the pride
NEW IN TOWN 2.12.2016 ROBERT WILLIAMS
SHARES HIS STORY ⚫ 19
THE PRIDE LA IS DISTRIBUTED DOOR TO DOOR IN WEHO AND HOLLYWOOD AND IS AVAILABLE AT KEY LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES
WWW.THEPRIDELA.COM
⚫
ISSUE NUMBER 3, VOLUME 2 1 FEB 12 — FEB. 25, 2016
LOS ANGELES
THE LOS ANGELES LGBT NEWSPAPER
LEGAL ⚫ 6
California bill will make public wash-rooms gender-neutral HEALTH ⚫ 7
APLA Opens New Health Center in Long Beach COURTS ⚫ 9
12 years for ‘crime of passion’ in grizzly West Hollywood murder POLITICS ⚫ 10
Sanders and Trump win big in New Hampshire primary
THE PRIDE EXPANDS:
LOS ANGELES’ ONLY LGBT NEWSPAPER IS ROLLING OUT NEWSPAPER VENDING BOXES LIKE THIS ONE ON ROBERTSON.
Clinton and Sanders evolved slowly on marriage equality
⚫ Hillary Clinton long maintained that gay marriage was a local issue best left to the states, a position she maintained until well into the debates leading up to the Windsor decision, voicing full throated support in 2013.
⚫ Bernie Sanders, though he opposed passage of the Defense of Marriage act in 1994, did not embrace marriage equality until it became law in Vermont, proclaiming Civil Unions sufficient.
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2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
®
New Genvoya is now available
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2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
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Actual Size
One pill contains elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). Ask your healthcare provider if GENVOYA is right for you. To learn more visit GENVOYA.com
Please see Brief Summary of Patient Information with important warnings on the following pages.
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LOS ANGELES
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Brief Summary of Patient Information about GENVOYA GENVOYA (jen-VOY-uh) (elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA. There may be new information about GENVOYA. This information is only a summary and does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.
What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA? GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis may happen in some people who take GENVOYA. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms, which could be signs of lactic acidosis: • • • • • • •
feel very weak or tired have unusual (not normal) muscle pain have trouble breathing have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting feel cold, especially in your arms and legs feel dizzy or lightheaded have a fast or irregular heartbeat
• Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems may happen in people who take GENVOYA. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large and you may develop fat in your liver. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of liver problems: • your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) • dark “tea-colored” urine • light-colored bowel movements (stools) • loss of appetite for several days or longer • nausea • stomach pain • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time. • Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. GENVOYA is not for use to treat chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). If you have HBV infection and take GENVOYA, your HBV may get worse (flareup) if you stop taking GENVOYA. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. • Do not run out of GENVOYA. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your GENVOYA is all gone. • Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider. • If you stop taking GENVOYA, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking GENVOYA.
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What is GENVOYA? GENVOYA is a prescription medicine that is used without other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older: • who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past or • to replace their current HIV-1 medicines in people who have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is less than 50 copies/mL, and have never failed past HIV-1 treatment HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. GENVOYA contains the prescription medicines elvitegravir (VITEKTA®), cobicistat (TYBOST®), emtricitabine (EMTRIVA®) and tenofovir alafenamide. It is not known if GENVOYA is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age. When used to treat HIV-1 infection, GENVOYA may: • Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. This is called “viral load”. • Increase the number of CD4+ (T) cells in your blood that help fight off other infections. Reducing the amount of HIV-1 and increasing the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood may help improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections). GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1 therapy to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses. Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 infection to others: • Do not share or re-use needles or other injection equipment. • Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes and razor blades. • Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood. Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to other people.
Who should not take GENVOYA? Do not take GENVOYA if you also take a medicine that contains: • alfuzosin hydrochloride (Uroxatral®) • carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®) • cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®) • ergot-containing medicines, including: dihydroergotamine mesylate (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine tartrate (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), and methylergonovine maleate (Ergotrate®, Methergine®) • lovastatin (Advicor®, Altoprev®, Mevacor®) • midazolam, when taken by mouth • phenobarbital (Luminal®) • phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®) • pimozide (Orap®) • rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®) • sildenafil (Revatio®), when used for treating lung problems • simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®) • triazolam (Halcion®) • the herb St. John’s wort or a product that contains St. John’s wort
2.12.2016
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking GENVOYA? Before taking GENVOYA, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have liver problems including hepatitis B infection • have kidney or bone problems • have any other medical conditions • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if GENVOYA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking GENVOYA. Pregnancy registry: there is a pregnancy registry for women who take HIV-1 medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take GENVOYA. – You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. – At least one of the medicines in GENVOYA can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in GENVOYA can pass into your breast milk. – Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how GENVOYA works. Some medicines may interact with GENVOYA. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. • You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with GENVOYA. • Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take GENVOYA with other medicines.
How should I take GENVOYA?
• Take GENVOYA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. GENVOYA is taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection.
