amicablechurch@aol.com, www.amicablechurch.org. Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists: robin@awab.org, www.awab.org. Barrington Congregational Church: UCC. “The white church.” Sundays 10am. 461 County Road, Barrington. 246-0111. office@bccucc.org, www.bccucc.org. Bell Street Chapel: Unitarian Universalist. A Welcoming Congregation. Rev. Margaret Weis. Sundays 10am. 5 Bell Street, Providence. 273-5678. www.bellstreetchapel.org. Beneficent Congregational Church: UCC. An Open & Affirming congregation in the heart of Providence. Sundays 10am. 300 Weybosset Street, Providence. 331-9844. BeneficentChurchUCC@ gmail.com, www.beneficentchurch.org. Berean Baptist Church: A safe and welcoming place for all God’s children. Sunday 10am. 474 Chapel Street, Harrisville. 568-5411. bereanbaptist@verizon.net. www.bereanri.net Calvary United Methodist Church of Middletown: LGBTQ early dementia support group. Contact Amy. Sundays 10:30am. 200 Turner Road, Middletown. 847-6181, www.middletownmethodist.com. Central Congregational Church: UCC. An Opening & Affirming

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Congregation. Sundays 10:30am. 296 Angell Street, Providence. 3311960. www.centralchurch.us. Channing Memorial Church: Unitarian Universalist. A Welcoming Congregation. Sundays 10am. 135 Pelham Street, Newport. 846-0643. administrator@channingchurch.org. www.channingchurch.org. The Chapel of the Holy Spirit: Independent Old Catholic. Fr. Jakob Lazarus. Sunday 9am and 6pm. 155 Douglas Avenue, Providence. 413-4821. www.holyparaclete.org. Charter Oak Grove ADF: An Open andWelcoming Congregation of Neo-pagan Druids in CT. charteroakadf@gmail.com, www.charteroakadf.org. Christ Church in Lonsdale: Episcopal. 1643 Lonsdale Avenue, Lincoln. Services 8am and 10:30am. 725-1920. office@christchurchlincoln.org. www.christchurchlincoln.org. Church of the Ascension, 390 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, RI 02910. Sundays at 10am. 461-5811. www.ascensioncranston.org. Church of the Epiphany: A diverse Open & Affirming Episcopal congregation. 1336 Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence. 434-5012. info@epiphanyep.org, www.epiphanyep.org. Church of the Redeemer, a Welcoming Episcopal church. 655 Hope St., Providence. www.redeemerprovidence.org. office@ redeemerprovidence.org. Rev. Patrick Campbell, 331-0678. Concordia Center for Spiritual Living: A diverse community welcoming all spiritual paths to God. Sunday Celebration 9:15am. 292 W. Shore Rd., Warwick. Rev. Ian Taylor, 732-1552. info@concordiachurchri.com. www.ConcordiaCSL.com. Edgewood Congregational Church: UCC. Open & Affirming. Service 10am. 1788 Broad Street, Cranston. 461-1344. office@edgewoodchurchri.org. www.edgewoodchurchri.org. Emmanuel Episcopal Church: Sundays 8 and 9:30am. 120 Nate Whipple Highway, Cumberland. 658-1506. office@emmanuelri.org. www.emmanuelri.org. First Unitarian Church: A welcoming congregation. Sunday 10:30am. 1 Benevolent Street, Providence. 421-7970. admin@firstunitarianprov.org, www.firstunitarianprov.org. First Unitarian Church: Service 11am. 71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA. (508) 994-9686. admin@uunewbedford.org, www.uunewbedford.org. First Universalist Society: UU. Welcoming congregation. Samegender weddings. 262 Chestnut Street, Franklin, MA. (508) 5285348. fusf@verizon.net, www.fusf.org. Foxboro Universalist Church: UUA. Service 10am. 6 Bird Street, Foxboro, MA. 508-543-4002. chair@uufoxborough.org. www. uufoxborough.org. Grace Episcopal Church in Providence: 175 Mathewson Street, Providence. 331-3225. hello@gracechurchprovidence.org. www. gracechurchprovidence.org. Hopedale Unitarian Parish: Sundays 10:30 am. 65 Hopedale St., Hopedale, MA. www.hopedaleunitarian.org, 508-473-0745. Rev. Tony Lorenzen.

