the pride ISSUE NUMBER 2, VOLUME 6 12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
WWW.THEPRIDELA.COM
| DEC. 30, 2016 — JAN. 12, ‘17
LOS ANGELES
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THE LOS ANGELES LGBT NEWSPAPER
THANK YOU
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LOS ANGELES
What is TRUVADA for PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis)?
TRUVADA is a prescription medicine that can be used for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection when used together with safer sex practices. This use is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This includes HIV-negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex, and male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV-1. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP?
Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: uYou must be HIV-negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. uMany HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: uYou must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. uYou must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. uTo further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. uIf you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: uToo much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. uSerious liver problems. Your liver may become large and tender, and you may develop fat in your liver. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain.
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
uYou may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you
are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time. In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions. uWorsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider. If your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking TRUVADA, they will need to watch you closely for several months to monitor your health. TRUVADA is not approved for the treatment of HBV.
Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you also take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: uKidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA for PrEP. uBone problems, including bone pain or bones getting soft or thin, may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. uChanges in body fat, which can happen in people taking TRUVADA or medicines like TRUVADA. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? uAll your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or
have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. uIf you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Pregnancy Registry: A pregnancy registry collects information about your health and the health of your baby. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take medicines to prevent HIV-1 during pregnancy. For more information about the registry and how it works, talk to your healthcare provider. uIf you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. The medicines in TRUVADA can pass to your baby in breast milk. If you become HIV-1 positive, HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. uAll the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. uIf you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA for PrEP, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include ledipasvir with sofosbuvir (HARVONI). You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
LOS ANGELES
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TRUVADA for PrEP ? TM
The once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when used with safer sex practices. • TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. • You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA. Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.
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visit start.truvada.com
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
LOS ANGELES
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IMPORTANT FACTS (tru-VAH-dah)
This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP
Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP to help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP.
TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP" section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Bone problems. • Changes in body fat. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.
While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: • You must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-1 negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • Tell your healthcare provider if you have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. • See the “How to Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. • Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time.
BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you become HIV-1 positive because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.
HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • You must practice safer sex by using condoms and you must stay HIV-1 negative.
HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP (PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS) TRUVADA is a prescription medicine used with safer sex practices for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults at high risk: • HIV-1 negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex. • Male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not. To help determine your risk, talk openly with your doctor about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
TRUVADA, the TRUVADA Logo, TRUVADA FOR PREP, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and HEPSERA are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2016 © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0067 10/16
• Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.
GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV-1 infection. • Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 NEWS
TOP STORIES OF 2016
LOS ANGELES
THE PRIDE’S YEAR IN REVIEW: 2016
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⚫ BY TROY MASTERS AND
2016 was LGBT annus horiblis and 2017 ain’t lookin’ pretty For the LGBT community, 2016 marks an abrupt end to the greatest period of progress for our young civil rights movement. The past eight years of the Obama administration have left the LGBTcommunity feeling triumphant, enjoying major victories like the repealof “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the legalization of marriage equality. But as we close 2016 everything appears at risk. You can, in retrospect, almost mark the moment when everything started tumbling down. June 12,
2016. That was the day when a madman opened fire on Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people. With the loss
our Pride celebration in an almost defiant act. With the enactment of anti-LGBT legislation, the massacre in Orlando,
of Donald Trump, the onslaught of ISIS, and the atrocities in Syria. The sentiment is widespread that 2016 has been one of the worst years in recent memories. Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver told 2016 “Fuck You,” BuzzFeed called the year “shitty,” and Slate even ran a headline asking: “Is 2016 the worst year in history?” But we are a community of of those lives an entire a field of whacked out, fighters. movement suddenly felt the anti-LGBT Republican We know what we need to extent of its vulnerability. candidates, it has do to survive and we have That same day, here in certainly not been a year always refused to fail or Los Angeles, we found to remember. And that’s give up. ourselves leading the before you consider Brexit, Here’s the year in review... charge, marching on with the eventual election
2016 continued on p. 7
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LOS ANGELES
JANUARY
2016 started as it meant to go on: in abject misery. ISIS’s rampage in Syria and Iraq continued to claim countless lives, including dozens of LGBT people -- particularly young men suspected of being gay. Tried in farcical courts, ISIS’ victims were thrown from buildings, stoned to death, shot in the head, or sometimes a combination of those atrocities. At least two of the victims were under the age of 18, and ISIS shows no signs of relaxing its barbaric attitudes towards homosexuality any time soon.
2016 IN REVIEW
Back home, the presidential primary was offering scarce respite for the LGBT community, as business mogul Donald Trump emerged from a field
RYAN REYES AND HIS DECEASED PARTNER DANIEL KAUFMAN
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ing businesses and individuals to refuse service to LGBT people. Other legislation attempted to allow government officials to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples. And others targeted the transgender community by relegating trans people to using only those bathroom or locker room facilities of their assigned sex at birth. Countering the wave of legislative hate, Charlotte, N.C., passed an ordinance that protected LGBT people from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. In Kentucky, the infamous Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis gave up her fight against same-sex mar riage and retreated back into bigot-
Ryan Reyes was also honored by the President. And Grinder got snapped up by a Chinese firm.
FEBRUARY
ALABAMA SUPREME COURT CHEIF JUSTICE ROY MOORE
of 17 -- many of whom harbored antiLGBT attitudes. At the time, Trump was considered the least awful GOP candidate for LGBT rights, something that would later prove wishful thinking. Alabama Chief Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore came crawling back out of the woodwork at the start of the year, with the notoriously homophobic judge telling probate judges in the state to ignore the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2015 decision on marriage equality. Thankfully, it would finally prove a bigoted step too far, something Moore learned later in 2016. In Los Angeles, pioneering lesbian activist Jeanne Cor dova died. Rooster fish closed in Venice, ending its decades long reign as the only gay bar in West Los Angeles. Daniel Kaufman, the gay man who saved several people before being killed in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, was honored by President Barack Obama during his final State of the Union speech; his longtime partner,
The death of anti-LGBT Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia caused one of the year’s most contentious fights, as Republicans threatened to block President Barack Obama’s attempts to name a r eplacement. Scalia opposed marriage equality and considered gay people as “reprehensible” as “murder, for example, or polygamy, or cruelty to animals.” Any
FRONTIERS MAGAZINE FIRED KAREN OCAMB AND LATER CEASED PUBLISHING
Obama-approved replacement would likely have been more open to LGBT rights. February also brought a flurry of anti-LGBT legislation in various states. Some dealt with so-called “religious freedom” objections, allow-
NORTH CAROLINA LOST ITS MIND AND THEN THE GOVERNOR LOST HIS REELECTION AFTER THE STATE LOST BILLIONS.
ed obscurity, after Gov. Matt Bevin changed the law to remove county clerks’ names from marriage licenses. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned insurers from cover ing “ex-gay” conversion therapy, and in D.C the City Council passed a bill mandating that health care professionals receive cultural competency training on how to best deal with LGBT patients. In Los Angeles, veteran LGBT jour nalist Karen Ocamb was fired from her job as news editor at Frontiers Magazine; the magazine sought to appeal to a “younger generation” by dropping its news focus. A Subway restaurant employee harassed Paris Cabrera, a transgender woman by calling her “sir” and falsely accusing her of shoplifting. APLA opened a deluxe new clinic in Long Beach in a nod to a changing LGBT and HIV demographic. California introduced
a bill to make single person public washrooms gender neutral. West Hollywood resident Andre Davids, 38, was sentenced to 12 years for the gruesome at home stabbing and dismemberment of his physician boyfriend, 34-year-old Kurtland Ma.
