QNotes, July 3-July 16, 2015

July 3-16 . 2015

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inside

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SPECIAL COVERAGE Marriage equality now the law of the land… pages 12-17

news & features

arts. entertainment. news. views.

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News Notes: Regional Briefs News Notes: U.S./World Briefs Charlotte Black Gay Pride Revue Love wins Where we go from here Same-sex marriage quick facts Marriage: Where we’ve been

a&e / life&style 18 20 20 22 23

Dixie Longate can’t be stopped Jane’s World Tell Trinity Q Events Calendar Dishing with Buff Faye

opinions & views 4 4 5 5

Editor’s Note Guest Commentary: Flag Guest Commentary: Marriage Spiritual Reflections

❝ This ruling is a victory for Jim Obergefell and the other plaintiffs in the case. It’s a victory for gay and lesbian couples who have fought so long for their basic civil rights. It’s a victory for their children, whose families will now be recognized as equal to any other. It’s a victory for the allies and friends and supporters who spent years, even decades, working and praying for change to come.

And this ruling is a victory for America. This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts: When all Americans are treated as equal we are all more free. ❞ — President Barack Obama to media in the White House Rose Garden on June 26, 2015.

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qnotes connect July 3-16, 2015 Vol 30 No 05

arts. entertainment. news. views. goqnotes.com twitter.com/qnotescarolinas facebook.com/qnotescarolinas

contributors this issue

Paige Braddock, Isai Efuru, Buff Faye, Matt Comer, David W. Key Sr., Lainey Millen, Jeff Taylor, Trinity

front page

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The focus of QNotes is to serve the LGBT and straight ally communities of the Charlotte region, North Carolina and beyond, by featuring arts, entertainment, news and views content in print and online that directly enlightens, informs and engages the readers about LGBT life and social justice issues.

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editor’s note

by Matt Comer :: matt@goqnotes.com

History reinforces her teachings this Independence Day There’s a reason I love history and why I’ve devoted so much of my academic and personal pursuits to its study. She’s a brilliant teacher and, at times, a remarkable creator of beautiful meaning and symbolism.

That’s exactly what she gave us with the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 5-4 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, expanding the right for samegender couples to marry nationwide. The ruling couldn’t have come at a more perfectly appointed time, handed down on June 26, the anniversary of two other landmark gay rights decisions by the Supreme Court.

One of those landmark cases came two years ago, when the court decided in United States v. Windsor to strike down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and open federal government recognition of same-gender marriages.

Yet, the unique and beautiful symbolism of the anniversary shines even brighter for another case — Lawrence v. Texas. Decided a little over a decade ago on June 26, 2003, the Supreme Court forever put an end to the criminalization of our love.

For many decades and centuries, the love shared between two people of the same gender was illegal, punishable by fines, imprisonment, physical mutilation or castration and, in some eras and jurisdictions, death.

Those punishments were often doled out regardless of who you were or what position you held in society. You could be targeted if your “criminal activity” was a one-time rendezvous or a lifelong, committed relationship.

The law and its enforcers simply did not care.

Even the mere allegation of criminal homosexual activity absent any criminal conviction — often with the arrests of those alleged reported by local newspapers, complete with names, photos and home addresses — could end careers, break up families and lead to violence, sometimes self-inflicted.

After the Supreme Court ruled that private, consensual relationships between people of the same gender could no longer be criminalized, local law enforcement officers across the country often continued their harassment of otherwise law-abiding LGBT citizens. In one 2007 case in Waynesville, N.C., police ensnared a man during a public park sting even though no sexual activity occurred in public. The police report at the time was quite clear: no sex occurred in public and the man didn’t expose himself, engage in any unwanted touching or attempt to exchange sex for money. A qnotes report from the time plainly concluded that “he was cited for merely propositioning another adult male for private, consensual sex” — nothing illegal, especially after Lawrence.

So, it’s quite amazing, then, that only 12 years since Lawrence, our love has moved from criminal sex offense to celebrated and protected as equal in the eyes of the law in every state of our Union.

That’s no small feat and a tremendous victory that’s come at a lightning-fast pace, far quicker than I could have ever imagined.

Indeed, in 2009, I was among many urging caution, unable to see a nationwide marriage equality victory coming so soon. I penned a guest

commentary for Bay Windows, Boston’s LGBT community newspaper, after Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and attorney Mary Bonauto — the visionary lead attorney in several cases opening marriage in Massachusetts and elsewhere — filed suit against the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That case, along with another, would eventually lead to the historic decision in Windsor in 2013 and, ultimately, to Obergefell last month.

At the time, I argued a push to overturn DOMA could lead to backlash in more conservative states like North Carolina. I was right about that — North Carolina became the last state to pass an anti-LGBT marriage amendment in 2012. But the thrust of my opinion and prediction then seems laughable today.

“Will we be left to fight alone?” I asked. “Will we be forgotten? Will we have to wait to be saved by the U.S. Supreme Court some two, three or four decades from now?”

Where I imagined a far-off victory as many as 40 years into our future, history unfolded in unexpected ways, again proving herself a valuable teacher. I was wrong in 2009. Today, I’m glad for it.

One day after this newspaper hits stands, Americans of all stripes will come together to celebrate the 239th anniversary of our birth as a free and independent people among the nations of our world. In Philadelphia and on the steps of Independence Hall, thousands will gather to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first public demonstrations for gay equality. An openly gay descendant of George Washington’s family will be there, joining Sgt. Eric Alva, a gay U.S. Marine who was the first to be wounded during the Irag war, to lead the gathering in the Pledge of Allegiance. Millions of others will join similar celebrations of freedom and liberty. Fireworks will fill the skies.

Patriotic music will sound out from bandstands. Small-town parades will be filled with floats decked out in red, white and blue bunting. Children and adults alike will wave our glorious flag and sing our national anthem. Many will publicly or perhaps privately read the Declaration of Independence. For many LGBT Americans, we will read those most famous of lines — “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” — with a renewed sense of what it means to celebrate more than two centuries of an enduring and expanding freedom in this Great Experiment we all call home.

And the day afterward, we’ll remind ourselves our work is not done. We’ll remember that it took over a century and counting for these initial promises of freedom to begin reaching our African-American siblings, more than two centuries and counting for it to begin reaching LGBT people and that many continue to be denied their basic dignity and equal station as free citizens in a free society. We’ll pick ourselves up and continue experimenting anew — collectively building toward a better and more perfect Union for all of us, remembering that our work in this Great Experiment is ever present and never ending. Because, as Americans, this is what we do. This is what we’ve always done. This is what history teaches us is right and necessary.

Happy Independence Day! : :

guest commentary LGBT organizations speak out on Confederate battle flag The following is a joint letter penned June 23, 2015, by several regional and national LGBT and progressive organizations.

The full list of signatories as of press time appears below the letter.

No state should embrace a symbol that so clearly stands for bigotry, violence, division and hate. No government entity should fly a flag that once divided this nation in bloody conflict and now reminds millions of people in the United States of the racism that still plagues this nation.

The Confederate battle flag and versions of the same do not stand for heritage. It is, as South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said, “a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally racist past.” In the America of 2015, it does not belong on state or federal property, and it should not be flown in a place of honor as a part of any state flag.

In South Carolina, these words take on particular resonance, as calls for the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol come just days after a white supremacist opened fire on a Bible study in a historically black church, killing nine black Americans, including a state senator. It is no wonder Republicans and Democrats are crossing the aisle to join in support of taking down the flag from the front of the State House.

As organizations that stand for equality and justice for all people, we are united in our opposition to the usage of such offensive and violent symbols.

We support efforts to remove the Confederate flag as a contemporary symbol in the public square, beginning in South Carolina. But we also recognize

that our work isn’t done with the state’s disavowal of a racist symbol.

Even as we stand side-by-side with those who wish to see the confederate flag removed from South Carolina — and in all public spaces across the nation — we also stand committed to addressing the hard truths that divide us, to finding solutions for the inequities facing people of color, and to ensuring access to fairness and to justice for all. : : Organizations signing onto the letter include: ACLU of South Carolina, Center For Black Equity, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, COLAGE, Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, Family Equality Council, Freedom to Marry, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund & Institute, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Marriage Equality USA, National Black Justice Coalition, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National LGBTQ Task Force, New York City Anti-Violence Project, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, PFLAG National, Pride at Work, SC Equality, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), South Carolina Black Pride, The Pride Network, Trevor Project.

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guest commentary

by David W. Key Sr. :: guest contributor

Same-sex marriage ruling a revelatory moment for Christians God speaks. Some people listen, some don’t. That’s the way it has always been. We have read it in our various religious texts. We have experienced it in our own lives. Revelatory moments.

In my holy Scriptures, the Bible, we read about times when God’s wisdom is conveyed to humanity and humanity changes. These revelatory moments are moments when God shows us that it is time to change our beliefs and behaviors. It first starts with an individual; then it moves to a group and on to society as a whole.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, we see it with Abraham and Isaac.