• GENVOYA is usually taken 1 time each day. • Take GENVOYA with food. • If you need to take a medicine for indigestion (antacid) that contains aluminum and • • • •
magnesium hydroxide or calcium carbonate during treatment with GENVOYA, take it at least 2 hours before or after you take GENVOYA. Do not change your dose or stop taking GENVOYA without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking GENVOYA. Do not miss a dose of GENVOYA. If you take too much GENVOYA, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. When your GENVOYA supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to GENVOYA and become harder to treat.
LOS ANGELES
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What are the possible side effects of GENVOYA? GENVOYA may cause serious side effects, including: • See “What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA?” • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known. • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start and while you are taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking GENVOYA if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take GENVOYA. Bone problems may include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones. The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. • These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. • Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. General information about the safe and effective use of GENVOYA. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use GENVOYA for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give GENVOYA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them. This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about GENVOYA. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about GENVOYA that is written for health professionals. For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.GENVOYA.com. Keep GENVOYA and all medicines out of reach of children. Issued: November 2015
EMTRIVA, GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, TYBOST, and VITEKTA are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2015 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0002 11/15
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CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY
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2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
GENDER ISSUES
⚫ BY MATTHEW BAJKO
California bill aims to make single-person public washrooms gender-neutral People have expressed concern about transgender people facing harassment when they use public bathrooms that don’t match their perceived gender.
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bill to designate all single-user restrooms in California businesses, gover nment buildings, and public spaces as “all gender” is being proposed by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). The bill is about “convenience, fairness, and frankly, safety,” Ting said at a news conference Friday, Jan. 29, the day after he introduced Assembly Bill 1732. The issue has become mainstream in recent months as people have expressed concern about transgender people facing harassment when they use public bathrooms that don’t match their per ceived gender. The obsession over bathrooms helped doom a non-discrimination ordinance in Houston last November when opponents focused the debate on trans people using restrooms. There’s a need to ensure “every community feels it has access,” Ting, a straight ally, said, adding, “Nobody should need to use the bathroom and not feel safe.” He said he’s “proud to be part of a state that wants to take leadership and show the way rather than follow.” Gay San Francisco Super visor David Campos recently introduced a similar proposal locally, and such laws are
also appearing in Oakland and other cities. Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), AB 1732’s principal co-author, said antiLGBT policies, including those aimed at restricting which restrooms transgender and gender non-conforming people may use, “stem from a core of fear, hate, and ignorance.” Chiu, another straight ally, referred to the state legislation as “common sense policy” that’s “overdue.” The statewide LGBT advocacy group Equality California is one of the organizations backing the proposal. EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur said trans and gender -non-conforming people have been “intimidated, harassed, and threatened” wh e n t r y i n g t o use m ul ti stall restrooms, and the bill addresses “a civil rights issue that af fects their ability to fully participate in our communities.” Kris Hayashi is the executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which is also backing AB 1732. In T ing’s news release, Hayashi said, “All Califor nians should have the same freedom to participate in public life, go about their day, and use the bathroom when they need it. By making single-user restrooms accessible
to all genders, this law will make life easier for everyone and reduce the harassment regularly experienced by transgender people and others who don’t match people’s stereotypes of what it looks like to be a man or a woman.” At the news conference, Zbur said the bill would also be helpful to opposite-sex caretakers and others. T ing said “bathrooms are something we use every day,” and as the father of two daughters, he’s been faced with the dilemma of trying to figure out which bathroom to use when he’s out with them. “My favorite bathrooms are the ones that say ‘family bathroom,’” he said. Other supporters of the legislation also spoke Friday. Summer Lowen, of the National Organization for Women’s San Francisco chapter, said among other problems, women’s rooms are often farther away than men’s rooms. “Segregated facilities are not meeting our needs,” Lowen said. Samantha Higgins, policy and community manager of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, said Ting’s proposal also addresses hospitality concerns. AB 1732 “honestly just makes sense,” Higgins said. “Single-occupancy restroom access should not be an issue for anyone” who’s visiting a restaurant, bar, or other establishment. Ting said he and other supporters are “very optimistic”
about his bill becoming law, noting that it simply requires bathroom signage to be changed. He said backers “debated on having penalties” for people who don’t comply with the law, but it’s “so frankly simplistic we didn’t feel the need to add penalties to the legislation at this point.” Anti-LGBT activists recently tried to get a measure on the November 2016 state ballot that would have required people “to use restrooms based on their biological sex,” Ting’s office noted. Under the proposal, which failed to gain enough signatures to make it to the ballot, transgender people could have been sued for $4,000 if they used a restroom that didn’t match their gender assigned at birth. The failed initiative wouldn’t have applied to single-user restrooms. Brad Dacus is president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which submitted that proposal. Asked in an interview whether his group would do anything to oppose Ting’s legislation, Dacus said, “I don’t know why we would.” The bill “makes a lot of sense,” he said, noting that it’s not “forcing multi-person male or female restrooms to become unisex.” T ing’s proposal is “sensitive to many transgendered people who would otherwise potentially feel uncomfortable or awkward in terms of the restroom they choose to use,”
Dacus said. His stance might be sur prising coming from someone who was involved with such a vehemently anti-transgender proposal as the one his group failed to gain support for, but he said there’s “nothing wrong with laws accommodating and being sensitive to the different needs of individuals” as long as others’ privacy rights are respected. However, an email one man recently sent to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors regarding Campos’ legislation shows there are still people who have trouble with such ideas. “You continue to cater to those with money, deviant sexual appetites, and the mentally ill,” Joe Tobie Jr. said in a January 19 note to supervisors. “San Francisco is no longer a place for decent people. ... I will not support lifestyle, policies, or practices that I know are simply wrong.” Tobie didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment. Campos’ legislation is expected to go before the supervisors’ budget committee soon. Assemblyman Phil T ing (D-San Francisco), announces legislation creating all-gender public restrooms at a January 29 news conference with, Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) Equality California’s Rick Zbur, California NOW’s Summer Lowen, and Samantha Higgins from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
2.12.2016 HEALTH CARE
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LOS ANGELES COUNTY
LOS ANGELES
LONG BEACH
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⚫ BY TROY MASTERS
APLA Opens New Health Center in Long Beach
PrEP counseling and management is one of the key services the new Long Beach health center provides. PrEP is a HIV prevention strategy that involves taking a once-a-day pill.
