New England Pride Guide 2016

PRIDE GUIDE NEW ENGLAND

MAY - SEPTEMBER 2016

THIS GUIDE WAS PROUDLY PRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY THE RAINBOW TIMES.

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A Message from our Editor

By: Nicole Lashomb*/ Editor-in-Chief

H

appy Pride everyone! I am the editor-in-chief, co-owner and co-founder of The Rainbow Times (TRT).

This may be old news to many of you.

I emphasize it now because by the end of Nicole Lashomb this year we’ll Editor-in-Chief celebrate our 10th Anniversary— one in November, when we had the soft launch that made TRT online possible, and the other in February, when our first print issue hit the stands back in 2007.

All of these years haven’t been in vain at all.

The beginning is never easy and there are always uphill battles to climb. At first, as with any endeavor run by members of marginalized groups, like Gricel M. Ocasio and I, and as sexual minorities, we had to hold our work to higher levels of personal expectations to prove our professionalism to garnish the respecct of others, overachieving in all we set out to accomplish. And as time has shown over the past decade, we succeeded.

Going back to the first few years, it was people’s feedback and reactions to the coverage what made us aware that the product was being well received by most. The fact that from day one we had a transgender writer on board was also key to the success that we have accomplished today. We can proudly say that at no

time in nearly 10 years have we been without a trans writer. Actually, at one point we had three transgender writers, two trans women and a trans man. We also faced hatred and discrimination from some people back then, to the point that at one or two of our first Pride celebrations, there were undercover police in our booth. How far have we come and yet, how far we still have to go.

What has afforded us the place in LGBTQ media that we proudly hold in New England now is not just the trans coverage, but also the quality of our exclusive coverage and the unique niche market within the market that we serve. With responsible and unbiased coverage came a larger crowd of people from adjacent communities and allies who were requesting TRT to expand to their towns and cities. And that is just what we did.

It was not just about expansion throughout LGBTQ New England, but something that others had not focused on before. That distinctive service we offered was reaching the disenfranchised LGBTQ (racially, ethnically, gender and sexual minorities, etc.) people of color that were watching from the sidelines. They watched as mainstream issues were heavily covered by most gay publications nationwide, something most did until after marriage equality became the law of the land. That is where the need lies today, with the trans women of color and the rest of the LGB people of color in our neighborhoods, in our cities. The resources are limited to this community and they also face issues within their own circles, like healthcare disparities, racism, discrimination, cultural and language barriers, and all the other ways our lives intersect. Our team is composed of members that belong to diverse groups. With the experiences and the knowledge that comes from facing such struggles, we have been able to give us all a voice, within the realm of our resources.

It was all of that and the fabulous team we have what made that 2009 expansion to Boston and the rest of New England easier. We expanded because of popular demand. We are the LGBTQ news media of New England with the most original and in-depth coverage. It’s not bragging.

See Editor on page 52

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2016 s t n te n o c f o e Guide

d n a l g n New E

Table

Prid

Page 3 ……........................................................................................... Message from the Editor Page 6 …….................................................................................... City of Boston Proclamation Page 7 ……............................................................................................. The State of LGBT Rights Page 11 …......................................................................….. Invisible No More: Elders of Color Page 14 ……................................................................. MassBearz: Fun, Frolic & Brotherhood Page 18 …................................................................................….. What Does Boston Pride Say? Page 21 ….............................................................….. Boston and Provincetown Pride Events Page 22 ……............................................................................................... Stop Misgendering Us Page 25 ……........................................................... NorthShore Pride & Providence RI Events Page 26 ....... ...................................... Pansexuality: Understanding the Sexual Orientation Page 28 ................................................................. Cowboys & Cowgirls: Kind, Tough, Rounded Page 31 ……........................................................... Message from Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll Page 32 …........................................................….. Do you Like Living in LGBT-Friendly Salem?

Page 35 …...................................................................................….. Boston Pride Parade Route Page 38 …..................................................….. Hail the Queen: Who’s New to the Drag Scene?

Page 44 ….....................................................................….. Provincetown & Worcester Events Page 53 …….............................. Las Donaciones Que Nos Enorgullecen: ¡Gracias a Todos!

Page 59 ……...................................................................................... Scapegoating v. Solidarity Page 61 …..............................................................................….. Advertiser and Partner Index

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The State of LGBT Rights

Almost one year out from a national marriage equality victory and our rights are still in danger By: Mike Givens*/ TRT Assist. Editor une 26, 2015 J was a historic day for LGBTQ

and breathed the collective sigh of relief that same-sex couples will have equitable marriage rights across the nation.

And then the rally was over. The media pundits, both liberal and conservative, discussed the ramifications of the decision. Christian fundamentalists angrily declared their intent to ignore the law while LGBTQ people attended parties and ceremoniously updated their Facebook profile photos with the ubiquitous rainbow tint that quite a few folks still proudly display.

It’s June 2016 and we should be incredibly nervous. A strong, virulent populism is sweeping across the country ...

people. That warm Friday was one that I will probably never forget. I distinctly remember standing outside of the Massachusetts State House in Boston’s Beacon Hill listening to excited speeches from elected officials and LGBTQ advocates and allies about how groundbreaking the United States Supreme Court decision was.

I remember people honking their horns as they drove by that rally. I remember the palpable excitement electrifying the crowd of onlookers as ralliers held up signs, hugged one another

But there was a somewhat ominous question in the air: What’s next?

Transgender people need our help now more than ever; though plenty of scientific advancements have been made to combat HIV/AIDS, there’s still a lot of ignorance and discrimination that those living with the condition must face; several states still have regressive discriminatory laws on the books that allow for the firing of an LGBTQ person. And the list goes on and on.

See Rights on page 10

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2.4 million

The average verifiable hits we receive per month!

TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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From Rights on page 7

the right laws get passed in this country.

It’s June 2016 and we should be incredibly nervous. Why? A strong, virulent populism is sweeping across the country and it’s not going away anytime soon. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will likely be the nominee come this fall; states like North Carolina and Mississippi are passing regressive, hateful, and deadly laws aimed at restricting the rights of LGBTQ people; nearly a dozen transgender people have been murdered this year already. Most LGBTQ people and progressives are either “feeling the Bern” or have already started planning victory celebrations for when Hillary Clinton becomes the first female president. There’s no way a Republican could be sworn into office as the next President in January, right?

It’s incredibly easy to project fear and hatred on to other people, especially the ones who are different from you. LGBTQ people are still demonized by large swaths of the country. It takes little effort to accuse trans people of being sexually deviant and mentally deranged when virtually all of the empirical data tells us that cisgender men are most likely to commit acts of rape, molestation, and sexual violence (think of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert or retired football coach Jerry Sandusky).

Gay men are perennially castigated for being promiscuous and sex-obsessed, even though straight men are just as likely to be highly sexually active.

Unfortunately, Democrats don’t have the presidential election locked down just yet. There’s still a dizzying amount of fear, ignorance and hatred in this world and the hysteria conservatives are able to stir will drive voters to the polls.

Marriage equality was a titanic win, but it by no means signals the sunsetting of LGBTQ rights across the country. We still have a long fight ahead, from supporting LGBTQ youth to advocating for comprehensive sex education in our schools. Even if relatively progressive candidates like Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders win the presidency, we as a community will still need to hold them accountable and ensure that

As LGBTQ people, we have to resign ourselves to the fact that we do not “fit” into mainstream society’s idea of normal or traditional. A national marriage equality win was pivotal for LGBTQ rights, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

As we celebrate Pride over the next few weeks, let’s not forget that nearly a year out from marriage equality, we still have an uphill battle ahead of us. Never forget that lethargy breeds defeat. *A graduate of the Boston University College of Communication, Mike Givens has been a social justice advocate for more than eight years. During that time he’s worked on a range of initiatives aimed at lifting up marginalized populations.

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Invisible No More:

Elders of Color By: Nicole Lashomb*/Editor-in-Chief

BOSTON, Mass.—Alarming statistics in the LGBT elders of color population nationwide has prompted local organizations to tackle disparities as this population is projected to double in the coming years. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging, the LGBT elders of color population is projected to increase by 217 percent by 2030, compared with 81 percent for the older white population.

“In the coming years we will see tremendous growth in the population for two reasons—first the baby boom generation will increase the number of all older adults, including LGBTs,”

said Lisa Krinsky, Director of Fenway Institute’s LGBT Aging Project. “Second, this is a more visible; post-Stonewall generation, many of whom have lived their lives as out and visible. Services and providers will see and feel this growth and need to be inclusive when working with this population.”

These spikes in the LGBT aging population will contribute to roughly 3 million LGBT older adults (http://goo.gl/Ds6n2R) living in the U.S. by 2050, according to Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)*. Nearly 40 percent of LGBT elders by this time will be Black, Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaska Native people.

The LGBT Aging Project and Boston’s LGBT Elders of Color Group strive to meet the needs of older LGBT people of color now. Through a collaboration that brings together people with shared identities, a social support program, known as Flashback Sunday, has emerged.

See Elders on page 12

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Elders from page 11 “For years we weren’t reaching many LGBT older adults of color,” said Krinsky. “When we partnered with key stakeholders in this community, we found tremendous need for spaces that recognize the intersection of being old, being LGBT and being people of color.”

Involving the LGBT elders of colors was a decision well thought out, according to Bob Linscott, Assistant Director of Fenway Institute’s LGBT Aging Project.

Commonwealth’s LGBT Elders of Color community. “[They include] affordable housing and assisted living facilities, information on how to access necessary resources, more home care resources, assistance to maintain independence to continue living in their homes, training providers who are culturally competent to address needs with respect, including those of the transgender population,” they pointed out.

“Additionally, more services are needed to better outcomes that address mental health and marketing efforts that are inclusive by reflecting images of LGBT aging people of color.”

