The Rainbow Times' August 2018 Issue

2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

Amendment to ban LGBTQ adop- Society needs to focus solely on people, not categories tions passed by Republicans W By: Nicole Collins*/TRT Intern

hatever happened to pride?

By: Nicole Lashomb*/TRT Editor-in-Chief

I

n Mid-July, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee passed an amendment allowing publicly, taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to refuse LGBTQ families the opportunity of adoption based on religious objection. This is likely one of many rollbacks on civil and human rights guised in the face of “religion.” With the license to discriminate under the Religious Freedom Restoration

services. The only Republican in opposition to the amendment was Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA). All Democrats were in opposition to it.

“The Aderholt amendment to the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill (https://is.gd/FKf2KI) for FY 2019 would allow child welfare agencies receiving taxpayer funds to choose which families and children to serve, privileging the beliefs of providers over the best interests of children

NOT ONLY WOULD THIS AMENDMENT DRASTICALLY IMPACT THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, BUT IT ALSO OPENS THE DOOR TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST

SINGLE PARENTS, INTERFAITH PARENTS OR ANYONE THAT DOESN’T FIT THE MOLD OF A FOSTERING/ADOPTION AGENCY’S RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEM. Act (RFRA), didn’t we all see this coming?

Although discrimination is constantly being challenged in and out of courts, this is not the first time that rights have been dismantled under it or at the very least attempted to do so.

The amendment passed in a conniving move by Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), who inserted it into the House version of a major funding legislation by which it would enable anti-LGBT discrimination in adoption

who are in state care,” LGBTQ Nation reported (https://is.gd/dfPXOT).

Not only is this a devastating blow to the members of the LGBTQ community— many of whom desire to build their family and provide a safe and loving home for children at the peril of a broken foster care system—this is a blow to the children themselves, who simply want a “forever family.” Many of those very children are ...

See LGBTQ Adoptions on Page 21

Your coming out story is already known to God

N

By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist

FAITH

o two are alike. Coming out stories are unique, special, and empowering.

When someone has the courage to come out, it is a learning opportunity for those scared and thinking about doing it. Or, it provides perspective to those who have already made this monumental step. Sometimes, there are no formal coming out stories, a person just openly, honestly, and authentically lives his or her life and does so quietly and without an announcement.

In July, I attended a few performances of the New York City Ballet (https://bit.ly/2dyrM52) at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC; https://spac.org), the dance company’s home for one week each summer. I had an opportunity to meet Sean, a local gay “celebrity” who is involved with a Sunday morning radio talk show (https://homoradio.org). He took his mom to see the Romeo and Juliet ballet with Prokofiev’s haunting music.

The energy between mother and son was awesome. They adore one another. He

made it a point to call out to my dear friend, Rocky, whom he has known for many years, to beamingly introduce her. I’m not sure how Sean’s coming out story went, but it was obvious, there’s unconditional love between mother and son.

Over the last several months, I had an experience with a coming out story that didn’t go well. A young man in a very conservative Christian denomination was outed by a controlling, manipulative partner. The outed young man, a leader in his church, was abandoned by his Christian community. It also placed an extraordinary strain on his relationship with his parents. Although he stays upbeat, I wonder what’s going on inside his head.

I’m not a relationship counselor, but I did advise him—toxic people need to go. This young man’s partner was bad news. No one should be forced out of the closet. It is a deeply personal decision, and in these circumstances, it manifested itself in spiritual and emotional abuse by a controlling, selfserving, unethical partner.

Keep in mind, however, even toxic ...

See Coming Out on Page 21

Not pride with a capital “P”—that’s in full bloom. Rather, whatever happened to the unbridled euphoria—that sense of self—that used to come with openly embracing the LGBTQ identity? Where is the deference to oppressed communities united by their differences and outcast statuses, fighting, unified (generally) for queer liberation?

The Stonewall riots, Marsha P. Johnson’s activism, and Harvey Milk’s groundbreaking political ascent are historic examples of this type of pride.