MARCH The LGBT community received a boost from two unlikely sources: Gov. Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, who vetoed an anti-transgender “bathroom bill,” and Gov. Nathan Deal, of Georgia, who vetoed a “religious freedom” bill. In Iowa, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed a bill to include protections for transgender individuals under the state’s hate crimes statute. And in Mississippi, a longtime ban pr ohibiting same-sex couples from adopting was ruled unconstitutional. However, one of the biggest setbacks for the LGBT community this year came from North Carolina. Republicans, furious that Charlotte City Council had attempted to protect LGBT people from discrimination, called a special session to jam through the now infamous HB 2. It overturned pro-LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances and forced transgender people to use bathrooms based on their assigned sex at birth. The extent and animosity of the bill led to a backlash from pro-equality municipalities across the country, with many banning state-sponsored travel to North Carolina. In Los Angeles, the local office of the Department of Homeland Security was cited for poor treatment of transgender detainees; Congressman Mike Honda said sexual assault, “inconsistent” health care, and other problems, threatened LGBT detainees and make them “among the most vulnerable” in the agency’s custody.” Bill Rosendahl, the legendary gay activist who served on the Los Angeles City Council, representing Council District 11 from 2005 to 2013, died and hundreds turned out for his memorial service. HRC’s Chad Griffin called on Hollywood to speak out against the coming Religious Freedom tidal wave of antigay activities. West Hollywood resident Sgt. Mitch Grobeson, a nationally prominent LGBT figure who battled institutionalized homophobia within the ranks of the LAPD, was arrested after a dramatic standoff with a police tactical unit for “pointing a handgun at his spouse to force him to leave their home” ANNUS HORRIBLIS continued on p. 7
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
2016 IN REVIEW
GAVIN GRIMM’S LANDMARK CASE HELPED DEFINE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST TRANS PEOPLE AS GENDER DISCRIMINATION
ANNUS HORRIBLIS continued from p. 6
APRIL
The firestor m surrounding HB 2 continued to rage. The state was heavily criticized by the business and entertainment communities, with many choosing to boycott the state -PayPal, for instance, cancelled plans to build a global operations center in North Carolina. In a desperate attempt to placate businesses, Gov. Pat McCrory signed a nondiscrimination order aimed at protecting LGBT people. But it contained significant religious exemptions, meaning in reality it changed absolutely nothing. There was more negative news, as Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill that allows therapists and counselors to refuse to treat LGBT people
and others whose “lifestyle” the ther apist or counselor finds objectionable -- a stunningly ignorant move that could leave vulnerable LGBT people open to har m. But Haslam wasn’t alone in his tone-deaf support of bigotry. Defying warnings from the business community in his state, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant proudly signed yet another “religious freedom” bill, legalizing discrimination against the LGBT community. Locally, D.C.’s transgender community lost one of its own after Keyonna Blakeney was murdered in a hotel room in Rockville. Blakeney became the latest name in a worryingly long list of transgender women of color in the United States who have been violently killed in recent years. In response to HB 2, retail giant Target reached out to the transgender community by adopting a policy allowing trans customers to use whichever restroom they feel most comfortable with -- a show of support that infuriated anti-LGBT groups. Perhaps most significantly for the transgender community, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a groundbreaking ruling in Virginia. It found that T itle IX’s protections again st sex discri minati on a pp ly to students who are discriminated against on the basis of their gender identity. The decision handed Gavin Grimm -- a trans Gloucester County, Va., student -- a victory over his local school board, which has tried for almost two years to ban him from the boys’ restroom. Locally, LA County joined a nationwide boycott of official travel to North Carolina and other states that legislate discrimination against LGBT people. The Los Angeles LGBT Center shows off expansion plans. Dozens of people from the San Fernando Valley LGBT group Somos Familia Valle, gathered in peaceful protest in North Hills on Monday April 4 following the alleged murder of Amir Issa, a gay man who prosecutors say was killed by his own father for being gay.
MAY
AMIR ISSA’S FATHER KILLED HIM FOR BEING GAY AT THERE HOME IN NORTH HILLS, CALIFORNIA.
In May, Congress fought over LGBT r ig h ts when Ok l a homa U.S. Rep . Steve Russell successfully added an amendment to a bill that invalidated an Obama executive order banning LGBT discrimination by companies that receive government contracts. LGBT advocates, led by U.S. Rep
Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, attempted to add an amendment to another bill that would overrule Russell. It got enough Republican votes to pass, but party leaders later defeated the bill -- because heaven forbid the GOP protect LGBT people from discrimination. The month wasn’t a total loss: The U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice issued revolutionary guidance to schools asking them to treat transgender students according to their gender identity, and the state of Vermont took steps to ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors. May also offered a history-making
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moment for the LGBT community, when Eric Fanning was confir med as Secretary of the Army, becoming the first openly gay person to lead a branch of the U.S. military. In West Hollywood, all hell broke lose as Christopher Street West, in a nod to a younger and more apolitical generation, appeared to remove gay identity from the parade and festival. Hillary Clinton’s gay campaign manager, Robby Mook, visited West Hollywood and helped raised millions of dollars for her campaign.
JUNE As if legislative assault wasn’t enough, 2016 brought a tragedy that struck at the heart of the American ANNUS HORRIBLIS continued on p. 16
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LOS ANGELES LEGAL
SAN DIEGO
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
COMMUNITY
⚫ BY KAREN OCAMB
Will X. Walters, who lost Federal suit over nudity arrest, kills himself The shocking loss of his federal discrimination case against the San Diego Police Department may have been too much for Will X. Walters to handle. Since Gay Pride in 2011, he fought against his arrest on charges of public nudity, racking up about $1 million in legal costs over the years, only to have a federal jury rule in favor of the police on Dec. 13. On Wednesday night, police found his body in his Hillcrest apartment, an apparent suicide, the San Diego Union Tribune reported. Chris Morris, Walters’ attorney, said the gay man was “shocked” by the verdict on the April 5, 2016 appeal of his original case. He immediately left the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego and did not respond to Morris or friends’ attempts to contact him. Police told the Union Tribune that the exact time of his death is not known; the Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating. Just days before the verdict, on Dec. 10 in the afternoon, Walters posted a “Thank you” to the community on The Pride LA Facebook page, after the most recent report on his case: “Will Walters: Everyone thank you so much for your support, being in the trenches of this court case is very hard and I really appreciate everyone’s kind words. I also want to thank Jeffrey Davidson for his comment as well, because my case is not only about the 14th amendment, it’s about defending the entire Constitution. The reason I continue this fight is so that we all can
WILL WALTERS
continue giving our opinions and we can enjoy the luxury of equal enforcement as well as freedom of speech. We need to remember that EVERY freedom in the Bill of Rights are rights that so many people around the world do not enjoy. I continue this fight not because of myself, but for everyone and I want to thank everyone for allowing me to represent them in this struggle. Regardless win or lose, it’s been a really long journey and myself, my friends and my legal team have fought as hard
as we could, but it’s all to support my fellow Americans and again I want to thank everyone. You all are so amazing and God Bless America!” The case was a real stunner, considering other Pride and LGBT events, including Halloween in West Hollywood. His complaint, filed in federal court in March 2012, alleged selective enforcement of the unused public nudity municipal code by officers of the San Diego Police Department. “Will Walters is a Hispanic, gay man who owns the dubious distinction of being the only person in the history of the City of San Diego to be arrested and booked on a charge of public nudity,” the complaint states. “Mr. Walters was arrested for public nudity at the 2011 Lesbian Gay Bi-Sexual Transgender Pride (‘Pride’) event while wearing an opaque gladiator type kilt over black underwear. Under any definition, he was not nude, as his buttocks and genitalia were fully covered. Nonetheless, he was ushered out of the event, humiliated, arrested, and incarcerated.” Walters alleged that the city’s enforcement of its public nudity law “essentially allows thongs, g-strings, and other skimpy bathing suits to be worn by participants and attendees at straight special events, but not by attendees and participants at the one gay special event, Pride.” This was at a time when Borat’s “mankini” was for sale to straight men PRIDE NUDITY continued on p. 20
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HEALTH
LOS ANGELES
AIDS & HIV
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⚫ BY ELAINE KORRY
Matt Redman, AIDS Project Los Angeles co-founder, dies at 66 Matt Redman, an interior designer who co-founded AIDS Project Los Angeles in 1982, died of AIDS-related complications on Dec. 27. He was 66. Redman, a longtime AIDS survivor, apparently started feeling ill a week earlier, cancelling a party planned for Dec. 18. A friend begged him to see his doctor, but Redman refused. When he finally relented, he went to the emergency room at Southern California Hospital at Culver City (formerly Brotman Medical Center) and was immediately rushed to Urgent Care. An upper respiratory infection had traveled to his heart and lungs and he didn’t have enough T -cells to fight it. He “coded” and was placed on life support while his family and former partner were notified and flew in to be with him. He died around 3:40 Tuesday afternoon. Redman determined that he had been infected with HIV in the late 1970s, diagnosed in retrospect by his “dangerously low” T -cell level. “I wasn’t terribly surprised because so many of the people I ran with had already become sick. Why would I be different?” Redman, who loved to dance at Probe disco, told The Advocate’s Chris Bull on July 17, 2001 for a story on the 20th anniversary of AIDS. In fact, the mysterious disease appeared in Los Angeles before the first Centers for Disease Control in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on June 5, 1981 by L.A.-based Dr. Michael Gottlieb and Dr. Joel Weisman on their five gay patients. In 1979, in the era of mega-discos like Probe and Studio One, a young, thin, sick and penniless gay man covered in purple lesions was among the 70 men who stood in line each night at the L.A. Gay Community Services Center’s STD clinic to be treated for sexually transmitted diseases. Health care worker Hugh Rice said later he was struck by the man’s appearance but thought the purple lesions were “some strange dermatological problem”. He learned six weeks after that clinic visit that the young man had died in isolation at L.A. County Hospital. Only after the federal government announced the new fatal disease called Gay-Related Immuno-
MATT REDMAN IN A PICTURE HE UPLOADED TO FACEBOOK LAST YEAR.