“I hear from many of our seniors that the reason they no longer go ... is that they feel shunned by younger LGBT folks ...”

“Since 2013, we have been actively focused on an initiative to engage LGBT elders of color and that program, Flashback Sunday, has taken off like wildfire,” said Linscott. “Folks who attend Flashback Sunday report that, for the first time, they feel like there is a place for them to be black, LGBT and older.”

Shirley Royster, Co-chair for LGBT Elders of Color/Flashback Sunday explained how the services and access for aging impacts LGBT people of color when compared to their white counterparts.

“Statistics show that health outcomes are more positive for non-people of color,” she said. “Services and resources are more readily available to others and they live longer. Income levels tend to be higher for non-people of color which afford them access [options] to better services.”

According to SAGE’s Health Equity 2013 report, research depicts that LGBT elders of color often face increased health disparities and are an invisible population, forcing the group to enter into retirement without the necessary support for healthy aging. Additionally, discrimination and intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender, and LGBT identity, among others, add to the challenges of the aging experience.

“Social services at aging programs are not responsive to the needs of people of color [and] prior to our LGBT Elders of Color Group, there were no social outlets that targeted our specific population,” said Paul Glass, Co-chair, LGBT Elders of Color/Flashback Sunday.

Flashback Sundays provides an outlet for LGBT elders of color and allies to gather and share experiences in a safe and inclusive environment. Current programs are failing the LGBT seniors of color, Glass said.

“The aging concerns of LGBT elders of color are virtually absent in national policy discussions on aging, health and economic security,” the SAGE report continued. “Many LGBT elders of color face heightened financial insecurity. Recent studies have found that more than 90 percent of Black and Latino elders do not have enough income to sustain them throughout retirement.”

Royster and Glass explained the needs of the

Local leaders agree that inclusivity is critical to serving this diverse population, a population often deemed invisible.

“This only shows how much more work we have to do to be a truly inclusive state …”

Linscott said.

Social isolation is a serious concern that affects LGBT older adults in unique and disproportionate ways, Linscott furthered.

“They are twice as likely to live alone, twice as likely to be single and 3-4 times less likely to have children—and many are estranged from their biological families,” the SAGE report confirmed.

Superficial changes are not the answer, explained Linscott. Acceptance and understanding of the community is critical.

“We often say that the next major focus is consumer education—meaning a whole new approach to LGBT Aging education aimed at mainstream seniors,” Linscott said. “It won’t do any good if every senior center flies a rainbow flag and their staff has been trained. If they [LGBT elders] are not accepted by their peers, they will be forced to stay isolated at home, hence, back in the closet. Our LGBT older adults (http://goo.gl/Ds6n2R) need to know they will be welcomed and accepted by their own peers.”

Equally responsible is the younger LGBT community too.

“I hear from many of our seniors that the reason they no longer go to gay bars or programs in the gay community, like Pride, is that they feel shunned by younger LGBT folks,” Linscott said. “There is an invisibility that needs to be reversed in our own community so that people start to see the incredible people and their stories who have paved the way for all of us.”

To get involved with Flashback Sundays, LGBT Elders of Color, or their health, education and social events, visit their Facebook (https://goo. gl/FvUBv8) page, e-mail flashbacksundayeoc@ gmail.com or call 617-396-4926.

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Fun, frolic

&

brotherhood

Massachusetts’ bear community is alive and well By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor Chad Brennan was nervous. In September 2012, for the very first time, he was competing for Mr. Boston Bear and was intimidated by the competition and high expectations for a contest that would require him to publicly answer personal questions, perform a strip tease, and model “casual bear ware.” He didn’t win that competition, but the next year he came back, competed again, and won.

ger and hairier stage.”

The bear community in Massachusetts, and all over, is one that takes great pride in celebrating all body types, not just the ones we see typically portrayed in the media.

“I go into Club Cafe and I feel like I am swimming in a sea of whitened teeth and abs,” Brennan, 32, of Hyde Park, said. “It seems that age isn’t an issue, but whether you are ‘hot’ or ‘not’ and how many hours one spends in the gym.”

“The [Mr. Boston Bear] contest is somewhat like For those who seek a “scene” that personality Miss America on a much values and comradeship and looks and smaller, yet bigger and more appearances less, the bear community hairier stage.” embraces everyone

“I had the most fun with the strip tease portion of it,” he said. “I stripped to INXS’ ‘Need you tonight.’ I started with a suit and tie and [the performance] ended with me in a pair of Armani tighty-whities, which I wore under my pink cammo boxer-briefs.

“The [Mr. Boston Bear] contest is somewhat like Miss America on a much smaller, yet big-

with open arms.

“The bear scene in Massachusetts is extremely diverse,” said Marcelo Lopes, 28, of East Boston. “We take care of each other and encourage others to participate just the same.”

Lopes is the social media coordinator for MassBearz (www.massbearz.com/), a statewide gay community group welcoming anyone who identifies as a, “ … bear, cub, chub, chaser, or an admirer, or just enjoy the company of likeminded guys … ” according to its website.

See Brotherhood on page 16

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Brotherhood from page 14 MassBearz, at its heart, is a social group that seeks to strip away the pretentiousness of the typical gay scene and provide activities and environments that are more welcoming and diverse. The organization hosts tea dances, trivia nights, marches in the Boston Pride Parade every year, lip sync battles and, of course, the Mr. Boston Bear Competition.

“Massbearz’s mission, while an organization of bears, is to be involved in helping all,” said Thomas “TC” Coon, 49, of Boston, current president of Massbearz, noting that the organization participates in several charitable events, from toy drives to volunteering at soup kitchens.

“I’d like to think that bears judge people less, are more inclusive, and have more fun,” said Brennan. “You can be tall, short, fat, [thin], smooth or hairy and you should find a solid friend base in the bear community.”

Bears have been traditionally described as older gay men, on the heavier side, with moderate to plentiful amounts of body and facial hair. And though the norm in bear circles is to celebrate all body types, there’s no sense of animosity towards those who may fit into the “ideal” gay male stereotype.

“I feel that if someone wants to look that way, and works very hard to achieve it, that is great,” said current Mr. Boston Bear, Sean Nickerson, 44, of Plymouth. “What I don’t believe in is when people hold others to this expectation and ‘model’ of what is ‘ideal.’”

“I could totally fit that stereotype if I stopped eating,” said Robert “Rob” Claffie, Jr. “It’s possible to look that way but usually involves way more work than most of us are prepared to do.”

Claffie, who identifies more as a “Leather Man” than a bear, says that he’s always found the bear community welcoming to him.

One year, Claffie even participated in the Mr. Boston Bear competition, and though he didn’t come in first place, he did walk away with a sense of accomplishment.

“The Boston Bear contest didn’t help my confidence; it didn’t hurt it. My ego was unaffected either way. It was just something fun to do,” said the 50-year-old Watertown resident. Claffie won the Mr. Boston Leather contest in 2003.

See Brotherhood on page 17

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Brotherhood from page 16 Ron Thibodeau, 44, of Roxbury, a self-professed bear admirer, said that that he finds the body types of bear men to be alluring: “ ... it is also the confidence, the ‘swagger’ if you will,” said Thibodeau. “Seeing a bear throwing off his shirt on the dance floor, or belting it out on the karaoke stage—there is an energy there, and to be around it is amazing.”

“I feel that most of us are raised with heteroculture’s views on body perfection,” said Greg Ballard, 41, of Providence. Most of us are told by society how broken we are for being gay that as [a] culture we have focused on the need to excel [at] all things perfect. I believe it stems from the need to belong to the mainstream society. The more ideal we seem the less they will hate us.”

“At its core, it was always about celebrating inclusion of all types, a spirit of fun frolic and brotherhood,” said Nickerson, who will relinquish his current Mr. Boston Bear title in September, when the annual competition is held again.

That sense of brotherhood took a tremendous hit earlier this year when the co-founder of Massbearz, M. Jeff Zirpolo, passed away unexpectedly. Zirpolo was a staple of the Massachusetts bear community and his presence has been deeply missed. “[Jeff] provided a way for hundreds of people to

meet and work together for the common good of the community,” said Lopes of Massbearz.

“His passing left a huge gap, but thankfully our group has banded together to stay strong and continue what Jeff started.”

“I’ve always supported and admired the work Jeff and his amazing team has done to foster and enhance the Boston bear scene. His passing has and will continue to affect us all [through] the legacy of brotherhood he helped build,” said Gregory Ballard, who admitted that he wasn’t close to Zirpolo, but had a tremendous amount of respect for him.

It appears that Zirpolo’s memory lives on in the events that are held around the state celebrating bears and the bear culture.

On June 5, Massbearz will be hosting a harbor cruise and in September, plans are still under way to host the Mr. Boston Bear competition.

Massbearz also regularly holds tea dances that draw large crowds looking to socialize.

The events are open and welcoming of all and provide a laidback atmosphere conducive to networking and making new friends.

And if you’re interested in attending an event, Rob Claffie has just one piece of advice: “Some bears are fit and some bears are flabby, but as long as you look like a man, you should fit into the bear scene,” he said. “Bears don’t primp, bears don’t moisturize, and bears don’t coiff!”

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?

What Does Boston Pride Say The Rainbow Times caught up with Boston Pride to see what tidbits they had for us this year.

Who is the main performer?

Conrad Sewell is headlining this year’s Pride Concert.

What are other performers are included?

Opening the Pride Concert this year, is local Spoken Word group Flatline Poetry, this will be the first time the Pride Concert stage has included spoken word in its lineup. Other local artists include: MRF, Samantha Johnson, Nikita Le Femme, Long Arm Rex, and DJ Joe Bermudez. Jamaican born artist Samantha J brings an international, fun, and festive vibe to this year’s stage showing her Solidarity for LGBT people in the Caribbean. LGBT artists Brandon Skeie and Hunter Valentine round out this year’s diverse lineup.