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or many in Los Angeles County, finding LGBT -friendly health care services is a struggle, especially if they do not live in or near West Hollywood and Hollywood. For those people living on limited incomes, the struggle can be even harder. Those are just two of the reasons why the news that APLA Health & Wellness is opening a new health center in Long Beach geared toward lower income LGBT clients is welcome. APLA Health & Wellness is part of a clinic network across Los Angeles. The federally qualified health center also operates the Gleicher/ Chen Health Center in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of South L.A., offering full medical, dental, and mental health services; as well as the Wilshire Dental Clinic near downtown, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Dental Clinic in South L.A., and counseling
services at the David Geffen Center in Koreatown. In March, the new Long Beach Health Center, located on the St. Mary Medical Campus, will begin offering counseling services and a four-chair dental clinic will be operational by late spring. The center currently provides primary medical care, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) counseling and management, HIV testing and STD screening and treatment, as well as health insurance enrollment assistance. The health center’s opening was made possible in part through a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. The 7,000-square-foot facility will have the capacity to see more than 5,000 patients a year when it is fully operational, according to a press release about the health center’s
THE HEALTH CENTER WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART THROUGH A $650,000 GRANT FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
opening. “Providing excellent culturally competent care is a community effort, and we are working with other key partners, including service providers, the Long Beach Health Department, and elected officials to expand access to these critically needed services,” APLA Health & Well-
ness CEO Craig E. Thompson said in a statement. For many LGBT clients, PrEP counseling and management will be one of the key services the new health center provides. PrEP is a HIV prevention strategy that involves taking a once-a-day pill. When taken correctly, it has been shown to be up to 99 percent effective in preventing HIV transmission. The new health center also can help patients select an appropriate health insurance plan that will help cover the cost of PrEP. “PrEP awareness is on the rise, but many people still don’t know there’s this important HIV prevention tool or how to get it,” said Terry
Smith, associate director of prevention at APLA Health & Wellness. “Removing barriers to PrEP access is very important in the fight against HIV and to educating more people about how to take care of their sexual health.” The Long Beach Health Center is located at 1043 Elm Ave., Suite 302, and is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. (closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.). Appointments are available by calling 562-432-7300, and hours are expected to expand later this spring. For more information about APLA Health & Wellness and its locations and services, visit www.aplahw.org.
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2.12.2016
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2.12.2016
12 years for ‘crime of passion’
LOS ANGELES
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ANDRE DAVIDS (L.) DISEMBOWELED KURLAND MA (R).
“When anyone, including your family, looks at you, the first thing they will see is a murderer. You will never escape the evil you carry inside of you.”