deficiency Disease (GRID) did Rice realize that the young man had AIDS, a disease that would eventually take him, as well. “My friends and I were in New York in 1981, hearing stories among friends coming down with this mysterious disease. We realized that back home in L.A. there was no hotline, no medical care, and no one to turn to for emotional support,” Redman told Bull. Redman and friends Nancy Cole Sawaya, Ervin Munro and Max Drew called an emergency meeting at the L.A. Gay Community Services Center in October 1982. They listened to a representative from San Francisco’s Kaposis Sarcoma Foundation talk about GRID and what could be done. “For some reason I wasn’t really scared. It was so early on that no one could predict what would happen,” Redman told The Advocate upon learning he was infected. However, quickly realizing that neither the federal government nor the conservative L.A. County Board of Supervisors were anxious to help sick and dying gay men in the context of a healthcare crisis, the group decided to set up a hotline. As terror gripped the gay community, they collected as much information as they could gath-
er, found 12 volunteers and asked gay Dr. Joel Weisman to train them to answer the one telephone-hotline set up in a virtual closet at the Center. The volunteers would “reduce fear” by reading from a one-page fact sheet. Eventually they gave out referrals to doctors and others willing to help the stigmatized, diseased gay patients society now treated as lepers. Redman and his co-founders also enlisted the help of other friends to raise much needed funding. The group held a Christmas benefit that netted $7,000 in seed money for developing a new organization. They started a steering committee and named a Board of Directors with Weisman and experienced checkbook activist attorney Diane Abbitt as Board co-chairs. They gaveled to order their first Board meeting on January 14, 1983 under the name AIDS Project Los Angeles, acknowledging from the beginning that AIDS was not exclusively a disease of gay men. The next month, APLA produced and distributed a brochure about AIDS in both English and Spanish, attempting to answer some of the basic questions about HIV/AIDS. In May, APLA and activists organized the first candlelight march at the Federal Building in Westwood, attended
by more than 5,000 people. It was a breakthrough moment that spurred community involvement, enlisted more volunteers to organize support groups, to visit the bedsides of isolated people dying of AIDS alone in hostile hospitals and serve in APLA’s important Buddy Program. But it wasn’t just government and straight society that expressed revulsion to people with HIV/AIDS in those early days. Many gay men recoiled from their friends and lovers, too, fearing that they were looking in a mirror and the wasting syndrome and purple blotches would soon attack and stigmatize them, as well. “Matt was moving force behind the establishment of APLA. His voice made those who ignored or were afraid to face the disease admit what was really happening,” says Abbitt. “At the time, people thought only prostitutes and very promiscuous gay men got HIV so we couldn’t raise money to fight it. Matt forced gay men to see the reality of AIDS. He was defiant and insistent. He had a vision and it would have been the death of so many more had he not fought so hard to make his vision a reality. Without a shadow of a doubt, the person who made APLA a reality was Matt Redman.” Redman could also be difficult. “He was so strong, so stubborn—he just he didn’t care who he pissed off. He had already seen people die,” Abbitt says. “I respected Matt. I didn’t always like the way he handled things. But I always respected him and in the end we did become friends.” “Matt was unflinching and unshrinking,” says Ritch Colbert, former APLA board member and former L.A. chapter president of Log Cabin Republicans. “Sometimes when people die we talk about how they fought the good fight – Matt actually started some of them.” “As an ignorant little HIV+ punk in the early ‘90s on the APLA Board of Directors, I got schooled by Matt in how to push diplomacy aside and get shit done,” says Jim Vellequette. “He had no patience for processes that could be drawn out over months by the bureaucracy of the beast he help MATT REDMAN continued on p. 19
⚫ 10
TALKING POING TRUMP
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
LOS ANGELES
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
⚫ BY KRISTEN PRATA BROWDE
Worse than Donald Trump for LGBT people It’s time to get real about what’s facing us, and about who the real enemy is. For many, my version of real is going to be more than a little contrarian and, for some, far from popular. On Facebook and elsewhere I’ve been reading, and largely agreeing with, post after post trashing Don the Con, the Orange Menace. But I’m proposing that we back off on that kind of thinking. Yes, anyone sentient regards Trump as manifestly unqualified, morally repulsive and, ultimately, an ignorant thug whose only motivation appears to be to siphon off as much money as he can without regard to the methods he uses. (And yes, I know, those are his better attributes.) But, here’s the problem. Getting rid of Trump takes us out of the frying pan and places us directly in the flames. And while we need to prepare ourselves for our very own impending global warming, we need to remember that Trump may be all that stands between us and those flames. As erratic and unstable as Trump has shown himself to be he is, in my view, far more acceptable than a more competent and distinctly more malevolent Mike Pence. And with an utterly unprincipled Republican dominated Congress that is all too willing to ignore the Constitution whenever that document runs afoul of radical right wing Christian dogma, a malevolent leader (Pence) would be far more dangerous than one whose attention span and follow through appear to be approximately equal and at a relatively low level. Why do I see Pence as a far greater danger than Trump? Trump is what Republicans, until he won their nomination and then the election, called a RINO, Republican in Name Only. His massive government spending and tax plans would violate every conventional Republican precept. First and foremost they would balloon the national debt to unprecedented levels, directly violating conservative principles. One should note, however, that this kind of hypocritical approach didn’t bother the Bush II administration at all, as Cheney’s Haliburton and other firms profited handsomely from unbridled
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government spending. But $50 billion wall accompanied by tens of billions in weapons spending and military manpower increases? The Tea Party wing and traditional Republican fiscal hawks can be expected to push back against those headline grabbing Trump initiatives. Their resistance could tie Trump up for some time, especially while Trump focuses on his Twitter wars with Chinese and other international leaders, and tries to bull his way through the trade negotiations he has said are important to him. Congress isn’t good at doing too many things at once. Trump’s spray of could lead to Republicans batting amongst themselves. Well thought through and executed Democratic party resistance could open a third front in the legislative battles, and that could help blunt the likely attempt at massive social change through legislation that, at least under current Supreme Court precedent, would almost certainly be held to be unconstitutional. But what about Pence? Some will
argue, and not without some merit, that Pence’s hand is behind the appointment of some of the ideologues in Trump’s proposed cabinet. But the better argument is that if Trump is impeached it will make things far worse, not better, because impeachment would result in Pence being elevated to the presidency. Pence’s agenda is everything anyone LGBTQI or anything but missionary position cis hetero should fear. Pence calls himself a “Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” While “conservative” is a misnomer - Pence advocates a theocracy that never existed in this country, the specifics of his positions are chilling: In 2006 Pence supported a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. Pence told one audience: “Societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of the deterioration of marriage and family.” Pence also called being gay a choice and said keeping gays from marrying was not discrimination, but
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an enforcement of “God’s idea.” • Pence signed an Indiana law allowing business owners to claim religious beliefs as a reason to refuse service to customers they imagined might be gay or lesbian. • Pence supports the use of public funds for conversion therapy, a discredited and WHAT’S WORSE? continued on p. 15
>
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 AIDS HISTORY NEWS
LOS ANGELES
LOCAL
⚫ BY KAREN OCAMB
Pioneering AIDS activist, Debbie Reynolds dies
DEBBIE REYNOLDS
The LGBT community—reeling from the deaths of icons George Michael and Carrie Fisher and AIDS Project Los Angeles co-founder Matt Redman— was stunned again Wednesday by the news that Fisher’s funny and vivacious mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the day after her daughter. Reynolds’ son Todd told the Associated Press that she died of a broken heart saying “I want to be with Carrie” moments before she died. Reynolds’ long and tumultuous career includes the gossip scandal of 1958 when pop singer Eddie Fisher, the husband of the “girl next door,” left her for sexy actress Elizabeth Taylor. Reynolds and Taylor later reconciled their ‘50s friendship, even having dinner with her second husband and Taylor and Taylor’s next husband, Richard Burton. In 2001, Reynolds and Taylor starred with Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins in the made-for-TV movie, “These Old Broads,” written by Carrie Fisher. Another interesting note in the less-thansix-degrees-of-separation relationship between Reynolds and Taylor is that Reynolds was an AIDS activist before Taylor. In fact, along with comedienne Joan Rivers, singer/actress Rita Moreno, and actor Robert Guillaume, Reynolds was among the first of the Hollywood celebrities to publicly appear in AIDS
fundraisers at a time when HIV/AIDS was still a mysterious killer and gay men with AIDS were labeled lepers. In 1983, Reynolds performed at an AIDS fundraiser with friend and Hollywood rival Shirley MacLaine. In fact, it was MacLaine who was slated to play Molly Brown in the 1964 MGM film version of the Broadway musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown. But Reynolds not only got the part but won an Oscar nomination, as well. Three decades later, Reynolds sought to play Doris Mann in the 1990 screen adaptation of Fisher’s 1987 semi-autobiographical novel about addiction and a mother-daughter relationship in Postcards from the Edge. In her memoir, Unsinkable, when Reynolds asked director Mike Nichols if she could read for the role, he told her, “You’re not right for the part.” To which Reynolds replied: “Excuse me? I’m not right to play myself, a part that I’d been creating—admittedly, unwittingly–for my daughter for decades?” In his book “And The Band Played On” about the beginning of the AIDS crisis, Randy Shilts wrote about that June 23, 1983 AIDS fundraiser in San Francisco: “The fund-raiser for the National KS/AIDS foundation had all the DEBBIE continued on p. 12
⚫ 11
⚫ 12
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
LOS ANGELES
Guests in Town? Celebration Coming Up? Staff Needs A Day Off?
