The Pride Issue 32, Vol 2, December 29, 2017

ISSUE NUMBER 32, VOLUME 2 12.29 – 01.11.2017

| DEC. 29, ‘17 – JAN. 11, ‘18

LOS ANGELES

EDITORIAL

2017: We Lost a Lot,

Looking back on one of the most tempestuous political years in recent memory, it’s tempting to harp on the negative. As California establishes itself as a major player in the fight against Trump, progress continues to march on.

MORE ON PAGE 4

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But We Gained More

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NO JUSTICE FOR JAMEKA

⚫ BY SAMUEL BRASLOW

The Supreme Court Will Not Decide if Anti-Gay Discrimination is Illegal – At Least, Not Yet

The United States Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear the case of a Georgia woman who claims she was fired from her job because she is a lesbian.

In 2015, Jameka Evans was fired as a security guard at Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah.

She soon filed a lawsuit claiming that she lost her job because of her sexual orientation. The case raised broader questions about protections for the LGBT community under the civil rights law known as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.Title VII makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

Represented by the LGBT rights group Lambda Legal, Evans argued that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation equated to sex-based discrimination, which is barred under Title VII. A ruling by the Supreme Court would have clarified the question of whether Title VII extends to sexual orientation. As it stands now, there are two lower court rulings that contra-

dict each other on the matter.

In 1979, a federal appeals court ruled that “[d] ischarge for homosexuality is not prohibited by Title VII.” But then a more recent ruling from a federal appeals court in Chicago has stated the exact opposite.When a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit heard Evans’ case earlier this year, it ruled that it was “bound to follow” the 1979 ruling"unless and until it is overruled by this court en banc or by the Supreme Court.”

The court refused Evans’ request for an en banc review–meaning a hearing before the entire court. This led Evans to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, which also denied her a hearing.

The court already has a high-profile docket lined up for the next session. Starting in October, the justices will hear cases about President Trump's travel ban, gerrymandering, and religious exemptions from civil rights laws. in. refusal to hear the case is not The 10.0 Court’s a reflection on its merits. Some legal scholars

Photo: Lambda Legal.

In 2015, Jameka Evans was fired as a security guard at Georgia Regional Hospital for being gay.

have pointed out that other cases making similar arguments are also winding their way through the appeals process. Furthermore, in the earlier

hearing, the 11th Circuit Court ruled that Evans still had grounds to argue that she was discriminated on the basis of gender nonconformity.

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EDITORIAL

PROGRESS BY DEGREES

⚫ BYHENRY GIARDINA

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FROM THE COVER

In 2017 We Lost a Lot, But We Gained More Looking back on one of the most tempestuous political years in recent memory, it’s tempting to harp on the negative. As California establishes itself as a major player in the fight against Trump, progress continues to march on.

There’s no getting around it: This has been a hard year. Not just for LGBTQ+ folks (though let’s face it, we’ve suffered our share of below-the-belt punches) and not just for the people in this country that already went into the New Year feeling frightened and in shock. Across the board, we’ve experienced some growing pains, as well as shrinking pains. From the current White House’s more questionable decisions regarding immigration and foreign policy, to the queer leaders we’ve lost, to the high death count of transgender and nonbinary folks that seems to just keep growing, right down to the number of spree shootings and natural disasters, it’s been a lot.

Hear me out.

Nobody likes a Pollyanna, and more than that, nobody wants to be a Pollyanna. Through a pretty horrifying year, our community has managed to get quite a few things done. In the midst of chaos, fear, and a deeply divided national outlook, we managed to create a solid through-line of progress that is simply too remarkable to be ignored. On the federal level, we have battles still to be won. On the state-by-state level, we’ve been showing up to the polls, calling out voter suppression, and casting our votes for the people we believe in. In the media, we’ve been standing up to bullies and daring to create stories that show us, in some capacity, reflected or predicted on screen. And we haven’t stopped there.

We raised funds for causes we care about, made phone calls to our local council, created strong community ties and fought to keep our history alive (just ask the new leaseholders of beloved Venice gay bar Roosterfish.) In short, we’ve done a lot, and that’s something to be proud of. As queer people, as Californians, as Americans. If you’re still feeling the urge to cast a gloomy eye on the past twelve months, here are some reminders of what’s changed, and

Despite hardship, the LGBTQ+ community has consistently worked toward (and achieved) new heights of progress in 2017.

what’s to come in 2018.

-California is fighting to become a sanctuary state. Cities like Santa Monica have already claimed sanctuary status. We’re also fighting hard to support LGBTQ+ DREAMers who make up such a large part of California’s cultural identity.

- Our history is being preserved more carefully and thoughtfully than ever. This year, the ONE Archives at USC got a grant to digitize their gigantic collection of papers, documents, photos, and flyers documenting queer life in Los Angeles dating from the 40s onward.

This year also marked the first year one of the most explicit Mexican lesbian films, “Muchachas de Uniforme,” received its first U.S. screening at Outfest in L.A. -Our seniors are being taken care of. Not only is Wisconsin democratic senator Tammy Baldwin fighting for equal protections for LGBTQ+ seniors across the country, here in Los Angeles, the L.A. LGBT Center just got 4.9 million dollars of funding approved to build affordable senior housing in Hollywood.

-California law is starting to recognize nonbinary individuals across the state. In October, Governor Jerry Brown signed the Gender Recognition Act, making California the first state in the nation to pass such a sweeping law recognizing a nonbinary gender identity.

-Predators and bigots are growing less powerful. In addition to the reckonings predators like Kevin Spacey and

Harvey Weinstein have had to face, the men in power who stand for intolerance and turning back the clock of progress are losing their grip on the American public. Just this month, after Donald Trump’s proposed trans military ban was already rejected by a Federal judge, the ban was rejected for a second time, while alleged child molester and outright homophobe Roy Moore lost his Senate seat to Democrat Doug Jones, marking the first time the deep red state Alabama has turned blue in 25 years.

- In keeping with the spirit of “out with the old, in with the new,” this year’s state-by-state elections proved extremely positive for first-time, progressive candidates and LGBTQ+ hopefuls running for office. In addition to Danica Roem’s historic win in Virginia, counties in red states like Montana and North Carolina elected black women to office, while openly transgender candidates won big in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and California. In Palm Springs, the election of openly trans candidates Lisa Middleton and openly bisexual candidate Christy Holstege made Palm Springs the proud home of America’s first all-queer city council.

-LGBTQ+ characters in the media are more visible than ever. According to a study conducted by GLAAD this year, 2017 marks the highest ever number count of diverse characters within the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender characters with more than a walkon appearance, and asexual and nonbinary

Photos: Thinkstock.

character. With new, queer-focused shows like Ryan Murphy’s “Pose” coming out, as well as “Moonlight” and “Call Me By Your Name” paving the way for queer stories to win big at Cannes and the Oscars, 2018 is looking good for queer-made, queer-centric stories being told on screen.