Abraham grew up in a time that human sacrifice of the eldest child was a common practice. Everyone thought that God desired it to happen. As Abraham begins to strike Isaac, an angel of the Lord stops him. A revelatory moment. Abraham spares Isaac, and human sacrifice is no longer a given in society. Abraham doesn’t participate in human sacrifice ever again. Neither do the Israelites.

Later, Moses encounters the burning bush, where an angel of God orders him to free his people from the institution of slavery, a reality for the Israelite people that had been in place for generations. A revelatory moment. After initial resistance, Moses leads them out of Egypt. Many grumbled and some wanted to go back. Moses and his people kept moving forward across the sea and into the wilderness toward freedom, never to accept slavery for themselves ever again.

In Christian Scriptures, the New Testament, even Jesus encountered opposition from the religious leaders of his day, when he declared a revelatory moment by saying that loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself were the prime commandments to follow over all other regulations in Scripture.

I believe that marriage for same-sex couples presents another revelatory moment.

Every minister, priest, rabbi and imam must ask herself or himself whether to become more welcoming of same-sex couples in his or her community and as members of her or his congregation. Some have

already had their revelatory moment. Many have not.

God has been speaking to people for decades, declaring that we should open up the synagogue, temple, church and mosque to gay and transgender individuals and not discriminate against them. The same is true for society as a whole. Marriage, the love between two individuals, should be free for all people, including same-sex couples.

A revelatory moment has two dimensions and definitions. The first is when God discloses a significant truth to us about our lives here on earth.

The second is that the disclosure was previously unknown to us. Both are needed in order to have a revelatory moment. Those who claim God speaking to them to preserve the past or maintain the status quo are not having a revelatory moment.

Revelatory moments on a societal level can last for years. Some people get it early, others resist. Opposition rises. Steps are taken forward and backward. Conversations take place publicly and privately, and attitudes shift over time. The paradigm ultimately changes.

Last month, the Supreme Court will ruled on civil marriage rights. We now know all 50 states are required under our U.S. Constitution to open up civil marriage to same-sex couples. Religious institutions will not be required to conduct marriages for same-sex couples. Yet, they should be willing to be open to the possibility. The conversation in religious institutions will continue for months and years to come.

Most of my evangelical colleagues want to eliminate the harsh and judgmental rhetoric that some in our community have used over the years.

They are tired of being against everything. They want to be for good things in their respective communities. If marriage equality becomes the law of the land, we evangelicals must find a way to live with it. We must minister in the different context.

Join me in this revelatory moment. Listen for God. It will change your life and how you relate to those around you. : : — David W. Key Sr. is director of Baptist studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

spiritual reflections

by Isai Efuru :: guest contributor

On Charleston: The Blessing in the Storm It is the eye of the storm that is most horrific. It is also in the eye of the storm that God’s voice rings the loudest. It’s the storm that produces life’s most amazing miracles. A storm not only ceases over time, it also leaves behind the essence of matter, those things that are built to last. The storm and all of its rage is also where we must watch and see God’s work at its best.

Our local region and our nation and world are all reeling from the recent tragedy in South Carolina. The senseless murder of nine worshippers in their Bible study has gripped the heart of us all. We hurt with the victims’ families. We want answers. We demand justice. We want to hear God speak and see God move. We want the storm to end. Our sad reality is that the current storm is one of many, and there are more to come as our world struggles to find its way back to unconditional love and acceptance.

When tragedy strikes, it is most often difficult to fathom. In our angst, we want God to explain the logic. We expect to receive explanations in real time and in our language. Fortunately, for us, God does not operate in the human realm, nor does she speak through our tongues. We are left to wait, let time pass and see how things turn out. If we look closely, we will see that in time, God answers our cries and rewards our prayers. If we take a moment to pause, look around our world and examine its current battles for peace, we will see that faith guarantees us a better day.

Our ancestors braved many fierce storms over time, from conquering Canaan, surviving exile, overcoming slavery and battling for civil rights. In each instance, there was an outcry and a need for consolation

and change. The souls of people lamented, and God, in her own time, answered and restored them. The Israelites were restored and returned to Jerusalem, slaves were emancipated and faced the potential of life in freedom, and 20th Century citizens marched their way towards a dream.

The storms raged on, and soon after, we were consoled and braced ourselves for change.

We are now in a season where the storm is defiant and the outcry is blaring. We are demanding change after decades of emotional, physical, psychological exile. We want the blood to stop flowing, the pain to cease and for God to step in. Some of us aren’t inspired to wait and instead desire to act. Yet we all, for the sake of our future generations, must continue to hold on to one another, to our faith and, especially, to love as we watch God restore our weary souls and make the change we wish for a reality.

We don’t have the power to change the intensity or density of our storms, but we do have the power to change how we see them. We can then choose how to respond and how to use our power to work toward the change that is surely coming. We can even work together to make that change possible for generations to come by finding ways to communicate love, to live out our faith and to trust that God has a master plan. The essence of who we are is rooted in love and its purity is built to last. If we trust God and build our hopes on love and let our actions follow, tragedies that are commonplace can one day be rarities that remind us of where we have come from, and of the God that is able to deliver us from where we are. : :

join the discussion Whether it’s letters to the editor, web comments, general suggestions, comments or ideas, qnotes staff welcomes your input. See, without you we’d really have no reason to be here. So, we delight in hearing what our readers have to say. Be sure to send in your thoughts, praises, criticisms and more to editor@goqnotes.com for general feedback or letters@goqnotes.com for letters to the editor. Copy length for letters to the editor is 200 or words or less and guest commentaries are 600 words or less) Thank you!

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news notes: carolinas compiled by Lainey Millen & Matt Comer

Stonewall expands offerings

New bishop elected SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Bishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina made history when he was chosen as the Episcopal Church’s 27th presiding bishop at its general convention held in late June.

Curry became the first African-American bishop for the church organization.

Episcopal News Service reported that the 62-year-old cleric was elected out of a field of four nominees, having garnered 121 of the 174 votes cast. It was accomplished on the first ballot. Only 89 votes were needed to win.

His confirmation was made by the House of Deputies an hour after the vote, complying with church cannon, by an 800 to 12 landslide.

The gathering welcomed him with “sustained applause” when the current Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Curry entered the House after the confirmation.

Some even stood on their chairs, the news service said.

Curry spoke and shared, “It really is a blessing and privilege to serve our church and to serve our Lord in this way. I treasure this church, this house, the House of Bishops, all of us.

We are God’s children.”

He will take on the nine-year term on Nov. 1 at which time a liturgy marking Curry’s tenure as presiding bishop and primate will take place at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Curry was born in Chicago, Ill. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., and a Master of Divinity from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1978 and at the end of that year became rector at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. He has taken an outspoken stand on social justice issues, immigration policy and marriage equality and spoke out against Amendment One in 2012.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that the church’s convention would vote on “eliminating gender-specific language from church laws on marriage so religious weddings can also be performed for same-sex couples” as qnotes went to press. The newspaper added that its clergy could make the decision to not perform ceremonies. Currently, individual bishops make decisions on whether its priests may conduct gay marriages, it added. As more information is made available, updates will be forthcoming. info: episcopalchurch.org.

— L.M.

Charlotte Trans justice event upcoming

CHARLOTTE — Campus Pride and hosts Sacred Souls Community Church and Freedom Center for Social Justice will hold a Community Potluck Meet & Greet & Eat! at 2127 Eastway Dr. on July 16 at 7 p.m.

The Day of Action for Trans Justice event provides an opportunity for the community to show support for transgender individuals.

Featured speaker will be Diego Sanchez, transgender national civil rights leader.

Featured entertainers are J Mase III and Koko Jones, national trans artists and entertainers.

More information is available online. info: campuspride.org.

— L.M.

Seniors group disbands

CHARLOTTE — After a year-and-a-half tenure, the LGBT Aging Solutions Network has decided to disband, stating that its objective had been met.

“We started this group over a year ago targeting certain aspects of the problems that the LGBT community face in Charlotte: acceptance, equality and sensitivity to issues related to aging and support systems,” organizers Cheryl

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The final meeting was held on June 15. info: clt.lgbt.elders@gmail.com.

— L.M.

Roberge and Bets McCurley said in a notice to its members and supporters.

They added, “In the last 15 months, in addition to state and federal changes, we are pleased to report that our local goals for those who are LGBT and aging have been addressed.”

Initiatives for independent housing, or a “village” concept, and a buddy system were resulted in break-off groups who are championing those causes and have strength to stand on their own accord.

The Mecklenburg Village Network and the LGBT Aging Buddy Group System are now in full development mode. The village will launch in the fall and the buddy system is currently reaching out to interested parties.

Aging Solutions would have begun meeting at Different Roads Home’s new space on N. Davidson St. The group was appreciative of the group’s willingness to help, the organizers shared.

The network hosted meetings with a diverse group consisting of over 70 members.