Immanuel Lutheran Church: A Reconciling in Christ congregation. Pastor Sandra Demmler D’Amico. 647 North Main Street,Attleboro, MA. (508) 222-2898. www.immanuellc.org. Interweave at Channing Memorial UU Church: Organization for the spiritual, political and social well-being of LGBTQ persons, and their allies, confronting oppression. 135 Pelham Street, Newport. 846-0643. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd: A “Reconciling in Christ” congregation (Welcoming). 3383 Old North Rd., Kingston, RI. Sundays 9 am. Pastor Mary Hansen-Joyce. 7897776; office@goodshepherdri.org Mathewson St. Church: United Methodist. 134 Mathewson Street, Providence. 331-8900. MathewsonStUMC@gmail.com. Mercy of God Community: Christian, inclusive religious order. mercycomm@yahoo.com, www.mgc.org. Murray Unitarian Universalist Church: Marriage and commitment ceremonies for all. Rev. Bob McKetchnie. 505 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA. (508) 222-0505 www.murrayuuchurch.org. Newman Congregational Church: Open & Affirming. 100 Newman Avenue, Rumford. 434-4742. www.newmanucc.org. Newport Congregational Church: UCC. Open & Affirming. Rev. Hayes and Rev. Baker. 73 Pelham Street, Newport. 8492238. Park Place Congregational Church: 71 Park Place, Pawtucket. 726-2800. office@ppucc.necoxmail.com, www. parkplaceucc.com. The Pub Church: An Open & Affirming church that meets in a pub. Location may change. Saturday 5pm. The Dugout, 722 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA. thepubchurch@gmail. com. Pilgrim Lutheran Church: An inclusive congregation. Sundays 8 and 9:30am. 1817 Warwick Avenue, Warwick. 739-2937. parishasst@pilgrimlutheranri.org, pilgrimlutheranri.jimdo.com. Pilgrim United Church of Christ: Open and Affirming. 635 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA. (508)-997-9086. Riverside Church: UCC.15 Oak Avenue, Riverside. Service 10am. 433-2039. www.rcc-ucc.com. St. Augustine’s Church and Episcopal Center at URI: 15 Lower College Road, Kingston. 783-2153. Sundays 8am and 10am. StAugustinesChurch@necoxmail.com, www.staugustineuri.org. St. James Church: Episcopal. 474 Fruit Hill Avenue, North Providence. 353-2079. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church: Sundays 8 and 10am. 50 Orchard Avenue, Providence. 751-2141. StMartinsNB. Secretary@gmail.com, www.stmartinsprov.org. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church: Welcoming Church. Monthly LGBT Eucharist. 136 Rivet Street, New Bedford, MA. (508)9948972. stmartins1887@comcast.com, www.stmartinsma.org. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: Sundays 9am. 50 Park Place, Pawtucket. 728-4300. office@stpaulspawtucket.org, www.stpaulspawtucket.org.