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ndre Davids, 38, was sentenced to 12 years for the gruesome stabbing and dismemberment of his physician boyfriend, 34-yearold Kurtland Ma, in their home at 939 Palm Ave. in West Hollywood. In December, Davids’ attorneys successfully argued that the the crime was one of passion, and that the jury should decide on a manslaughter charge rather than murder. They also claimed his judgment was impaired because he was high. The reduced charge spared Davids a potential life prison sentence. In a statement read in court Thursday, he said he was sorry. Family members were hoping Davids would be charged with murder. They
described Ma at Thursday’s hearing as a happy person and caring physician who was kind to family and friends. His brother directly addressed Davids: “When anyone, including your family, looks at you, the first thing they will see is a murderer,” said Wayland Ma, the victim’s brother. “You will never escape the evil you carry inside of you, and people will know.” Authorities maintain the attack stemmed from an argument over infidelity. Ma was stabbed and scalped, and some of his organs had been removed, according to investigators. Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee called it “absolutely one of the most gruesome crime scenes that I or the homicide detectives have ever seen.” Davids “disemboweled” Ma and stuffed his organs into his mouth and pill bottles into his body cavity, according to police records. Davids said he was sparked by Ma’s decision to break up with him. Davids was found hiding in the apartment bathroom when law enforcement officers arrived. -- Troy Masters
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2016 RACE
2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
>
HOW LGBT ISSUES ARE USED
PRIMARY NOTES
⚫ BY CHRIS JOHNSON
Sanders and Trump win big in New Hampshire primary PUBLISHER & EDITOR TROY MASTERS
troy@smmirror.com CONTRIBUTORS MATTHEW S. BAJKO, CYNTHIA LAIRD, HENRY SCOTT, CHARLES KAISER, LISA KEEN, MAER ROSHAN, KIT WINTER, BRAD LAMM, DAVID EHRENSTEIN, STEVEN ERICKSON, ORIEL GUTTIEREZ, SETH HEMMELGARN, STEVE WEINSTEIN, CHRIS AZZOPARD, DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL, ALLEN ROSKOFF, JOHN PAUL KING
COPY EDITOR MARIELLA RUDI
ART DIRECTOR GAIL HODGE
VIDEOGRAPHER JOHN BOATNER
GRAPHIC DESIGNER ARTURO JIMENEZ | artkex@yahoo.com VP OF ADVERTISING
JUDY SWARZ | judy@smmirror.com
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
DONALD TRUMP WON THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE BY A RECORD MARGIN; BERNIE SANDERS WILL TAKE HIS POPULIST MOVEMENT NATIONAL AFTER HE BEAT HILLARY CLINTON BY 21 PERCENTAGE POINTS.
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onald Trump and Bernard Sanders were the winners by significant margins Tuesday in New Hampshire primaries for the respective presidential primaries. Major media outlets declared both candidates were the winners of the contests immediately upon polls closed in the state at 8 p.m. With 67 percent of precincts reporting, Trump claimed 34 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, followed by John Kasich at 16 percent, Ted Cruz at 12, Jeb Bush at 11 and Marco Rubio at 10 percent, according to local ABC affiliate WMUR9. Each of the other candidates earned less than 10 percent of the vote, including Chris Christie, who was considered to have badly needed a win in the state. Eyes were also on Rubio after his
third place finish in Iowa to see his if his widely panned debate performance Saturday would affect his New Hampshire results. On the Democratic side, with 48 percent of precincts reporting, Sanders won 60 percent of the vote compared to 39 percent won by Hillary Clinton. Sanders secured a divisive win in the state after a virtual tie between him and Clinton in Iowa. Consistent with his pledge in his campaign, Trump said during his victory speech in Manchester “we’re going to start winning again.” Kasich, taking the prize as the “establishment” winner in New Hampshire among Republican candidate, pledged in his speech at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord to lead followers “to solve the problems of America.”
Christie, following poor showing in New Hampshire, said he’s “taking stock” of the situation, which could be a signal he will soon drop out of the race. Celebrating his victory at Concord High School, Sanders seemed to wipe away a tear from his eyes and thanked supporters who campaigned for him in New Hampshire. “Together, we sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California, and that is that the government of our great country belongs to all of the people and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their Super PACs,” Sanders said. In her concession speech at Southern New Hampshire University, Clinton congratulated Sanders on his win, but took a page from his book by pledging
to tackle campaign finance reform and rein in Wall Street. “We also agree that Wall Street can never be allowed to again threaten Main Street, and I will fight to rein Wall Street,” Clinton said. “And you know what? I know how to do it. So when I tell you no bank can be too big to fail and no executive too powerful to jail, you can count on it.” Seemingly talking a knock at Trump and the nature of his campaign, Clinton said, “People have every right to be angry, but they’re also hungry, they’re hungry for solutions. What are we doing to do?” Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said on Twitter after the results were announced Trump is hostile to LGBT rights unlike Clinton. His organization endorsed her last month.