-The nostalgia wave has gone gay. Not only is a “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” reboot on the way from Netflix, this year creator Ilene Chaiken announced she’ll be bringing back the original cast of her groundbreaking series “The L Word” for another season.

-Throughout the world, third gender and nonbinary options are being recognized and respected by law. Not only do Germany and Scotland now recognize nonbinary gender options legally, in Sweden, gender-neutral kindergartens are being put into effect.

-Even sports are getting queerer.

In addition to L.A.’s own Varsity Gay League and Venice’s new football watching party “Gay Gridiron,” the L.A. Dodgers continue to celebrate their legacy of acceptance and queer positivity by hosting a family-friendly Pride night for the first night of L.A. Pride.

This was the first year the team officially teamed up with L.A. Pride to make the event happen.

From our (chosen) family to yours, we wish you a New Year filled with beauty, love, and that fighting spirit that’s going to take us through a better, safer, queerer 2018.

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NEWS

COMMUNITY

⚫ BY MELANIE CAMP

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A LOOK BACK AT 2017 / MOVING FORWARD

Fighting for a Permanent Rainbow

The Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard tower is set for a paint job back to blue on Sept. 9, unless Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl can save the rainbow at the end of Brooks Avenue.

Venice artist Patrick Marston and his husband Michael Brunt were responsible for bringing the rainbow to Venice Beach, pulling out their paintbrushes to transform the Lifeguard tower from its traditional blue to rainbow with the help of local volunteers.

At the Board of Supervisors Sept. 5 meeting, Kuehl will introduce a motion asking the Department of Beaches and Harbors to let the rainbow lifeguard tower stay as a memorial to late Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl.

On June 1, the stretch of Venice Beach where the tower is, which years before had been Venice’s unofficial gay beach, was named Bill Rosendahl Memorial Beach in honor of Rosendahl, the first openly gay man elected to the Los Angeles City Council.

Kuehl is not the only elected official to

back a permanent rainbow on Venice Beach.

Councilmember Mike Bonin told Yo! Venice via email he “enthusiastically” supported the grassroots campaign and County efforts to make the pride-colored lifeguard tower a constant fixture on the beach.

“The colorful lifeguard tower is an awesome celebration of inclusivity and LGBT pride, and I would love to see ‘the most Instagramable lifeguard tower in the world’ become a permanent part of our Venice neighborhood,” he wrote.

A petition on change.org to save the rainbow tower has so far gathered almost 10,000 signatures. Head to: change.org and search for Venice Lifeguard Tower.

Photo: Melanie Camp.

Responsible for the rainbow - Venice artist Patrick Marston and his husband Michael Brunt.

⚫ BY STAFF WRITER

California is On the Road to Sanctuary California lawmakers voted to pass Senate Bill 54, increasing protection for California’s immigrant individuals and families.

On September 16, Los Angeles-based Senator Kevin de León’s SB 54 passed by 27-11.

Photo: Thinkstock.

On Saturday, September 16, Los Angeles-based California Senator Kevin de León’s Senate Bill 54 passed by a 27-11 vote, bringing the state of California closer to sanctuary status.

After a long period of revisions, SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, was put before California Governor Jerry Brown. The bill, which helps drastically limit federal power over immigrant communities, will come into effect on January 1, should Brown sign off on the revisions. With the exception of Oregon’s less extensive sanctuary law put forward in 1987, this act will represent a unique change in American history, making California not only the first state to claim sanctuary status for its estimated immigrant population of 2.3 million, but one of the first states in the country to make such an act official.

Democratic Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula spoke passionately at the meeting, drawing on his experience as the grandson of illegal immigrants.

“This bill here today helps some of us to believe that California is a safe place for immigrants, that we are a Golden State.”

Senator De León spoke of the importance of the bill in reflecting California’s committed, progressive values, calling SB 54, “a measure that reflects the values of who we are as a great state.”

The California Values act won’t only increase immigrant protection from the federal government. Its intended effect is to help immigrant populations feel safer within their home state in the wake of Trump’s election.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the current political climate has caused many immigrant citizens to shy away from asking for legal help, as well as from entering certain spaces altogether. “Some children without legal status were not going to school, [supporters said] while police statistics showed a drop in reports of sexual assault and domestic violence as immigrant victims refused to come forward.” SB 54, once in effect, will make schools, courthouses, and hospitals safe from interference by federal immigration officers.

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HILLS TREATMENT

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COMMUNITY

HEALTH + WELLNESS

⚫ BY GENNA RIVIECCIO

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AHF’S NEW HOME

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is Going West

With reputed nurse practitioner Lonnie Calvin heading up the latest AIDS Healthcare Foundation wellness center on Western Avenue, gay health is looking ever brighter and more distinguished in Los Angeles. Offering comprehensive care that includes free HIV and STD screenings, this edition of AHF is slated to be their largest location west of the Mississippi–so it kind of seems appropriate that it should be located at 1811 N. Western Avenue and also be known as Western on Wellness Center.

Created with the intent to make basic sexual healthcare convenient and shamefree, AHF centers are accordingly structured with easy accessibility and convenience in the hope of increasing regular testing among the LGBTQ+ community.

That being said, the most significant free services available are screenings and treatments for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, as well as HIV testing.

Led by Calvin, who has years of medical experience in the field, the ambitiousness of the center speaks volumes about L.A.’s value of a population so often undervalued

in other cities and states. What’s more, AHF is open Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. for optimal patient assistance. In addition to encouraging habitual HIV and STD testing as an essential part of gay healthcare, AHF also aims to make its patients feel as comfortable and safe as possible via its discretion-loving environment. As the director of the organization, Albert Ruiz, put it, AHF seeks to “offer STD and HIV screenings for sexually active adults in a convenient, confidential environment.”

Because half the battle of enlisting the help of a medical professional is fear. But with the friendly, no judgment ambiance of AHF, perspectives about the displeasure of going to the doctor for information pertaining to one’s sexual well-being is bound to change. Already operating in twenty-one locations throughout the U.S., the AHF’s expansion to Western Avenue is a sign that even during a year of harrowing political decisions not at all tailored to make LGBTQ+ community members feel even remotely safe or respected, there are or-

ganizations that truly care.

Thus, Angelenos would be as foolish as the orange one not to take advantage of this unique and rare beacon of queer-oriented free health care.

Photo: AHF.

The Aids Healthcare Foundation will open a new wellness center in Hollywood.