St. Paul’s Church: A welcoming Episcopal church. Sundays 9am. 2679 East Main Street, Portsmouth. 683-1164. stpaulsportsmouthri.org. St. Peter & St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church: 25 Pomona Avenue, Providence. 272-9649.stpanda25@verizon.net. www.stpeters-standrews.org. Saint Therese Old Catholic Church: Open & Affirming. Fr. David Martins. Sunday 10:30am. 1500 Main St., W. Warwick, RI 02893. 680-9076. stocc134@gmail.com, www.saintthereseocc.org. Second Congregational Church of Attleboro: UCC. Open & Affirming. 50 Park Street, Attleboro, MA. Sunday 10am. (508) 222-4677. office2nd@verizon.net. www. attleborosecondchurch.org. Seekonk Congregational Church: Open & Affirming. Sundays 9 and 10:30am. Rev. Joy Utter, 600 Fall River Ave., Seekonk, MA. (508) 336-9355. sccucc@verizon.net. www.scc-ucc.com. Soka Gakkai: Buddhist association for peace, culture, and education. Contact for weekly meetings in Providence. 930 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. (617) 264-2000. www.sgi-usa.org. Temple Agudas Achim: Reconstructionist congregation. 901 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA. (508) 222-2243. office@agudasma.org, www.agudasma.org. Temple Beth-El: Rabbi Sarah E. Mack. 70 Orchard Avenue, Providence. 331-6070. info@temple-beth-el.org, www.temple-beth-el.org. Temple Emanu-El: A welcoming Conservative congregation. Rabbi Wayne Franklin. 99 Taft Avenue, Providence. 331-1616. info@teprov.org, www.teprov.org. Temple Habonim: A warm, Welcoming Reform congregation. Rabbi Andrew Klein. 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. 2456536. office@templehabonim.org, www.templehabonim.org. Temple Sinai: A Welcoming Reform temple. Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser, 30 Hagen Avenue, Cranston. 942-8350. webmaster@templesinairi.org, www.templesinairi.org. Unitarian Church in Fall River: Sunday 10:30am. 309 North Main Street, Fall River, MA. 508-678-9700. office@unitarianchurchfr.org, www.unitarianchurchfr.org. Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven: Service 10:30am. 102 Green Street, Fairhaven, MA. (508) 992-7081. www.uufairhaven.org. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County: 27 North Road, Peace Dale. 783-4170 or Val 789-7282. uucscri@ yahoo.com. www.uusouthcountyri.org. United Congregational Church, 524 Valley Rd., Middletown RI 02842. A Welcoming congregation. Sunday, 10 am. www.UCCMiddletown.org. 849-5444. Westminster Unitarian Universalist Church: A UUA Welcoming Congregation. 119 Kenyon Avenue, East Greenwich. 884-5933. www.westminsteruu.org.

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Social Organizations Bisexual Resource Center: PO Box 170796, Boston, MA. (617) 4249595. brc@bicresource.net www.biresource.net. Biversity Boston: Mixed-gender social events for Boston and the surrounding area. (617) 424-9595. biversity-subscribe@biversity.org, www.biversity.org. Boston Bisexual Women’s Network: Social activities including monthly brunches, coming out groups and quarterly newsletter “Bi Woman Quarterly.” www.biwomenboston.org. Cape and Islands Gay & Straight Youth Alliance (CIGSYA): 56 Barnstable Road, Hyannis, MA. (508) 778-7744. info@cisgsya.org, www.cigsya.org. Communisong: For unity through song. Non-performance monthly singing session. www.communisong.net. Gay Men’s Social Group: FirstTuesdays,6 -- 9pm,Seven Hills Behavioral Health, 1177 Acushnet Ave., New Bedford, MA. Refreshments. Info: Lenny Amaral, 508-999-4159 or lamaral@sevenhills.org. Imperial Court of RI at Providence: Drag and non-drag performers raise funds for local charities. All welcome to general membership meetings on first Monday at Dark Lady, 17 Snow Street, Providence. icri.prov@gmail.com. www.icriprov.org. Mixed Borders Gardening Group: Gardening and more. Monthly meetings, all welcome. Mixedborders@cox.net. www.mixedborders.com. Opera Club: Enjoy hearing and attending. Last Sunday of each month at 1pm. BrettCornellpi4@aol.com. Providence Gay Men’s Chorus: New season rehearsals begin in January and August. Singers and non-singing volunteers welcome. Monday 7-9:30pm. Beneficent Church, 300 Weybosset Street, Providence. www.provgmc.org. Queer Book Club: 3rd Wednesday, 7pm. Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street, Providence, queerbookclub@gmail.com. RI Association of Gay Professionals: Networking and philanthropy. www.riagp.com. RI Parents Pride: Gay parents socializing together with their children. Contact Melanie. 464-2288. saphicangel120@yahoo.com. RI Pride: Open house 4th Wednesdays. Festival & Parade 3rd Saturday in June. Office: 1055 Westminster St., Providence 02903. Mail: PO Box 1082, Providence, 02903. 467-2130. info@prideri.com, www.prideri.com. RI Prime Timers: Social and networking group for older gay and bi men. Second Sunday. Call Steve, 996-3010. www.riprimetimers.org. RI Skeptics Society: Yearning to talk with someone rational? Refreshing discussion. Fourth Saturday. East Providence restaurant location. www. meetup.com/skeptics-133/. RI Women’s Association: Lesbian social group. 21+. Dances & events. www.riwa.net SAGE/RI (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders): Advocacy, education and social events for LGBT seniors. SAGE-RI at CareLink, 1 Virginia Ave., Providence, RI 02905. 443-4451. sageriinfo@gmail.com. www.sage-ri.org. SEMASSMEN: Social group for GBQ men of southeastern MA & RI to foster strong friendships. Semassmen-subscribe@