Who is the Emcee?

This year’s emcee is transgender activist and model Aydian Ethan Dowling

What is different this year for Boston Pride?

For 2016, Pride is being celebrated for the full month of June. Pride [also] introduces a new series of events called PrideArts which focuses

on LGBT-related art and artists in Greater Boston. Fenway Park will be raising the Rainbow Flag on Pride Night @ Fenway. This is the first time that the Rainbow Pride Flag will be flown at Fenway Park. Members of communities of color will be carrying the banner of Honorary Marshal Bayard Rustin. There is increase accessibility at the Parade with the introduction of a Handicap Viewing area, and the return of the Handicap Accessible Trolley. Our free Pride Festival Concert is extended by one hour with a DJ Dance Party from 6 - 7 p.m.

Inclusion, what official events and official programs has Boston Pride for the communities of color during Pride 2016?

The hosting to the Official Pride Night @ Fenway After Party at Escandalo and the return of a special Parade Contingent on June 11th.

The theme for 2016’s Black & Latin@ Aydian Ethan Dowling Pride is “Color Fusion: Celebrating by: boston pride Queer Communities of Color.” Marching in the contingent are members from the queer communities of color who will be showcasing their culture through music, dress, dance, and art.

See BP 2016 on page 23

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June 3; 11a; BP Flag Raising; 398 Columbus Ave. #285 – City Hall Plaza; FMI: https://goo.gl/JvXxMO June 3; Pride Night at Fenway Park; 7:10p; Fenway Park; 4 Yawkey Way, Boston; FMI: https://goo.gl/mBm9On

June 11; 12-4p; Boston Pride Parade; Copley Sq. to City Hall Plaza; FMI: https://goo.gl/I5PHUy June 11; 12-6; BP Festival 2016; Boston City Hall Plaza; FMI: https://goo.gl/AB2s6g June 11; 12p-7p; BP Concert; FMI: http://goo.gl/AGaEYl June 11; 7-11p; Shout Your Colors Youth Dance; City Hall Plaza, Boston; FMI: https://goo.gl/LZrUod June 12; 1-8p; Back Bay Block Party; St. James Ave @ Berkeley St.; FMI: https://goo.gl/7aJSFg June 12; 2-8p; JP Block Party; Perkins St @ Center St, Jamaica Plain; FMI: https://goo.gl/iSNcv9

All other Boston Pride Events http://goo.gl/8DfD4q

Other Boston & P-Town Events June 2-5; Women of Color Weekend; Commercial St, Provincetown, MA June 2; 6:30-8p; Donor Egg, Surrogacy, Reciprocal IVF & Reproductive Options For LGBT People; Topics: donor egg and surrogacy for gay men, reciprocal IVF for lesbian couples, and fertility preservation & reproductive options for trans people. Free. FMI: http:// goo.gl/7VA6RB June 3; 8p; June 5; 3&7p; POPular Concert by BGMC; Hear music from the ‘60s to today; New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall; FMI: https://goo.gl/CD5bgj June 5; 31st AIDS Walk Boston & 5K Run; FMI found at: http://goo.gl/g2KBjV June 5; 3-7p; The Silver Party: The Annual LGBT Senior Pride Dinner Dance; Holiday Inn, Brookline; 1200 Beacon St., Brookline, MA; $20; Buy tickets at 617-927-6417.

June 7; 6th Annual Drag Divas Give Back; $15; Benefit for MTPC; Club Café; Address: 209 Columbus Ave, Boston; FMI: https://goo.gl/32VNpU June 9; 8p-2a; Bears Bare it All for Charity 2016; $10; Charity for MTPC. FMI: https://goo.gl/F6hQI8 June 10; 6p meet; 7p march; Boston Dyke March; Boston Common Gazebo; FMI: http://goo.gl/9Wy1wJ June 10; 9p-1a; Dyke March After Party; Bella Luna Restaurant and Milky Way; 284 Amory St, Jamaica Plain, MA; $10; Partial Proceeds to the Boston Dyke March; FMI: https://goo.gl/tsQiHd June 11; 12p; March with Fenway Health at Boston Pride 2016; Copley Square, 560 Boylston St., Boston. FMI: https://goo.gl/XBc5cT. June 12; 3p; “Netflix Movies & Chill” Open Air Festival; Boston Common; joinspotted.com; FMI: https://goo.gl/vZpOj7 June 18; 12-7p; HBGC BASK LGBTQ+ Person of Color Pride Picnic; Roxbury, MA; BASK is a day of queer community of color building, food & performance in Greater Boston. FMI: http://goo.gl/lkhr58 June 22; 6-8p; HBGC Sister Circle LBQ&T Women of Color Support Group; Whittier St. Health Center (1290 Tremont St, Roxbury, MA); FMI: http://goo.gl/lkhr58 June 28; 6-8p; HBGC My Brother’s Keeper: GBQ&T Men of Color Support Group; Whittier St. Health Center (1290 Tremont St, Roxbury, MA); FMI: http://goo.gl/lkhr58 July 19-23; Girl Splash; Vickie Shaw, Lezberados, Suzanne and more; Provincetown, MA; FMI: http://goo.gl/ajgQCy

check out more events on page 25

& Provincetown pride events

June 4; Pride Day @ Faneuil Hall; 10a-5p; Faneuil Hall; 1 Faneuil Hall Sq, Boston; FMI: https://goo.gl/dJNAxo

June 5; 8pm; Triple Crown 2016: Miss/Mr Gay Boston & Ms. Lesbian! $25; Hosted by Zak Wood & Verna Turbulence Daniel; All $ raised goes to the Mass Trans Political Coalition (MTPC)!

FMI: https://goo.gl/swTfTW

boston

Boston Pride, Mass.

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Stop

Misgendering Us

Trans Activist Demands Media Use Correct Pronouns for Trans People By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor Evan Greer has had enough. The Jamaica Plain resident, fed up with the media’s consistent misgendering of transgender people, is taking and publicly demanding that news outlets become more culturally competent around pronoun usage.

“I know who I am and someone calling me ‘sir’ doesn’t change that,” said Greer. “But the broader impact that misgendering has on my community upsets and concerns me. It contributes to the systemic oppression that trans and gender nonconforming people experience, and it needs to stop.”

Greer has started a petition (https://goo.gl/ Iw0Nvo) asking that media outlets implement policies requiring news staff to confirm the correct pronouns of interviewees and story subjects.

The idea for the petition came from Greer’s real-life experience of being misgendered hundreds of times by mainstream media outlets in her role as a nonprofit spokesperson and musician. Greer says because she has a typically masculine name and a more masculine voice, she is often misgendered.

“The reality is this isn’t a ‘press specific’ problem—it’s a broader problem in our society that the media could play an important role in helping fix, by taking the simple step of confirming sources’ gender pronouns before covering them in print or on the air,” she said.

See Misgendering on page 14

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2016 from page 18

Individuals are invited to participate It is an opportunity for all members of the QPOC community to be a part of the Parade and show their Pride.

The first ever Official Black & Latin@ Pride Night of Comedy will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe featuring LGBT Comedian Sampson McCormick. The lineup of comedians are all local acts: Shaun Bedgood (host), Reece Cotton, Xazmin Garza, Nonye Brown-West, Elena Jawitz, Miguel Perez, and Dylan Uscher. The first Official Black & Latin@ Pride Pool Party during Pride Month at Mojitos Country Club in Randolph called “Color Fusion Pool Party.”

In response to the success of the 2015 seminar on Artificial Insemination, there is a session on “Building a Family and Your Fertility” that will be led by founder of JumpStart Fertility, Delainna Burton. Tammi Wortham, a Prudential Executive will lead a workshop on Financial Literacy and Living Wills. Official events that are returning for 2016 are: OUT Bowling @ Kings Boston, and the LGBT Roller Bounce at Chez Vous Roller Skating Rink with special appearances by Boston Roller Derby.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Boston Pride will hold an official opening of its new office space in the Seaport District after Pride Month.

FMI: BostonPride.org

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Northshore pride

salem, Massachusetts

June 25; 12p; 5th Annual North Shore Pride Parade; Salem MA; FMI: https://goo.gl/j0YGQa June 25; 12p-4:30p; 5th Annual North Shore Pride Festival; Salem Commons; FMI: https://goo. gl/3HlFZN June 25; 5-9p; Official North Shore Pride 21+ After Party; Murphy’s Pub, 300 Derby St, Salem, MA. FMI: http://goo.gl/DCnX7Y

RI PrideFest,

Providence, RI

June 9; Sweet Little Pride Show; $10 donation goes to RI Pride; FMI: https://goo.gl/J4ogCf June 10; Pride Rainbow Flag Raising at City Hall & Reception; 5:30p; Providence City Hall & Melting Pot, Providence Place; FMI: https://goo.gl/nhc985 June 10; Melting Pot hosts Dinner to benefit Pride; 7-10p; The Melting Pot, Providence PI Mall; Rhode Island; FMI: https://goo.gl/Ew0QUh

June 18; 12p; PrideFest 2016 40th Anniversary: “Pride XL: Progress, Celebrate, Excel”; FMI: https://goo.gl/LX8kGh or http://goo. gl/f1MvEm June 18; Pride’s Illuminated Night Parade; 8:45p; Downtown Providence; FMI: https://goo.gl/6ok6lp

NYC Pride

June 19; 12p-4p; NYC Pride 2016: Pride Luminaries Brunch; David Burke Kitchen; FMI: https://goo.gl/ gMiHhL June 24; 7p-10p; NYC Pride 2016: The Rally; Pier 26; NY; FMI: https://goo.gl/PB5P51 June 25; VIP Rooftop Party; 2p10p; Hudson Terrace; 621 W. 46th St.; Dance on the most exclusive rooftop venue overlooking the greatest city in the world during the best weekend of the year! 21+; FMI: https://goo.gl/pBrk0x

June 26; 12p; NYC Pride 2016: The March (46th Anniversary); 36th St & 5th Ave.; Over 2 million people; FREE; FMI: https://goo.gl/ eQyNDF

Portsmouth, NH Pride

June 25; Pride March 1p; Location TBA; FMI: http://goo.gl/miPM7C

Pride Toronto, Canada July 1; Trans March; 7p; Starts at Church and Hayden St.; All trans* identified people, their friends and allies are welcome to rally, march and stand together in solidarity.