While a lot of those historical movements and events had a serious lack of diversity, the genuine, non-corporate spirit of pride was present. It is, indeed, important to focus on diversity and identity politics within both communities and societies at large—but lots of the LGBTQ community has become fixated on assigning experience and knowledge to others before knowing the first thing about them. All the while, we lose sight of genuine queer pride, and things become a competition.

In short, we’ve forgotten our roots.

During my old high school’s annual LGBTQ recognition day two years ago, teachers asked only queer students to respond to debate questions. Queer friends telling other queer friends their experiences isn’t as valid because they aren’t transgender or people of color. Or, people who don’t know each other arguing about how difficult each’s experience has been without even getting to know each other first There’s respecting experiences, and then there’s being ignorant, which is ironic, as these “valid-or-not-valid” notions are usu-

Letters to the Editor

ally in the name of worldliness and acceptance.

When I spoke on a panel at another high school’s LGBTQ recognition day and an audience member asked a question about transgender issue—something along the lines of “How do pronouns work?”—and the other members refused to answer until I, a transgender woman, weighed in.

It just feels unnecessarily divisive and exclusionary. For relatively easy questions, like the given one, there shouldn’t be shame in taking a swing at it and then verifying afterwards with the “more experienced person”—in that given situation, me.

That people get too scared or reluctant to answer for fear of being wrong speaks, more than anything, to how judgmental we have become as a society—and, specifically, the LGBTQ community—with regards to learning information and respecting identity politics.

However, this isn’t just an in-person sort of deal. This often occurs online as well.

Take, for instance, Buzzfeed’s 2014 “How Privileged Are You?” quiz ...

See No Categories on Page 20

The Rainbow Times The Freshest LGBT Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 Fax: 928.437.9618 Publisher Graysen M. Ocasio

Nicole Collins (Intern)

Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb

Ad & Layout Design Prizm PR

[Re: High Court Upholds Trump-Pence Admin’s Muslim Ban, More]

Assistant Editor Mike Givens

Dear Editor, This is not a surprise – with Trump packing the court with his pet judges so that he has full control at one of his whims. It is only a matter of time before SCOTUS allows POTUS to start going after the LGBTQ community as well as Muslims that are currently legal citizens here. Next will probably be Roe vs Wade, then the equal marriage ruling, then Voting Rights, Anti-discrimination laws, etc Remember Germany in the late 1930s – Jews, intellectuals, Gay and Lesbian, Roma people, and other groups wound up in the death camps. Wonder when Trump will establish the first one and where? How many millions will die in a Trumpkoff dictatorship?

—Tom McDonald, Online

National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Liz Johnson

See Letters on Page 23 Thank you for your feedback! We welcome all letters to the editor. All letters must be accompanied by an e-mail & phone # to be considered for publication. Please send them to: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.

Lead Photographers Steve Jewett Christine M. Hurley Reporters Jenna Spinelle Chuck Colbert Al Gentile Chris Gilmore

Webmaster Jarred Johnson Columnists/Guest Lorelei Erisis Deja N. Greenlaw Paul P. Jesep Mike Givens Affiliations National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association NGLCC QSyndicate

The Rainbow Times is published monthly by The Rainbow Times, LLC. TRT is affiliated with the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, NLGJA, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, NGLCC, and QSyndicate. The articles written by the writers, columnists, and correspondents solely express their opinion, and do not represent the endorsement or opinion of The Rainbow Times, LLC or its owners.

Send letters to the editor with your name, address and phone number to: The Rainbow Times (address shown above), or e-mail any comment/s to the editor-in-chief at: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com. All submissions will be edited according to space constraints. The Rainbow Times, LLC reserves the right not to print any or all content or advertisements for any reason at all. TRT is not responsible for advertising content. To receive The Rainbow Times at your home via regular mail, or through electronic delivery, please visit its website. The whole content and graphics (photos, etc.) are the sole property of The Rainbow Times, LLC and they cannot be reproduced at all without TRT’s written consent.

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August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

Rights groups respond to potential confirmation of Kavanaugh as SCOTUS Justice By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor

IN THE LIMELIGHT

Progressive advocacy groups are mobilizing to oppose President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice while the clock counts down to a potential confirmation hearing in the fall.