It was comprised of both LGBT individuals and allies ages 23-84. AARP even jumped on board to host an evening showing of “GenSilent,” followed by a panel discussion.

Organizations that supported Aging Solutions were AARP, PACE, Radio 4 the Ages and the Flying Biscuit.

CHARLOTTE — Stonewall Kickball Charlotte has announced that it is expanding and renaming its league as Stonewall Sports Charlotte.

New to the sports family are Stonewall Bowling, Stonewall Dodgeball and Stonewall Volleyball.

Organizers will be releasing more information on becoming a team member, location for practices and games and other pertinent data about its sports palette in the near future. info: stonewallsports.org. facebook.com/stonewallkickballcharlotte. stonewallkickballcharlotte.leagueapps.com.

— L.M.

Triad Holmes story screened

WINSTON-SALEM — Out at the Movies Winston-Salem will screen “Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story” on July 11, 7 p.m., at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ ACE Theatre, 1533 S. Main St. The documentary film tells the story of San Francisco, Calif., resident Holmes who turns from a pornographer into a philanthropist. He helped to she and create gay identity in the years after Stonewall and became founder of gay advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and the LGBT Victory Fund. Later in his life, he discovers that his money is welcome in philanthropic circles, but he was not.

Due to the mature nature of the film, including multiple scenes of male nudity, viewer discretion is advised.

Tickets are $7/regular, $6/seniors and students, and will be available in the lobby beginning at 6:15 p.m. info: outatthemovieswinston.org.

— L.M.

Triangle Network welcomes Nocek

RALEIGH — The Raleigh Business and Professional Network will hold its monthly meeting on July 8, 6:30 p.m., at its new location, P.G. Werth’s, 927 W. Morgan St. Carolina Theatre President and CEO Bob Nocek will be the guest speaker. He will share the inside on the upcoming North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and related events which takes place from Aug. 14-22. The event is the second largest one of its kind in the Southeast, the theatre resources shared.

Registration is available online for the meeting. info: raleighnetwork.org.

— L.M.

Author visits Triangle

CHAPEL HILL — Flyleaf Books will host lesbian author Jacqueline Woodson on July 16, 6 p.m., at the Chapel Hill Public Library, Room B, 100 Library Dr. Woodson pens literature geared toward children and young adults with some of them incorporating LGBT content. “Brown Girl Dreaming,” her memoir, netted a National Book Award. The book recounts her childhood experience growing up African-American in the 1960s and 1970s utilizing the verse medium. It is imbued with Civil Rights Movement awareness and more.

She was a two-time finalist for a National for “Locomotion” and “Hush.” She also has been the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards

Award for lifetime achievement writing for youth audiences, along with three Newberry Honors for “After Dupac and D Foster,” “Feathers” and “Show Way.” Lastly, others include the Coretta Scott King Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize for “Miracle’s Boys,” the library shared. info: chapelhillpubliclibrary.org.

— L.M.

Screening kicks off Pride

DURHAM — Shades of Pride will host a film screening of the groundbreaking film “Blackbird” on July 22, 7 p.m., at Full Frame Theatre, 318 Blackwell St. Staring Monique and Isaiah Washington, the film recounts the story of devout high school choir boy Randy who struggles with his sexuality amidst the backdrop of a conservative Mississippi town. His father guides him toward manhood as his mother casts blame on him for his sister’s disappearance. Patrick Ian Polk served as filmmaker.

The presentation comes via partnership with Spirit House, a local cultural arts and organizing group. Admission is free.

Shades of Pride is a program of the LGBTQ Center of Durham. info: lgbtqcenterofdurham.org.

— L.M.

Center seeks survey participants

RALEIGH — The LGBT Center of Raleigh, 324 S. Harrington St., has launched its annual community survey.

The information will be used to guide the board in the services, programs, events and more it hosts.

Take the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/ LGBTRal. Information on the center and the programs it offers is available online. info: lgbtcenterofraleigh.com.

— L.M.

Church joins org

RALEIGH — Fairmont United Methodist Church, 2501 Clark Ave., has unanimously voted to join the Reconciling Ministries Network, the United Methodist Reporter shared.

Part of its resolution stated, “It is resolved that Fairmont United Methodist Church become a reconciling congregation, welcoming people of all sexual orientations and gender identities into the full life of our ministries.”

Fairmont’s new mission, as part of the resolution, states: “The mission of Fairmont Church is to love God, worship joyfully, advocate peace and justice and serve with Christ-like compassion.

Fairmont embraces the diversity of God’s children and welcomes all into the full life and ministry of our congregation, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientations and gender identity.”

The church also is seeking to have Paragraph 161 of the Book of Discipline’s Social Principles removed due to its discriminatory stance regarding LGBT individuals. It will advocate for “positive, welcoming and nonjudgmental replacement language that falls in line with the church’s tenet of “open minds, open hearts, open doors.”

Former Fairmont minister Rev. Jimmy Creech was expelled as pastor in 1990 because he was an LGBT advocate. He was later defrocked by a church trial when he performed a same-sex wedding in an Omaha, Neb., Methodist church.

Creech was happy with his former church’s decision.

“It’s a marker of how history changes — how perceptions, attitudes and people’s

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comfort levels change over time,” said Creech, who lives in Raleigh, told the Reporter. “It’s instructive and inspiring.”

During the same time that Fairmont was joining the network, Weaverville United Methodist Church’s Living God’s Love Sunday School class in Weaverville, N.C., also became affiliated with the organization. Part of its resolution said, “We embrace all people, regardless of age, race, economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, housed or yet-to-be housed, faith history, ability or disability, marital status, health status or family configuration.”

The church is located at 85 N. Main St. info: rum-nc.org. fairmontumc.org. weavervilleumc.org.

— L.M.

Western Celebration on SCOTUS continues

ASHEVILLE — The Asheville Lesbian Social Club will keep the celebration going on the June 26 SCOTUS marriage equality decision with an all-day event on July 11 at Queen Bee Farm, 31 Toms Rd., in Candler, N.C. Enjoy water sports, drumming circle and a dip in the creek. Directions and other information is available online.

In other news, the club is currently participating in “Overcoming Anger: Keeping Cool When Things Get Hot” meditation series at ACK Institute of Martial Arts, 1408A Patton Ave., from July 5-19 at 7 p.m.

Classes include a introduction, guided breathing exercise and prayer, followed by teaching time and a Q&A session. It ends with prayers for world peace. Instructor is Sharon Lovich, a Buddhist teacher.

Cost is $10/regular, $5/students and senior.

ACK member are admitted free. Drop-ins are welcome.

On July 19, 2 p.m., a diversity discussion group will convene at Eats and Treats Cafe, 204 Weaverville Rd. info: meetup.com/Asheville-Social-Club.

— L.M.

Dance set for mid month

ASHEVILLE — The Dance Divas will host The Beach! women’s dance on July 11, 7:30 p.m., at Eleven on Grove, 11 Grove St. Attendees are encouraged to wear beach attire while dancing the evening away to tunes spun by DJ Esella. Favorite music selections can be sent to Esella by July 5 to be placed in the mix.

Tropical decor and beach-themed snacks will be provided, along with filtered water and a cash bar.

news

“One of the most important part of the process is possibly selecting the theme for each Bingo,” said ALFA Board member and Bingo Liaison Thom Hutchens. “Staging these events is a cooperative effort between the Not Your Mama’s Bingo BVD’s (Bingo Verifying Divas), HG Fitness group and ALFA,” he added.

Big Top bingo slated “The BVDs select their character, pick the music to accompany their act and then are cut loose to present their character as creatively as possible,” commented David Zealy, the BVD leader and NYMB coordinator.

While following guidelines for North Carolina sanctioned bingo games, the NYMB goes one better in always presenting a full musical show.

“A new and easier ticket purchase process will be implemented very soon,” shared Planning the September bingo are members of HG Fitness, Megg Lail, ALFA director of Not Your Mama’s Bingo and ALFA. programs and events. “We sold HICKORY — ALFA and HG Fitness will bring out the last Bingo, and hope to do the same for the next installment of Not Your Mama’s Bingo, September,” Lail added.

The Circus: Under A Big Top, on Sept. 17 to the The location, time and ticketing process will Catawba Valley area. be available soon.

The Bingo Bunch recently met to begin the info: alfainfo.org. process of staging the event.

— L.M. Admission is $10. For those who want to continue the party after the dance event, get a hand stamp from the bartender to gain entrance to Scandals downstairs. info: etledder@gmail.com.

— L.M.

Campus Scene Fair comes to Queen City

CHARLOTTE — Campus Pride has announced that its LGBTQ-Friendly College Fair Program will be visiting the Queen City on Aug. 15 in partnership with Charlotte Pride from 1-4 p.m.

Its founder Shane Windmeyer said that the near-decade-old national college fair program was designed to address the concerns of LGBT and ally students related to academics, student life and campus safety.

Any prospective student and their families are welcome at no charge.