FMI: https://goo.gl/cgS9AJ

July 2-3; Pride Toronto: MUSIC; FIDO Ryerson Quad; Screening of Madonna’s landmark tour docu; After music by DJ Paulo enjoy tons of music. FMI: https://goo.gl/NEas8U July 2; 2-11p; Pride Toronto: Drag ON!; Molson Yonge-Dundas Stage; Free; FMI: https://goo.gl/9hkE4x July 3; 2p; Pride Toronto: The Parade; Corner of Church & Bloor St.; Free; FMI: https://goo.gl/ VHMHWQ July 3; 2-11p; Pride Toronto: FIST; Old Central Stage; 508 Church St; Women and trans allies in total control for the biggest, baddest and most diverse crowd to come together; NY party legend Juliana Huxtable will host. FMI: https:// goo.gl/8dELpc June 14; Human Rights Panel: Trans Rights in the New Generation; 7p; Free; The 519; 519 Church St, Toronto; FMI: https://goo. gl/5LJixm June 17; Pride Toronto: Club Babylon; 10:30p-4a; One, two, three, four, five, six! Shake it, dude! Queer as Folk’s fictional nightclub comes to life again for a special celebration of this iconic TV show. Fly 2.0; 6 Gluocester St. Toronto, Canada; FMI: https://goo.gl/CDd1cG

& providence

June 18; RI PrideFest Interfaith Service; 11-11:45a; South Water Street Greenway, Providence; FMI: https://goo.gl/30XHWk

June 26; 11a-6p; NYC Pride 2016: PrideFest; Hudson St between Abingdon Square & 13th St; FMI: https://goo.gl/0YTSCF

northshore pride

June 24; 7p; North Shore Pride Interfaith Celebration; Tabernacle Congregational Church, UCCl FMI: https://goo.gl/OBVziZ

June 25; 3p-10p; Teaze (formerly Rapture on the River) is NYC Pride’s exclusive Saturday event for women; Hudson River Park: Pier 26; Cross the Highway at Laights St.; 21+; no bags; FMI: https://goo. gl/NxGdqH

MORE events page 44

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Pansexuality:

Understanding the

Sexual Orientation By: Sara Brown/TRT Assistant Editor BOSTON, Mass.—While LGBTQ individuals are continuing to gain more acceptance in society, there are still orientations that are often ignored or misunderstood.

Pansexuality is one of those.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines pansexual as “exhibiting or implying many forms of sexual expression.” “Pan-” is a Greek prefix referring to “all” or “every” coming together as one.

However, others believe there is a more concise definition.

“Pansexual” is often defined as an attraction to a person regardless of gender. This could encompass any or all (“pan”) identities along the gender spectrum,” said Kate Estrop, CoPresident, of Bisexual Resource Center (http:// goo.gl/ZhedQY).

Many confuse pansexual with being bisexual.

Estrop says that some people identify as both sexual orientations and use them interchangeability and that is ok.

“There’s not a clear-cut answer to this, nor a clear-cut difference. Many who identify as bisexual are attracted to individuals across the gender spectrum, and therefore see the two in ‘bi’ to mean being attracted to those of their own gender, and those of different genders from their own,” Estrop said. “This means that when I identify as bisexual, what that means for me might be exactly the same as what it means for someone else to identify as pansexual. In fact, some people use both labels to describe themselves.”

According to Estrop, it comes down to personal preference as to what some identify with when it comes to any sexual orientation.

“What it really boils down to is personal preference,” Estrop said. “Labels should be descriptive, not prescriptive, and the assumption of one’s attractions based on Latin roots propagates further erasure and phobia for all non-monosexual people, no matter what they choose to call themselves.”

New York resident Cassidy Corbin started identifying as pansexual three years ago. She said she knows many people that confuse the two orientations.

See Pansexuality on page 30

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An IGRA rodeo competition

Cowboys and cowgirls: Kind, tough, grounded By: Paul P. Jesep/TRT Contributor You’ve probably never heard of the International Gay Rodeo Association (http://igra.com/), at least not in the Northeast. Perhaps you know very little about cowboys and cowgirls who happen to be LGBTQ. If so, take the time to get to know them and you’ll enter a special world.

It’s a place where integrity, neighborliness, individualism, and how you play the game matters, not wealth, degrees, social status, or whether you’re on the “A list.”

“We’re different from a lot of organizations,” said Bruce Gros, IGRA president. “We give a lot of money back to the community. It’s rodeo with a purpose.”

Depending on the chapter, there’s also volunteer work, sometimes not having anything to do with issues specific to the LGBTQ community.

IGRA promotes the “humane treatment of animals in their housing, feeding, training, exercising and competition,” according to its website. Rodeo competitions are a test of skill, speed and endurance. They include bull riding, drag racing, calf roping, barrel racing, and steer wrestling.

Participants are competitive, unpretentious men and women connected to the earth, who purposefully choose one another as family, and have a passionate love for the demanding sport of rodeo. Everyone involved in the competitions wants to win, yet participants or volunteers making the rodeos reality are measured first by

photo: courtesy of CowboyFrank.net

the depth and quality of their character.

In 1975, Phil Ragsdale conceived of the gay rodeo as a means to support a community-based “Senior Citizens Thanksgiving Feed.” A year later, the first official gay rodeo occurred in Reno, Nev. Today, the 5,000-member non-profit IGRA has 25 local associations throughout North America. Multiple competitions are held during the year culminating in the annual World Gay Rodeo Finals.

Gros, who grew up in Tulsa, OK, sees a “spiritual connection for many people involved with rodeo. They are in tune with the rhythms of nature. Animals become part of the family.

There is a love for the outdoors, an earthiness.”

It helps drive what Gros called “cowboy codes” of “being forthright, giving value for labor, and dealing directly and honestly” with one another.

The cowboy and cowgirl code includes a hospitality where everyone is welcome including straight folks and transgender people.

“IGRA is open to everyone,” Gros noted. “We don’t care who you are. All that matters is you want to be part of what we do, with a passion to have fun while giving back to the community.”

IGRA chapters take on a variety of volunteer projects, from spending time with autistic children, to adopting a park, to raising funds for cancer support services and research, to staffing homeless shelters and facilities that work with LGBTQ youth.

IGRA’s “Royalty” program and its philanthropic foundation also play a key role in helping raise money. IGRA Royalty is composed of 10 men and women who perform in drag shows, horsemanship events, and public presentation and entertainment activities.

See Cowboys on page 57

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Pansexuality from page 26 “I believe people confuse the two due to the fact that they are quite similar but at the same time quite different,” they said.

Dr. Genny Beemyn, Director of the Stonewall Center at UMass Amherst, identifies as pansexual shared their thoughts about pansexuality.

“As I would define it, pansexuality is being attracted to other individuals, regardless of their gender assignment, expression, or identity,” said Beemyn.

“Some individuals, myself included, refer to themselves as pansexual because of the implied binary of ‘bisexual,’” they said. “But I also like how some people are redefining the ‘bi’ in bisexuality to mean being attracted to people similar to you and people who are different from you, so it remains a binary, but it encompasses everyone.”

“There were certain situations that Their experience with the people got very agterminology and how it is used prompted them to con- gressive. They autoduct more research about it. matically assumed “I did a national study of I would sleep with 200 college students who identify outside of a sexual them based on my binary, and there was no consensus on the differsexual orientation. ence between the two terms. Some used the words Just because I am [bisexuality and pansexuality] interchangeably, some identified as pansexual but attracted to multiple told straight people that genders doesn’t they were bisexual because others would not know or get the term ‘pansexual,’ and mean I am attracted some made clear distinctions to everybody I between the two words,” Beemyn said. “Most often, meet.” the distinction that was made was that pansexual individuals are attracted to other people regardless of gender and that bisexual individuals are attracted to individuals of more than one gender, but gender may play a factor in their attraction (for example, being attracted to masculine-presenting people of any gender).

According to Beemyn, bisexuality is an evolving word with a broader definition nowadays.

Corbin has dealt with misconceptions of her sexual orientation since coming out.

“People often say ‘so you’re just bisexual in fancy lettering” or “so you’re attracted to anything? What if you fell in love with a dog,” Corbin said.

They also experienced people thinking they was legitimately attracted to kitchen appliances. And, others have dealt with even scarier misinterpretations.

Nurse, Linda Barr, said she has people assumed, since she is attracted to all genders that she would sleep with anybody.

“There were certain situations that people got very aggressive. They automatically assumed I would sleep with them based on my sexual orientation. Just because I am attracted to multiple genders doesn’t mean I am attracted to everybody I meet,” she said.

Some of the misconceptions come from not many people understanding or knowing what pansexual even is.

See pansexual on page 50

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Photo: TRT Archives

A Message from Salem

Mayor Kim Driscoll

W

hile famous for a tragic episode of discrimination and persecution in 1692, Salem now places tremendous value on ensuring equal protection under the law for all, no matter who you are, who you love, where you are from, or how you self-identify.

We welcome all people who visit, live, study, and work in our community, and it is heartwarming to see that Salem is becoming more renown for our advancement of human rights and social justice.