“There’s no way to sugarcoat it: with this nomination, the constitutional right to access safe, legal abortion in this country is on the line,” said Dr. Jennifer ChildsRoshak, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM; https://bit.ly/2LvzKgJ) in a press statement. “We already know how Brett Kavanaugh would rule on Roe v. Wade, because the president told us so. We take Trump at his word that Brett Kavanaugh would overturn Roe v. Wade and get rid of the Affordable Care Act.” Attorneys at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD; https://bit.ly/2mMNdR4) said that a Kavanaugh confirmation would also undoubtedly lead to an assault on LGBTQ rights.

“Whoever is confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice will have a real impact on the numerous issues of specific concern to our LGBTQ communities that could easily be at the Court in the next term or terms,” said several GLAD attorneys in an e-mail interview with The Rainbow Times.

“These issues include review of the President’s newly constituted ban on open military service by transgender people, attempts to roll back or block transgender students’ rights, cases seeking to exclude LGBTQ people from employment protections under Title VII, cases seeking to carve religious-based ‘conscience’ exceptions into anti-discrimination laws, cases seeking to make our marriages second-class by denying the protections available to other married people, denying family-building through adoption and foster care, and by allowing objections to our marriages to serve as a basis for discrimination,” they continued Kavanaugh’s Record Trump announced his nomination of Kavanaugh on Monday, July 9. The 53-yearold currently serves as a circuit court judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, a position he began in 2006 after a three-year, contentious, bi-partisan battle in the U.S. Senate. Kavanaugh was nominated for the position in 2003 by former President George W. Bush, but was sworn in to the seat in May 2006.

Kavanaugh was a lead attorney in an investigation in the 1990s of former President Bill Clinton and helped co-author The Starr Report (https://wapo.st/2uEfzU2), an account of several high-profile controversies involving Clinton’s administration.

Most notable in the report was a well-reported sexual encounter between Clinton

PHOTO: PLANNED PARENTHOOD LEAGUE OF MASSACHUSETTS

Dr. Jennifer Childs-Roshak of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts speaks at a July 16 press conference with U.S. Senator Ed Markey

and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but the investigation also touched on a number of other reported conflicts within Clinton’s administration including allegations of misuse of FBI files and his conduct during a sexual harassment lawsuit. The report, highly controversial at

the time, strongly advocated for Clinton’s impeachment.

During his 12-year tenure on the Court of Appeals, Kavanaugh has ruled in a number of high-profile cases including the right ...

See SCOTUS on Page 15

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August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

Ev Evnen (left) and Mason Dunn (right), trans activists leading the #Hike4Rights action PHOTO: MASON DUNN

Trans Activists #Hike4Rights and Awareness: “Vote Yes on 3” By: Nicole Collins*/TRT Intern

On August 15, trans activists Mason Dunn, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), and Ev Evnen, director of MaeBright Group, LLC, will be hiking to the highest peak in Massachusetts, Mt. Greylock, to raise awareness for the November vote on transgender rights that could strip away the existing protections of transgender people in Massachusetts. Dunn and Evnen have dubbed the action “#Hike4Rights”.

The advocates will hike across Massachusetts, from Connecticut to Vermont along the Appalachian Trail. The effort coincides with an initiative (https://is.gd/v3v0dt) started in May by Freedom for All Massachusetts (https://is.gd/h58WV7) coalition, which is working to affirm Question 3 on the ballot initiative. Question 3 will ask voters whether to maintain or remove nondiscrimination protections for transgender people in public places like parks, libraries, and hospitals. A “yes” vote on Question 3 will maintain the existing protections for transgender people in the commonwealth, ensuring that members of the trans community can access spaces, free from discrimination or harassment.

Republican Governor Charlie Baker (https://is.gd/Ezcvfw) signed the bill into law in 2016 extending commonsense, nondiscrimination protections to transgender people and visitors to the state. Although the Bay State law already prohibited discrimination against transgender people in housing and employment, the new 2016 law extended these same crucial protections to public accommodations, such as access to restaurants and malls, among others.

The Rainbow Times discussed #Hike4Rights with the pair to get the details of the initiative.

The Rainbow Times: How exactly did

this hike come about?