Sign up is now available online.

Campus representatives may register for the Southeast Campus Pride College Fair.

Deadline is Aug. 5 for a discounted fee of $225.

Cost afterward is $285.

In other news, Campus Pride is seeking sponsors for its Camp Pride and Advisor Bootcamp on July 14 in Charlotte, N.C. Businesses, organizations and individuals may become a sponsor from $100-$5,000.

“This is an excellent way to show support for LGBTQ youth, as well as create awareness and exposure for your business/organization

during the week-long events/activities,” said Summer Fellow Tyler Elits.

Deadline is July 6. Email Eilts for a packet at tyler.campuspride@gmail.com. info: campusprideindex.org/menu/collegefair.

— L.M.

July 3-16 . 2015

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news news notes: u.s./world. goqnotes.com/to/news

Obama heckled at Pride reception

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A transgender immigrant activist heckled President Barack Obama at his annual LGBT Pride Month reception at the White House on June 24, calling attention to the detention and deportation of LGBT immigrants.

“Hold on a second,” the president said in response to the heckling. “No, no, no, no, no.

Hey, Listen. You’re in my house.”

The president added, “You’re not going to get a good response from me by interrupting me like this.”

After asking the activist, GetEqual’s Jennicet Gutiérrez, an undocumented trans Latina leader with FAMILIA TQLM, to stop and stay for the rest of the event, Obama eventually asked her to be escorted out.

In a commentary published by the Washington Blade, Gutiérrez said she interrupted the president “because we need to be heard.”

“For the immigrant LGBTQ community progress has not fully been realized because of the continuous discrimination and violence we face in our daily lives,” she wrote. “I spoke

out because our issues and struggles can no longer be ignored.”

Gutiérrez’ outspokenness was met with jeers and boos from others at the reception, but she was praised among some advocacy circles.

Jacob Tobia, a Duke University graduate and North Carolina native, defended the activist online.

“I am incredibly proud of Jennicet Gutiérrez for standing up for transgender people being abused in deportation facilities,” Tobia, a transgender activist, wrote on Facebook. “So often, when activists are invited to events like yesterday’s White House pride reception, we feel like we can no longer protest, no longer make our voices heard. But standing up for the rights of undocumented transgender people is an act of love, compassion, and kindness. We should all be proud of Jennicet for taking a stand in such a public and powerful way.”

You can read Gutiérrez’ commentary at the Washington Blade online at bit.ly/1LHfwab.

— M.C.

QUICK HITS —————————————————————————————— A U.S. State Department report on human rights practices across the globe has again included information on the rights of LGBT people internationally. The report includes information on the rights of LGBT people and human rights violations in countries like Egypt, El Salvador, The Gambia and elsewhere. Read the report online. more: 1.usa.gov/1GuOAa5.

A New Jersey jury has ruled that a socalled “conversion therapy” group that prom-

ised to turn gay men straight violated the state’s consumer fraud act. The decision came in a civil trial brought by three men and two parents. The plaintiffs were awarded $72,000. The judge will rule later on the plaintiff’s request to remove the license of the organization, Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH).

The suit was brought by the Southern Poverty Law CenterNew Jersey is one of a handful of states banning “ex-gay therapy” on minors, but not adults, also including California and Oregon. more: bit.ly/1Hig2Oe.

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Charlotte Black Gay Pride to celebrate 10 years Frenchie Davis to headline Charlotte Black Gay Pride events July 16-19, with July 11 awards gala slated

by Matt Comer :: matt@goqnotes.com socialize and galvanize.

I’m really proud of being a part of that change.”

The decade of change is something current Charlotte Black Gay Pride organizers will be honoring this year, starting with a special black tie gala on July 11. There, they will honor leaders who have helped organize their group or others who have supported their activities over the past 10 years.

Crystal Long, current Charlotte Black Gay Pride president, says it’s important to honor those who have striven to keep Black Pride alive.

“I think it is a major accomplishment that here in Charlotte, we have survived trough all the ups and downs of the various boards and financial troubles and just trying to stay adrift,” she says. “Over the years, it’s because of how committed these individuals were. That’s why it’s continued to grow. Nobody gave up on it.”

Charlotte Black Gay Pride offers a special Frenchie Davis will perform at Charlotte Black Gay Pride’s Extravaganza on July 18. place for people of color to uniquely celebrate Photo Credit: Robert Ector their full identities, Lee and Long say. The event ermaine Nakia Lee can still remember the pushback and often focuses on a variety of intersectional isthe controversy. Racist emails and letters, questions from sues of importance to LGBT people of color — freedom, spiritual other community leaders and confrontation with some. growth, physical health and more.

“I still have the emails and the letters,” “It’s about building upon your own strengths as an AfricanLee says.

American. That’s what Black Pride is about,” Long says. “They And all because he, along with Damon Blackmon, had a need that connection to feel they are recognized, not just as a vision to reach out and serve the local LGBT African-American gay person, but also as an African-American gay person.” community in a unique way.

Such recognition is still important, Lee says, even though he This month, the event they co-founded, Charlotte Black stresses that events like Black Pride are never closed to other Gay Pride, will celebrate its 10th annual suite of activities in the communities. In fact, he still waits for the day local Asian and Queen City. The organization, which brings former “American Latino communities begin their own Pride celebrations.

Idol” and “The Voice” contestant and Broadway star of “Rent” “I’d love to see how those communities celebrate their Frenchie Davis for their Extravaganza on July 18, plans several identity,” he says. other events beginning July 11 and running through July 19.

But the kinds of racist pushback he says he received 10 years In 2005, Lee says LGBT people of color were often overlooked, ago has lessened. All a positive sign for progress, but disparate ignored and underserved. Blackmon and Lee had attempted to treatment and disproportionate outcomes for people of color still serve the community in various ways and to partner with other orexist. Lee points to examples today, citing the disparate treatganizations. He says he even reached out to Charlotte Pride orgament experienced by organizations with leaders of color. nizers at the time to explain why their programming didn’t appeal “Our community is still funded by affluent, white gay men and to people of color. At nearly every turn, Lee received no response. they have their cliché charities they always give to,” Lee says.

So he and Blackmon took the effort to serve on themselves.

“We need to start spreading some of that money out to organiza“We knew that black and Latino LGBT people were very tions like the Freedom Center, which are black led and operated diverse, but they were just in hiding,” Lee recounts. “If they and doing great work, to organizations like Black Pride.” wanted to be with their peers, it would only be at the clubs at Any many ways, Black Pride exists to empower and ennight or somebody’s house party or they would have to leave courage — especially in a world were affluence and privilege Charlotte to be gay.” still rules the day, says Lee, who works with the PowerHouse But all that has changed in a decade, Lee says.

Project, an AIDS Service Organization primarily serving young “What’s beautiful is that now people come to Charlotte to be men of color. gay,” he says. “Men and people of color come to Charlotte to be “I would hope that our community fights for fairness and gay and people from smaller, surrounding communities don’t feel would like to be fair in how it distributes its wealth and shows its like they have to go to Atlanta or D.C. in order to celebrate and benevolence in the community,” he adds.

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This year’s suite of events will bring attention to those social issues and others. A town hall is scheduled for July 16, a highlight of each year’s events allowing community members to come together and discuss important current events and topics.

The town hall will be followed by a Friday social and Saturday’s main event — the Extravaganza. Community performers will join headliner Frenchie Davis for entertainment and community organizations will come together to reach out to the community.

“The expo is a really fun time to get to see all our stakeholders and friends and supporters,” Lee says. “It’s free, the family can come. There’s great entertainment and great food and it’s great to see the cooperation among the organizations in the community.”

This year’s event follows a successful 2014 in which thousands visited from out of town to come to both Charlotte Black Gay Pride and the weekend conference of the Center for Black Equity, held simultaneously with the Pride event.

Long foresees an even higher turn out for this year and is ready to toast to 10 years of success and a full year’s worth of planning making this month’s events a reality.

“It’s fantastic to be celebrating 10 years now,” Long says. “I believe we will celebrate 20 years in 10 more!” : : — For more information on Charlotte Black Gay Pride and their events this month, visit charlotteblackgaypride.com.

Events Schedule July 11, 8-10 p.m.

Black Tie Gala The Venue 1801 N. Tryon St., Charlotte Charlotte Black Gay Pride celebrates a “decade of excellence” with a black-tie gala and awards dinner. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased online at eventbrite.com/ event/17081082979/.

July 16, 7-10 p.m.

Community Town Hall Carole Hoefener Community Center 610 E. 7th St., Charlotte A lively panel discussion and town hall discussing current events and issues.

July 17, 7-10 p.m.

Meet and Greet Cathode Azure 1820 South Blvd., Charlotte Come out and mix and mingle with community members.

July 18, Noon-5 p.m.

Pride Extravaganza Carole Hoefener Community Center 610 E. 7th St., Charlotte Featuring headliner Frenchie Davis, other local entertainers, vendors and more.