TIME FOR
WINE!
DEBBIE REYNOLDS ACCEPTS A 2015 SAG AWARD FROM HER DAUGHTER CARRIE FISHER DEBBIE continued from p. 11
raciness of a true San Francisco event. When host Debbie Reynolds introduced the surprise guest, actress Shirley MacLaine, with the comment that MacLaine had great legs, MacLaine responded by pulling down the top of her long strapless gown, demonstrating that she had other equipment to match. The crowd cheered enthusiastically: “We love you, Shirley!” Not to be outdone, Reynolds lifted the rear of her slitted gown to reveal her brief black underwear. “Debbie’s ‘Tammy’ image is blown forever,” sighed one realtor in the audience.” Though Elizabeth Taylor eclipsed Reynolds in the AIDS activist/fundraising world after the AIDS death of Taylor’s dear friend Rock Hudson, Reynolds was known to always be available, without perks, to lend her name and talent to fighting the AIDS epidemic. And her fondness for the gays never disappeared either, landing the role as Kevin Kline’s
mother in the satirical 1997 film “In & Out,” and playing her Emmy-nominated role as Deborah Messing’s eccentric mother in NBC’s “Will & Grace.” Her last role was Liberace’s mother in the 2013 HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra.” In 2014, Reynolds received the Screen Actors Guild life achievement award, presented by her beloved daughter and neighbor, Carrie Fisher. “She has been more of a mother to me – not much. But definitely more. She’s been an unsolicited stylist, interior decorator, and marriage counselor,” said Fisher to much laughter. “This is an extraordinarily kind, generous, gifted funny woman who would give you the shirt off her back—if Vivian Leigh hadn’t once worn it in ‘Gone with the Wind.’” It’s a sentiment shared by members of the LGBT community who remember Reynolds’ kindness and generosity to people living with and dying from HIV/ AIDS at a time when it took courage to put her career at risk and bring laughter and joy to others.
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WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF “THESE OLD BROADS,” DEBBIE REYNOLDS, SHIRLEY MACLAINE, JOAN COLLINS AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR, RAISING MONEY FOR THE AIDS CRISIS — AND BRINGING ATTENTION TO THE PLIGHT OF HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE — WOULD HAVE BEEN NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 HEALTHCARE CANCER
LOS ANGELES
LGBT HEALTH MATTERS
⚫ 13
⚫ BY BETH FAND INCOLLINGO
LGBT patients at higher risk of cancer
Imagine that you find a lump under your skin, or that you’re having trouble breathing, or are in pain. You’re afraid you might have a serious health problem — possibly cancer — but you’re also reluctant to go to the doctor. Why might you postpone or avoid contact with the health care system? Maybe you can’t afford health insurance or a have a history of negative experiences with hospitals and doctors. So you keep putting off that doctor’s appointment, and, potentially, you keep getting sicker. That’s the experience of many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, who, according to studies, face a greater risk of getting cancer due to risk factors like tobacco and alcohol use, yet are less likely to seek and benefit from health care. Ultimately, this could mean that cancer is picked up at a later stage, when it is more difficult to treat. The National LGBT Cancer Network aims to change that dangerous dynamic with its Take Care of That Body campaign. The online campaign aims to educate members of the LGBT community about their potentially increased cancer risk due to health care barriers and behaviors that can result from stigma and discrimination — such as smoking and eating high-fat foods — and then encourage timely cancer screenings at LGBT -welcoming facilities. “The LGBT community is disproportionately affected by cancer, and few people in the community know that, so this is an education program,” says Liz Margolies, L.C.S.W, executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network. “Part of what keeps people from getting screened is that they don’t know they’re at higher risk, or they can’t find, or believe they can find, a facility they can trust. So we’re providing them with both.” The Cancer Network also offers LGBT support groups for those who have already been diagnosed with cancer. How the Program Works Launched in 2010 and partially funded by the New York State Depart-
ment of Health, where the Network is based, the Take Care of That Body program has three arms, all accessible online at cancer-network.org/ screening.php. These allow visitors to create a personalized cancer risk report; find LGBT -friendly screening facilities through a searchable, stateby-state directory; and sign up for text or email reminders about when they should next be screened. “We know that many people use the program, but they don’t all use all three pieces,” Margolies says. “Some skip the risk assessment and come to the website just to find culturally competent cancer screening facilities. We can see that people are using the directory, and it’s OK if they don’t do all the steps. We are here to offer information.” The Personalized Risk Assessment uses questions about age, race, family history and current behaviors to alert people who may face an increased likelihood of developing breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate or anal cancers. The program focuses on these cancers because they are the ones for which approved, routine screening tests are available. The Network relies on standards set by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to shape its recommendations about whether someone should seek a cancer screening. The directory lists free and/or lowcost screening facilities whose staff members understand the barriers that have kept LGBT people from engaging with the health care system. Some facilities have designated a staff person who will accompany transgender people through their appointments. For example, a transgender man may want to have a mammogram, but not sit in a pink robe in a room with women. The guide will alert the staff that he is coming and give him a comfortable and separate place to wait. Many of the facilities also offer cancer screenings to undocumented people, Margolies says. All facilities included in the directory have been contacted and interviewed to ensure that they welcome LGBT people. The National LGBT Cancer Network states on its website that, “While all providers included in
this directory have expressed a commitment to transgender health, the facilities that are highlighted have distinguished themselves by training all staff on transgender issues and reaching out to their local transgender community.” When facilities do not meet the strict standards set by the National LGBT Cancer Network, Margolies says that the organization offers to train their staff members and evaluate their patient intake forms for inclusiveness. The directory lists about 200 screening facilities across the nation, and that database is growing. “We are now organizing volunteers to update and expand the directories,” Margolies says. “Our goal is that there be an LGBT -friendly cancer screening
facility within driving distance of every LGBT person in the country, and that’s a huge project that, so far, is unfunded. Since the (presidential) election, people have written to us to say they feel the need to volunteer to do what they can for the LGBT community, and I’ve chosen this project for their efforts — expanding and updating the two directories we have.” In addition to the list of LGBT -friendly cancer screening facilities, the Cancer Network maintains a separate directory of LGBT -friendly cancer treatment facilities and individuals. Health Disparities Highlighted To explain the heightened risk of cancer in the LGBT community, the CANCER AND LGBT continued on p. 18
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
LOS ANGELES
Trump urged to Bassma Zebib remove LGBT ‘activists’ from immigration State Dept. criminal l aw o f f i c e o f
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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins this week urged President-elect Trump to remove State Department officials who support the promotion of LGBT rights abroad. Perkins in his letter to supporters accused President Obama of sending openly gay ambassadors “into countries that are culturally opposed to homosexuality.” He incorrectly claimed in his letter that the current White House used foreign aid to “force nations opposed to homosexuality to change their laws to provide special protections for such behavior.” Perkins further proclaimed U.S. embassies around the world have flown the rainbow flag during the Obama administration. The rainbow flag flew over U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius’ official residence in Hanoi after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that samesex couples can marry in all 50 states. (Photo courtesy of Clayton Bond) Perkins also said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “promoted abortion” and declared “reproductive healthcare a basic human rights.” His letter linked to two speeches that Clinton gave in 2009 at a Planned Parenthood gala in Houston and at the State Department in 2010. “reproductive rights” for women. The only time Clinton specifically mentioned abortion is when she said in her Planned Parenthood speech that “the best way to make sure we reduce abortion is to provide access to safe family planning.” “The incoming administration needs to make clear that these liberal policies will be reversed and the ‘activists’ within the State Department promoting them will be ferreted out and will be replaced by conservatives who will ensure the State Department focuses on true international human rights like religious liberty which is under unprecedented assault,” wrote Perkins. Obama in 2011 directed agencies that implement U.S. foreign policy to promote LGBT rights abroad. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development manage the Global Equality Fund, a public-private partnership that seeks to promote LGBT rights abroad. Ran-
dy Berry in 2015 became the first special U.S. envoy for LGBT and intersex rights. “To carry out this extreme agenda, the Obama administration has systematically filled the ranks of State with LGBTQ and abortion activists,” wrote Perkins. “Unless the next secretary of state is willing to resist and remove this embedded agenda, the promotion and protection of true human rights, like religious liberty, will continue to languish.” U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) last month asked Secretary of State John Kerry to formally apologize to the State Department employees who were fired during the so-called “lavender scare” in the 1950s and 1960s. Perkins letter ‘beyond the pale’ Trump on Tuesday formally announced ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson’s nomination as secretary of state. Perkins wrote that he doesn’t “see Tillerson cut from the same cloth as Clinton or Kerry.” He said he nevertheless has “concerns” about Tillerson’s nomination that stem from the fact he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America’s executive board when it voted to allow openly gay scouts into the organization in 2013. “He must have the courage to stop the promotion of this anti-family, anti-life agenda, which is very much a question mark given that he capitulated to activists pushing to liberalize the Boy Scouts’ policy on homosexuality when he was at the helm of the organization,” wrote Perkins. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a sharply-worded press release said Perkins’ “proposal to ‘purge’ pro-LGBTQ employees from the State Department is beyond the pale.” “Perkins is hatefully suggesting pro-equality, career civil servants be rounded up and sent packing for doing their jobs,” said Griffin. “The incoming administration should immediately denounce Perkins’ illegal and vindictive proposal.” “The State Department plays a crucially important role in America’s efforts to advance LGBTQ human rights STATE DEPT. continued on p. 18