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yahoogroups.com. rlevass@yahoo.com. Smart Monkey Gay Men’s Support Group. Meets twice monthly in Cranston to learn about integrity, intimacy and male roles. Write Paul (ctripaul@yahoo.com) or Steve (43dadzone@gmail.com). South Coast Social Club for Gay & Bisexual Men: Social and networking opportunities for gay & bisexual men in S.E. Mass. www. southeastsocialclub.com. Yankee Lambda Car Club: Regional club for GLBT vintage and specialty car enthusiasts. www.yankeelcc.com.

Sports & Recreation

PrideSports Boston: Network of twenty-plus gay sports leagues/teams in Boston area. www.pridesportsboston.com. Boston Gay BASKETBALL League: ksg.bgbl@gmail.com, www.bgbl.com. BOATING: Yankee Cruising Club, New England’s club for LGBTQ boaters. www.yankeecruising.org. yankeecruisingclub@ gmail.com. Keith (508) 423-6123. Big Gay Al’s Duckpin BOWLING League: Proceeds benefit AIDS causes. Tuesday 6:30pm. 1463 Atwood Avenue, Town Hall Lanes, Johnston. Contact Frank Ferri. 831-6940.www. bgalbowling.com. www.townhalllanes.com. FIELD HOCKEY: Teamworks Somerset, 732 Lee’s River Ave., Somerset, MA. New season every 10 weeks. (508-676-3956) info@teamworkssomerset.com GALA Bowling League: Sundays 5:50 p.m., E. Providence Lanes, 80 Newport Ave., E. Providence. Season begins in Aug. View us on Facebook or email galabowling1990@gmail.com. FLAG (For Lesbians And Gays) FOOTBALL: Bostonbased recreational football club. All skill levels are encouraged to participate. Saturday mornings in the fall and spring. www. flagflagfootball.com. Boston Pride HOCKEY: www.bostonpridehockey.org. Rondeaus KICKBOXING: 272-5425. www. rondeauskickboxing.com. Main Street MARTIAL ARTS: Non-profit. Welcoming dojo and community center. 1282 North Main Street, Providence. 274-7672.www.mainstma.org. Chiltern Mountain Club: OUTDOOR recreation club in New England. events@chiltern.org. www.chiltern.org. Boston Gay ROWERS: Worldwide online community for gay and lesbian rowers, coxies, coaches, and race officials. www.glrf. org. Boston Ironsides RUGBY Football: www.bostonironsides.org. Providence Women’s RUGBY Club: Competitive and recreational. www.providencerugby.com Frontrunners Rhode Island RUNNING Group: Running and walking group. Newcomers welcome. Meet at the end of Blackstone Boulevard at Hope Street, Providence. Thursday 6pm. Contact Brian. 751-7643. bripm@cox.net, frontrunnersri@ gmail.com Frontrunners Boston RUNNING Group: Morning walk/ run along the Charles River. Saturdays,10am. Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA. www.frontrunnersboston.org.