Mason Dunn [Pronouns: He/Him/His]: Ev and I have been backpacking together now for a couple years, and we’ve also been doing trans advocacy for a couple years as colleagues, with myself at MTPC and Ev at MaeBright. It kind of came about naturally, thinking about the [transgender public accommodations] bill, and then moving into this ballot initiative work. We really wanted to do something that would merge our passions for the outdoors and public accommodations and trans advocacy.

Q: Why is #Hike4Rights important to you?

Ev Evnen [Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs]: For me, as a trans person, woods are one of the places where I feel I can be away from a society that isn’t always the nicest to trans people. In the woods, I can be me. Although my safety as a white masculine trans person is very rarely at risk, if my safety were at risk, the woods would be one of the places I would go.

MD: I echo that. The woods, the outdoors, are all safe places for me, and they were when I was a child, growing up in a world where I was not seen as my authentic self.

The only place I felt authentic was in the outdoors. And as a white masculine trans person as well, this is a space I was lucky to have access to in my youth … people don’t always have that same opportunity, so I recognize the privilege [in that].

Q: How specifically will this ballot affect the transgender community, legally?

MD: I’ll jump in as the lawyer here. This ballot initiative … was initiated by the opposition to transgender rights, and they want to roll back the protections we won through the [state] Legislature in 2016. If we lose those rights and accommodations, it means that we have no legal recourse, should we experience discrimination in [public] places.

See #Hike4Rights on Page 23

August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

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Maine Governor Paul LePage vetoes landmark conversion therapy ban legislation By: Nicole Collins/TRT Intern

LGBTQ YOUTH

MAINE—Last month, Maine Governor Paul LePage vetoed landmark legislation that would have eliminated controversial conversion therapy practices aimed at LGBTQ youth in the state.

The bill, LD 912, or, “An Act to Classify the Scope of Practice of Certain Licensed Professionals Regarding Conversion Therapy,” would ban mental health professionals licensed by the state from practicing this form of therapy on minors.

“The bill is good public policy,” said Mary Bonauto, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (https://www.glad.org). “[And] the accurate interpretation of the bill is that the State does not have to license harmful practices and should not do so.

Parents can teach the value they wish at home, but parental rights and belief do not extend so far as to force the state to allow state-licensed counselors to provide something that we know is harmful and ineffective.”

As defined by the bill (https://bit.ly/2v6w3DR), conversion therapy is any practice or treatment that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, any effort to change gender expression or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals

Maine Governor Paul LePage

of the same gender.”

It was sponsored by Republican Senator

Because the right to make our own end-of-life decisions matters.

PHOTO: LEPAGE’S FB PAGE

Roger Katz (R-Maine) of Augusta, the state capital.

Maine followed several other states—including Illinois and Vermont, both of which have already passed legislation banning the practice—in questioning the legitimacy of conversion therapy. More recently, Delaware Governor John Carney signed legislation restricting the practice’s use on LGBTQ minors.

The practice is still exceedingly prevalent within the LGBTQ community in the United States.

In a report (https://bit.ly/2LMycvz) published by the Williams Institute (https://bit.ly/2sm9Y2Q) at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, it is estimated that “698,000 LGBT adults (ages 18–59) in the U.S. have received conversion therapy, including about 350,000 LGBT adults who received treatment as adolescents.”

The Veto In LePage’s veto message (https://bit.ly/2LIE8t7), he called LD 912 “bad public policy,” claiming it “attempts to regulate professionals who already have a defined scope of practice and standard of care.” The governor later stated his opposition to youth being physically or mentally abused, but that the bill’s phrasing (“any practice or course of treatment”) is too ambiguous and could create difficult and confusing situations.

“I also have grave concerns that LD 912 can be interpreted as a threat to an individual’s religious liberty,” LePage said. “Parents have the right to seek counsel and treatment for their children from professionals who do not oppose the parents’ own religious beliefs.”

With regards to claims of conversion therapy being used widely by mental health professionals, the governor stated, “no evidence has been presented during the many public meetings on this subject that indicates conversion therapy is being used by anyone, including licensed professionals, in the State of Maine … [W]hat we are really trying to regulate are the private, consultative conversations between a licensed provider and a client.”