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
Opinion: As bad as it is... WHAT’S WORSE? continued from p. 10
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potentially harmful form of anti-gay therapy. Pence opposed a law that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace. Pence slashed Planned Parenthood funding, arguably contributing to one county’s HIV outbreak. As Indiana Governor Pence took $3.5 million way from needy families with children and used the money to counsel women against having abortions. Pence refused to comply with Obama administration rules aimed at reducing prison rape. Pence said he’d like to “send Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history.” Pence signed a bill into law requiring burial or cremation for aborted fetuses. Pence has proposed teaching creationism in public schools. Pence wrote an op-ed claiming that “smoking doesn’t
kill.” And Pence is far more skilled as a politician and less likely to make the kind of 140 character blunder for which Trump has become so well known. This is not to say that we give Trump a pass. Democrats in the Senate must not allow another ideologue in the mold of Alito, Scalia or Thomas to become a Supreme Court Justice. But it is to say that, now that it is apparent that Trump and Pence will be inaugurated as President and Vice-President in just under a month, it is time for us to channel the rage and betrayal we feel into useful, directed energy aimed at making a difference; resisting where necessary, protecting where we can, but primarily focusing on reclaiming the future. Indeed, the only solution, other than somehow escaping from the United States or getting the coasts to declare independence, is to start working today to do two things: 1) We have to make sure that four years from now we’re getting ready to inaugurate someone else, someone whose values are inclusive and whose promise is to undo the damage that will certainly be caused in a Trump •
administration. 2) Two years from now we have to change the composition of the House of Representatives. It’s unlikely that we’ll make much headway in the Senate, but it’s going to be important to defend where we can and to take back a few seats if possible. Flipping the House would cut short the ugliness that we all see looming not so far ahead. How do we do that? We can’t wait until the summer of 2018 to start. We need to start now to identify our strongest potential candidates. We should be doing this even before Trump and his thugs are sworn in. And we can’t just work at the more glamorous national and congressional level. Republicans now control 68 out 98 chambers of state legislatures – a record high. Here’s the scariest development of this election: Republicans now fully control governments in 33 out of 50 states, only five states short of the number needed to push through amendments to the U.S. Constitution. That can’t be dismissed as just flyover country. To me that indicates that the Republicans are doing the work that we are not: getting involved
LOS ANGELES
⚫ 15
at a local level, putting people on school boards, town boards and in positions to move up the political ladder. We have one huge advantage: among young voters Trump and the Republicans lost in every single state. These younger people have to be motivated, and we have to find the best of them, the ones who care enough about our collective future to get involved and do the hard work of going to meetings and running for positions in the local governments. These candidates will be our boots on the ground in towns and states across the nation. They’re the ones who will know – and who by their actions will show – that equality in marriage, equality for those of different faiths, for those of different gender expressions, is nothing to fear and everything to welcome and celebrate. We have to find these candidates and start raising money for them now. In a very few weeks we should be talking to our neighbors about replacing the people who were elected this past, disastrous, election cycle. And in the meantime we have to take care of one another. It’s not going to be easy, but we can do this if we’re together.
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LOS ANGELES
ANNUS HORRIBLIS continued from p. 7
ANTHONY SULLIVAN, L, FOUGHT AND EARNED RECOGNITION FOR HIS 1975 MARRIAGE TO RICHARD ADAMS. HE IS PICTURED HERE WITH HIS ATTORNEY, LAVI SOLOWAY
LGBT community. June, of ficial ly Pride month, is supposed to be 30 days of celebration and affirmation of the love and support within the LGBT community. Instead, it became a test of the strength of those bonds. In the early hours of June 12, a lone gunman walked into Pulse -an LGBT nightclub in Orlando -- and opened fire, murdering 49 people and injuring a further 53. Families were destroyed, relationships shattered, young lives cut short in a senseless act of hatred. In the wake of tragedy came an outpouring of love. Across the country -- and, eventually, the world -- LGBT communities gathered to mourn, to show support, and to commit to fighting the very anger that had fueled one man to murder dozens of LGBT people. Activists turned their attention to lax gun laws, homophobes were temporarily silenced, and for a brief moment LGBT Americans were reminded of just how far our movement has come -- and how far it still has to go. The worst mass shooting in modern American history had deeply wounded the community, but we recovered, we remembered, and we renewed our commitment to keep fighting for our rights. Later that month, President Obama made history by designating the historic Stonewall Inn -- considered by some to be the birthplace of the moder n LGBT rights movement -- the first national monument dedicated to LGBT history. It was a power ful counterpoint to the tragedy that had occurred almost two weeks earlier. As Pride gets underway in West
2016 IN REVIEW
Hollywood, explosives and weapons are found in a car headed to the festivities. Califor nia Representative Ted Lieu introduces gun legislation in response to the attack in Orlando while Equality California and HRC also embrace gun control. A meningitis outbreak escalates in Southern Califor nia and LA County Department of Public Health issues a vaccination call. Congregation Kol Ami welcomes Israel’s first transgender soldier. The Pride LA honors pioneers and emerging youth leaders in its first ever pride edition. Australian national Anthony Sullivan is awarded citizenship as the United States honors his 1975 same sex wedding to Los Angeles native Richard Adams (RIP). Venice Pride launches.
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
the appr oval of a pr o-LGBT platform, and speakers including Jason Collins, Christine Leinonen -- the mother of Pulse victim Drew Leinonen -- and HRC’s Sarah McBride, who became the first openly transgender person to address a national convention. Los Angeles’ Meningitis outbreak grows and the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention take a close look. In Echo Park, Frank Rogers was murdered by his partner “Nick James” during an altercation at a Sober Living facility. West Hollywood Lauren Meister introduces a proposal requiring Christopher Street West to reveal financial details before it can receive future city funding after reports the parade organizers have
LA PRIDE WAS PIVOTING POST-GAY BUT ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT THE COMMUNITY WAS SUDDENLY AWARE OF JUST HOW PREMATURE THAT IDEA WAS. THE MASSACRE IN ORLANDO HAPPENED ON THE DAY OF LA PRIDE AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MOURNED IN THE STREETS OF WEST HOLLYWOOD.
JULY
July began with a significant announcement from Defense Secretary Ashton Carter: The U.S. military would begin allowing transgender service members to serve openly. Unfortunately, that news was countered by Donald Trump picking notoriously anti-LGBT Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to be his running mate. Any thought that Trump would temper Republican attitudes towards LGBT rights was further shattered at the Republican National Convention, where attendees approved “the most anti-LGBT platfor m in the Party’s 162-year history,” according to Log Cabin President Gregory T. Angelo. In contrast, Democrats bent over backwards to appeal to the LGBT community at their convention, featuring major LGBT elected officials,
suffered a significant loss. Dean Hansell is appointed to Los Angeles County Superior Court. Gays Against Guns organizes in Los Angeles.
AUGUST The biggest headline grabber in August was the Rio 2016 Olympics, which was constantly mired in controversy. While 43 athletes openly identified as LGBT -- the largest number of any Olympics -- The Daily Beast enraged many when a reporter wrote about gay athletes on Grindr in the Olympic Village. In its original edit, it threatened to out athletes by listing their sport and country of origin -- easily identifiable information that placed some at risk in their home nations. Daily Beast editors tried to fix the story, but the criticism was so great that they took the
unprecedented step of deleting it and posting an editorial apology. Donald Trump, smarting from Hillary Clinton’s commanding lead in the polls, appeared to have a split personality over LGBT rights. On one hand, he proposed a “test” for new immigrants from places with a history of terrorism or Islamic extremism, including questions about their support for gay rights. He also blasted Clinton for the Clinton Foundation’s decision to accept money from antiLGBT regimes in the Middle East. But at the same time, Trump, along with Sen. Marco Rubio, was accused of hypocrisy after he appeared at a conference of anti-LGBT activists in Orlando, just a short drive from the site of the Pulse nightclub massacre. In a blow to the Obama administration, Reed O’Connor, a federal judge in Texas, blocked their guidance on the treatment of transgender students, arguing that they did not follow proper procedures. The City of Los Angeles expands PrEP access for at-risk uninsured people. The first death is reported in 2016’s meningitis outbreak. Famed LGBT journalist Mark Thompson dies in Palm Springs at age 63. In a twist, Juror award straight female nurses 2.9 million dollars over heterosexual discrimination by their gay boss. The Nation Lesbian and Gay Chamber of Commerce gathers in Palm Springs. Mexican singer Juan Gabriel dies in Santa Monica. Califor nia requires religious schools that take tax payer dollars to declare intent to discriminate against LGBT students.