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2.12.2016 2016 RACE
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HOW LGBT ISSUES ARE USED
LOS ANGELES
⚫ 11
EDITORIAL: NOT SO FAST
⚫ BY TROY MASTERS
Hillary and Bernie both evolved slowly on gay rights
“I
’m not evolving when it comes to gay rights. I was there!” That’s the quote – a not so subtle dig at Hillary Clinton – that many Bernie Sanders supporters claim prove he’s a more progressive and better candidate for president than Hillary Clinton. But was Bernie really “there” on gay rights before Hillary? While serving as mayor of Burlington in the 1980s Sanders told an interviewer that LGBT rights were not a “major priority.” He stated that he was “probably not” going to support a bill that provided job protections for LGBT people. Perhaps at the time a willingness to even consider gay rights was deemed progressive. His supporters cast Sanders as a kind of pioneer for marriage equality and often point to his opposition in 1996 to the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Sanders was one among the 57 House members who voted against DOMA, the bill signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton and later overturned by the 2015 Supreme Court marriage equality decision. However, Sanders’ stated rational was that DOMA violated the Full Faith and Protection clause of the US Constitution, a provision that requires contracts and laws of one state be honored by every other state. At the time, in many interviews, he made no mention of protecting the rights of LGBT people. By 2006, Sanders was still not a marriage equality supporter. He told the the Vermont-based Times Argus that Vermont should not legalize same-sex marriage, at least “not right now, not after what we went through [the debate over DOMA].” When pressed recently on these facts by
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Sanders said, “I felt that at the time, given Vermont had gone first in breaking new ground [in 2000], let’s take it easy for a little while. That was my reasoning.” Vermont didn’t legalize same-sex marriage until 2009, and though Sanders was supportive of it’s passage, he did not campaign for it. So, if the debate boils down to who evolved first, Hillary or Bernie, it just not all that clear. During her husband’s first run for president, Clinton took a question on same sex marriage from reporter Andrew Jacobs, then of QW Magazine, a New York LGBT magazine, at a Manhattan women’s fundraiser. Clinton’s answer was thoughtful: “I think that question is one that is best left to the state and local government.” She has maintained that her policy on the matter has not wavered. “My position is consistent,”Clinton told Gay City News in 2006. “I support states making the decision. I think that Chuck Schumer would say the same thing. And if anyone ever tried to use our words in any way, we’ll review that. Because I think that it should be in the political process, and people make a decision, and if our governor and our legislature support marriage in New York, I’m not going to be against that.” In 2013 Clinton came out in unmitigated support of marriage equality. The best that can be said of both candidates is they have been part of a slow evolution. One should not disparage the other over LGBT issues since the score appears to be about even. There are areas, like opposition to the death penalty and a single-payer healthcare system, where Bernie Sanders is more progressive than Hillary Clinton. On gay rights Bernie and Hillary are even.
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LOS ANGELES
2.12.2016
2.12.2016 PRIMARY
REPUBLICANS
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LOS ANGELES
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CREEP OF THE WEEK
⚫ BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI
Creep of the Week: Marco Rubio narrowly beats Trump
TIMOTHY KIERSTEAD CONFRONTS MARCO RUBIO ON GAY MARRIAGE, WHICH RUBIO OPPOSES, AT A NEW HAMPSHIRE DINER.
Rubio was expected to excel in New Hampshire but a series of missteps, including this one, have talking heads shaking.
O
n Monday Feb. 8, Marco Rubio was asked a very important question by New Hampshire resident Timothy Kierstead, a man who said he’d been married for a “long time.” “Why do you want to put me back in the closet?” Kierstead asked, according to the Washington Post. “I don’t. You can live any way you want,” Rubio responded. “I just believe marriage is between one man
and one woman.” Kierstead wasn’t placated by that answer and after some words about marriage equality, the Post reported that the tense exchange ended with Rubio disengaging and walking away. Poor Rubio. He’s so misunderstood. People think he’s a moderate (a.k.a. “the least scary” among the GOP’s presidential contenders), but he’s really as far right as Ted Cruz. And yet Cruz seems to get all the credit — and the criticism — for this radical positions. I think in part it’s because Rubio is a pretty handsome guy compared to smug-mug Cruz. So everything that comes out of Cruz’s mouth sounds insane, but when Rubio says it, people are all, “Oh my, are those dimples I see?” Just like Cruz, Rubio is anti-abor-
tion with no exceptions for rape. Just like Cruz, Rubio supports so-called “religious freedom” laws which are by and large aimed at protecting those who discriminate against LGBT people. In fact, Eric Teetsel, Rubio campaign’s director of faith outreach, told the Christian Post that there “are few, if any, substantive policy differences” between Cruz and Rubio when it comes to what feeds to the right-wing base. Teetsel continued, “The National Organization for Marriage calls Marco, ‘a champion of marriage’ and the Family Research Council’s political arm recently gave him a 100 percent score.” Which leads, of course, to Kierstead’s question and Rubio’s bullshit answer, one that any LGBT person
or ally would be wise to look at more closely. When Rubio says, “You can live any way you want,” he’s being disingenuous at best. Because for many samesex couples, the way they want to live is married, and they’ve fought for that right, and all the legal protections that come with it, for decades. Rubio would like to see all of that undone. And he’s not shy about it. When speaking about marriage equality on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Dec. 13, 2015, Rubio said, “It is the current law. I don’t believe any case law is settled law. Any future Supreme Court can change it. And ultimately, I will appoint Supreme Court justices that will interpret the Constitution as originally constructed.” In other words, if Rubio gets elected president, he will be sure to try to stack the Supreme Court with rightwing justices who would overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, not to mention Roe v. Wade. But make no mistake, Rubio says, “It’s not about discrimination. It is about the definition of a very specific, traditional and age-old institution.” I call bullshit on that, too. Because the only reason Rubio wants to lock down that narrow definition is so gays can’t get married. Hence, that’s discrimination. He also argues that equality advocates who won the right to marry didn’t do it right. “If you want to change it, you have a right to petition your state Legislature and your elected representatives to do it,” he said. “What is wrong is that the Supreme Court has found this hidden constitutional right that 200 years of jurisprudence had not discovered…” Earth to Rubio: America has changed a lot in the past 200 years. If you haven’t noticed that, then you would be a very dangerous man to lead this country. To people who support equality: come November, you’d better show up.