LePage noted that a bill he sponsored, LD 1904—a bill that sought to ban female genital mutilation (https://tinyurl.com/8xoorlm) in Maine was apparently not supported by the same people that support LD 912. He called this a “disgusting double-standard” and claimed that “cowardice is bowing to political correctness and voting against LD 1904 … I believe we should apply consistent standards when passing legislation to protect our vulnerable young people.”

LGBTQ advocates disagree with most of his points.

“I worked with the bill sponsor and others to craft the language for the bill to be specific as to what is forbidden, to provide appropriate exemptions for religious clergy, and to ensure compliance with the constitution,” Bonauto said. “The Governor’s veto message misses the mark on each point raised. [C]onversion therapy is occurring in Maine, and … therapists [have] submitted written testimony about the impact of the bill on their practices.”

Indeed, four professionals—three licensed mental health providers and one school headmaster—submitted testimony in support of LD 912 outlining that very topic.

LePage has previously s been criticized (https://bit.ly/2Oha5ab) for being “extreme conservative.” For example, in the state’s 2013 budget, the governor cut (https://bit.ly/2uPhCor) $400,000 from a Maine affiliate of Planned Parenthood (https://bit.ly/1WEG9mm).

The key players The initiative to pass the bill was spearheaded by GLAD, Maine’s Human Rights Campaign (HRC; https://bit.ly/2JWCE9k), EqualityMaine (https://bit.ly/2LRgpXo), and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR; https://bit.ly/2M1n5PQ).

“Governor LePage’s shameful decision to veto this life-saving legislation leaves Maine’s LGBTQ youth at risk of being subjected to a practice that amounts to nothing less than child abuse,” said Marty Rouse, HRC national field director. “These crucial protections are supported by a bipartisan majority, and have been signed into law in a growing number of other states by both Democratic and Republican governors—including by the Republican governor in neighboring New Hampshire.”

The ACLU of Maine (https://bit.ly/2JVS4e7) also had a supportive role in the initiative. “[We were] happy to work with the bill’s sponsors and supporters to help ensure it didn’t run afoul of protections on free ...

See LGBTQ Youth on Page 20

August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

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August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective celebrates 35th anniversary By: Nicole Collins/TRT Intern

This November, the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective (HGLHC; https://bit.ly/2mPVBkZ) is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

Located in Broad St., near Trinity College in Hartford, CT, the Collective was founded on November 20, 1983, and has since served the city’s LGBTQ community by supplying medical care and working to increase access to other resources.

People are attracted to the organization, “because they figure we know what we’re doing,” said Director Laura Estebrook.

“And … word has gotten out that you can come to us and we’re not going to judge you in any way in terms of behaviors, for example.”

The Collective primarily serves the Hartford area, but it also sees clients from other places, Estebrook later said. “People come from New Haven, Bridgeport, eastern, western and northern Connecticut,” she continued.

While the organization doesn’t offer mental health services, they make sure to refer clients to known LGBTQ-friendly clinics and doctors.

In addition to offering services to members of the Hartford community and beyond, the Collective has also assisted other organizations in the area.

“The Collective really helped [us] get [our] start,” said Robin McHaelen, executive director of True Colors (https://bit.ly/2uLMfLA), a Hartford-based

organization advocating for the rights of LGBTQ youth. “We’re 25 years old, and they’re 35 years old—when we first started, we [weren’t] incorporated and we didn’t have a 501(c)(3), and so they agreed to be our … parent organization, if you will … while we were getting on our feet. They really helped us get going as an agency.”

The Collective, “represents an ideal in nondiscriminatory health services across New England,” said Justin Zukowski, a client of the organization and the secretary of their board of directors. He discovered the Collective at the 2016 Hartford Pride Festival, after moving across the country.

“I’ve stuck around,” he said, “to help further a mission 35 years in the making, one that Linda and the team have come to advance so flawlessly thus far.” “[W]ord has gotten out that you can come to us and we’re not going to judge you … ” In many ways, the Collective became popular within the LGBTQ community via word-of-mouth.