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12.29 – 01.11.2017 NEWS

SOCIETY

⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

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THE WEIGHT OF WORDS

The Trump Administration Just Forbid the CDC From Using the Word “Transgender.”

The list of forbidden terms also includes “fetus,” and “science-based.”

On December 14, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention was given a list of forbidden terms by the Trump administration, according to media reports. On that list are words and phrases that, from this point on, CDC officials will be banned from using when it comes to writing out their budget. After a 90-minute briefing, CDC representatives were informed that the phrases “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based” were no longer to be used as part of official reports.

While the right is claiming that these terms are full of implicit liberal bias, the left is accusing the Trump administration of censorship.

When the Washington Post first broke the story on Friday, the media took hold of the news and ran with it. Only later did a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, come forward to tell the

The CDC has been given a list of words forbidden by the Trump administration to be used in the yearly budget, according to media reports.

New York Times that: “The assertion that HHS has ‘banned words’ is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process.”

Still, journalists and citizens alike are starting to notice the subtle changes in wording and questionnaires when it comes to official docu-

ments under the Trump administration. Just this March, an entire section with questions about sexual orientation was removed from an HHS survey for elderly individuals.

The forbidden words list, in addition to counting as censorship, could also make it increasingly difficult for the CDC and HHS to do

Photo: Thinkstock.

their job when it comes to gathering information on AIDS patients, Zika virus, and reproductive health for affected or at-risk Americans.

Though the forbidden terms only apply to the wording of the CDC budget, it could still pose problems for millions of Americans who are counting on government support.

⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

Gender Neutral Pronoun “They” Added to AP Stylebook The new change signifies a more inclusive approach to language.

Since the earliest days of transgender visibility in the media, major news outlets have faced the problem of how to handle alternative pronouns.

This year, the Associated Press Stylebook has decided to become part of the solution by adding the gender neutral pronouns “they, them, and their” as acceptable terms of use in a larger entry about sex and gender.

The 2017 update, to be published in May, reflects a more forward-thinking approach to the ever-widening coverage of transgender and non binary issues by major news outlets.

Paula Froke, lead editor of the AP Style-

book, discussed the changing attitude toward language surrounding sex and gender identity at the American Copy Editors Society conference on March 24th. “…we offer new advice for two reasons: recognition that the spoken language uses they as singular and we also recognize the need for a pronoun for people who don’t identify as a he or a she.”

Froke stressed that, in the interest of clarity, “they” was landed upon as a less confusing solution to the problem of gender neutral pronouns.

“Clarity is the top priority. Our concern was the readers out there. Many don’t understand that they can be used for a singular person.”

The stylebook’s LGBT entry has also been amended to include ‘Q’ for Queer. The entry on the word ‘phobia’ also changed from a previously forbidding stance on the use of the term in broader political context to a more encouraging one, as in the case

of ‘homophobia’ and ‘xenophobia.’

The new entry states that: “They, them, their In most cases, a plural pronoun should agree in number with the antecedent: The children love the books their uncle gave them.They/them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and-or gender-neutral pronoun, when alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy. However, rewording usually is possible and always is preferable. Clarity is a top priority; gender-neutral use of a singular they is unfamiliar to many readers. We do not use other gender-neutral pronouns such as xe or ze.”

Though the entry won’t be published until May, news of the decision came just in time for the Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st, when transgender citizens came forward on social media platforms and at marches across the country to celebrate their ability to be seen, and to be open about their identities.

: THEY

Pronounced: /THa/ Part of Speech: Pronoun

“They, them, their In most cases, a plural pronoun should agree in number with the antecedent: The children love the books their uncle gave them.They/ them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and-or gender-neutral pronoun, when alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy. However, rewording usually is possible and always is preferable. Clarity is a top priority; gender-neutral use of a singular they is unfamiliar to many readers. We do not use other gender-neutral pronouns such as xe or ze.”

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COMMUNITY OBITUARY

` ⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

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IN MEMORIAM

Photo: Facebook.

Tiara Lashaytheboss Richmond, killed on Feb. 21.

Photo: Facebook.

Kashmire Redd, 28, killed on September 4.

Photo: Facebook.

Troy “Tee Tee” Dangerfield, killed on August 1.

Photo: Twitter.

Jojo Striker, killed on Jan. 8

Photo: Facebook.

Sherrell Faulkern, 46, killed on May 16.

Photo: Facebook.

Jaquarrius Holland, 18, killed on Feb. 19.

Photo: Facebook.

Mesha Caldwell, killed on Jan. 6.

Photo: Facebook.

Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, killed on Jan. 1, 2017.

Photo: Facebook.

Kiwi Herring, 30, killed on August 22.

Photo: Facebook.

Gwynevere River Song, 26, killed on August 12.

Photo: Facebook.

Kenne McFadden, 26, killed on April 9.

Photo: Facebook.

Ebony Morgan, 28, killed on July 2.

The Trans Lives We Lost in 2017 EDITOR

Henry Giardina

CREATIVE DIRECTOR AMY PATTON

VP OF ADVERTISING

JUDY SWARZ | judy@smmirror.com

Please call (310) 310-2637 for advertising rates and availability.

BUSINESS MANAGER MAX MONTEMER max@smmirror.com

NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING Rivendell Media / 212.242.6863

Century City/ Westwood

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THE PRIDE L.A., The Newspaper Serving Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender L.A., is published by MIRROR MEDIA GROUP. Send all inquiries to: THE PRIDE L.A., 2116 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA. Phone: 310.310.2637 Written permission of the publisher must be obtained before any of the contents of this paper, in part or whole, can be reproduced or redistributed. All contents (c) 2017 The Pride L.A. THE PRIDE L.A. is a registered trademark of MIRROR MEDIA GROUP. T.J. MONTEMER, CEO 310.310.2637 x7

© 2017 The Pride L.A. All rights reserved.

For the transgender community, the death count is still high, and the price of living out loud in a prejudiced society grows more perilous by the year.

As of today, 26 transgender individuals have lost their lives due to hate crimes. Of this large number, only one death shy of last year, which ranked as the most violent year in history for trans people, there are many similarities between the victims besides the targeted manner in which they died. Most of these victims were women. Most of them were women of color. Many of them had suffered harassment from friends, ex-lovers, current lovers, even family members before their deaths. Most of them were misgendered in initial police reports, or blamed for their own deaths.

Many were misgendered by the families they left behind. All of them, except the few too young to have struck out on their own, were tax-paying citizens of this country. All of them were under the age of 50. In remembering these individuals as people less defined by their deaths than their remarkable, short lives, we hope to give them the respect that they deserve and were denied during their last moments of life.

1. Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow 28 years old, resident of Sioux Falls, SD Who She Was: Part of the Oglala Lakota Tribe, Jamie identified as a Two-Spirit and was a member of a Two-Spirit and Allies group in Sioux Falls. She was a student of social work and nursing.

What She Left Behind: Friends who had a “one in a million bestie” in Jamie.

2. Mesha Caldwell 41 years old, resident of Canton, MS Who She Was: A hairstylist and makeup artist who won “many hair battles,” according to her close friend Keith Dupree.

What She’s Remembered For: Her “style,

personality,” and how she “always had something good to say.”

3. Sean Hake Age Unknown, resident of Sharon, PA Who He Was: A good-hearted man who struggled with his own demons and ended up taking his own life on January 6.

What He’s Remembered For: “always being there for other people.”

4. Jojo Striker 23, resident of Toledo, OH Who She Was: A woman whose death caused Equality Toledo to serve: “a direct invitation to all media sources in the Toledo area to a workshop on how to appropriately report on the lives of the LGBT community, particularly our transgender siblings."

What She Left Behind: A heartbroken Toledo community and a mother who remembers that “everybody loved Jojo. Everybody.”

5. Tiara Lashaytheboss Richmond 24, resident of Chicago, IL Who She Was: “The life of the party” What She Left Behind: Laughter, love, and two beloved siblings.

6. Jaquarrius Holland 18, resident of Monroe, LA Who She Was: A friend, a daughter, a kid just out of school.

What She’s Remembered For: Helping her friends “accept who they were.”

7. Chyna Doll Dupree 31, New Orleans, LA native Who She Was: A talented drag performer and ball scene fixture.

What She’s Remembered For: Her fierceness and her pure heart.

8. Ciara McElveen 21, resident of New Orleans, LA Who She Was: A proud mentor and member

of the New Orleans LGBTQ+ community.

What She Left Behind: Shocked friends who remember Ciara “never bringing trouble to anybody.”

9. Alphonza Watson 38, resident of Baltimore, MD Who She Was: “a caring, passionate, fun person to be around.”

What She Left Behind: A mother who misses her daughter “Peaches.”

10. Chayviss Reid Age unknown, resident of Opa-locka, FL Who She Was: “A human being, a person, my child.”

What Will Be Remembered: “She didn’t have to die like this.”

11. Kenneth Bostick 59, resident of New York City, NY Who He Was: A “quiet, unassuming presence” who cut a “Dylan-like” figure on the streets of New York.

What He Leaves Behind: Activists working toward a better future for at-risk trans folks experiencing homelessness.

12. Sherrell Faulkner 46, resident of Charlotte, NC Who She Was: A woman assaulted and left for dead by a dumpster in one of Charlotte’s “gay-friendly” neighborhoods.

What She Leaves Behind: An anguished community still trying to make sense of her death.

13. Kenne McFadden 26, resident of San Antonio,TX Who She Was: A poet who also loved to sing.

What Will Be Remembered: Her “goofy and uplifting” personality.

14. Josie Berrios 28, resident of Ithaca, NY Who She Was: A drag performer at Ithaca’s House of Merlot.

12.29 – 01.11.2017 COMMUNITY OBITUARY

` ⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

>

LOS ANGELES

Photo: Facebook.

Ally Steinfeld, 17, killed on September 14.

11

IN MEMORIAM

Photo: Facebook.

Derrika Banner, 26, killed on September 12.

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Photo: Facebook.

Ciara McElveen, 21, killed on Feb. 27.

Photo: Facebook.

Brandi Seals, 26, killed on December 13.

Photo: Facebook.

Chayviss Reid, killed on April 21.

Photo: Facebook.

Ava Le’Ray Barrin, 17, killed on June 24.

Photo: Facebook.

Chyna Doll Dupree, 31, killed on Feb. 25.

Photo: Facebook.

Alphonza Watson, 38, killed on March 22.

Photo: Facebook.

Candace Towns, 30, killed on October 31.

Photo: Twitter.

Josie Berrios, 28, killed on June 13.

Photo: Facebook.

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, 31, killed on November 27.

Photo: Facebook.

Stephanie Montez, 47, killed on September 28.

The Trans Lives We Lost in 2017

What She Leaves Behind: The memory of a resilient personality that wouldn’t quit.

15. Ava Le’Ray Barrin 17, resident of Athens, GA Who She Was: An “unapologetically real” young woman.

What Will Be Remembered: Someone who “wanted nothing more than to have fun in life.”

16. Ebony Morgan 28, resident of Lynchburg,VA Who She Was: A beloved member of the Lynchburg Diversity Center.

What She Leaves Behind: A violent killer still at large.

17. Troy “Tee Tee” Dangerfield 32, resident of College Park, GA Who She Was: A “best friend,” an “all-around beautiful person.”

What She Leaves Behind: A family wondering why she’s gone.

18. Gwynevere River Song 28, resident of Waxahachie,TX Who They Were: A UT Austin alum, a femandrogyne, a deep thinker.

What Will Be Remembered: “the beauty, thoughtfulness and imagination [they] brought to this world.”

19. Kiwi Herring 30, resident of St. Louis, MO Who She Was: A visiting caregiver, mother.

What She Leaves Behind: A spouse and three children.

20. Kashmire Redd 28, resident of Gates, NY Who He Was: A member of the Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley, a victim of domestic abuse.

What He Leaves Behind: A grieving community determined to show other victims they’re

not alone.

21. Derrika Banner 26, resident of Charlotte, NC Who She Was: A “playful spirit” and “go-getter.”

What Will Be Remembered: Her enjoyment of life.

22. Ally Steinfeld 17, resident of Cahool, MO Who He Was: A very “loving, outgoing person” who was about to undergo gender confirmation surgery.

What He Leaves Behind: An accepting, loving, heartbroken family.

23. Stephanie Montez 47, resident of Robstown,TX Who She Was: Someone with a “great outlook on life.”

What Will Be Remembered: Her sweetness, dancing ability, and skilled drag performances.

24. Candace Towns 30, resident of Macon, GA Who She Was: A generous friend who would “give you the clothes off her back.”

What She Leaves Behind: Friends determined to find justice.

25. Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson 31, resident of Oklahoma City, OK Who She Was: A daughter, friend, sister, and activist.

What Will Be Remembered: How hard she “worked to establish her identity and a place for herself” in the world.

26. Brandi Seals 26, resident of Houston,TX Who She Was: “A beautiful person.”

What Will Be Remembered: A woman who, even in death, was misgendered and misunderstood.