OutRyders SKIING: New Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest gay and lesbian ski and snowboard club. www.outryders.org. Boston Strikers SOCCER Club: Non-profit social organization to learn and improve soccer skills in a relaxed, congenial environment. www.bostonstrikers.com. Renaissance City SOFTBALL League: New players and boosters always welcome. www.providencesoftball.org. Beantown SOFTBALL League: Friendly competition. 27 teams in four divisions of play: competitive, intermediate, and recreational. (617) 297-7490. www.beantownsoftball.com. LANES (Liquid Assets New England SWIMMING): Fitness and/or competition. (617) 937-5858. www.swim-lanes.org. TENNIS-4-All: Boston area tennis organization. www. tennis4all.org. Cambridge Boston VOLLEYBALL Association: Players of all skill levels welcome. secretary@cbvolleyball.net www.gayvolleyball.net. Ocean State Pride VOLLEYBALL League: Adult coed indoor league following USVBA rules. No try-outs. Fee applies. Kent County YMCA, 900 Centerville Road, Warwick. ospvolleyball@gmail.com. East Coast WRESTLING Club: (617)937.5858 x6. ecwc@juno.com. www.eastcoastwrestlingclub.org.

Students & Youth Bristol Community College The Lambda Connection: (TLC@BCC) Robert Delaleu, Advisor; BCC-G118, 777 Elsbree St., Fall River, MA (774)357-4056. Brown University Queer Alliance: Umbrella organization at Brown University for LGBTQ groups. 863-3062. queer@brown. edu or lgbtq@brown.edu. CCRI Triangle Alliance: an LGBTQQ student-run group at CCRI, on the Flanagan, Liston, and Knight campuses. www.ccri. edu/triangle/. LGBT National Youth Talkline: 800-246-7743. Private oneto-one chat and info on local resources. Peer Listening Line: Youth-staffed hotline for GLBT youth. Support, info and referrals. 5-10pm. Fenway Community Health Center, Boston, MA. (617) 267-9001 or (800) 399-PEER. www. fenwayhealth.org. Queer & Trans Thursdays: 6-8pm. Space for LGBTQ and heterosexual youth (24 and under) of color to foster coalitionbuilding and organize to address intersections of oppressions. 669 Elmwood Ave., Rm. B7, Providence. www.prysm.us. 383-7450. Salve Regina University â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Alliance: 100 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport. Contact: Benjamin Mead, benjamin.mead@ salve.edu S.H.E.P.A.R.D. (Stopping Homophobia, Eliminating Prejudices and Restoring Dignity): Providence College, 1

Cunningham Square, Providence. 865-1631. shepard@providence.edu. The Trevor Project: The only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBT youth. Also offers social networks. (866)4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386). thetrevorproject.org. University of RI LGBTIQ2: Alumni association. 874-5808. gsimonelli@uri.edu. URI LGBTQ Center: A cultural department for students, faculty and staff. Florence Badejo. 874-2894. Youth Pride Inc.: Support, education & advocacy for LGBTQQ young people ages 13--23. Tues. -- Fri. 2 -- 8pm. The Way Out peer support group Thurs. 4pm. Gender Spectrum support group Tues. 4pm. Visit our website for full calendar of events. 743 Westminster St., Providence. 421-5626. info@youthprideri.org. www.youthprideri.org.