Estebrook highlighted that the Collective does not bill insurance companies to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. They do charge a service fee, but they do not turn patients away for being unable to pay it.

“We’re a welcoming place for people where they can be themselves,” Estebrook continued.

She shared an anecdote in which a woman came for one of her routine mam-

HGLHC staff at an October 2017 fundraiser

mograms with the Collective and found out she had breast cancer. Estebrook stated that the woman claimed to be too afraid to go to other non-LGBTQ-friendly clinics for fear of having to defend and explain her sexual orientation.

And, the woman’s fear was not unwarranted. Medical discrimination against the LGBTQ community is highly prevalent.

For example, in January, the Trump Administration announced (https://bit.ly/2LmlffZ) the new “Conscience and Religious Freedom Division” unit of the Health & Human Services Department. The unit’s purpose is to protect religious freedom in the enforcement of laws and regulations. It has often been referred to by LGBTQ rights groups as a means of ensuring the denial of goods and services to LGBTQ people.

Another important aspect of the Collective is its education and outreach initiative.

“Sexual health is very important, even though many people don’t like to talk about it,” said Dan Lupacchino, a client of the organization. “Having gone through various health classes in school systems and health centers, there was a major [lack of] LGBTQ-focused education … [on] sex, sexual health and wellness in general. Having a place [where] I have been able to seek [both] support, answers to difficult ques-

PHOTO: HARTFORD GAY & LESBIAN HEALTH COLLECTIVE

tions and a team of people really dedicated to creating [a] safe environment … as a gay man has been invaluable.”

“We have evolved to meet community needs … ” Though quickly approaching its 35th birthday, the Collective continues to build on itself and improve as if a brand new organization.

“We have evolved to meet community needs, continually adapting to changing circumstances,” Estebrook said in a statement issued to The Rainbow Times. “Our consistent availability and quality of service makes us a mainstay for people looking for connection to community.”

“One example of that,” Zukowski elaborated, “would be [the] summertime Queer Prom… [The] recognition of the need in the community was realized into a safe place for local youth to enjoy themselves, evolving over the coming years to account for a tangential demand from attendees across the state.”

The Collective also helps unite the Hartford community by putting on one major event a year that helps bring LGBTQ Hartford citizens together.

“For our 20th anniversary, we wanted to

See HGLHC on Page 19

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Creep of the Week: Trump voters who are now remorseful, asking for forgiveness By: D'Anne Witkowski */Special to TRT

The other day I heard a self-proclaimed democrat who voted for Trump say he didn’t like Hillary.

“Bernie would have won. We told them we wanted Bernie,” he said, referring to Sanders winning the primary election in Michigan. “But they didn’t listen to us.”

He didn’t exactly admit that voting for Trump was a mistake, but he did acknowledge that Trump was not a good president.

He was also (spoiler alert!) a straight white guy.

While listening to this man talk I thought I was going to grind my teeth into powder.

This was just a few hours before Trump was to announce his U.S. Supreme Court pick. Something I felt literally sick over.

You see, the Supreme Court is pretty important to me. In June, 2015, I was sitting in a chemo ward getting poisoned pumped into my body as part of my treatment for breast cancer. I was more miserable than I’d ever been, and not just because I was bald, bloated and nauseous.

The clock was ticking. Not on my life so much, as treatment—though hellacious— was going well and I had a good prognosis.

But my insurance was running out. Aug. 31 would be my last day with insurance and I was only half way done with treatment. I was terrified that saving my life would bankrupt my family.

Before the Supreme Court in June 2015 were two cases over issues that would decide my fate: marriage equality and the Af-

fordable Care Act. See, I was legally married to my wife. We had a legal document from California as proof. But that wasn’t recognized in Michigan. And so my wife’s health insurance, far better than mine, was out of reach. So I’d planned to buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Yet the court’s ruling could’ve effectively dismantled the ACA. And the court’s ruling on marriage equality could’ve effectively rendered me permanently without a legal spouse.

So when the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA was safe (for that time being), I was relieved. And when they ruled that yes, my marriage was real and Michigan damn well better recognize it, I was, well, I was very sick, so it was hard to feel especially celebratory, but I did feel like a huge weight had been lifted off of me and my family.