SEPTEMBER
The hits just kept coming for North Car olina in the fall, as the NCAA decided to pull several sports championships from the state. The fallout was a major blow to Republicans, who campaigned on their support for HB 2. The current and potential loss of revenue is estimated roughly $500 million. In another small victory for transgender individuals, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro approved a rule that requires homeless shelters accepting federal funds to house people based on their gender identity. Former Private Chelsea Manning, the transgender woman behind one of the largest leaks of classified information in military history, went on a hunger strike to protest the Department of Defense’s refusal to treat ANNUS HORRIBLIS continued on p. 17
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 ANNUS HORRIBLIS continued from p. 16
her according to her gender identity. Manning was later promised gender confirmation surgery. Eight months after trying to defy the Supreme Court, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moor e finally got his comeuppance. The Court of the Judiciary said that Moore had attempted to undermine the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing marriage equality. Moore was for mally suspended without pay for the remainder of his six-year term (ending in 2019). The schadenfreude was strong. In a blow to LGBT media, popular lesbian website AfterEllen.com shut down. Editor -in-chief Trish Bendix urged readers to find other sites dedicated to queer women and financially support them, saying: “Queer women are worthy.” In Sacramento, Mark Leno announces an end to his 17 year legislative career. In Los Angeles, Japanese national Takashi Nakaya mar ries his partner of 30 years, Dale Green, in a bedside ceremony at the West LA Veteran’s Administration Hospital. “Gender suspicious” Alexis Arquette, who transitioned from male to female and then transitioned back to male, died in Los Angeles. California forbids official state business travel to LGBT hostile states. Equality California rescinds some endorsements. Frontiers Magazine closes. California legislates against ‘troubled teen’ industry and reparative therapy clinics.
OCTOBER California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill for all public accommodations with single-user restrooms to be accessible to all genders, giving Califor nia the most pro-transgender bathroom laws in the country. In Florida, a judge ruled in favor of a transgender teen whose parents requested that the state change his birth certificate to correctly reflect his gender identity. In more good news, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up the case of Gavin Grimm, making a determination next spring of whether transgender discrimination is, in fact, sex discrimination. At the national level, Clinton was en route to a historic win, riding high in the polls after Trump was heard bragging about sexually assaulting women in a tape from 2005. The LGBT community was looking for ward to continuing the advancements made under Obama. And the Log
2016 IN REVIEW
Cabin Republicans announced they would not be supporting T rump’s bid for president due to the antigay records of his senior advisers. It marked only the second time in the group’s 40-year history that it has not supported the Republican nominee. It all came crashing down, however, when FBI Director James Comey sent a vague letter to Congress that the Bureau had received a new batch of emails possibly linked to the Clinton email investigation. Voters forgot that T rump was a bigoted, narcissistic, racist, Russia-supported wan-
HILLARY CLINTON AND THE DNC LOSS IS A SIGNIFICANT SET BACK FOR LGBT RIGHTS
nabe demagogue and turned on Clinton once again. It was the beginning of the end. In West Hollywood, a gay Brit who claimed he was bashed but turned out to BE the basher, was arrested after vandalizing a car. The Pride and 11 other LGBT newspapers endorse Hillary Clinton. A Los Angeles Japanese American addresses LGBT phobia in her community. Korean War Veteran Dale Green dies two months after marrying the love of his life, Takashi Nakaya, who will now pur sue his American citizenship. California insurers attempt to deny coverage to HIV patients by offering minimal drug coverage. The Pride’s Robert Williams searched in vain for Trump supporters as he walked along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
NOVEMBER On November 8, Donald T rump shocked the world when he was elected president through the electoral
college. Hillary Clinton, who ran on the most pro-LGBT platform in history, had lost but won the popular vote by more than 3 million votes. Trump, running on a platfor m of hate and division, had won. If there was any good news from election night, it was that North Car olina’s Pat McCrory lost to Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat. His support of anti-LGBT HB 2 was widely attributed to his loss. In the wake of T rump’s election, there was a marked rise in the number of anti-LGBT aggressions or hate crimes (along with reports of other hate crimes against Latinos, Asians, Jews, and Muslims). The President-elect’s response? Telling the perpetrators to “Stop it” during a televised interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes. As he prepared for the presidency (by angrily tweeting at SNL), Trump began to pick his cabinet members and close advisers -- many of whom have a history of anti-LGBT attitudes. They include: Stephen Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart beloved by white nationalists, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, for mer presidential candidate Ben Carson, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Betsy DeVos, a billionaire and donor to anti-gay organizations. In Los Angeles, Randy Kraft, aka, ‘the Freeway Killer,’ who killed dozens of gay men during his time as a serial killer, speaks to The Pride LA. Lorri Jean tries to soothe the wounds of our community after T rump’s election. California issues warning on healthcare in the face of a loss of Obamacare. Troy Masters writes about his families vote for T rump and more than one-million people read about it. Panels from the AIDS memorial quilt come to Los Angeles.
DECEMBER
As December came around, even glimmers of good news were mired with compromises. Republicans dropped their support for the antiLGBT Russell Amendment, but only after Russell said Trump would issue an executive order guaranteeing “religious freedom” for those who wish to discriminate against LGBT people. LGBT advocates are now watching Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz, who have vowed to reintroduce the First Amendment Defense Act. And with Trump surrounded by a litany
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of anti-LGBT voices, there’s little to suggest he’d veto any anti-LGBT legislation that crosses his desk. If politicians take 2017 to sharpen attacks on the LGBT community, it could be the courts that continue to offer resistance. In addition to the Gavin Grimm case, federal courts are beginning to rule on various pieces of anti-LGBT legislation, including a challenge to the ruling that halted Mississippi’s anti-LGBT law from going into effect. A number of other cases are expected to go before the courts, dealing with adoption, parental rights, birth certificates, transgender rights and more. In addition to court fights, hundreds of anti-equality bills are expected to be introduced in various states. But in North Carolina, lawmakers may have a chance to repeal HB 2 completely as part of a deal that involves the Charlotte City Council repealing its nondiscrimination ordinance. It remains to be seen whether legislators will accept the deal -- they only have until Dec. 31 to do so. Lastly, on a positive note, D.C. has submitted a bid to host the Gay Games in 2022. Attor ney Gener al Eric Holder; sports legend Billie Jean King; Paul Tagliabue, the for mer Commissioner of the NFL; Mayor Muriel Bowser; and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton all supported the bid. Three finalists will be announced in March, with a final decision in fall 2017. As the year drew to a close, December ultimately became a time to regroup. With Republicans dominating across the country, activists are preparing for future assaults on LGBT rights. And with a T rump administration that’s a who’s who of homophobes, there’s little to suggest we’ll see the same top-down leader ship on LGBT equality that marked the Obama years. In Los Angeles, APLA co-founder Matt Redman died on the same day as Carrie Fisher. A study of Califor nia’s transgender community shows a steep inequality by nearly every m e a s u r e . We s t H o l l y w o o d o f f e r s guidance for Russian LGBT asylum seekers who move to the city. If there’s a glimmer of hope for the LGBT community in all of this, it’s that activists are bruised and battered, but also more fired up than ever to ensure that our rights are protected and advanced wherever possible. Parts of This article also appeared in Metro Weekly Magazine and online at metroweekly.com.
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LGBT risk for cancer is high
LGBT CANCER HUBS NATIONWIDE: ATLANTA, AUGUSTA, MAINE, AUSTIN, ALBUQUERQUE, BOSTON, CHICAGO, DENVER, KALAMAZOO, MI, LOS ANGELES, NYC, OMAHA, PORTLAND, SEATTLE, SAN DIEGO, SAN FRANCISCO, SOUTH FLORIDA, WHITE PLAINS, NY CANCER AND LGBT continued from p. 13
Network offers a variety of articles in the “cancer information” section of its website. Many of the behaviors in the LGBT community that can increase cancer risk “can be traced to the stress of living as a sexual/gender minority in this country,” the website suggests. For example, multiple studies have found that lesbian and bisexual women are more likely than heterosexual women to have poor physical and mental health, asthma and diabetes, to be overweight, to smoke and to drink excess alcohol, most of which increase their risk for cancer. Likewise, cigarette smoking among gay men is nearly double that of the general population and, when coupled with HPV, which is very common in gay men, it
dramatically increases their risk for anal cancer, according to the Network’s website. Transgender people use tobacco and alcohol at even higher rates than the rest of the LGBT population. They also face the most barriers to health care, including low rates of health insurance and providers who do not understand their needs. In fact, one in five transgender people have been turned away by a health care provider, simply for being transgender, Margolies says. “As long as LGBT people face discrimination and stigma, they will continue to be at higher risk for multiple types of cancers,” she concludes. “We have to take care of our own bodies, and the National LGBT Cancer Network is committed to helping with that.