⚫ 12

NEWS

WORLD

` ⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

12.29 – 01.11.2017

LOS ANGELES

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GLOBAL PROGRESS

Scotland Will Legally Recognize Non-Binary Gender Markers

Coming on the heels of some major political victories for the LGBTQ+ community both in the U.S. and abroad, Scotland is making plans to formally accept transgender and non-binary gender markers on legal paperwork. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to take action to advance transgender equality in the country, starting with a new initiative that will change a few crucial details in the process of applying for new identification documents, making it much easier for Scottish citizens to legally identify as transgender or as neither male or female.

After the recent elections in Europe, government officials are starting to make moves to legally recognize more inclusive gender categories. Just recently, Germany became the first European country to create a “third gender” option on legal paperwork.The changes in Scotland, while existing as modifications to previous rulings, are still helpful for younger non-binary folks struggling to be recognized as their chosen gender. Scotland’s previous ruling on the subject, under the United Kingdom Gender Recognition act, stated that no one under 18 could

undergo the self-identification process leading up to a legal change of gender marker on ID card, driver’s licenses, and medical paperwork.

In addition to the age limit, individuals wishing to change their gender marker would have to prove gender dysphoria and to live as an out

transgender- or non-binary-identified person for at least two years before being able to make the change. This process corresponds with some of the much-criticized prerequisites to gender affirmation surgery in the U.S., which often requires co-signing from a therapist or medical professional.The new initiative will allow individuals of 16 and older to declare themselves as their chosen gender or non-gender, without having to go through the steps of proving dysphoria.

“We welcome the Scottish Government’s proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act,” said James Morton, who serves as manager of the Scottish Trans Alliance. “The current process to change the gender on a trans person’s birth certificate is a humiliating, offensive and expensive red-tape nightmare which requires them to submit intrusive psychiatric evidence to a faceless tribunal panel years after they transitioned. “It makes sense for birth certificates to be brought into line with the self-declaration process already used to change all other identity documents when trans people start living in their gender identity.”

` ⚫ BY CONNOR DUFFEY

Sweden’s Gender-Neutral Kindergartens

Photo: Thinkstock.

Sweden is experimenting with removing gendered expectations from the classroom.

Sweden, ever the hub of progressive thinkers, has now introduced the concept of gender-neutral kindergartens into a few pre-existing schools throughout the country.

The new program was conceived by Lotta Rajalin, a teacher who believes that removing gendered restrictions put in place by expected societal norms, allows children to express themselves in a healthier, more joyful way.

Rajalin explained the purpose of the kindergartens in-depth in a TEDx Talk from last year. In her lecture, Rajalin explained that she wished to break down expectations from a child’s “social gender” by utilizing classroom techniques that remove gender norms. She explained that by intermingling toys that are traditionally associated with “boy” or “girl” toys, children are exposed to new ways of thinking and expressing themselves during play.

Additionally, in terms of hands-on experiences, Rajalin states that the children engage

in a wide variety of activities, such as playing football, playing with dolls, drawing, spending time in nature, making films, and dancing. In these activities, Rajalin explained, both boys and girls are included.

Teaching techniques such as these can be used to help a child express themselves from an early age without fear of bullying.

As it happens, this method of teaching may be working. In a study from the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden concluded that children that attended on gender-neutral preschool were more likely to play with an unfamiliar child and were less likely to gender-stereotype or gender-segregate.

Near the end of her speech, Rajalin further asserted that by achieving intermixed harmony for the two genders, children could be opened up to a wide breadth of new experiences: “We don’t take away anything, we just add.”

12.29 – 01.11.2017 COMMUNITY MEMORIAL

` ⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

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LOS ANGELES

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MAKING THEIR MARK

Pulse Nightclub Memorial Honors 49 Heroes The new memorial was completed this month, with a dedication on December 20.

A “sanctuary of hope” is what the minds behind the onePULSE Foundation hoped to achieve through the creation of a memorial in Orlando’s Colonialtown Square Park. But hope is a complicated thing–not quite an emotion, not quite a stance. It’s also a hard thing to quantify, like faith. And it’s a hard thing to hold on to in the wake of a tragedy as stunningly terrible as the Pulse massacre in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016, when Omar Mateen shot down 49 people at the neighborhood gay club.

Perhaps that’s why the architects behind the new Pulse memorial, just completed in Orlando after being OK’ed by City Council, decided to create the shape of a labyrinth instead of something more straightforward.What happened the night of June 12, 2016 wasn’t straightforward. It was hateful, confusing, and painful, and it robbed 49 people of the chance to tell their own con-

fusing, complicated stories at the end of a long, happy life.

After the Colonialtown Neighborhood Association voted unanimously to approve the project in mid-December, plans to erect the monument went instantly into effect. The monument is designed as a park with benches and pavers for each individual life lost in the attack, and is created in the shape of a maze with the Orlando United heart at the center.

But the onePULSE Foundation isn’t stopping there.The intended sanctuary of hope isn’t supposed to just be a single monument or gathering place.The foundation is hoping to create a space that can live outside of a single designated area by creating 49 separate scholarships for innovators and creators as well as a museum honoring and memorializing the victims of the attack. But the monument, with its daring design concept, is a beautiful start. By giving visitors a way to walk through the dedicated space without separating their confusion, hurt, and pain from the experience, the monument is turning the experience of mourning outward, almost creating a conceptual art piece out of the collective emotion felt by the queer community in response

to Mateen’s violent act. It’s a bold way to think about remembering the dead, but a necessary one, especially for a community that’s focused on moving forward toward a safer, saner future.

Photo: Matthew Peddie, 90.7 WMFE.

The Pulse memorial was built in late December in Orlando’s Colonialtown Square Park.

⚫

RROR • WWW.SMMIRROR.COM

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12.29 – 01.11.2017

LOS ANGELES

14

OPINION HEALTH

` ⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

>

FEBRUARY 10 – 16, 2017

LGBTQ+ TEENS

OPINION: The Healthy Youth Act is Still Revolutionizing Schools

2016’s most progressive health act is helping California’s queer teens stay informed about sex.

The rawadded text that of Assembly 329 is, for The citizen this person Bill had appeared to a bill, fascinating.

The recently-passed have been picking items off the ground next to act the knownbefore as the California Youth vehicle leaving the area.Healthy The citizen gaveAct the lays out its purpose in the description officers a detailed description of bill’s the suspect and the in no uncertain terms.