Support Groups & Social Services Abuse Victims and Survivors: Support on phone for LGBTQ victims & survivors of partner abuse. Confidential peer-led groups. Hotline: (617) 742-4911. TTY: (617) 227-4911. advocate@tnlr.org. Adoption Options: Non-sectarian help. Jewish Family Service, 959 North Main Street, Providence. Contact Betsy Alper. 3315437. www.adoptionoptions.org. Child & Family Services: Counseling, young parent support, adoption, more. LGBT groups beginning July. Open six days. 66 Troy St., Fall River, MA. (508) 676-5708. www.childfamilyservices.org Community Care Alliance: Stipend, assistance, training provided by Family Resources Community Action. 235-6095. www.famresri.org. Family Service RI: Training, stipend, support provided for nurturing families. Family Service of RI. Contact Gregary Wright. 331-1350 ext. 3305. www.familyserviceri.org. Foster parents needed: For newborn to age six. 276-4300. www.childrensfriendri.org. Seven Hills Behavioral Health: HIV Prevention and Screening. 310 South Main Street, Fall River, MA. (508) 235-1012. T.W.I.S.T. (508) 672-0378. Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center: Offering resources for victims of domestic violence. 723-3057. www.bvadvocacycenter.org. Compass: FTM trans info, support and social group. Boston first Thursday 7-9pm. compassftm@gmail.com. www.compassftm.org. Crossroads RI Hotline: (800) 367-2700. Day One: Counseling & legal aid for victims of sexual assault/ abuse & incest. 24hr hotline. (800) 494-8100. 421-4100. www.dayoneri.org.

Options | February 2017

Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County: Support, court advocacy, counseling, safe home, info for women and men in abusive or controlling relationships. 24hr free and confidential helpline. 782-3990 or toll free 800-494-8100, www.dvrcsc.org. Gay Fathers of Greater Boston: Support. 738 Main St. #323, Waltham, MA. (781) 333-8429. info@gayfathersboston.org, www.gayfathersboston.org. Gay Men’s HIV+ Social Group: Third Tuesdays, 6 -- 9pm. Refreshments. Seven Hills Behavioral Health, 1177 Acushnet Ave., New Bedford, MA. Info: Lenny Amaral, 508-999-4159 or email lamaral@sevenhills.org. Gay Officers Action League (GOAL)/New England: Law enforcement officers (sworn & civilian), fire, rescue & publicly employed EMS. Confidential. P.O. Box 171587, Boston, MA 02117. www.newenglandgoal.org. On Facebook at NewEnglandGOAL. Gay Share: Coming Out? Gay men’s support group. No fee. Wednesday 7:30pm. Contact Tom or Mike. 369-9448. info@ gayshare.org, www.gayshare.org. LGBT Grief Support: Meets regularly at Hope Hospice, 1085 No. Main St.., Providence. Rebecca Sizelove, 415-4301. Helpline for LGBT Youth: Trevor Helpline and social networks for crisis and suicide prevention. 24/7. (866) 4-U-Trevor. HIV+ Gay Men’s Support Group: Refreshments served. AIDS Care Ocean State, 18 Parkis Avenue, Providence. 5213603. New members contact Scott. 640-3108. Kathys’ Group: Free support group for lesbians with cancer or any life-threatening illness. Partners and caregivers welcome. Meets monthly in Providence. 888-5KATHYS. Mantalk of S.E. Mass: Socializing and discussions for gay, bi and curious men. Confidential. Drug and alcohol-free. 18+.Thursdays in Taunton and first Tuesdays in New Bedford. 7-8:30pm. mantalksouthcoast@yahoo.com. MentalHelp.net: National directory of inpatient treatment options for those with substance abuse problems. www. mentalhelp.net/care/substance-abuse/ri/ Partner Support Group at Fenway Health: A ten-week support group with the purpose of building community and connections for anyone who identifies as non-trans, ages 18+, and is in a relationship with a trans* person(s). 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. Contact Sarah Eley, LICSW. 857-313-6551. seley@fenwayhealth.org. PFLAG (Parents, & Friends of Lesbians & Gays): Attleboro Chapter serves Southeast Mass. Third Wednesday 6:45 p.m., Second Congregational Church, 50 Park St. (side door). email pflagattleboro@gmail.com. Greater Providence Chapter serves all R.I. First Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Met School, 325 Public St., Providence. 751-7571. PFLAGprovidence@gmail.com. www. pflagprovidence.org. Rape Crisis Center for S.E. Mass: New Hope, Inc. Advocacy, shelter, services for domestic abuse survivors. Hotline (800) 323-HOPE. Office (508)226-4015. Project RENEW: Support, employment services, HIV