State Dept. risk STATE DEPT. continued from p. 14
around the globe,” he added. “In countries with hostile anti-LGBTQ regimes — like Russia, Syria and Egypt — lives are literally at risk. Countless LGBTQ people depend on the State Department’s efforts, and we cannot and must not leave them behind.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Family Research Council as a hate group. Perkins is among the prominent social conservatives who endorsed
Trump. Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, told the Washington Blade in a statement that “President-elect Trump campaigned on a message of unity in order to bring all Americans together.” “To think that discrimination of any kind will be condoned or tolerated in a Trump administration is simply absurd and nothing more than the exploitation of certain groups for political purposes,” said Miller.
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
LOS ANGELES
MATT REDMAN continued from p. 9
found with three friends. But he also would be involved in the minutia of every decision or program as only someone who gave birth to an organization could be,” a trait for which he was later criticized as having “founder’s syndrome.” Vellequette also notes that Redman “made it to 66,” longer than thousands of others who died of AIDS in their 20s and 30s. “Let us not mourn a fake memory of Matt,” he says. “Matt was a straight up force of unbridled determination with a ‘my life and the lives of my friends are at risk’ sonof-a-bitch if you had to go up against him. Thankfully, he was our SOB and it is Matt Redman and the kindred rabble-rousing spirits from the generation just before mine that made it possible for so many of us to still be here and bid him a very respectful, well-earned, thank you. His fire will not soon fade from my memory.” “Matt was one of the original founders of APLA and bravely broke through the fear and apathy around AIDS in the early 1980s,” says West Hollywood City Councilmember John Duran, an openly HIV positive elected official. “He was a strong advocate for the proposition that people living with AIDS had to be at the decision making table. He was my friend and fellow warrior and I so saddened by the news ” “Matt was one of the courageous
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WILLIAM PRYOR, ALABAMA ATTORNEY GENERAL
few in Los Angeles who stepped up in the midst of the total devastation of the early days of the AIDS epidemic and demanded that we all do something,” says APLA Health CEO Craig E. Thompson. “With his close friend Nancy Cole Sawaya and a handful of others, he founded AIDS Project Los Angeles, changing the lives of countless individuals as a result. He never gave up, never did anything at less than 100%, and he never stepped away. He was a relentless voice on our board of directors for the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and was literally our conscience for more than 30 years. Only when his strength be-
gan to fade as he lost his personal battle with HIV did he pull back. Matt was one of a kind, a dear friend, a tireless advocate, and our champion. To say he’ll be missed is an understatement.” Lest people think Matt Redman was an angry AIDS activist all the time, his friend James Mason says he was also fun-loving and sensitive. “Matt was a man who could take any situation and work it out,” Mason says. “Earlier this year, he called me out of the blue and asked me if I was up for a crazy idea. He wanted to go bowling. Well, we went and you should have seen us! We laughed
until we hurt! It was so funny to see two 60+ old gay men with high school kids on dates on one side and five young men on the other. By the time we left, we had all of them laughing with us and cheering us on. It was a sight to be seen. I will treasure that night for the rest of my life. “We spoke a few days before Christmas and he told me he was sick,” Mason says. “I begged him to go get checked but I honestly think he knew and wanted to be home with his cat for Christmas. I’m sure that was special to him.” No plans for a memorial service have yet been announced.
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PRIDE NUDITY continued from p. 8
and photos of straight girls in thongs produced smiles not arrests. After buying his $20 ticket, Walters was admitted without comment or issue to the 2011 Pride festival. “He was dressed in leather gear consisting of boots, a black leather gladiator kilt, black underwear, and a black leather harness with chrome rings,” the complaint states. “His outfit ostensibly passed muster with the Pride personnel manning the admission gates, as Pride personnel ushered him into the event. His underwear and kilt completely covered his genitals, pubic hair, buttocks, perineum, anus or anal region as required by San Diego Municipal Code Section S6.S3(c). Mr. Walters had invested a significant sum of money in his leather gear and took special care to insure that he was compliant with the rules
for the event.” But Lt. David Nisleit told Walters that his outfit was “borderline” and after the young gay man refused to sign a citation, despite being surrounded by officers and forced out of the festival, Nisleit had Walters handcuffed, arrested and sent to jail. “At the jail Mr. Walters was placed in a single cell visible to all inmates being checked in,” the 16-page complaint continues. “San Diego County sheriffs deputies encouraged the incoming inmates to ridicule Mr. Walters, who was wearing only his kilt and underwear, and the deputies joined in the verbal harassment. In going from the hot environment of an overheated car to the air conditioned jail, Mr. Walters was chilled. The deputies refused Mr. Walters any additional clothing or a blanket. However, upon his release from jail, Mr. Walters was ordered to change into clothing provided by the jail. Mr.
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 Walters was released from the jail at approximately 2:15 am, Sunday, July 17, 2011, after posting $190 bond. He had been given nothing to eat or drink since his arrest, some twelve hours prior.” Walters and Morris sued, seeking an injunction and compensatory and punitive damages for violations of the Fourteenth and Fourth Amendments, false arrest, battery, negligence and violation of his civil rights under California’s Civil Code. According to a Bay Area Reporter story in the beginning of December, Deputy City Attorney Stacy Plotkin-Wolff told the eight-person jury in the federal case that “Walters wasn’t the only person asked to cover up at that year’s Pride event. As local media reported, she told the jury that the police also approached a man wearing chaps and exposing his buttocks and a woman without a shirt wearing pasties who
both agreed to cover up.” “The same rules apply to everyone equally,” Plotkin-Wolff said in her opening statement. “Mr. Walters doesn’t believe those rules apply to him though.” San Diego Executive Assistant City Attorney Paul E. Cooper also noted in an email to the B.A.R that his office declined to press charges against Walters. “What happened was that a police officer asked the plaintiff to cover himself. When he refused, the officer wrote him a ticket for violation of the city’s nudity law,” Cooper wrote to B.A.R. “After the plaintiff refused to sign the ticket agreeing to appear in court, the officer took the plaintiff into custody (just as they would do if a motorist refused to sign a traffic citation promising to appear in traffic court). The officer sent the case over to our office and, as noted above, our prosecutors declined to file a criminal case.” Cooper added, “We still haven’t seen any evidence to support the claim of inequitable enforcement. Plaintiff was not prosecuted for anything and was arrested only because he refused to sign the ticket promising to appear.” “The jury confirmed what we’ve always known, which is that San Diego does not discriminate in its enforcement of nudity laws,” City Attorney’s Office spokesman Gerry Braun said in a statement after the verdict. “Our office would not tolerate discrimination against the LGBT community or any other group.” Morris released a statement saying he and Walters were “extremely disappointed” with the verdict. But added a caveat. “Victories are often preceded by defeats,” Morris told the San Diego Union Tribune. “While we may have lost this battle, I can’t imagine the city will ever engage in this type of unequal enforcement of the nudity statute again in the future.” Nisleit has since been promoted to Assistant Chief, Patrol Operations at San Diego Police Department. At the beginning of January 2016, Nisleit was also overseeing another gay-related case, this time involving a San Diego police officer shooting a gay man, Joshua Sisson, after an alleged domestic dispute. The shooting was determined to be justified by lesbian San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. But keeping an eye on the prize of real equal treatment under the law, enduring the ups and downs of what to Walters and Morris was a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution, as well as amassing almost $1 million in legal fees to get justice, may have been too much for the 35 year old gay man. The fight for equality and justice goes on. But one wonders if any of those eight jurors will look at a “mankini” or a tweet of Kim Kardashian in her latest thong the same way again. Suicide prevention resource: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (800) 2738255
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017 FILM FESTIVAL PALM SPRINGS
⚫ BY DAN ALLEN
LOS ANGELES
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Strong LGBTQ roster at the Palm Springs Int’l Film Festival The eagerly anticipated ABC miniseries When We Rise will have its North American premiere at the 2017 Palm Springs International Film Festival, which opens next Thursday (January 5) in the desert metropolis and runs through January 15. The festival’s unique timing—at the start of every new year, just before both the Sundance Film Festival and the Academy Awards—gives it an important place on the international film calendar, and its consistently excellent roster of new global cinema— including a big selection of exciting gay titles—makes it one of Southern California’s most important annual film events. “Gay films have always been a very important part of the festival,” says longtime movie critic David Ansen, who’s now in his second year as PSIFF’s lead programmer. “There’s of course a sizable gay community in Palm Springs—we’ve even had a couple of gay mayors—so there’s definitely an audience for gay films here and across Southern California.” Highlighting the LGBTQ slate at PSIFF this year will be the North American premiere of Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Zant’s highly anticipated When We Rise, a seven-part miniseries set to debut on ABC in February. Chronicling the history of the LGBTQ rights movement as seen through the prism of three connected characters, the miniseries stars
WHEN WE RISE IS AN UPCOMING AMERICAN DOCUDRAMA MINISERIES WRITTEN BY DUSTIN LANCE BLACK.