The next day my wife called her HR person to add me to her insurance. I was expecting a fight. They just said, “Okay, can you spell her name?” We then went to our lawyer to have papers drawn up to make me, finally, the legal parent to my son. It was literally life-changing.

So to all of the people who voted for Trump because they “just didn’t like Clinton,” I cannot forgive you. You put America’s most vulnerable populations in peril because you didn’t like a lady’s laugh.

You didn’t have to vote for Clinton. You could’ve voted for the Supreme Court. You

Pres. Donald Trump PHOTO: GAGE SKIDMORE

could’ve voted against the candidate endorsed by Nazis. You could have voted against the candidate that bragged about sexually assaulting women. You could have even voted for no one!

The problem is, of course, that Mr. “Bernie would’ve won” didn’t have a lot at

stake when casting his vote. Being white, male and heterosexual is pretty much a superpower in America. Very little hurts you.

This superpower is even stronger in men with money.

Under Trump, every day’s a new nightmare for minorities and women (and, yes, I know that white women also went for Trump; whiteness is a hell of a drug). His administration has attacked (and this is a partial list) transgender people, the sick, immigrants, asylum seekers, black people, Mexicans, women, the disabled, the press, lesbians and gays and anyone who doesn’t look like Stephen Miller.

If you voted for this and you’re happy about what’s happening, well, congratulations. Enjoy it, I guess. I hope it filled the void in you where empathy is supposed to be.

And if you voted for this and you’re not happy about it? You have a lot of work to do! But it will first take the ability to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I did a selfish and shortsighted thing and I am personally responsible for hurting lots of people.” Which isn’t an easy task. It’ll suck, but not as badly as having your civil rights stripped from you sucks.

As they say, actions speak louder than words. Volunteer for a democrat’s campaign (because under Trump Republicans

IF YOU VOTED FOR THIS AND YOU’RE HAPPY ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING, WELL, CONGRATULATIONS. ENJOY IT, I GUESS. I HOPE IT FILLED THE VOID IN YOU WHERE EMPATHY IS SUPPOSED TO BE. have proven to all be trash). Donate money to progressive causes that help people being hurt by Trump’s policies.

Don’t you dare ask me or anyone else who wakes up every day terrified by the erosion of our rights and our democracy for forgiveness. The road to redemption is long. And no, we will not give you a ride.

You walk and think about what you did. *D'Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

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Olympian-activist Gus Kenworthy’s next chapter, aspirations, being a ‘bad gay’

N

obody reminds silver Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy that he was in Sharknado 5, and it’s hard to tell how that makes him feel after I casually drop that nugget of info as you do if you’ve studied his IMDB page. “Global Swarming,” I say, naming the film’s subtitle. He laughs big. “Never before has anyone said that to me.”

It’s 9 a.m. when Kenworthy calls, and he’s either in serious-guy interview mode, a low-key (or sleepy?) version of his perky Instagram self—or he just rolled out of the air mattress he’s been snoozing on since recently moving to Los Angeles. If you’re an aspiring actor like Kenworthy, this is where you aspire. This is where Kenworthy will spend time writing his latest and greatest chapter, maybe host a game show or a talk show. (Whatever he does, let there be dogs, because Kenworthy loves dogs.) And he’s in the right place with the right man, his actor-boyfriend of three years, Matthew Wilkas. So, why not?

Before pursuing acting, Kenworthy gained global notoriety after taking silver in men's slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. But after the 26-yearold British-born freestyle skier came out as gay the following year in an interview with ESPN, he was recognized as an LGBTQ trailblazer for being one of only a few athletes to do so. This year, Wilkas and Kenworthy expressed their unabashed affection

for each other during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, when their televised kiss before his qualifying run in the men's slopestyle became, like his triumphant sports career itself, a notable moment of visibility for LGBTQ athletes.

Q: I spotted you in Detroit recently during a Stars on Ice performance, when you shot your interview with fellow Olympian and your good friend Adam Rippon, for Nightline. At the end of the show, fans swarmed you. Are you used to being recognized in public?