Passed in the 2016, the officers went in search of this man. As officers bill’s purpose is: were searching the area they spotted another vehicle with a smashed window that was parked at the pupils with thedrove knowledge side(1) ofTo theprovide street. The officers then back to and2000 skills necessary to protect their sexual the block of Pico Boulevard where they spotand reproductive health from HIV and othted a man who fit the description of the suspect. er sexually transmitted infections from The officers detained this man and a fewand moments unintended later the citizenpregnancy. who had flagged the officers down (2) To provide pupils identified with the the knowledge appeared and positively suspect. and skills they need to develop atShortly thereafter the owner of the firsthealthy vandalized titudesappeared concerning adolescent growthitems and vehicle and stated that numerous development, body from image, sexual that had been recovered the gender, suspect had been orientation, and stolen from his relationships, car. The owner ofmarriage, the vandalized family.was desirous of a prosecution so the officers vehicle (3) Tothis promote understanding of sexualiarrested 19-year-old Santa Monica resident and ty was as acharged normalwith part of human development. he vehicle burglary in addition to possession opiates.pupils Bail wasreceive set at $20,000.

(4) To ofensure integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased He Tried Speed sexual health and HIV prevention instructionOn andWednesday, provide educators clear February 1,with at 3:40 a.m.tools offiand guidance to accomplish thatDepartment end. cers of the Santa Monica Police received call for service regard a possible (5) Toaprovide pupils in with the to knowledge bicycle theftnecessary that had just in the posi1300 and skills to occurred have healthy, block of 10th Street.

As the officers to the tive, and safe relationships andhastened behaviors. scene they learned via police radio that a victim had seen a man stealing her bicycle at thatnot time, had For many reading this, itthat might seem been locked up in a bicycle rack in the courtyard of like a big deal. Boil it down to its essence,

and it’s basically giving us exactly what we’ve always wanted for growing kids: To be educated, informed, and included when it comes to sex education in schools. But to see legislation put into words in this way seems almost radical. The fact that California is a blue state might notMIRROR makeARCHIVES it seem like the huge step forward that it is, but consider this:complex In a red is the apartment in country, which sheCalifornia resided. The putting the concepts of the sex positivity victim had been able to supply a detailed descripmovement into which action, and paper. tion of the suspect, had alsoon been conveyed to

the officers, as they were en route to the location.

The California Youth Act isn’t The officers arrived inHealthy the vicinity of the apartment new, it’s been years in the making.

When it complex and began to scour the area. The officers was first instituted last year, it was seen as soon spotted the suspect lurking in the 1300 block one of Number the most ed of Alley 10. forward-thinking The suspect was easysex to recinitiatives goes double ognize due into the the country. fact that That in addition to the for its LGBTQ+ initiatives. addition to description given by the victim theIn suspect was ridrequiring a queer-inclusive sex ed ing one bicycle whilst pushing a second onecurricuwith his lum hand. for individual and opening up free The officersschools attempted to stop this susconversations coming abusive pect but he tried toabout speed away and inout, doing so disrelationships, HIV,The theofficers act, according carded the secondand bicycle. eventually to thethe New Times, “requires all Calcaught manYork and he was arrested and taken off ifornia publicofschools to teach to jail. A search this 21-year-old Hemet,students Califorabout gender expression and of gender nia resident resulted in the discovery not onlystethe reotypes.”obligatory burglary tools but also a seemingly Notofjust gender expression, butwas gender packet methamphetamine.

This man later stereotypes.

That goes up tools, thereposseswith charged with possession of right burglary ‘body in terms of prevision of image’ methamphetamine, theftconcepts and resisting or delaying arrest. Bail at $10,000. ously thought ofwas as set too nebulous or “internet-y” to have a place in law. This piece Editor’s Note:isThese are part of ato regular of legislation onereports of the first takepolice the coverage seriesofentitled “Alert generations--those Police Blotter” (APB), concerns younger which injects someofminor activgenerations kidseditorial raisedinto oncertain the police Internet, ities Monica.

Not all of The Mirror’s of whoin Santa learned everything they evercoverage wanted incidents involving portrayed manner. to know aboutpolice sexarefrom “Myin this So-Called More crimes and police-related activities are reguLife”serious and “Skins”--seriously. larlySoreported editorial into thecare pages about of the Santa why iswithout it important the Monica Mirror and itsofwebsite, smmirror.com. bill? So ongoing effects the newly-passed

we can see just how deep the change goes.

The kind of teaching required by the bill doesn’t just ask institutions to step up to the teen plights of coming out and battling negative body image--it encourages teachers to bring their own experience with similar issues to the table. A recent Los Angeles Times article, written in response to the Weinstein scandal, asks the frustrating question, “how do we make male sexual entitlement stop?”

The conclusion? Education. “[A middle school teacher] in Silicon Valley teaches a “fact-based sex-educa-

tion curriculum, Teen Talk, developed by the Northern California educational group Health Connected. The lessons conform with a new California law, the Healthy Youth Act, which requires schools to teach about adolescent relationship abuse and also focus on healthy attitudes, behaviors and relationships.”

Thanks to the Healthy Youth Act, there isn’t just room in the curriculum to teach kids not to be like Harvey Weinstein.

There’s room enough to explain to them, at length, why such behavior is unacceptable.

And that’s huge.

TAXES All Types, All Forms, All States Samuel Moses, CPA

100 Wilshire Blvd., #1800, Santa Monica, CA

310.395.9922 Photo: Thinkstock.

The California Healthy Youth Act takes a realistic approach to sex education in schools.

12.29 – 01.11.2017

LOS ANGELES

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SANTA MONICA-BASED NAAM YOGA FOUNDER LEADS 318,000 PEOPLE IN GLOBAL GATHERING FOR PEACE IN MEXICO CITY On November 26th 2017, more than 318,000 people united in person, online via livestream, and via live television broadcast for the Global Gathering for Peace and Healing held in the heart of Mexico City’s Zocalo Square. This historic event was led

by Dr. Joseph Michael Levry, global visionary and founder of Naam Yoga LA, a local non–profit 501 (c)(3) located in the heart of Santa Monica. He took the same vast stage that had hosted a Ricky Martin dance concert only hours before. This monumental gathering marked the sixth global meditation of its kind and reached a new record in worldwide participation.

To explain the positive and far reaching impact of this massive event, Dr. Levry draws on quantum physics, “When hundreds of thousands of people come together to align their consciousness to focus on positive thoughts of peace and healing, the powerful waves of energy generated by this calibrated vibration can cause a tremendous healing impact upon our world.”

When asked why Naam Yoga hosts this enormous and nearly annual event that is free to the general public, Dr. Levry stated, “We must learn to see our common humanity in each other. We must move away from

When hundreds of thousands of people come together to align their consciousness to focus on positive thoughts of peace and healing, the powerful waves of energy generated by this calibrated vibration can cause a tremendous healing impact upon our world.

– Dr. Joseph Michael Levry

Photos: Courtesy Naam Yoga.

everything that divides us. Spirituality must be used as an instrument for greater good and should inspire us to uplift others.”

Naam Yoga is the merging of eastern yogic sciences with western mysticism.