I am proud that Salem and the North Shore is on the forefront of equality, and that we stand in

unequivocal solidarity with the LGBTQ community.

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alem has it all. History witches shops museums churches all kinds of people that What do you like the S go around sharing what they have to offer with and everyone just gets. Salem is open most about living in others and it’s a place for everyone. – Debbie McGee Barber, via FB LGBT-friendly ith the many types of people that live and W visit Salem I love that everyone is so open Salem? and accepting. Going to bars, restaurants and shops have never seen anyone even raise an

S

Check out what some city residents say

alem has over 40K people, but when out and about, it seems much smaller (a walkable city) and people tend to be outwardly friendly.

As a No Place for Hate community, we welcome all. There’s something for everyone, great museums, restaurants, music and seems like always something happening fun for all.

– Jeff Cohen, via FB

I

was jus at Rockafellas people watching while sipping coffee. There were gay couples arm in arm and hand in hand. There were straight couples arm in arm and hand in hand and _nobody_ cared. There was no homophobia, no bigotry, and no hate. Does it get any better? It was a joy to see. – Tom Olenio, via FB

eyebrow to any couple showing affection. I feel very comfortable showing affection and just being myself. It’s nice to see more shops showing pride flags in windows and flying the rainbow flag. – Erik Streeter, via FB

Y

ou are going to meet so many great people with such good hearts. If you need a church you go to St Peters. Need to take classes there is Salem State University. The Pride is everywhere in our great city. No judgment just helpfulness. You should see all the wonderful people that are involved. [We are] lucky you to live in this great city. – Jane Gammon, via FB

want to

share? contact us online

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Hail the Queen: O Who’s New to the Drag Scene

n the small semicircle stage, underneath all the colored lighting, sits a large curtain rumbling as the performers behind it get ready. In that backstage area, clothes are thrown about, performers squint into mirrors as they apply finishing touches to their makeup, and plenty of hugging as more and more people show up.

By: John Stapleton/TRT Reporter

While the hosts calls out various insults to the crowd, her friends, and the performers (many of whom fall under all three categories) they introduce the drag queens in the order they show up and get ready behind that big curtain.

See Queen’s on page 39

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Queen’s from page 38 Many of them have made this a weekly tradition, and a lot of them may have only started out recently. This isn’t a weekly shadow cast of “Show Girls.” This is the early show of #DetentionThursdays at Ego Providence.

Every week, a slew of queens in the Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut areas come out to perform in open call fashion.

New queens have been popping up all over New England lately, bringing with them new styles and plenty of new characters. Ego is one of the places that seems to be a stomping ground for many of these new faces.

it’s honestly hard to count,” Destruction said.

“Most of our regular early show performers got their start on the Ego stage.”

One of the queens that has been known to perform in this show is Ninny Nothin (https://goo. gl/kg4Uqx). With her extremely over drawn lips and facial expressions right out of a cartoon, she’s hard not to enjoy every time she takes the stage.

After taking a gender studies class in college, she found that she loved the idea of blurring gender lines and, through drag, found a theatrical way to do it.

“We generally have a solid list of 10 performers, perhaps up to 13 if there is time,” said one host of Ego’s Thursday night party, Complete Destruction. “It’s like feeding time for piranhas to sign up, simply because there is such a proliferation of new talent becoming aware of the ability to perform.”

The show is open to anyone, but for the most part, the stage is taken over by drag queens of all shapes and sizes, performing a lip sync to their three minute numbers.

“We have had many queens start on our stage,

“Fools have more fun. That’s for damn sure,” Nothin said.

“But ever since I was born I’ve noticed a freedom in expression with females. It’s like they’re untouchable and I loved that.”

Nothin has acted since middle school. After taking a gender studies class in college, she found that she loved the idea of blurring gender lines and, through drag, found a theatrical way to do it. She only started getting serious with drag in September of 2015 and has already found herself hosting karaoke at the Dark Lady in Providence.

“If Ninny doesn’t see a smile, she will make you smile doing almost anything socially legal she can think of,” Nothin said of her persona.

“When it comes to clothing, Ninny has no style.

At all. She is basically pieced together from what she’s witnessed in the world.”

See Queens on page 41

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Misgendering from page 22

sional settings,” he said.

“When we accidentally call a cisgender person by the wrong honorific, we get embarrassed and profusely apologize even though the cis person knows that you know their gender identity, because most people think that calling someone the wrong gender is insulting,” said Itai Gal, who signed on to the petition. “But for trans people, we are basically told that we should expect for people to treat us in a way that they might otherwise consider insulting; we are too strange, basic decency practices do not apply.”

Greer says that she reached her breaking-point when she was misgendered in an international news publication while being interviewed for a story as a spokesperson for the nonprofit she works for. The story was syndicated to several major news outlets, and several LGBTQ ones also.

“That’s a dangerous message,” he continued.

“It says that trans people aren’t real, that there is something inappropriate about us. The world has a long way to go in terms of making it safer for trans people. Using the right pronouns doesn’t mean we can now cross trans rights off our lists, but it treats our identities as legitimate …”

“I … hope that this practice of confirming people’s pronouns will make it safer for trans people to speak to journalists, and that their voices, which are often silenced, be heard more often.”

“Depending on the situation, being misgendered can range from causing a quick pang of icky feelings to ruining your whole day, making you feel afraid for your physical safety, or causing serious feelings of self-doubt and depression,” Greer said. “At this point, honestly, I’m used to it.”

But Greer couldn’t sit aside while major media outlets continued the insensitive mistake of misgendering trans people. Aside from authoring and promoting the petition, Greer says that she has reached out to a major news outlet to discuss instituting an explicit policy mandating that news staff ask for correct pronouns when conducting interviews.

“This outlet seems very receptive to offering training to their reporters to help address this and prevent misgendering of sources,” she said, noting that she will be meeting with representatives from the outlet in May. Gal also said that he experienced misgendering by a member of the media.

“When I saw that the reporter used ‘she’ pronouns for me even after I told her what my pronouns were, I understood that my preference of how I want to be called was seen as not real: this is only something for when I’m with my friends, my gender identity is not for profes-

“[For] me, it’s simple and it’s part of good journalistic ethics,” said Judy Heithmar, who also signed the petition. “Remember when Caitlyn Jenner publicly came out as trans? The way in which she was written about, misgendered, and portrayed in the media was disgusting.”

Heithmar also referenced Chelsea Manning, a transgender U.S. Army soldier who was convicted of espionage for leaking classified state secrets to WikiLeaks in July 2013. Manning became the butt of several jokes concerning her gender identity and her conviction. Similarly, Caitlyn Jenner was highly ridiculed in the media after her disclosure of her gender identity.

In mainstream media, there is a ignorance when it comes to differences in gender identity. Several mainstream media outlets have referred to transgender people as “transsexuals,” “transgendered,” or “transgenders” and have flagrantly, and sometimes purposefully, misgendered interviewees and story subjects.

In August 2013, shortly after Chelsea Manning announced her transition, the Associated Press issued a memo to its entire staff stating that Manning should be referred to using female pronouns (https://goo.gl/byJtXv) and that all interview subjects should be addressed using the pronouns that they prefer, as per the Associated Press Style Guide.

“Journalists talk to a lot of people. If they ask all of those people what their preferred pronouns are, the same way they’d confirm the spelling of their name or their job title, it will help open minds and contribute to a culture of respecting people’s gender identities and not making assumptions that lead to painful and oppressive misgendering,” said Greer.

Itai Gal says his hope is that respecting preferred pronouns will be an opportunity for more trans people to become more comfortable with the media.

“I … hope that this practice of confirming people’s pronouns will make it safer for trans people to speak to journalists, and that their voices, which are often silenced, be heard more often.”

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Queens from page 39 Nothin isn’t the only girl who has seen such quick success. Hazel Berry Rose (https://goo. gl/loRmFV) has only been actively performing in her local Connecticut scene for about six months but has already been featured in Bob the Drag Queen’s Manhattan competition “Look Queen.” At the age of 20, she’s definitely been around the block, but it wasn’t easy to get there.

“It was extremely hard to get into the scene, and still is,” Rose said. “You do really need to know the who’s who of the local drag scene.”

Rose has been doing drag since she was 17, which makes it hard to perform at places she couldn’t enter, but in such a short time since getting seriously involved, she’s found herself performing all over Connecticut in places like Two Boots in Bridgeport, Anthony D’s in Milford, and Partner’s Café in New Haven.

“I got an official start into the scene by performing as a regular act for Dirty Dixie Normous,” Rose said. “From just working with Dixie and having her open that door for me, and of course having good judies of mine, Layne Gianakos and Katie McKiernan, I’ve been able to reach out and do shows with non-profit organizations.”

She originally started out with a drag girl group

that performed for free at the Amity Teen Center where she said she was able to work out the kinks in her persona. Now that Hazel Berry Rose has come to fruition, she’s no longer a piece of a girl group but can hold her own as the “disgustingly delectable” character she is.

“She’s very gross, stupid and silly, but in the same token, can be very regal, and very polished,” said Rose about her persona. “She’s either a rich white woman who lives in the Hamptons, or the trashy mistress of the rich white Hampton woman’s husband. There’s almost no in between.”

She was able to overcome the age barrier she experienced at the door of every club and come out a full-fledged and seasoned queen in the short amount of time since. Most would have given up, but sticking with it was key for her.

For some queens like Plympton, MA’s Sarah Palegic (https://goo.gl/EbFUqx), there’s no getting around their limits, but they have the ability to make it a part of their act, which is something you can’t do when you’re just underage.

“I am a bioqueen and I also use a wheelchair,” Palegic said. “Sometimes I like to do performances which draw attention to these things and make people see womanhood and disability in a new light.”