July 19, 11 a.m.

Faith Forward: An Interfaith Worship Experience Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte 6151 Sharon Rd., Charlotte An interfaith service celebrating Charlotte Black Gay Pride

July 3-16 . 2015

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Love wins 5-4, marriage equality nationwide Landmark decision comes on anniversary of Lawrence, Windsor

by Matt Comer :: matt@goqnotes.com marriages in states where they were WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. legally performed.

Supreme Court ruled in favor of full marriage rights for all couples nationwide in an opinion released June 26 Will N.C.’s magistrate law in Obergefell v. Hodges, one of several cases brought to be overturned? the court.

After the ruling, attention turned The court’s majority opinion was written by Justice quickly to North Carolina’s recently Anthony Kennedy, who’s written all of the court’s past passed magistrate refusal bill. The landmark gay rights cases. He and four other jusRepublican-dominated General Assembly tices — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia passed Senate Bill 2 over Gov. Pat Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — held that the Fourteenth McCrory’s veto, allowing magistrates Amendment’s Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses and registers of deeds to opt out of their protect the rights of same-gender couples. duties to provide civil marriage services Kennedy said the legalization of marriage strengthto couples based only on their “sincerely ens, not weakens the institution. held” religious beliefs.

The history of marriage is one of both continuity Some lawmakers had said the law and change,” Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. was unconstitutional during debate and “Changes, such as the decline of arranged marriages and many are repeating the same claims now. the abandonment of the law of coverture, have worked In Forsyth County, Democratic Rep. deep transformations in the structure of marriage, affectEvelyn Terry said the court’s marriage ing aspects of marriage once viewed as essential. These ruling makes “it now appear that the new new insights have strengthened, not weakened, the law … is unconstitutional,” according to institution. Changed understandings of marriage are charThe Winston-Salem Journal. The newsacteristic of a Nation where new dimensions of freedom paper also reported Republican Donny become apparent to new generations.”

Hundreds gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to await the final 5-4 ruling on June 26, 2015.

Lambeth making similar remarks, as did Kennedy added, “This dynamic can be seen in the Photo Credit: Ted Eytan, via Flickr. Licensed CC. Mecklenburg County Democratic Sen. Nation’s experience with gay and lesbian rights. Well In his dissent, Roberts said the expansion of rights for sameJeff Jackson, who tweeted, “[T]here’s no into the 20th century, many States condemned samegender couples is powerful, it’s not the court’s place to rule on way this ruling is good for SB2. Start the clock.” sex intimacy as immoral, and homosexuality was treated as an the subject.

Whether the magistrate bill will be challenged is still an illness. Later in the century, cultural and political developments “[T]his Court is not a legislature,” Roberts wrote. “Whether unknown. As of now, the law still stands. allowed same-sex couples to lead more open and public lives. same-sex marriage is a good idea should be of no concern to us.

“It doesn’t invalidate the magistrate law,” Suzanne Reynolds, Extensive public and private dialogue followed, along with shifts Under the Constitution, judges have power to say what the law is, of the Wake Forest University School of Law, told The Charlotte in public attitudes.” not what it should be.”

Observer. “It does suggest that when it is challenged (in court) In ending the opinion, Kennedy wrote, “No union is more The decision now opens marriage equality in all 50 states. it’ll be found unconstitutional. On a number of grounds. One is that profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of North Carolina couples were able to legally wed in October, the it burdens the exercise of a fundamental right without a rational love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital result of a decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. justification. The 14th Amendment requires a rational justification. union, two people become something greater than once they But couples in 13 other states, including Georgia, Tennessee, And this ruling suggests the (magistrate) law is irrational.” were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, Michigan and others, were still denied marriage rights. marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It The court’s order, however, isn’t technically immediate.

Praise flows after ruling would misunderstand these men and women to say they disreThough many county clerks in states with bans began issuing LGBT leaders and organizations across the state and nation spect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, marriage licenses on June 26, the Supreme Court will wait about were quick to release statements in reaction the ruling. Here are respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themthree weeks after their ruling to issue their mandate — the ofa few excerpts. selves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, ficial order to states.

Jim Obergefell, named plaintiff in the landmark Supreme excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask The decision came on the anniversary of two other landmark Court case: “Today I could not be prouder of my country, more for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants LGBT-rights decisions, Lawrence v. Texas decided on June 26, grateful for the memory of my late husband John, and more them that right.”

2003, striking down crimes-against-nature laws, and, decided on Chief Justice Roberts dissented in the case, along with June 26, 2013, which opened federal recognition of same-gender Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. see next page u

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Locals celebrate landmark ruling

Leah Cooper, left, Katie Cooper, 2nd from left, Wendy Laxton, 2nd from right, and Lyndsay Cooper, right, toast at Friday’s community and media event celebrating today’s Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell vs.

Hodges in favor of marriage equality at Charlotte eatery the Pizza Peel.

Crystal Richardson of Equality NC, right, hugs Scott Lindsley at Friday’s community and media event.

Photo Credit: Diedra Laird, Charlotte Observer

Photo Credit: Diedra Laird, Charlotte Observer

indebted to the incredible lawyers, advocates and fellow plaintiffs who made this landmark day possible. The fact that the state I have long called home will finally recognize my marriage to the man I honored and cherished for more than 20 years is a profound vindication — a victory I’m proud to share with countless more couples across the country. Thanks to the Supreme Court, a period of deep injustice in this nation is coming to a close, but it’s also clear today that there is still so much work to do. As long as discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is tolerated—whether in the seeking of a marriage license, the pursuit of fairness on the job, or the fight for equal treatment at a restaurant or business—we haven’t truly guaranteed equal justice under the law. But today’s victory proves that anything is possible, and I could not be more hopeful about the capacity of this country to change for the better.”

Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality North Carolina: “Today’s ruling granting loving, same-sex couples the freedom to marry across our United States is a historic moment for our country, and for tens of thousands of same-sex families who call our state home. With it, gays and lesbians in every corner of the United States will finally be able to marry the person they love. Today, love won and we celebrate all who have worked tirelessly over many

decades to change hearts and minds and make this ruling a possibility. Even as we celebrate, we know our progress does not and will not end at the Supreme Court. Same-sex couples can legally marry in North Carolina—and the very same day, be denied public services, fired from their job or denied housing simply because of who they are. With these harsh realities in mind, Equality NC remains committed to fighting for full equality for LGBT North Carolinians wherever they work or live.”

Roberta Kaplan, lead counsel in U.S. v. Windsor (2003) and the Asheville-based Campaign for Southern Equality’s Mississippi marriage case, Campaign for Southern Equality v.

Bryant: “What a glorious day for this great country. By recognizing once and for all that the Constitution respects the dignity of all Americans, gay or straight, the Supreme Court has once again honored the core American values of equal protection and due process of law. We are confident that Mississippi officials statewide will honor their constitutional duties and will move quickly to begin issuing marriage licenses to our clients Andrea Sanders and Becky Bickett and to the many other Mississippians who have waited so long to protect their families by marrying the person who they love.”

Campaign for Southern Equality’s Jasmine Beach-Ferrara: “LGBT families have always been equal in the eyes of God but

now, finally, they are also equal under the law, with a safety net of legal protections surrounding them. With great joy, we expect that marriages will begin immediately in Mississippi and Alabama. Through this landmark decision, the Court has signaled that policies that treat LGBT people as second-class citizens do not fulfill the American promise of equal protection under the law and cannot stand.”

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign: “Today’s ruling makes perfectly clear that there is no legal or moral justification for standing in the path of marriage equality.

Couples from Mississippi to North Dakota to Texas shouldn’t have to wait even a moment longer to be treated equally under the law. State officials across the country must act swiftly to ensure that every obstacle to obtaining a marriage license is removed. To do anything less is a shameful attempt to cement their state on the wrong side of history. But what’s clear today is that our work isn’t done until every discriminatory law in this nation is wiped away. The time has come in this country for comprehensive federal LGBT non-discrimination protections. We now have to work harder than ever before to make sure LGBT Americans cannot be fired, evicted or denied services simply on the basis of the marriage license that they fought so hard to achieve.” : :

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After marriage, where from here?

Advocates say movement still has other priorities to address

by Matt Comer :: matt@goqnotes.com

T

he Supreme Court’s decision opening marriage equality to all 50 states was met with jubilation among LGBT people across the nation and world. A long fought legal, activist and political battle led ultimately to a national ruling, putting to bed a debate over LGBT marriage recognition begun nearly 50 years ago.

But even as adulation and praise rang loud from parties, Pride events and other celebrations, calls for continued movement in LGBT equality could also be heard.

As other groups focused on the marriage victory, LGBT activist group GetEqual took the immediate opportunity to address other issues unaddressed by the June 26 decision.