Guy Pearce, Mary-Louise Parker and Rachel Griffiths, and features cameos from the likes of Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg. As part of its annual Gay!La evening within the festival on January 12, PSIFF will be showing the miniseries’ first extended episode, which is directed by Van Zant (who’ll be attending, along with Black, Pearce and Griffiths). “The whole miniseries covers many decades, but each part stands on its own,” says Ansen. “The first part is largely set in San Francisco in the ‘60s, where the three main characters
sort of converge from different places. Cleve Jones, who was an assistant to Harvey Milk, came from Arizona, where his father was a shrink who disapproved of his being gay. One of the characters is a black Navy guy who’s coming back from Vietnam and encounters a fair amount of racism within the gay community—the show doesn’t shy away from a lot of stuff. The third character is a sort of initially closeted woman from Boston who gets very involved in the women’s movement, and then realizes that within the women’s movement there’s a lot of anti-gay sentiment, which of
PUSHING DEAD: JAMES RODAY AND DANNY GLOVER STAR IN A COMEDY ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FACED BY HIV SURVIVORS
course there was. And their paths all cross in San Francisco.” Another debut at PSIFF will be the American premiere of the stylishly quirky German film Center of My World, directed by Jacob M. Erwa. “The simplest way to describe it is a coming-of-age movie, but it’s one with many facets,” says Ansen. “The heart of it is a sort of love story between two teenage boys. The main character comes back to his family’s retreat in the forest, where he lives with his mother—a very interesting character, the mother, who’s a sort of expatriate American living in Germany, who won’t tell him who his father was. She’s had a lot of affairs. And he has a sister that he was close to who has mysteriously gotten sort of removed and detached, and there’s a lot of family secrets that come out in the course of the movie. It’s both sexy and complex.” Starring in the movie as the young main character Phil is 19-year-old German actor Louis Hofmann, who also stars in the Danish film Land of Mine, which is currently shortlisted as a Best Foreign Language Oscar nominee. Center of My World is one of two European coming-of-age movies at PSIFF this year—the other is Iceland’s Heartstone, directed by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson. “This is a beautiful Icelandic film,” says Ansen. “It also deals with the difficulty of growing up gay in a very small-town remote environment. It’s beautifully done.” Chile’s Rara is a coming-of-age story of a different kind, following 13-yearold Sara and her younger sister as they adjust to life with their mother and her first female partner. Also from Chile is musician Alex Anwandter’s first film, You’ll Never Be Alone, which shows the cold and uncaring social aftermath faced by the father of a savagely beaten gay teenager. On a lighter note—though it may not seem like it at first glace—is the American film Pushing Dead, directed by Tom E. Brown. “Pushing Dead is a kind of low-key comedy set in San Francisco about a guy who’s HIV-positive and is reliant on lots of AIDS drugs. But such is the bureaucracy FILM FESTIVAL continued on p. 23
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> Three heroes in one ugly week 22
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LOS ANGELES
TRANSITIONS OUR FAMILY
GEORGE MICHAEL 25 JUNE 1963 — 25 DECEMBER 2016
REMEMBRANCE
CARRIE FISHER 21 OCTOBER 1956 — 27 DECEMBER, 2016
DEBBIE REYNOLDS 1 APRIL 1932 — 28 DECEMBER 2016
12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017
CRISTINA HERRERA CHRONICLES A GAY COUPLE’S EXTRAORDINARY BATTLE TO GET MARRIED IN BAJA CALIFORNIA IN MEXICO’S ‘NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED’ FILM FESTIVAL continued from p. 21
that when he gets a birthday check from his mom, it puts his bank account like $60 over what he’s supposed to have, so his medications are no longer covered by his insurance. That’s sort of the starting point for what is surprisingly a comedy, with a lot of interesting characters. He works with Danny Glover, who’s having problems with his wife. He lives with Robin Weigert (Concussion), who’s the sister of his ex-lover, who died. And all of this sounds heavy, but it’s done with a light touch. It has a lot of charm to it. It’s kind of a surprising unexpected comedy. And it’s about creating your own family—as we all know in the gay world, your family isn’t necessary the one who were born into.” Also dealing with HIV—though it’s never clearly spelled out as such in the film—is the latest from Canadian director Xavier Dolan, It’s Only the End of the World. Based on a French play, it’s the story of writer Louis, who returns home from Paris to provincial France after many years away to tell his estranged and extremely dysfunctional family that he’s dying. It’s another of the nine films currently shortlisted as potential nominees for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. For the true cinema lover comes Portuguese filmmaker João Pedro Rodrigues’s The Ornithologist, the gorgeous myth-like tale of an incredibly hunky birdwatcher (French actor Paul Hamy) who gets lost in the wilderness and encounters a series of bizarre characters as his journey increasingly mirrors that of Saint Anthony. “This is the art film, the cineaste’s gay film, by an openly gay filmmaker,” says Ansen. “I think it’s Rodrigues’s most accessible movie really. There’s some very erotic sequences in it, where the main character encounters this young deaf shepherd.” Even more out there is the truly bizarre Mexican film The Untamed, from Cannes Best Director winner Amat Escalante. “The Untamed is the wildest of these movies,” says An-
sen. “It’s not a gay film in the obvious sense, but has a very strong gay component, and certainly deals a lot with macho Mexican society and homophobia. There’s a character in it who’s a married macho guy who’s having an affair with his wife’s brother. But it has this whole other kind of science fiction element to it, which is also a sexual element, which is quite—once you see it, you won’t be able to forget it. There’s an alien creature who gets ‘involved’ with several of the characters. I’ll say no more. But visually it’s going to gross a lot of people out, I’m sure. It’s a very controversial movie. Not for the faint of heart.” Another film with a less overt LGBTQ theme is Israel’s In Between, directed by Maysaloun Hamoud. “It’s the story of three Palestinian women, one of whom is a lesbian, living in Tel Aviv,” says Ansen. “It’s a first film by a very talented woman director, and has three terrific characters. It reminds me of last year’s Gay!La film, the documentary Oriented, which featured three gay Palestinian friends also living in Tel Aviv.” The documentary lineup at this year’s PSIFF includes another Israeli film, Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?, which follows an HIV-positive former army paratrooper living in London as he returns home to Israel to reconcile with his religious family. No Dress Code Required tells the story of Mexicali, Mexico couple Víctor and Fernando, who face continued legal obstacles as they prepare for their wedding. (“It’s infuriating how difficult they make it for them,” says Ansen. “Just when they think they’re going to go forward, they keep finding more and more outrageous ways to deny them the chance to get married.”) Rounding out this year’s LGBTQ docs is Jewel’s Catch One, which reveals the fascinating and fantastic history of the Los Angeles nightclub of the same, and its amazing founder Jewel Thais-Williams—who’s expected to be in attendance at the film’s screening, as is director C. Fitz, and perhaps Sharon Stone, who frequented the club and is interviewed in the documentary.
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IN MAYSALOUN HAMOUD’S REMARKABLE FEATURE DEBUT, THREE PALESTINIAN WOMEN SHARING AN APARTMENT IN THE VIBRANT HEART OF TEL AVIV
IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD IS A 2016 CANADIAN-FRENCH DRAMA FILM WRITTEN, EDITED AND DIRECTED BY XAVIER DOLAN.
The festival’s star-studded Awards Gala will be held especially early this year on January 2, three days before the festival’s official Opening Night, so as not to compete with the Golden Globes the following weekend. Unlike most film festivals, PSIFF’s awards honor talent not from its own current-year films, but from all movies released during the previous year— making it a keen predictor of Oscar nominations. This year’s honorees include Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Casey Affleck (Manchester
by the Sea), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Amy Adams (Arrival), Tom Hanks (Sully), Emma Stone and the cast of La La Land, Ruth Negga (Loving), Nicole Kidman (Lion), Taraji P. Henson and the cast of Hidden Figures, and Annette Bening. The 28th Palm Springs International Film Festival runs from January 5 to 15, 2017. Most films will screen more than once, at various venues around the greater Palm Springs area. Tickets are available via the festival’s website, www.psfilmfest.org/2017-ps-film-festival.
CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS NOMINEE BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
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THE PRIDE LA 1/8 PAGE (4.917" X 2.75") FRI 12/16
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12.30.2016 — 1.12.2017