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2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
⚫ BY SARI STAVER
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ACADEMY AWARDS
Oscar nominated wife and wife team is an Academy first “The most pressing social issues of our day: veterans’ care, homelessness, race, class, mental health access and criminal justice.”
W
hen filmmakers Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman were nominated for an Oscar for their documentary short film “Last Day of Freedom,” friends started asking one question: “What are you wearing?” to the Academy Awards gala. “That was the last thing on our minds,” said Hibbert-Jones, 53, an associate professor of art at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “I thought matching socks might be appropriate,” said Talisman, 49, a freelance editor and animator. The women, who are married to each other, have been collaborating on art for more than a decade, although this is the first film for each. The 32-minute animated documentary, produced over a five-year period on a $120,000 budget, is the story of Manny Babbitt, a homeless Vietnam War vet suffering but untreated for PTSD, who commits a murder. Manny’s brother Bill, the film’s narrator, reports the crime, eventually leading to his brother’s execution. The film has already won prestigious awards, including best documentary short at the International Documentary Association and Full Frame film festival. New York T imes film critic Stephen Holden, in a January 28 article on the Oscar nominees, wrote that Last Day of Freedom was the “most moving documentary” of the nominees, and predicted that the film “will break your heart.” In an interview with the THE PRIDE LA in San Francisco’s Mission District flat, the filmmakers discussed their hectic lives. The most recent chapter began at 5 a.m. on Janu-
DEE HIBBERT-JONES (R.) AND NOMI TALISMAN DISCUSS LAST DAY OF FREEDOM. (PHOTO FROM VIMEO)
ary 14, when they sat in bed with their six-year-old son Max watching the live telecast of the nominations. Just as the announcements for documentary shorts were about to begin, the local station cut to a traffic announcement. Before they had a chance to go online, their mobile phone lit up with texts and calls from friends around the world. “It’s been absolutely crazy” since then, Hibbert-Jones said. “When we’re not sleeping or building Legos with our son, we are working” on the film. In addition to scheduling the interviews and screening requests that have flooded in, the filmmakers are also dealing with the nitty-gritty of fundraising and distribution. Fundraising has been a part of their life for the past five years, when they first began the film. “We basically financed it from grant to grant,” said Talisman. It was produced for $120,000, she said. Fundraising efforts continue, with details about needs as well as a link to make a contribution, on the film’s website, lastdayoffreedom.net. The idea for the film came up while Talisman was working as a media specialist for the Community Resource Initiative, a local nonprofit that collects narratives to build cas-
es against capital punishment. “I came home every night and told Dee that I was hearing stories that we need to tell,” she said. They explored telling the stories of a number of other families, but when they met Bill Babbitt, “we knew this was our story.” Both are experienced at drawing, and decided to use animation because it allowed them the “intimacy” of telling a story that was “difficult to hear” because it was so sad and painful. During the film’s five years of production, “we would often come home crying after hearing some of the details about what this family went through,” Hibbert-Jones said. The Babbitt family saga took place in Sacramento, when Manny returned from two tours of duty in Vietnam suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as ear lier mental health problems, also untreated, after several falls. Narrator Bill Babbitt describes his painful struggle after learning that his brother has probably committed a murder. After law enforcement assured him that they would not seek the death penalty, Bill turned his brother in. But the case was grossly mishandled by the defense team, and Manny was executed at San Quen-
tin Prison in 1999, soon after being awarded a Purple Heart behind bars. The film, said Talisman, “is a por trait of a man at the nexus of the most pressing social issues of our day: veterans’ care, homelessness, race, class, mental health access and criminal justice.” By using Bill as the film’s narrator, they wanted to “give voice to a perspective that is rarely broadcast,” she added. Although this is their first film, the women have had earlier collaborations. They were part of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ artists-in-residence program, where they created Living Conditions, an interactive project that focused on the lives of families with relatives on death row. Last Day of Freedom is a stand-alone film that is part of that project. Hibbert-Jones, originally from the United Kingdom, and Talisman, from Israel, both attended Mills College, where each received a master’s degree in fine arts. They started dating shortly after graduation, and married in 2014. They are already planning future projects, but in the meantime are trying to cope with the attention from the Oscar nomination. “We are so honored!” Hibbert-Jones said. “I remember we were dancing around the kitchen when we heard we were accepted” into our first major festival. “To have come so far with our first film, it’s all beyond our wildest dreams.” Amid the excitement, they haven’t forgotten the question their friends all want answered: their wardrobe on the evening of February 28. “Someone in Los Angeles is dressing me,” said Hibbert-Jones, “and Nomi is working with several suit companies locally” to find just the right outfit. You can view the Documentary online at http://oscar.go.com/nominees/documentary-short/last-dayof-freedom. This article originally ran in San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter.