What is known today as Shakti Naam Yoga has at its core the ancient and rare

practice of Sukshma Vyayama, a yogic technology hardly known to most yogic schools in the western world. This rare science of health and youth is offered daily at Naam Yoga LA, who has a community outreach program that offers many free or low cost-classes to the local Santa Monica community through its non-profit mission.

And the Peace Continues.....

In these increasingly complex and changing times, and in light of current events around the globe and the recent fires here in Los Angeles, Naam Yoga LA continues its mission of peace and support to the community through its daily offering of classes and special seasonal events. The Winter Solstice meditation celebration on December 20th will mark the first in a series of four local events designed for healing and inner peace.On December 31st, 2017, Dr. Levry will lead a special New Year’s meditation celebration followed by a free all-night meditation to enter the new year on a positive, beautiful and peaceful note. A yearly tradition, this meditation kicks off a four-day ‘Naam Yoga Urban Retreat’, dedicated to balancing the mind, body, spirit connection and improving every level of one’s health and well-being

through a multitude of healing modalities, including Naam Yoga, Harmonyum Healing, Naamflexology, and Kabbalistic wisdom as to the auspicious meaning of 2018 and how to align one’s energies with the coming year for optimal success and prosperity. The retreat is a time for inner reflection, serenity, and to engage the new year with an open heart, non-reactivity, and excitement for all that the future holds. Indeed, many people believe that the first few days of the new year are a golden opportunity to make a bold, brave new beginning in the creation of an uplifting and fulfilling life. And finally on January 4th, 2018 the first Harmonyum Healing Level I Training in 2018 begins. Harmonyum Healing is a gentle healing system that relieves stress and balances the entire nervous system. It can help the recipient to move into a state of deep relaxation so that one can become aware of any destructive habits and patterns that do not serve any longer. This awareness builds the platform for new and positive ways of thinking, feeling, speaking, acting and behaving so that one can create a fulfilling and meaningful new year and life.

Visit NaamYoga.com to learn more.

⚫ CULTURE FILM

12.29 – 01.11.2017

LOS ANGELES

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THE BEST OF ...

⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

Queering Our Screens in 2017 From “God’s Own Country” to “Wonder Woman,” queer filmmakers and writers have been getting a sizeable chunk of screentime in 2017.

This year, while we were all mourning the infantile regression of our once-liberal nation, something else happened. Queer writers, filmmakers, and actors took charge to create a diverse canvas of LGBTQ+ offerings that changed the game, swept up every award possible, and showed us that hope does exist in the darkest places after all. Here are just a few honorable mentions: FEBRUARY 26: “Moonlight” wins Oscar for Best Picture.

In the big win that no one saw coming (not even the presenters,) indie darling “Moonlight,” which follows a young black man coming into his queer sexuality, swept up the Best Picture award at this year’s Oscars, setting a new standard for what queer American films can hope to achieve.

MARCH 28: All six episodes of “S-Town” drop.

While not exactly visual media, Brian Reed’s

In late November, “Call Me By Your Name” opened to critical acclaim.

podcast “S-Town” brought together cinematic description with a literary storytelling style to tell the tale of John B. McLemore, a bisexual man living in the backwoods of Woodstock, Alabama whose troubled romantic life makes for complex, painful interpersonal relationships.

APRIL 14: Gay classic “Maurice” is reissued nationwide.

30 years ago, the production company Merchant Ivory was known for making elegant queer cinema from the heavy-veiled work of such legacy writers as E.M. Forster and Jean

Photo: Call Me By Your Name.

Rhys. Today, their groundbreaking work is being newly appreciated by a group of cineastes eager to drink up the beauty of landmark gay films and film history.

JUNE 2: “Wonder Woman” opens to acclaim and big box office take.

While filmed in the typical summer blockbuster style, “Wonder Woman” has something different going for it. It’s headed by female director Patty Jenkins, whose 2003 classic “Monster” told the story of lesbian serial killer Aileen Wuornos with deft tragi-comic skill. Taking the

story of the superhero back to its roots, “Wonder Woman” opens on an Amazonian utopia where strong women grow and train together without the interference of men. “Wonder Woman” is soon hailed as a feminist classic despite its mainstream budget.

SEPTEMBER 17: Lena Waithe makes history by winning an Emmy for “Master of None.”

As one of the writers and actors on Aziz Ansari’s “Master of None,” Lena Waithe has found a way to tell specifically queer stories inside of a mainstream narrative since the show’s first season two years ago. This year, her work was recognized in a big way when she became the first Black queer woman to win an Emmy for her episode “Thanksgiving.”

NOVEMBER 24: “Call Me By Your Name” opens to rave reviews.

While everyone already sensed that the Andre Aciman adaptation “Call Me By Your Name,” (starring super-hunk Armie Hammer as a gay cradle robber) was going to make a splash, nobody quite figured on all this Oscar talk so early after the film’s wide release. There’s even been talk of a sequel that will bring the star-crossed queer lovers back together in the end.

COMING UP: Ryan Murphy’s “Pose,” featuring a cast of all-trans actors, the U.S. release of “God’s Own Country” (aka the “British Brokeback Mountain”) next year, and the queer-headed series “Brown Girls” from HBO.

⚫ BY GENNA RIVIECCIO

“Brooklyn 99’s” Best Character Just Came Out as Bi

Even the most casual watcher of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” could probably foresee a “plot twist” involving Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) coming out. Or rather, specifically coming out as bisexual.

After all, she is the show’s most original and complex character. She also consistently escapes falling into cliche or caricature as the show’s resident “female badass,” a role that could have, in different hands, felt reductive and boring.

But with Beatriz’s fairly recent declaration, “Yup,” on Twitter back in mid-2016 toAubrey Plaza’s sentiment, “I fall in love with girls and guys. I can’t help it,” Brooklyn Nine-Nine writers were bound to incorporate this element into her character on the show. When Beatriz herself pitched the idea to the writers, it was to the tune of expecting some form of sanitization of what it means to be a bisexual Latina. Mainly in that most TV shows on a mainstream cable network like Fox are already hesitant to throw out black and white sexual orientation classifications like “gay”

as it is.Thus, the importance of this specific designation of bisexual cannot be underestimated.

Considering that, to date, the scant number of portrayals we have of bisexuals on TV mainly consists of a terrorist named Mandy on “24,” “The L Word’s” Alice Pieszecki, and Kevin Spacey’s version of Frank Underwood, the addition of Rosa to the mix is much needed, and appreciated.The involvement Beatriz had in developing this aspect of her character is evident in her interactions with both her co-workers and her parents, the latter of which are expectedly withholding of acceptance, Rosa’s mom noting, “no matter what you call yourself, you still like men. So you can still get married and have a child,” and her father insisting, “It’s just a phase.” And then, of course, there is her father’s insistence that there is no such thing as bisexual (reminiscent of “Sex and the City’s” Miranda Hobbes famous repartee:“It’s just a layover on the way to Gay Town”). But “Brooklyn NineNine” is addressing in a very real way just what

Photo: Brooklyn 99.