“We can’t let this moment distract from the very real violence that LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color and black people, are facing,” GetEqual Co-Director Angela Peoples said in a statement. “As people gather in Charleston right now to mourn the lives of those murdered by a white supremacist gunman, we know the struggle for liberation is an urgent one — for LGBTQ people, black people and people of color, people living below the poverty line, and anyone experiencing violence and discrimination. The work of the movement is far from over.”

Other groups issued similar remarks, too, even as they celebrated. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin pointed to employment and housing protections.

“The time has come in this country for comprehensive federal LGBT non-discrimination protections,” Griffin said.

At home, Equality North Carolina Executive Director Chris Sgro said the movement could not end.

“Even as we celebrate, we know our progress does not and will not end at the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement.

“Same-sex couples can legally marry in North Carolina — and the very same day, be denied public services, fired from their job or denied housing simply because of who they are.”

In Charlotte, Scott Bishop, a member of the Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors, stressed that community members must continue their advocacy for equality.

“This is the end of this battle for marriage equality, but there is so much more to do,” Bishop said at a June 26 event at Plaza Midwood’s Pizza Peel celebrating the marriage decision.

“Celebrate this evening and know that we have to fight…for employment rights, housing rights, public accommodations rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and the transgender community.”

Matt Hirschy, a Charlotte-based staffer for Equality North Carolina, echoed Bishop’s remarks to those gathered at the party.

“At the end of the day, this work is far from over,” Hirschy said. “There are transgender women of color being killed every day in the streets. There is a lack of police accountability in this country. There is a lack of employment protections across this country for people who identify as LGBT, and that’s only a handful of the things we have to get done.”

Everyone agrees: there’s much more work to do. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the agenda items movement leaders will be tackling next: Employment: Only 19 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico protect LGBT people from discrimination in all employment, public and private. Several others offer protections on the basis of sexual orientation only or prohibit discrimination in public employment. North Carolina offers no employment protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, though several municipal and county governments protect their workers.

Housing: Only 19 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico protect LGBT people from discrimination in housing, though federal housing guidelines require all providers receiving HUD funding not to discriminate. North Carolina does not protect LGBT residents in matters of housing.

Hate Crimes: Only 16 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico include sexual orientation and gender identity in hate crimes legislation. Fourteen others recognize only sexual orientation. Federal law includes both. North Carolina’s hate crimes statute includes neither.

Trans Military Service: Though the anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the U.S. Armed Forces was repealed in 2010, it did not affect another ban on open transgender military service.

Advocates want the military to drop regulations that treat being transgender as a medically disqualifying condition.

Transgender Inclusion: Efforts to protect LGB community

The LGBT community braces for more battles in its quest for full equality.

Photo Credit: Ted Eytan, via Flickr. Licensed CC.

members, as well as their social inclusion, have taken giant leaps forward, but transgender community members continue to face highly disproportionate discrimination and mistreatment, both within and outside of the LGBT community.

Intersectional social justice issues: Some advocates, like those with GetEqual, want national, regional and local movement organizations to take a broader view of LGBT equality in partnership and collaboration with other minority communities.

They think greater focus should be placed on intersectional work with people of color, immigrants and those economically disadvantaged, among others. Since these people and others are also represented among the LGBT community, advocates argue, these issues are also important for LGBT movement leaders to address. Among several correlations are: increased mental health and physical health disparities among LGBT people and other minorities, increased risk of poor academic performance and entry into the “school to prison pipeline” among LGBT people and other minorities and increased socioeconomic difficulties experienced by both LGBT people and other minorities. : :

Quick Facts: Marriage Equality 1970 The first attempt in the U.S. by same-gender couple to receive marriage license.

1989 Denmark becomes first nation to establish “registered partnerships” for samegender couples.

2001 The Netherlands becomes first nation to open marriage to same-gender couples.

1,138 The number of benefits, rights and privileges afforded to married couples under federal law, according to the Government Accountability Office.

747 The number of same-gender marriage licenses issued by Mecklenburg County from October through April — nearly 20 percent of all licenses processed in that time — according to the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds.

390,000 The number of legal same-gender marriages in the U.S., according to an April 2015 report by the Williams Institute.

600,000 The number of unmarried, same-gender couples in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute.

200,000 The number of children under 18 being raised by same-gender couples. $100,000+ The amount of taxpayer dollars, as of February, spent by North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and former North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis to continue defending the state’s anti-LGBT marriage amendment after it was overturned in October.

14 The number of U.S. states where marriage equality was still banned before the June 26 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.

June 26 The day on which the U.S. Supreme Court has handed down four landmark gay rights cases: Lawrence v. Texas, decrimi-

nalizing same-gender sexual activity in 2003;United States v. Windsor, striking down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act; Hollingsworth v. Perry, letting lower-court decisions stand striking down California’s Proposition 8; and last month’s Obergefell v. Hodges, bringing marriage equality to all 50 states.

7 The total number of landmark Supreme Court cases — both positive and negative — affecting LGBT rights. The first was, One, Inc. v. Olesen was decided in 1958, upholding a gay publication’s First Amendment rights. The two harmful cases: Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) upholding crime against nature statutes and Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000) upholding the Boy Scouts of America’s right to discriminate against gay members and leaders.

3 The number of other cases consolidated into Obergefell v.

Hodges — In Tanco v. Haslam, a same-gender couple, one of whom served in the U.S. Armed Forces, sought recognition of their marriage in Tennessee. In DeBoer v. Snyder, a Michigan couple sought first to challenge Michigan’s ban on same-sex adoption and then later to have their marriage recognized. In Bourke v.

Beshear, a Kentucky couple sought to have their Ontario, Canada, marriage recognized in their home state.

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Where we’ve been:

A timeline of marriage equality in the U.S. and Carolinas 1970s May 18, 1970 — Couple Jack Baker and Michael McConnell are denied a civil marriage license by officials in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

June 4, 1971 — The Gay Activists Alliance stage a protest at New York City’s Marriage License Bureau, demanding equal marriage rights.

Oct. 15, 1971 — The Minnesota Supreme Court rules against Baker and his partner McConnell in Baker v. Nelson, ruling that a ban on same-gender marriage does not violate the U.S. Constitution.

Oct. 10, 1972 — The U.S. Supreme Court dismisses Baker v. Nelson “for want of a substantial federal question.”

1973 — Maryland becomes the first state to pass a statute specifically banning recognition of same-gender marriage. The Kentucky Court of Appeals upholds the denial of a marriage license to two women.

May 20, 1974 — The Washington Court of Appeals upholds its state ban on same-gender marriage.

1975 — Virginia bans same-gender marriage.

March-April 1975 — A Boulder County, Colo., clerk issues marriage licenses to six same-gender couples. The state’s attorney general eventually puts a stop the licenses.

1977 — Wyoming, Florida and California ban same-gender marriage.

1980s Feb. 25, 1982 — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals limits the meaning of “spouse” and “marriage” for immigration purposes to the “ordinary meaning” which “contemplates a relationship between a man and a woman.”

May 11, 1984 — The Superior Court of Pennsylvania rules that same-gender couples cannot contract a common-law marriage.

1987 — New Hampshire bans same-gender marriage.

1990s May 5, 1993 — The Supreme Court of Hawaii orders a trial court to determine if the state’s anti-gay marriage statute is unconstitutional, setting in motion a deluge of anti-gay marriage legislation federally and across the states.

Jan. 19, 1995 — The District of Columbia Court of Appeals upholds the denial of a marriage license to two men.

1996 — South Carolina passes a state-level Defense of Marriage Act. June 20, 1996 — North Carolina passes a state-level Defense of Marriage Act. Sept. 21, 1996 — President Bill Clinton signs into law the federal Defense of Marriage Act, banning federal recognition of same-gender marriage and allowing states to refuse to recognize legal same-gender marriages performed in other states.

Dec. 3, 1996 — A Hawaii trial court finds there is no compelling interest to uphold the state’s anti-gay marriage statute.

Nov. 2, 1998 — Alaska becomes the first to pass a state constitutional amendment banning same-gender marriage.

Dec. 9, 1999 — The Hawaii Supreme Court upholds its state marriage ban.

Dec. 20, 1999 — The Vermont Supreme Court holds that bans on same-gender marriage violates the state’s constitution and orders the legislature to establish marriage or some other equivalent status for same-gender couples.

2000s July 1, 2000 — Vermont establishes civil unions, giving same-gender couples the same rights, benefits and responsibilities similarly given to oppose-gender married couples.

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May 15, 2002 — A federal constitutional amendment to ban same-gender marriage is first introduced in Congress.

Nov. 18, 2003 — The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court orders the commonwealth to extend the right to marry to samegender couples, with licenses to be issued beginning May 17, 2004.

Feb. 25, 2004 — President George W. Bush calls for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-gender marriage.

February-March, 2004 — San Francisco issues marriage licenses to same-gender couples.

March 3, 2004 — An Oregon state judge orders the state to create an equivalent marriage status for same-gender couples.

November 2004 — Anti-gay constitutional amendments are passed in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah.

2005 — An anti-gay constitutional amendment is passed in Texas.