See Queens on page 42

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Queens from page 41 A bioqueen is a drag queen who, out of drag, identifies as a cisgender woman. For Palegic, she thought this would hold her back, but shortly after her first performance at the Dark Lady in 2015, they invited her to be on a show called “Queens on Wheels,” where all the other queens were on roller skates or a scooter in order to make her feel comfortable.

It’s more I’m just letting my inner character out that I might otherwise be stifling in my day-today life.

“I think, aside from entertainment, I bring diversity to the scene. I also bring a new perspective. I see drag through the lens of a disabled woman and I have lots of feedback to give on accessibility, disability etiquette, and feminism. I’ve hopefully made people reevaluate performance and understand that a message/feeling can be conveyed even if you’re completely sitting.”

“I think in our small New England clusters, it becomes ... a close knit community of artists to share ideas, tips, and tricks.”

She started out practicing with YouTube tutorials by herself after being inspired by RuPaul’s Drag Race, but it took months until she finally did her first performance. Bioqueens have caught flack from people who think the title of drag queen should only be for cisgender men, but Palegic has been using the art form to let loose and turn heads just as much as any of her sisters in the scene have.

“My drag persona is my regular girl persona, except with much fewer inhibitions,” Palegic said. “I wouldn’t say I’ve created this ‘character’ that’s separate from my own personality.

With all of these drag queens making a name for themselves so quickly, what is it about New England that breeds this talent?

“I’ve seen a renaissance not just in New England drag, but drag around the globe,” Destruction said. “But, I think in our small New England clusters, it becomes an easier breeding ground for a close knit community of artists to share ideas, tips, and tricks.”

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carnival

ter, MA 01608; FMI: https://goo.gl/ P17DFP

Aug. 13-19; 38th Annual P-Town Carnival 2016; Back to the 80s; FMI: https://goo.gl/onnN8d

Sept. 10; Worcester Pride Youth Dance; 7-10p; FMI: http://goo.gl/ yh4lqv

Aug. 14; 5:30p-8:30p; The Love Boat Cruise; MacMillan Pier; FMI: https://goo.gl/mBplD5

Sept. 10; Worcester Pride, Pride Block Party; 7p-1a; FMI: http://goo. gl/yh4lqv

provincetown

& worcester events

provincetown, Mass.

Aug. 15; 2-5p; Boys Just Wanna Have Fun Carnival Pool Party; Brass Key Guesthouse, FMI: https:// goo.gl/ihEbp2 Aug. 16; It’s Raining Men Dance Party; 10p-1a; The A House; 6 Masonic Place; Enjoy the night with Resident DJ and Billboard Magazine reporter David LaSalle. Cover charge to benefit PBG’s Carnival & The Provincetown AIDS Support Group; $10 Aug. 18; Carnival Parade Registration; 3pm start time; Leaves from the Harbor Hotel down Commercial St - Franklin St.; Price per Float and more information at: https://goo.gl/ SbYYm3 Carnival Parade Registration; Electric Slide Dance Party; My Little Pony Inn Stroll; Where’s the Beef Leather Dance Party; & More: FMI: https://goo.gl/gjRJx2 or https:// goo.gl/4l2u7s

Other events/shows:

Oct. 10-16; Women’s Week; Provincetown, MA; FMI: http://goo.gl/ Q0DeeN

Worcester, MA Pride

Sept. 7; Kick-Off Dinner; to raise Funds for Worcester Pride; FMI: https://goo.gl/ntewRs Sept. 8; Worcester Pride Flag Raising; City Hall & Union Station in recognition of the LGBTQI Community; FMI: http://goo.gl/yh4lqv

NOTE:

For more events, check out The Rainbow Times’ FB Page of Events: https://goo.gl/WXOJTi Are you having an upcoming event?

Send them to us on our popular facebook page! the rainbow times offers a free listing for your events!

Sept. 9; LGBTQI Pageant to Compete for 3 titles: Miss Gay Worcester, awarded to a drag contestant; Mr. Worcester Pride, awarded to a contestant that self-identifies as male; and Ms. Worcester Pride, awarded to a contestant that self-identifies as female. FMI: http://goo.gl/yh4lqv Sept. 10; Worcester Pride Parade; 11a-12p; Institute Park, Worcester, MA 01605; FMI: https://goo.gl/ NmWjYs Sept. 10; Worcester Pride Festival; 12-5p; Worcester Common, Worces-

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Pansexual from page 30 According to Estrop, some might want to pigeonhole others into narrow boxes like straight or gay.

That, she explains, doesn’t work for everybody.

“As bisexuality has been erased from many questions, the concept that it is possible for anyone to be attracted to more than one gender is erased from the rhetoric of ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ discourse alike. ‘Pansexual’ is one of those words that

According to Estrop, some might want to pigeonhole others into narrow boxes like straight or gay. That, she explains, doesn’t work for everybody.

describes that concept, and until the concept as a whole stops being erased, individual labels won’t appear either,” Estrop said.

Beemyn agrees with Estrop and thinks that the term remains a mystery to many heterosexuals.

“We were having this discussion in the Stonewall Center just this morning, as we try to make the distinction in the educational workshops that we offer, but audiences do not always get the difference,” Beemyn said. “A big part of the problem is that most straight people are unfamiliar with the term ‘pansexual.’”

For more information, please visit http://goo.gl/ ZhedQY.

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Editor from page 3 It just happens to be the truth and it’s out there for you to validate, if you’d like to do so. While on this topic, I am proud to say that we have the largest LGBT social media platform (FB, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, etc.), which accounts to almost 33,000 total fans/followers, we receive 2.4 million hits to our website monthly and nearly a million impressions via Issuu and Yumpu for TRT’s monthly paper and Pride Projects--social media shares originating from our page alone are in the thousands.

Because of all of that, the Pride Projects that we were already producing since our inception are now larger and more complex.

That takes me to the 2016 New England Pride Map (already published at the end of April and republished as the center piece of TRT’s May 2016 issue) along with this one, the New England Pride Guide. Yes, we produce two Pride Projects between the end of April and the end of May each year. It is our busiest time of the year!

We are proud of this Guide. Like with everything we produce, we do so with biodegradable ink and recycled paper, to avoid harming the environment more. We pay more for it, but we figure it is very much worth it. What is worth ittoo is each of you, individually and collectively.

These two projects, the New England Pride Map and Guide allow us to send monetary donations to small non-profit organizations every year, which is why we are continually seeking advertisers for them. We believe in giving back to the communities we serve.

Since our inauguration, we have donated financially to Fenway Health’s mammography unit, Northampton Pride, Boston Pride, the LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts, the AIDS Foundation of Western Mass., Ms. Trans New England, CT Transgender Lives Conference, etc., and have sponsored teams from the Softball Beantown League too, two years in a row. The list keeps growing each year and I don’t completely remember 10 years worth of donations. This year, however, we have already started giving back. We have sent monetary donations to the LifeBridge Homeless Shelter, the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, the Salem

LLC, the LGBT Luncheon Program by St. Pete’s, which we will fully sponsor in June, and have also donated food to the On Point youth who worked so diligently to take care of the Salem Commons that so many of us enjoy. And that doesn’t mean that all of the donations only go to Salem. It just means that we nurture many communities. Now, it’s time for Salem. We’ve had the pleasure of working with many Salem residents, city leaders, local organizations and so forth that have welcomed us with open arms and a beautiful disposition, personally and professionally.

Why talk about all of this? Someone recently asked me if TRT donated monies to the community from newspaper sales. I immediately explained that TRT is free and that the publication survives because of all of the advertisers that care for our product and who wish to cater to our community’s needs and services. The new friend, who wishes to remain nameless at this time, said to me that we should let the people know about what we do with the proceeds of the projects and the paper. Now you know too what we do.

Please continue to support the advertisers that you see in this Guide and also the ones that placed ads in the Map and continually place ads with The Rainbow Times. We are here as a thriving publication because of them. And, we are here because our readers look forward to reading our product. To all of you, friends, advertisers, team members, readers, those who’ve received from us and those who’ve given back to us, we say thank you! As we’ve always said, “We couldn’t have done it without you, without any of you!”

Happy Boston Pride, RI Pride, North Shore Pride, Portland! Pride, NYC Pride, Toronto Pride, Worcester Pride, and Happy Pride to everyone else outside this group of Pride celebrations too! *Nicole Lashomb holds an MBA from Marylhurst University, Portland, ME and a Bachelor in Music from the Crane School of Music.

(SUNY Potsdam). Contact her at: editor@ therainbowtimesmass.com.

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Las Donaciones que Nos Enorgullecen, Gracias a Nuestros Anunciantes y Lectores Por: Gricel Martínez Ocasio*/TRT Publisher El periódico The Rainbow Times es un periódico del cual soy publicadora y co-dueña.

Nuestro décimo aniversario está a la vuelta de la esquina y estamos sumamente orgullosas, Nicole Lashomb (la otra co-dueña y editora) y yo de nuestro equipo, nuestros anunciantes y de nuestros fieles lectores a través de los años.

goo.gl/UtMQKo); y 2. la Guía de Orgullo Gay de Nueva Inglaterra (“New England Pride Guide”, en inglés), la cual estará disponible a principios de junio. Estos proyectos nos permiten donarle asistencia financiera a organizaciones sin fines de lucro pequeñas de Nueva Inglaterra.

A través de los años, gracias a estos dos proyectos, hemos podido donar dinero en efectivo a las siguientes organizaciones: al primer centro de mamografía de “Fenway Health”, a la organización “Noho Pride”, a la organización de “Boston Pride”, a la “LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts”, la AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts, el “Beantown Softball League”, a personas con necesidades de la comunidad LGBT, etc.