Rosa Diaz’s coming-out at the end of this year was an unexpected gift on the part of the show’s writers.

bisexual people are up against when it comes to being taken seriously.

With the television airwaves now welcoming the likes of Rosa Diaz and Ilana Wexler (Ila-

na Glazer) on Broad City, it seems a safer, larger space for bisexuals to feel comfortable and well-represented in the realm of pop culture is developing.And it’s long overdue.

12.29 – 01.11.2017

ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION

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LOS ANGELES

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GIVE IT A WATCH

⚫ BY HENRY GIARDINA

Hulu’s “Runaways” Gives Us Our First Marvel Lesbian Superhero

If you’re not one for superhero films, comic book franchises, gritty urban dramas, or even creature features, Marvel’s “Runaways,” (by way of stalwart streaming service Hulu) might not be for you. But even for those of us who fancy ourselves fully resistant to the charms of shape-shifting, supernaturally-inclined teenagers who have to band together to solve neighborhood crime, it’s still kind of irresistible. From the moment we get a taste of the show–whose lush Brentwood backdrop is already drawing comparisons to “The O.C.”–the world we’re seeing is too familiar to be boring. Or at least, as boring as it should be. I mean really–rich kids at a SoCal private school? An scenario ripped directly from “Pretty Little Liars?” The cheesy special effects that are reminiscent of “Power Rangers” at best and “Animorphs” at worst? It’s ‘90s nostalgia gone mad.

And then the perspective shifts. While the pilot of “Runaways” focuses solely on a group of ex-friends who have been torn apart by the mysterious death of one of their number, the second episode, titled “Rewind,” focuses in on their ultra-rich parents, who mainly existed as boring backdrops for the angsty kids in the first.

We see that the parents, all of whom are welloff, successful, and deeply sinister in their palatial Brentwood homes, belong to a mysterious organization called “The Pride” (no relation to this publication) which requires them to wear red robes, attend seance-style gatherings, and wrench homeless kids from the streets and offer them as sacrifice to...something.

So far, so convoluted. But add in the parents’ shady criminal pasts to contrast with their bourgeois Brentwood present, and we’ve got ourselves a compelling show. And we haven’t even gotten to the lesbian part yet.

“The Runaways” on paper is about a group of kids with superpowers and special abilities. Kind of like every other comic book plot. In the Hulu adaptation, however, these powers, somewhat predictably, are tied to each kid’s ability to find strength in the thing that’s supposed to render them weak in the eyes of society. The youngest character has superhuman strength that, coming on, resembles menstrual cramps. The jock can

Photos: Hulu.

create high-tech gear that resembles something out of James Bond, but less ridiculous. And Karolina Dean, the sweet, blonde Scientologist (or the show’s version of that troubling cult-cum-religion, the Church of Gibborim) can glow like a rainbow. And she’s gay. A gay scientologist trapped in the “church”? That’s about as L.A. a character arc as you can get. When we first see Karolina “break free” of her special Church of Gibborim bracelet at a party, we see her look longingly at two women kissing, caught up in their shared ecstasy. She glows rainbow, and she faints.

While the success of “The Handmaid’s Tale” earlier this year allowed Hulu to grow bold when it came to choice of material (and size of bankroll,) time will tell whether or not this daring streak will continue to produce excellence in the style of “Runaways” and “Harlots.” But for now, we’re all about enjoying the ride.

Get your business SEEN with an ad in one of our papers today!

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LOS ANGELES

12.29 – 01.11.2017

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

The best goings-on around and about L.A., period.

Google Pop-Up with “Stranger Things” WHEN: December 29, 10 A.M.- 8 P.M. WHERE: 8552 Melrose Ave.,West Hollywood.

WHAT: Take a tour of the “Stranger Things” set via Google’s new augmented reality tools.

WHY: Life in the upside down ain’t half bad.

DTLgAy New Year’s Bash WHEN: December 31, 9 P.M.- 2 A.M. WHERE: Precinct DTLA WHAT: The queerest NYE party in town.

WHY: You made the yuletide gay, now it’s time to sprinkle some fairy dust over the first few hours of 2018.

Hollywood NYE Pub Crawl WHEN: December 31- January 1, 2018 WHERE: Starting in DTLA WHAT: Just what it sounds like.

WHY: Get wasted with friends and strangers while welcoming 2018 in style.

Oshogatsu Family Festival WHEN: January 7, 11 A.M.- 5 P.M. WHERE: Japanese American National Museum WHAT: A family-friendly day of cultural activities and performances.

WHY: What better way to celebrate the year of the dog?

Vivaldi: The Farewell Concertos WHEN: January 9, 8 P.M.- 11 P.M. WHERE: Walt Disney Concert Hall WHAT: Vivaldi’s end-of-life concertos come to life courtesy of the L.A. Philharmonic.

WHY: Say goodbye to the old year with music.

DineLA Exclusive Series WHEN: Starting January 12.

WHERE: From Malibu to West Hollywood to Santa Monica and everywhere in between.

WHAT: A sampling of some of L.A.’s best restaurants for the first month of the new year.

WHY: Indulge those taste buds for half the price.

When They Call You a Terrorist WHEN: January 12, 7 P.M.- 9 P.M. WHERE: California African American Museum WHAT: Author asha bandele and BLM co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors discuss growing up othered in L.A. WHY: Some much-needed food for thought as you go into the New Year.

Cannabis Women’s Empowerment Summit WHEN: January 12- 13.

WHERE: TBA/Various Locations WHAT: A networking event for women who want to rise and thrive in the cannabis industry.

WHY: Blaze it!

R&B Rewind WHEN: January 13, 7:30 P.M. WHERE: Microsoft Theater, 777 Chick Ahearn Ct. WHAT:A dance party to ring in the new year.

WHY: Turn back the clock with Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and more throwback faves.

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LOS ANGELES

B:10 in

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T:10 in S:10 in

© 2017 Cedars-Sinai

⚫

Sometimes I underestimate.

Sometimes I search it.

Sometimes I put it off.

Sometimes I freak out.

But, I trust my Cedars-Sinai doctor every time.

cedars-sinai.edu 1-800-CEDARS-1

T:11.7 in

Sometimes I overreact.

B:11.7 in

Sometimes I just ignore it.

S:11.7 in

Sometimes I self-diagnose.