2.12.2016 PROGRESS MEDIA
LOS ANGELES
COMMUNITY
⚫ BY TROY MASTERS
The Pride LA keeps growing
JAN. 30, 2016
WE ARE BOLTED TO THE GROUND! ALONG SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD IN WEST HOLLYWOOD AND HOLLYWOOD YOU WILL FIND DOZENS OF STREET BOXES. AND WE ARE ROLLING OUT MORE AS THE PRIDE LA BEGINS TO EXPAND. YOU’LL SEE US SOON BOLTED TO THE GROUND IN THE STREETS OF SANTA MONICA, VENICE, SILVERLAKE AND DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
We distribute The Pride LA door to door throughout key areas of West Hollywood and Hollywood. If you would like us to cover your street, email troy@smmirror.com and we’ll make it happen!
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SCENE
FUNDRAISER
⚫ BY PHIL TARLEY
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2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
TREVOR PROJECT
Hollywood’s Artist Corner benefit for the Trevor Project J
oe Dallesandro, the last surviving core member of Andy Warhol’s famous Factory shared his everlasting “15 minutes of fame” with the Trevor Project, the nation’s leading crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. Dallesandro was guest of honor at the West Hollywood gala, art
Above: Andy Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro and curator Phil Tarley at the trendy Hollywood art party benefit for the Trevor Project. On the wall behind them are photographs by Karen Bystedt and Douglas Kirkland. Tarley conceived the photography show as a kind of homage to Andy Warhol, “the great gay art father of us all.”
Above: Right: At the Round Hole, Square Peg, LGBTQ photography exhibition presented by World of Wonder and the Artists Corner Gallery in Hollywood, Saturday night. Bottome Right: Artist Van Jazmin painted arty-party models for the Trevor Project event.
Left: DJ Paul V. and World of Wonder’s James ST James, in Uncle Fester drag, at the Artists Corner Art gala in Hollywood benefiting the Trevor Project. St. James was promoting DragCon, with Rue Paul. World of Wonder produces Ru Pauls’s Drag Race.
party and silent auction fundraiser held for the group and hosted at Artists Corner Gallery. The event was sponsored by Penthouse Spirits, West Hollywood Lifestyle, Fabrik and Ar tillery Magazines as well as the Tom of Finland Foundation. “Amazing artists, beautiful models, great champagne and killer fierce photography. That’s what its all about,” said one attendee of the event.
2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES
IF YOU WANT A SINGING CAREER, STAY AWAY FROM SECONDHAND SMOKE.
Ellie, Age 57 Her partner, Karen Florida
Ellie’s severe asthma attacks were triggered by secondhand smoke at work. She and her partner have to live with its effects forever. If you or someone you know wants free help to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. #CDCTips
www.cdc.gov/tips
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2.12.2016
LOS ANGELES ⚫ BY MARINA ANDALON
Cal State LA transgender sorority member comes out “T
ransgender, a person born in the incorrect body. The way they feel on the inside does not match their exterior,” said Jack Oliver Villalobos, who was assigned female at birth and formerly known as Jennifer Marie Villalobos. In 2015 the fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon National Board of Directors officially opened up membership to people who identify with the transgender community. This was one small step in the making of history for the Transgender community for Greek organizations. “Growing up, people would always confuse me for a little boy. I wanted to wear boy clothes, play sports with the boys, and not wear a dress,” Villalobos said. When Jack Villalobos first attended Cal State LA, he was otherwise known as Jennifer. During his college years, he joined the Delta Zeta sorority and became the president for two terms. When he graduated from Cal State LA in 2015 with a major in communications and public relations, transgender acceptance was a sensitive topic, and even more so now in the Greek life at Cal State LA. “I fell in love with what Delta Zeta offered me. A sisterhood, a place where I can be who I really wanted to be and grow as a person,” recounts Villalobos. Cyrena Salinas, a senior majoring in anthropology and Villalobos’ best friend, connected the moment they met each other in Delta Zeta. “I support him completely, I have always known from day one, when I met him as a girl,” Salinas said. “I knew he was going to transition, so when he first told me I was more than happy for him.” Salinas is one of many supporters for Villalobos and the LGBT community. After doing research and getting involved with The Queer Connection (TQC) on campus in his junior and senior year, he grasped his identity as transgender. Once Villalobos graduated, he found himself in a slump and
did not know where he belonged or didn’t feel true to himself. It was less than a year ago when Jack came out to his peers about his true identity. Now at 28 years old he is able to feel comfortable and happy with himself. “I have the freedom to no longer hide, and be who I am,” Villalobos said. Phi Sigma Kappa at Cal State LA hosted a fundraiser, The Miss Phi Sig Pageant, on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, at the University-Student Union Theatre where Villalobos had been crowned in 2012. Without any hesitation, Phi Sigma Kappa wanted to bring him back to be on to the panel and extended an invitation for this year’s rendition. “I want to thank Phi Sigma Kappa and every other [organization] for their support and allowing me to be part of this event,” Villalobos said. Support came from all sides of campus Greek organizations including sororities Alpha Theta Pi, Delta Zeta and fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa. “Now in the Greek community we are seeing growth and diversity and the gentlemen of [Phi Sigma Kappa] support him and his transition one hundred percent,” said Chapter President of Phi Sigma Kappa Paolo Arciaga. “He has been one of our biggest supporters, always contributing and participating in our social events. For him to come back after graduating, we are more than happy and privileged to have him on the judge panel.” Jack is attending the LGBT Center in West Hollywood, and is currently on hormone therapy, taking testosterone, preparing for the next chapter of his life. “Next, my physical transformation will start occurring. Legally, I am taking steps to correct my birth certificate,” Villalobos said. With the vast feedback of support and welcoming arms of students, Villalobos is more than willing to come back to Cal State LA to talk to students struggling with similar issues, so be sure to look for him in any future events or discussion panels in the Center for Student Involvement calendar.