Me tomaría mucho tiempo mencionar a cada una de ellas. Lo importante es que el donar ayuda financiera a las comunidades y organizaciones a las que orgullosamente servimos está siempre en el corazón de todo lo que hacemos en The Rainbow Times.

The Rainbow Times está compuesto de mujeres y hombres gay cisgéneros, de personas de color, de personas transgéneros y de aliados. Somos parte de una organización diversa e inclusiva, y nos enorgullecemos de ser así.

Lo que nos ha mantenido como el periódico LGBTQ de mayor audiencia en Nueva Inglaterra son varios factores que atribuyo a buen periodismo y a un sentido de responsabilidad comunitario que compartimos como equipo. The Rainbow Times está compuesto de mujeres y hombres gay cis-géneros, de personas de color, de personas transgéneros y de aliados. Somos parte de una organización diversa e inclusiva, y nos enorgullecemos de ser así.

El periódico es gratuito y se publica mensualmente el primer jueves de cada mes. Además, cada año publicamos dos proyectos más: 1. el Mapa de Eventos de Nueva Inglaterra (“New England Pride Event Map”, en inglés - https://

Tan sólo el año pasado el por ciento de los márgenes que sale de estos dos proyectos anualmente desde el 2009 se han ubicado a los proyectos mencionados arriba (una vez se pagan los gastos relacionados con las celebraciones de Orgullo Gay) se le otorgaron a tres organizaciones importantes: la Conferencia de TRANSCending Boundaries, el centro para personas indigentes de LifeBridge de Salem, Massachusetts, y a la liga de “softball” Beantown al equipo de los Terriers.

See TRT on page 54

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TRT from page 53

marca en el progreso que estaba por verse.

En otras palabras, cuando usted se anuncia con el Mapa de Eventos de Nueva Inglaterra, o con la Guía de Orgullo Gay de Nueva Inglaterra, su contribución ayuda a otras organizaciones también, pues una parte de todo el dinero de los anunciantes va a las organizaciones que he mencionado en los párrafos anteriores. Esa es parte de la función de un periódico comunitario.

Unos cuantos años atrás un bien conocido hombre transgénero de Boston me dijo, “ustedes son, sin duda alguna, la voz de la comunidad— el periódico de la comunidad”. En el momento me sentí muy bien tras escuchar dichas palabras, pero cuando verdaderamente me percaté de nuestro poder fue cuando las noticias que también se publican en línea han recibido miles y miles de lecturas y han sido compartidas a través de las redes sociales miles más de veces.

Cuando soy testigo de esos números, me recuerdo de las palabras de ese pionero transgénero que ya no reside en Boston, pero que dejó su

Hoy, les doy las gracias por leer esta columna, por buscar las copias de nuestros proyectos, y por promover al periódico The Rainbow Times.

Es importante que cuando vayan a apoyar a nuestros anunciantes les dejen saber que vieron su anuncio en el periódico o a través de nuestros otros proyectos, aquí antes mencionados.

Así podremos seguir trayéndoles las mejores noticias LGBTQ de Nueva Inglaterra y más allá, con orgullo, respeto y dedicación; de una de las pocas publicadoras hispanas a ustedes nuestros lectores fervientes. A ustedes, gracias y ¡feliz Orgullo LGBT a todos! *Gricel es la publicadora del periódico The Rainbow Times. Posee una Maestría en Administración de Empresas de Marylhurst University y un Bachillerato en Periodismo de la Universidad de Temple de Filadelfia. Para comunicarse con Gricel, escríbale a su correo electrónico: publisher@therainbowtimesnews.com.

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Cowboys from page 28 They raise awareness about their code, LGBTQ rodeo history, and the association’s various charitable initiatives. Members of the Royalty program typically dress in “western wear,” a style rooted in the Old West of the 19th century that can be formal or informal. Outfits can consist of a denim jacket with leather fringes, or jeans, t-shirt, and big-brimmed, high-crowned hat, or boots, denim jacket, and fancy dress shirt.

Patrick Hunter, a Boston native and president of the Atlantic chapter of IGRA, said he values the camaraderie of rodeo lifestyle.

place to call home, a place to call family without a set of rules of what family is. You define family with passion and interconnectivity. My safe place is the rodeo.”

To others, the cowboy lifestyle means living according a code of civility, honesty, and fraternity.

“Our community needs people who care. I don’t talk about the cowboy code. I live it,” said Wade Earp, a Texan with a distinguished western lineage and the winner of dozens of competitions. In 2015, he was inducted into IGRA’s Hall of Fame.

They raise awareness about their code, LGBTQ rodeo history, and the association’s various charitable initiatives.

“Being a cowboy or cowgirl means a willingness to get out of bed at 3 a.m. to help a buddy get out of a ditch,” said Hunter. “It’s a connection with other people through volunteerism, working together to help one another, to be a collective group.”

According to Hunter, IGRA is “breaking stereotypes. It’s moving beyond them to show rodeo is another sport.” Hunter added that he didn’t know how to ride bulls or western dance until joining the IGRA. (Note: Western dance has many forms and includes the polka, square dance, the promenade, and the 10-step. It is set to country-western music).

“You don’t have to be a professional,” he said.

Anyone thinking about participating, “shouldn’t be intimidated. We’ll take care of you, if you want to compete. Don’t be scared.”

Hunter further explained that the rodeo family is extremely important “because life isn’t easy. Yet as individuals you have the power to change injustice. You can determine how the world changes, even if the changes are small.”

IGRA is helping to change the world by being a safe haven for those needing a place to be accepted and by leading through examples of kind acts and by members being themselves and living the cowboy and cowgirl code. Even members of the transgender community are welcomed with open arms and non-judgement.

“As a transgender man,” shared Travis Gardner, a California native who calls Montana home, “IGRA is not full of drama. Gender and sexuality doesn’t matter. It’s a place of acceptance.”

Gardner said, “The LGBT community is not always as accepting as we’d like to think. [Collectively as LGBTQ people] we are out and vocal, but when it comes [specifically] to transgender men and women, we are left out. Gender is not as binary as society makes it. “[Transgender people] want to live our lives and feel safe. IGRA has given many people a

“We are athletes,” Earp said, “and the animals we love are athletes. You have a relationship and a bond with them. You ride your horse as if dancing. You work as a team. You become one.”

Char Duran, an active member of the IGRA’s Colorado chapter, averages about four competitions a year showing her skills in calf roping and bull and steer riding.

“Rodeo wasn’t part of my childhood,” she said.

“I grew up a military brat spending time in Europe and throughout the states. My grandfather was a professional bullfighter before coming to the States from Mexico. We used to play in the backyard. It may have planted a seed about connecting with the earth and animals.”

She attended her first IGRA event more than 20 years ago as a spectator. She immediately realized IGRA enthusiastically encourages women to compete, which is often in sharp contrast to straight rodeo.

It wasn’t long thereafter that she was volunteering and developing a deeper bond with the land and its animals through volunteering and eventually as a competitor.

“Rodeo is about skill and how well you control your performance in the moment. The competition is within in yourself,” she said. “I control how well I ride and perform.” This is a sport requiring focus, discipline, determination, and respect for the animals.

Rodeo also has given Char a joy positively and profoundly impacting everything in her life and how she sees the world.

See Cowboys on page 58

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“IGRA is here for them, helping them realize they’re not alone and there is a family waiting for them who will love and accept them. There are many rural communities and too many isolated kids.

IGRA as part of its mission tries to let them know there is a family waiting for them.”

photo: courtesy of CowboyFrank.net

Cowboys from page 57 “It’s an amazing rush,” she laughs. “My girlfriend of six years would be happier if I collected stamps, but she loves, supports, and puts up with me.”

Although Char doesn’t identify as a role model, she does acknowledge she and other women are setting an example not to be afraid to try.

“Don’t be scared,” she said. “You may not [always be] successful, but it is a gift to have an opportunity to make an effort and be courageous.”

Char added rhetorically, “Who says a woman can’t be a bull rider, construction worker, or anything else? Find what you love and go for it. Think about what will go right and not what may go wrong.”

Independent of the fun, sportsmanship, and genuine sense of family, there is a very serious element to IGRA Char underscored several times.

“I’m so fortunate I found this family. It’s very important IGRA continues to reach out to places where there are isolated farm kids,” said Char.

“IGRA is here for them, helping them realize they’re not alone and there is a family waiting for them who will love and accept them,” she said. “There are many rural communities and too many isolated kids. IGRA as part of its mission tries to let them know there is a family waiting for them.”

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There have been, however, countless cases of trans people being attacked, from verbal harassment, to physical assaults, to even being killed, for using the bathroom of their choice. In the most recent national Transgender Discrimination Survey (http://goo.gl/hBt7Ro) report, 63 percent of respondents reported experiencing a serious act of discrimination in their lifetime, and according to a 2013 Williams Institute report 70% of trans people (http://goo.gl/veObpK) report being denied entrance, harassed, or assaulted while trying to use the restroom.

Scapegoating

vs. Solidarity

By: Keegan O’Brien*/Special to TRT—

O

n Wednesday evening March 23rd North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, better known House Bill 2 (HB2) or the “bathroom bill”—the most far-reaching and discriminatory anti-transgender law in the country. The law has several components. First, it prohibits city governments from passing antidiscrimination laws that override state legislation, specifically overturning a recent ordinance passed in Charlotte banning discrimination against LGBTQ people. Second, it mandates that all public schools require people to use the bathroom that aligns with their birth certificate.

Third, and this has been by far the most overlooked feature of the bill, it prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage above the current state level.

Anticipating that the bill would be controversial and spark opposition, Republicans rushed it through during a special session, giving legislators and the public no time to review it.

Every Republican and eleven Democrats voted in favor of the bill in the House. In protests of the GOP’s maneuvering, Senate Democrats walked off the floor and the bill went on to pass unanimously.