Sept. 29, 2005 — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes legislation that would have opened marriage to same-gender couples.

2006 — Anti-gay constitutional amendments are passed in Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. Voters in Arizona reject a similar ban.

2008 — New York begins to recognize outof-state same-gender marriages. Connecticut opens marriage to same-gender couples.

California’s Supreme Court overturns the state’s ban on same-gender marriage. Arizona, California and Florida adopt anti-gay constitutional amendments.

2009 — Iowa opens marriage to samegender couples. Vermont becomes the first state to legalize same-gender marriage by statute. Maine, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia enact marriage equality.

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equality. Courts in New Mexico and Utah overturn anti-gay marriage bans.

June 26, 2013 — The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the overturning of California’s anti-gay marriage ban and overturns a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. 2014 — Marriage bans are struck down by district courts in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down Virginia’s marriage ban. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

Oct. 6, 2014 — The U.S. Supreme Court declines to take action on the Fourth Circuit case in Virginia, effectively legalizing marriage in North Carolina, West Virginia and South Carolina.

Oct. 10, 2014 — North Carolina’s anti-gay marriage amendment is overturned. Marriages begin in North Carolina.

Nov. 12, 2014 — South Carolina’s anti-gay marriage amendment is overturned. Marriages begin on Nov. 20.

April 28, 2015 — The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments from the Sixth Circuit, including the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges.

June 26, 2015 — The U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Obergefell v. Hodges and related cases that marriages by same-gender couples are protected by the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

— Compiled by Matt Comer from newspaper archives and the Wikipedia article, “Timeline of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States.”

2010s 2010 — A federal district court judge rules that California’s constitutional ban on samegender marriage is unconstitutional. A federal district court judge rules the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

2011 — New York enacts marriage equality.

2012 — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the lower-court ruling overturning California’s ban on same-gender marriage.

Washington, New Jersey and Maryland enact marriage equality. North Carolina becomes the last state to pass an anti-gay constitutional amendment.

2013 — Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, Hawaii and Illinois enact marriage

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Dixie Longate can’t be stopped Tupperware queen visits Charlotte through July 19

by Jeff Taylor :: qnotes contributor

D

ixie Longate is anything but your typical Tupperware lady. Longate is a hard-drinking, hypersexual single mother, thrice widowed, from Mobile, Ala., who affectionately refers to her audience as “hookers.” Her style may be retro, all high hair, bright blue eye shadow and hoop earrings, but her energy and approach are definitely cutting edge.

She is full of down-homespun witticisms, and food storage lifehacks, like how a surprising number of JELL-O shots can fit into a cake taker.

She also just happens to really be a he in drag. Actor and dancer Kris Andersson created the character in 2001. According to his origin story, Longate got her start selling Tupperware when she got out of prison and got her kids back.

“They’re like, ‘Hey, you’re out of prison!

Freedom!’ and then they give you your kids, and you’re like, ‘What?

No that’s not right, I don’t want them back,’” Andersson tells me as Longate, preferring to give most interviews in this fashion.

Needing a job, her parole officer suggested she sell Tupperware.

Andersson did in fact begin selling Tupperware as Longate in personal homes in the Los Angeles area that very year. The act was a hit, and before long Andersson, as Longate, was a national top seller.

In 2004, the show jumped from living rooms to the stage, as “Dixie’s Tupperware Party” debuted at the New York Fringe Festival.

In 2007, an off-Broadway run brought a Drama Desk Award Nomination for and birthed a successful national theater tour. Longate has appeared all over the country, and her June 30 to July 19 run at Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center marks her second time performing in Charlotte.

Photo Credit: Bradford Rogne.

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“It helps to stay away from the law,” Longate says of being on the road for over seven years now. “But it’s fun, it’s fun!”

Fun is what “Dixie Longate’s Tupperware Party” is all about.

“You know, everybody wants to have a good time,” she says. “Especially in this day and age, the economy has been in trouble, and people have been getting a little more excited about things; it’s always good to do something that makes you laugh and have a good time.”

It’s light, escapism entertainment: part drag show, part stand up prop comedy, part interactive theater.

But it is also serious business.

The show functions as an incredible marketing tool.

It is not only a performance, but also a legitimate Tupperware party, albeit one that is unusually large and well produced.

Each audience member is given a catalogue and ordering form.

Products are also available in the lobby should one wish to buy on the spot. Sales have proven robust enough to make Dixie Longate America’s number one seller of Tupperware, with over a million dollars worth of product sold.

She’s the biggest name in game since her idol, Brownie Wise.

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honestly don’t know who she is and how important her contribution was. People think, oh she created the Tupperware parties, but the thing is, every other direct sales company that exists took their model from the Tupperware party,” Longate explains, pointing out that that adds up to a lot of people making their living thanks to a woman whose name they may not even know.

It has provided Andersson with a solid income, but also with a new creative outlet and personality with which to play.

Longate is, of course, no shrinking violet herself, and for all her gyrating and sailor worthy jokes, emerges as a perhaps unlikely symbol of self-reliance, surviving on wit and will.

You might not come to the show looking to be uplifted, but Longate says it will likely happen.

“You walk away from the program having had a great night and feeling a little bit empowered…thinking, I can do some great stuff in my life too,” she says. : :

Photo Credit: Bradford Rogne.

The single mother turned pioneering saleswoman who helped propel the company to new heights when she convinced inventor Earl Tupper that his wares would sell better if they were taken into potential customer’s homes. Her “party plan” system proved an incredible success when it was rolled out in the early 1950s.

Sandra Bullock is set to play her in the upcoming film “Brownie Wise.”

“Clearly they should have [cast me], but I’m so young, I can’t help it,” Longate says of the casting slight. But she thinks Bullock will do a good job portraying Wise, and hopes it brings an increased awareness of an important woman who is often overlooked.

Wise provided inspiration, and for many a career path, at a time when a woman’s role was often seen as being in the home. Her ingenuity and toughness helped guide her toward a life many of her contemporaries couldn’t have imagined.

“I just hope the story really tells of how much she really did. Because a lot of people

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‘Dixie’s Tupperware Party’ Through July 19 Booth Playhouse, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Tickets $20-$44.50, carolinatix.org Special Event on July 9: Blumenthal’s LGBT social group, Out on the Town, partners with Charlotte Pride. Tickets include a post-show party with appetizers and two free drinks. Purchase tickets through the special event link at charlottepride.org/event/dixies-tupperware-party/.

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tell trinity

by Trinity :: qnotes contributor :: trinity@telltrinity.com

How to psych yourself up before going out to the bars Dear Trinity, I’m 25 years old and sort of shy. I want to go to bars and meet people, but I’m afraid no one will talk to me. I’m also not comfortable talking to people I don’t know. Is there something I can do that will help me when I go out?

Make Me Superman, Dallas, TX Dear Make Me Superman, When George W. Bush went to speak to crowds knowing most everyone hated him, he had to psych himself up and practice a very high form of self-empowerment. Many call it bullheadedness and stupidity. Well guess what? You have to do the same. You have to psych yourself up even if it means becoming

a little bullheaded or unaware of what’s going on around you. You have to become assertive, even aggressive, when you go into unfamiliar crowds. You have to think, “I’m safe,“ I’m cool,” “the world is mine,” and/or “there’s nothing to fear but fear itself!” You have to have a beer and just say hi to people as if you were Superman going out to save people from danger and/or boredom. Think powerful. Think fearless! Oh, and sweetie… think charming!

Dearest Trinity, I just turned 50 and I’m thinking about plastic surgery. Do you think I’m crazy or insecure? Can’t I grow old gracefully with a little cosmetic help?

Growing Old Gracefully, Nashville, TN

Dearest Growing Old Gracefully, “Aging gracefully” is a gift for the deeply spiritual or those with exceptionally great genes.

The rest of us may have to try something a little less natural.

So, pumpkin, if you feel like having a weekend at the clinic to tighten up and suck out some of those indulgent decades, then you go right ahead. Life doesn’t last forever (nether does Botox), so be choosy, find a great doctor and, as Leo Buscaglia said, “Have it all! Buy two in every color!” (I’ve the skinny on how all this is done if you check out my cartoon.)

Hey Trinity, I gave it three years, I didn’t want to be single again, but I guess I just wasn’t “everything” he wanted. Why do I, like so many gay men, keep ending up single?

Why Me Again, San Jose, CA Hey Why Me Again, Dating, relationships and men are very complicated, as well as very disappointing.

Even though it seems like two is better than one, honey, here’s a little eye-opening list to remind you just how much being single is really great.

Trinity’s Bright Reminders For When You’re Suddenly Single Again 1. I t’s time to remember just how much garbage you put up with, such as the selfishness, the lateness and the bad attitude.

2. I t’s time to remember just how bad your ex used to kiss, snore and cook, never mind the constant bad breath from his cigarette smoking.