2.12.2016 PEOPLE
TALKING POINT
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LOS ANGELES
NEW IN TOWN
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⚫ BY ROBERT WILLIAMS
Learning to love yourself and others is key to life with HIV
An HIV diagnosis turned Robert’s life upside down but then he reevaluated all that had become important to his adult self, helping him to return to a better place.
S
hortly after one of the most difficult events of my life, I had a most beautiful man next to me in my bed. We had recently met through mutual friends, connected immediately, and stumbled home together after a flirtatious evening out. We innocently kissed and wrestled around a bit then he rolled on top of me and playfully pinned my hands above my head and looked at me with his giant blue sparkling eyes anticipating the next level of knowing one another. I froze. Honesty was required to proceed and as I considered it I had to look away and our moment was lost. I felt the truth would kill the moment and stain it red with blood. Knowing my positive HIV status and assuming with certainty how he would respond, I took control of the situation and turned over and went to sleep. I had only recently been diagnosed with HIV. I will never forget taking my doctors phone call while standing on NYC’s 6th Avenue. I immediately knew the consequence of the call and anxiously and solemnly began to walk to his office. The barricades protecting the Veteran’s Day Parade marching down Broadway forced me to stop and wait for what I had decided was too long given what lay ahead. Feeling like I had no other choice, I jumped the barricade. As I trespassed across the parade path, a WWII veteran sitting on an approaching float looked me straight in the eye and we both felt total disappointment. It felt like I was wearing a scarlet let-
ROB WILLIAMS RECENTLY RETURNED TO LOS ANGELES AFTER LIVING IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS.
ter on my chest and the veteran knew I had gotten myself knocked up with HIV. In fact, it felt like each person I passed on the street knew my condition and when I eventually arrived at the doctor’s office the staff certainly knew I had HIV. I could see it in their eyes and it was already affecting how everyone was treating me. I was being moved from the negative normal column to positive and I could feel it. I went from being a young man living his life to a casualty being left behind. During this dark period of my life, I couldn’t go from normal to positive. I didn’t have the courage to be honest with someone I had met via the “normal” channels of life, like friends and family, because my status was a deviation from the person I wanted to be. My fear of how others viewed me prevented an honest connection.
My secret began to define how I felt around others and prevented me from experiencing true enjoyment. I would meet someone new and while having a wonderful time I would remember my secret. Instantly, I felt separate and thought the fun would end if I was honest. It was much easier to be honest online protected by the firewalls of a sexualized screen name because I had judged HIV to fit into that brand of a person. My fear of rejection, more accurately described as my biased fear of not being able to control how others viewed me, caused me to lose myself and my ability to connect with other people. I falsely convicted others of writing me off based on my HIV status without giving them the opportunity to do otherwise because I underestimated them and underestimated the power of love. I also underestimated myself.
I created my own desperate reality where people lived up to my expectations. Little by little my world became smaller and smaller. To be able to finally love and accept myself, I had to exist in this desperate and lonely world until my resistance to life was completely drained. I had always used my perceptions of what other people valued and wanted, and whether or not I was living up to them, to determine my worth. In this lonely world there were no others I cared to measure. After searching externally without result, I realized I had to look within. Initially I only saw the suffocating and limiting problems like aging, health issues, and a lack of accomplishment and money. Then I realized I am actually ok with all of these problems once I adjust my evaluation metric. I stopped comparing myself to others and stopped valuing myself by external standards. Once I accepted these problems I wasn’t clouded by stigma and was able to look forward. I reevaluated all that had become important to me in adulthood and reconnected with myself as a child. I began to regain the hope, creativity, and adventure I once had; I remembered the flushed disappointment I felt after making a simple mistake; I felt, most importantly, the love and forgiveness offered by those I cared most about. I began to consciously accept love the way a child naturally accepts it. I try my best and accept myself for being perfectly imperfect and love others with the same allowances. I have always loved other people, but by loving myself, I am able to feel it reciprocated. Feeling love made me want to hear about love and talk about love. I no longer turned away when someone expresses something pure and joyous. Instead I identify with it. I have learned I am a loving spiritual being who is infinitely connected to everything. I am able give and receive love, respect, and honesty without fear of loss or rejection. My old fear of rejection had made me feel rejected, and by accepting the abundance of love, I feel loved.
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LOS ANGELES
2.12.2016