Options | February 2017

prevention for male and female sex workers. Amos House, 415 Friendship St., Providence. 272-0220. Trans support group meets Thurs. Info: transoutreachpwr@gmail.com. Queer & Trans Thursdays: Space for LGBTQ and heterosexual youth (24 and under) of color to foster coalitionbuilding and organize to address intersections of oppressions. 6-8pm. 669 Elmwood Ave., Rm. B7, Providence. www.prysm. us. 383-7450. RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24hr helpline: (800) 494-8100. 467-9940. RI Rainbow Support Group: For people with disabilities who identify as LGBTQ. Last Tuesday. 98 Rolfe Street, Cranston. 6-7:30pm. Contact Ken Renaud. 785-2100. Samaritans: 24hr hotline for suicidal, lonely, despairing, depressed. (800) 365-4044. 272-4044 (RI only). www. samaritansri.org. Sexual Health Education & Advocacy Program: HIV, sexual wellness, domestic violence risk reduction. Free, confidential, bilingual (Spanish). No caller ID used. Calls blocked for safety. 861-6191 ext. 121. Sojourner House: Call for confidential support group. Support, shelter, advocacy and information for people in abusive relationships. Including specific LGBT services. No caller ID used. Outgoing calls blocked for safety. 24hr helpline. 765-3232. 861-6191. Office 861-6191. www.sojournerri.org St. Mary’s Home for Children: Sexual abuse treatment for children. 450 Fruit Hill Ave., No. Providence. www.smhfc.org. Adam Cable, 353-3900. Straight Spouses: Groups and online support. www. straightspouse.org. TGI Network of RI: Support, advocacy for transgender, transsexual, gender-variant and/or intersex people. Borderlands peer group 1st & 3d Tues. and 1st & 3d Sat. of the month. Location & information: 441-5058. info@tginetwork.org. www. tginetwork.org. Trans* Partners New England: Gives romantic partners of transgender people a confidential, safe space to explore the impact of a loved one’s gender identity on their relationships, and to connect with other loved ones of transgender people. First Wednesday 6:30-8:30pm. Providence. Location unpublished for privacy. partners@tginetwork.org. Trans* Youth Family Allies: Support for gender-variant and transgender children ages 3-18. info@imatyfa.org, www.imatyfa. org. Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA): Growing organization to address the concerns of fair treatment of transgender veterans and active duty service members. www.tavausa.org. Women’s Resource Center of Newport and Bristol Counties: Offering services to victims of domestic violence. 846-5263. www.wrcnbc.org.q

Poetry

By Felicia Nimue Ackerman

Harmony

We are fans of our town’s gay men’s chorus, Which we like to promote on our blog. But our singing might make folks deplore us Because each of us sounds like a frog.

Just Saying No When my neighbor found out my son Ray Spent so much of his time at ballet, She asked, “Are you scared that he’s gay?” I said, “No, I’m not scared -- no way!”

Though our musical tone is infernal, Though our singing would make hearers fret, We are proud that our love is eternal, We’re our very own gay men’s duet.

Options | February 2017

Born This Way Prom

FRIDAY APRIL 28th, 2017 Newport Beach Rotunda & Carousel Carousel starts at 6:30, Last dance at 11:00 Free to all LGBTQ High School students and their Allies $10.00 for adults over 18 Proceeds to benefit Youth Pride Inc. & Interweave at Channing Church For more info, email interweave@channingchurch.org

Presented by:

AC ANDERSON 2

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH

COOPER

ANDY

COHEN

DEEP TALK AND SHALLOW TALES

Join Cohen and Cooper for an unscripted, uncensored and unforgettable night of conversation

SATURDAY APRIL 29 TICKETS: VISIT PPAC BOX OFFICE 220 WEYBOSSET STREET, PROVIDENCE 401.421.ARTS(2787) â&#x20AC;¢ PPACRI.ORG