3. I t’s time to remember just why you are no longer with your ex, spiritually, emotionally and financially.

4. It’s time to remember just how many things in your life you had to change and compro-

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mise on — but don’t have to anymore.

5. It’s time to remember just how much love is blind and just how much you were blinded by love.

6. It’s time to remember just how interesting, fun and adventurous the dating game is now that you can date again.

7. I t’s time to remember just how many wonderful things you can do and think and eat compared to when you had someone controlling your every move.

8. It’s time to remember just how much stronger, wiser and more attractive you are compared to the last time you were single.

9. I t’s time to remember just how sacred your body and sexuality is. Plus, since you’ve been with someone for so long, you can now be pickier.

10. A nd lastly, it’s time to remember just how many things about your past relationship really didn’t work — like… everything! info: With a Masters of Divinity, Reverend Trinity hosted “Spiritually Speaking,” a weekly radio drama performed globally, and is now minister of sponsor, WIG: Wild Inspirational Gatherings, wigministries.org. Learn more at telltrinity.com.

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EVENTS July 2015 Town Hall: White Supremacy Location to be announced Winston-Salem 2-5 p.m.

Community organizers in WinstonSalem have planned a town hall to discuss white supremacy, violence and its effect on the community in the aftermath of the domestic terrorism event in Charleston. A location has not yet been secured but will be announced online. facebook.com/events/869973273086762/.

SEP JUL MO

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Dixie’s Tupperware Party SEP JUL MO Booth Playhouse 130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte 7:30 p.m.

Dixie’s Tupperware Party stars Dixie Longate, as the fast-talking Tupperware Lady, who has packed up her catalogues and left her children in an Alabama trailer park to journey across America. Critics and audiences have howled with laughter as Dixie throws a good ol’ fashioned Tupperware Party filled with outrageously funny tales, heartfelt accounts, free giveaways, audience participation and the most fabulous assortment of Tupperware ever sold on a theater stage! Purchase tickets online at carolinatix.org or purchase through charlottepride.org/event/dixies-tupperware-party/ where a portion of proceeds will be donated back to the community organization.

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Submit your event to our calendar!

You can submit your event to our comprehensive community calendar presented by qnotes, the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte and Visit Gay Charlotte. Submit your event at goqnotes.com/eventsubmit/ and get a three-for-one entry.

All Charlotte-area events will appear on each of the three calendars at qnotes (goqnotes.com), the LGBT Center (lgbtcharlotte.org) and Visit Gay Charlotte (visitgaycharlotte.com).

Charity Pride Drag SEP JUL MO Car Wash Washington Park 228 W. Acadia Ave., Winston-Salem 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Pride Winston-Salem hosts a charity drag car wash. $10 recommended donation. pridews.org.

––––––––––––––––––––

Community Potluck Meet & SEP JUL MO Greet & Eat! 2127 Eastway Dr., Charlotte 7 p.m.

Join Campus Pride and hosts Sacred Souls Community Church and Freedom Center for Social Justice to take a stand for transgender people on the Day of Action for Trans Justice!

Featured speaker is Diego Sanchez, transgender national civil rights leader.

Featured entertainers are J Mase III and Koko Jones, national trans artists and entertainers. More information available online. campuspride.org.

Charlotte Black Gay Pride Gala –––––––––––––––––––– The Venue Jacqueline Woodson 1801 N. Tryon St., Charlotte Chapel Hill Public Library 8-10 p.m.

Room B, 100 Library Dr. Charlotte Black Gay Pride celebrates a 6 p.m. “decade of excellence” with a black-tie National Book gala and awards dinner. Tickets are Award winner $30 per person and can be purchased and lesbian auonline. thor Jacqueline eventbrite.com/event/17081082979/.

Woodson hits the Triangle area for an Continues through July 19 SEP JUL MO appearance Charlotte Black Gay Pride Various locations, Charlotte hosted by Flyleaf Books.

Charlotte Black Gay Pride celebrates their 10th annual She recants event, with a Town Hall, Meet and Greet, her childhood through her literature which is imbued with her awareness of Pride Extravaganza and Sunday faith event. See more details in our feature on the Civil Rights Movement. chapelhillpubliclibrary.org.. page 10.

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Bear-B-Que The Woodshed Lounge 4000 Queen City Dr., Charlotte

6-9 p.m.

Join Charlotte Pride for a good old southern BBQ dinner with all the fixin’s. Tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door, including dinner, silent auction, giveaways and a special appearance from Billy Santoro, model from Raging Stallion Studios. All proceeds benefit Charlotte Pride.

Purchase advance discount tickets online. charlottepride.org/bearbque/.

SEP JUL MO

Young Professionals Mixer The Fillmore Charlotte 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd., Charlotte 6-8:30 p.m.

RAIN Young Affiliates and The Fillmore Charlotte host their third annual Young Professionals Multi-Group Mixer.

Network with other community leaders, meet and gather information on young professionals groups in Charlotte and have a great time for a good cause.

Tickets are $11. Tickets include event entry, one complimentary signature cocktail, entry to see tribute band and cool giveaways.

SEP JUL MO

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Continues through Aug. 1 SEP JUL MO Charleston Pride Charleston Pride hosts their festival and parade, along with several other activities throughout the weekend. More details are available online. charlestonpride.com.

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Submit your event at goqnotes.com/eventsubmit/

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life

dishing with buff faye

by Buff Faye :: qnotes contributor :: info@bufffaye.com

Stonewall Riots: Tribute to Drag Queen Sylvia Rivera threatened to kill her when she was three-yearsold and then committed suicide. Sylvia took to the streets at a young age and found family with drag queens who gave her the name ”Sylvia.”

She survived on the streets doing what she could as a sex worker to make money. The seeds of her activism took roots at an early age on the streets of New York City among queer homeless youth and gender nonconforming people.

“Before I die, I will see our community given the respect we deserve.

I’ll be damned if I’m going to my grave without having the respect this community deserves. I want to go to wherever I go with that in my soul and peacefully say I’ve finally overcome,” stated Sylvia a year prior to her death in 2002.

Up until the moment she passed, Sylvia continued working for trans inclusion with the New York’s Empire New York City street sign in the historic Grennwich Village District.

State Pride Agenda.

Photo Credit: Public Domain, Gootty I would love to have met Sylvia Rivera. A fierce trans woman of “Hell hath no fury like a drag queen color who fought every day of her life to be scorned.” That phrase sums up Sylvia. While heard and relentlessly advocated for what she there has been much debate as to her involvebelieved. She is a pioneer for trans people, for ment at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969, drag queens and other gender non-conforming Sylvia is often credited with “throwing the first people and a champion for queer and homeless brick” at the police that night. youth.

Sylvia was relentless in her activism, never As drag queens, it is our duty to conquietly settling for the status quo or calmly tinue advocating for gender non-conforming compromising on her principles. After the people, queer youth and transgender justice, Stonewall Riots, Sylvia became involved in the especially at intersections of race and class.

Gay Liberation Front (GLF) which then split into We owe so much to those before us like the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA). As a queer, Sylvia Rivera, and we must learn from our Latina and drag queen, Sylvia and her interhistory — or herstory.We must treasure, sectional politics were not often welcome in understand and never forget the sacrifice the GLF or GAA movement, which was largely of those like Sylvia who got us to where we white, middle-class activist groups. are today and still remind us of the long road Ahead of her time, Sylvia was direct and ahead for equality for all. confrontational in her activism. She conThe blood, the tears, the loss of innocent demned loudly the racist, classist and sexist lives is real. The heels we stand in are those of actions within the community, as well as unjust Sylvia Rivera. Revolution Now. : : incarceration and treatment of trans women of color who could not find safety or jobs. She — Buff Faye calls the Queen City her home refused to be pushed to the side when groups and performs to raise money so she can help like GAA advocated for moderate gay rights raise her flock of unicorns (and raise money for laws — excluding transgender people. Sound charities). Find her at your favorite bars and hot familiar. Despite this, Sylvia persevered and spots. Plus don’t forget her weekly Saturday continued to work within the group to represent night show with Patti O’Furniture and regular gender non-conforming people.

Friday night party bus.

Sylvia had become accustomed to adverLearn more at AllBuff.com. sity at an early age. Her father left her mother Follow on Twitter @BuffFaye shortly after she was born and then her mother In 1969, much of our LGBT progress began with a riot. I think we sometimes forget that act of rebellion, especially in a banker city like Charlotte, N.C. Today we remember the Stonewall Riots with Pride festivals, parades and orderly marches. But I choose to remember a drag queen and trans woman named Sylvia Rivera.

SHOUT OUTS:

Take a stand for transgender people on the Day of Action for Trans Justice! Join Campus Pride and hosts Sacred Souls Community Church and Freedom Center for Social Justice for a Community Potluck Meet & Greet & Eat! at 2127 Eastway Dr. on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. Featured speaker is Diego Sanchez, transgender national civil rights leader. Featured entertainers are J Mase III and Koko Jones, national trans artists and entertainers. Learn more online at CampusPride.org.

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