To justify their discrimination, Gov. McCrory and his bigoted Republican cohorts have deployed a slew of vile transphobic rhetoric, claiming that trans people are deranged and that anti-discrimination laws are simply cover for predators to use bathrooms so they can victimize women and children. But this couldn’t be farther from reality. There have been zero (http://goo.gl/K15N5O) reported cases of trans people, or anyone for that matter, using a different bathroom in order to kidnap, abuse, or prey on women or children. Gov. McCrory’s story is pure fiction.

In addition to codifying discrimination and second class citizenship, North Carolina’s bill has whipped up a climate of transphobia and given confidence to the worst forms of bigotry. The increase in trans suicides animates the human toll HB2 has had. Trans Lifeline, a crisis hotline for transgender people in North Carolina has reported a 150% increase (http://goo.gl/Pt0vJr) in calls since last month when the bill was passed.

Many young people calling in report feeling like they have “lost hope” in terms of whether things will get better for them at all. Transphobia kills, and Gov. McCrory and every legislator that played a role in passing HB2 have blood on their hands.

Gov. McCrory’s actions are not unprecedented, however. From policing bars and cruising spaces to ordinances criminalizing wearing more than three items of clothing of the opposite gender, North Carolina’s law is continuing a long tradition of state sponsored gender policing and criminalization that has been present in LGBTQ communities in the United States since the late 19th century. Political elites have long used narratives of criminality to portray queer and gender non-conforming people as sexual predators as a way to engineer moral panic, prop up the sexual and gender arrangements of the nuclear family, and distract working class people from the real economic and political forces threatening their lives.

Many are asking, why now? With the Supreme Court recently legalizing same-sex marriage and the increasing cultural visibility and acceptance of trans people, it seems like North Carolina’s law is relic from a bygone era. But around the country anti-transgender laws continue to rear their ugly head. Lawmakers in least fifteen other states, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, Illinois, and Minnesota, have considered so-called “bathroom bills” this year, with South Dakota passing their own version in February before it was vetoed by the governor.

On one level, these laws are an attempt by the GOP’s Religious Right to regain ideological ground in the Culture Wars. The legalization of same-sex marriage and the sea-change in public opinion toward favoring LGBT equality has dealt a major blow to the Christian Right’s agenda and its rigid binary concepts of gender and sexuality. In an effort to make up for lost ground the Religious Right has set its eyes on a new target, trans people’s right to use the bathroom, by painting them as predators and directly attacking the legitimacy of trans identity. The fluidity inherent to trans identity undermines the rigid hetero-normative gender binary essential to propping up the privatized nuclear family, See Scapegoating on page 60

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Scapegoating from page 59 which capitalism depends on as the primary reproductive unit to raise and care for the next generation of workers. Defending that institution isn’t a moral question for the ruling class, but an economic and political necessity to maintaining the operation of capitalism.

But North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” is about more than restoring conservative social values for their own sake. HB2 is an attempt to scapegoat trans people in the service of neo-liberal capitalism. One of the most overlooked features of the bill is its restriction on raising the minimum wage. This isn’t a coincidence.

North Carolina has become a heaven for companies looking for low-wage non-unionized labor. Over the past thirty years North Carolina has attracted businesses by implementing neo-liberal economic policies that have lowered taxes on corporations, and the rich dolled out huge sums of government subsidies. One of the ways the state has accumulated money is by remodeling the tax structure and shifting the burden onto workers and the poor in the form of increasing sales tax. The state has also worked hand-inhand with corporations to keep wages low and shut out unions, making North Carolina’s union membership rate the lowest in the country, with just 1.9 percent of wager earners in a union, and more that 1.7 million people, or roughly 20 percent of the population, living in poverty.

In a society with such extreme inequality, where one in five people live below the poverty line, it’s necessary to divide working class and poor people who would otherwise have everything in common with one another. Scapegoating oppressed groups for society’s ills, whether it be LGBTQ people, people of color, immigrants, public sector workers, Arabs and Muslims, or any other marginalized group, has been a longstanding tactic of the American ruling class to maintain their class rule by fragmenting the majority and redirecting class anger away from the economic and political elites responsible for engineering exploitation and oppression.

between race and class and the disproportionate impact the law would have on queer and trans people of color who already face higher levels of poverty, unemployment, and violence.

Even much of Corporate America, it seems, has gotten on board with opposing North Carolina’s bill. Over 120 “leading business leaders and CEOs” signed an open letter by the Human Rights Campaign, which included Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. While it’s a positive sign that businesses now feel pressured to support legal equality, evidence shows that the rhetoric of “Progressive Capitalists” (https://goo. gl/c65VJ3) is more myth than reality.

“The legalization of samesex marriage has dealt a major blow to the Christian Right’s agenda ...”

Thankfully, however, the widespread backlash and growing opposition movement in North Carolina seem to indicate that the right wing isn’t getting the results it wants. Far from hurting the struggle for trans equality as some queer activists argue, it appears that the progress around gay rights and equal marriage over the past decade have helped kick down the barriers of social prejudice and pave the way for the widespread support for trans rights today.

It’s no surprise then that immediately after Gov. McCrory signed House Bill 2, LGBTQ activists and their allies began organizing—and found support from ordinary people across the country. In the following days several thousand people hit the streets in the Capital and cities across the state. Activists even organized a sitin and shut down the street in front of the State House. The influence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement was visible, from the prominent role played by Black queer and trans activists in the protests and the connections made by organizers

Considering many of these same companies funded the campaigns of Democratic and Republican Senators who voted for HB2 and that corporate money means narrowing the demands and lowering the political horizons of the movement, activists shouldn’t depend on the 1% to wage our fight.

The Democratic Party’s opposition to the bill reflects the influence the LGBTQ movement has had on American politics in quite a short span of time. But activists should be weary of attempts by the Democratic Party to hijack the movement emerging in North Carolina. As trans activist Eric Mahoney explains in Socialist Worker, (http://goo.gl/e1I9nI): “North Carolina’s ‘bathroom bill’ legislation will likely be used by mainstream LGBTQ organizations as a call to get out the vote for the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, who the Human Rights Campaign has already endorsed. We must resist the push to fold our energies into the Democratic Party and remember that change is made in the movements and struggles of ordinary people, not the halls of government.”

Thankfully there are signs that that movement is taking shape. North Carolina NAACP presidents Rev. William Barber has put out the call for a series of mass sit-ins if the law is not repealed. In a recent press conference Rev. Barber declared: “We cannot be silent in the face of this race-based, class-based, homophobic and transphobic attack on wage earners, civil rights, and the LGBTQ community. Together with our many allies, we will coordinate a campaign of nonviolent direct action along with other forms of nonviolent protest.”

Rev. Barber is right. The only remedy for the transphobia and scapegoating being peddled by the bigots in the Republican Party is by deepening the solidarity and struggle on display in the streets of North Carolina. *Keegan O’Brien is a queer socialist activist and writer from Boston who recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a Masters in Education. His writing has appeared in The Nation, Electronic Intifada, Jacobin Magazine, Socialist Worker, and the International Socialist Review.

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Advertiser Index:

advertiser

& partner index

Page 2 …….. Senator Stan Rosenberg Page 4 …….. State Treasurer Deb Goldberg Page 5 …….. Boston Gay Men’s Chorus Page 7 …….. Mayor Marty Walsh, Atty. Gen. Maura Healey Page 9 …….. Congressman Joe Kennedy Page 10 …….. Arbour-HRI Hospital Page 11 …….. 5 Star Travel Services Page 13 ….…. Fenway Health Page 14 …….. Speaker Bob DeLeo, Congressman Michael Capuano Page 15 ….…. ESME Block Party Page 16 …….. Councilor Sal LaMattina, City Councilor Bill Lineham Page 17 …….. Valente Insurance, Senator Ed Markey Page 18 …….. Congressman Stephen Lynch, State Rep. Liz Malia Page 19 …….. Trophy Room Page 20 …….. Imperial Court of Massachusetts, Greater Boston

PFLAG Page 22 …….. The Network La Red, OUT MetroWest Page 23 …….. Liquor Land, Drag Divas Give Back Page 24 …….. Brattleboro Retreat, Brian Calhoon, Marimba Cabaret Page 26 …….. Boston Medical Center, The Safe Zone Page 27 …….. UMass Fine Arts Center Page 29 …….. Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Compassion & Choices,

Devereux Foster Care, Gray Ghost Inn Page 30 …….. The Car Buff Page 31 …….. Salem Chamber of Commerce Page 32 …….. Salem State University Page 33 …….. Mayor Kim Driscoll, Salem and Congressman Seth

Moulton, The Rainbow Times Page 34 …….. Salem Theatre Company Page 35 …….. Salem Cycle and Popped! Gourmet Popcorn Page 36 …….. Amazing Pizza and Opus Underground Page 37 …….. Paul Russell Page 39 …….. Ed O’Reilly Page 41 …….. Holyoke Community College Page 42 …….. The Holistic Center Page 43 …….. The Highlands Inn Page 45 …….. CT Film Festival Page 46 …….. Alex Holman - Real Estate for Sale Page 47 …….. LGBT Senior Pride Coalition Page 48 …….. Salem Dental Arts Page 49 …….. Independent Living Center of the North Shore & Cape

Ann & Springfield Technical Community College Page 50 …….. Provincetown Business Guild and The Game Crafter Page 51 …….. Stonewall Veteran’s Association Page 52 …….. Superior Moving and Transport Page 53 …….. Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC) Page 54 …….. Worcester Pride Page 55 …….. North Shore Pride Page 56 …….. OLLI Page 58 …….. Every Man’s Tarot Page 62 …….. Cliffside Inn Page 63 …….. Eye Center of the North Shore Page 64 …….. Fairfax Cryobank

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