A: Yes and no. It stills seems strange, but I’ve gotten used to it. I got a little bit of recognition prior to the Olympics four years ago from skiing. And then when I came out, I feel like my platform definitely changed and grew, and it took a different shape in terms of the people who would approach me. It’s sort of been a slow grow, not completely overnight. It must be much more insane for Adam, because heading into this Games, he hadn’t been to another Games and his platform wasn’t super huge and now it’s insane. He had more growth than any other Olympian at the Games.

That’s very much night and day.

short exchange. Sometimes it’s more earnest, but often it’s not. And it definitely does happen a lot at gay bars.

PHOTO: ECALEB YOUNG

By: Chris Azzopardi/Special to TRT

Q: What’s a not-earnest exchange like?

A: I think one type of interaction is like (models a fangirling vocal affect), “Oh my god! I love your Instagram! Can I take a photo?” And then like, “I saw you in the Olympics; can I have a photo?” Or another one: “Hey, just wanted to say thank you so much for coming out and for using your platform.” It’s just really, really, really sweet. It means a lot to me.

Gus Kensworthy

Q: How do the conversations you have with fans change depending on if you’re at, say, a ski shop versus a gay bar?

A: At a ski shop it’s often like, “Oh, what’s up man? Where do you ski?” It’s pretty sur-

face. Who comes up to me most are other gay guys and usually they’re really, really sweet and they say something really nice.

And they’ll want a photo; it’s kind of a

Q: Where are you at now with your sexuality compared to when you first came out?

A: I’m in a way better place in my life.

Right after, I won the silver medal I was not out. I was in a low point in my life too because it was sort of a time where I wanted to be out; I didn’t think it was a reality. Suddenly, I did have this elevated platform from the Olympics and the dogs (Kenworthy rescued a mother dog and her four puppies at the Winter Olympics in Sochi), and it sort of made me feel uncomfortable because I wasn’t being my true self. I just felt fake and had a boyfriend in the closet at the time. I wasn’t sharing him with my world, and vice versa, and I think that took a toll. So, I wasn’t in the best Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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The July 21 LGBT Veterans Town Hall PHOTO: BOSTON OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

City of Boston ramps up support, services for LGBTQ veterans By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor

He was nervous, agitated, and looked shaken as he stood at the front of the room.

He never gave his name, but introduced himself to the audience of more than a dozen people by rattling off the exact amount of time he served in the U.S. Navy: nine years, 10 months, and 24 days.

Out of all the speakers that evening, he was only one who chose not to stand behind the podium; he also declined to use the microphone, instead choosing to speak to the room in a deep, booming voice with a thick Massachusetts accent. With saltand-pepper hair, a confident gait, and a shy smile, he anxiously related his story of being gay in the Navy. “[It] was a lot of work, I learned a lot,” he said. “At that time, I was trying to be straight. I joined the Navy because the Navy was going to make me a man, it was going to make me straight.”

He’d gone through two engagements with women, and after the second one ended, his mother called him and asked if he was gay.

“I’m like, ‘Well, I guess I am,’” he recalled admitting to himself, but not his mother.

He met his first boyfriend after that.

“I was in love with him, he was in love with the fact that he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it,” the anonymous man shared. “I couldn’t really talk about the problems I was having with him with anybody because I was gay, he was a guy. This shouldn’t have been happening.”

The relationship devolved into one of emotional blackmail, according to the veteran. The abusive boyfriend, when the relationship turned sour, would threaten to out him to his family.

The relationship ended when he was stationed in San Diego, but he identified his colleagues in the Navy as “shipmates,” not friends.

“I had nobody to talk to. Did I know there were other gay guys on my ship, yes … but

I completely avoided them. I wanted nothing to do with them. I wouldn’t even walk on the same side of the street with them. I didn’t want to be associated with being gay because I didn’t want to get kicked out.”

Eventually, he left the military, but not of his own choosing.

“I served nine years, 10 months, and 24 days and I was honorably discharged, but I left the service without my honor,” he said.

Two weeks before he was to reenlist, his secret was exposed. Being single and a low-ranking officer, he slept in a bunk on the ship he served on. A fellow sailor found a photo of him and a former boyfriend tucked away in his bunk bed.

“I suggest you don’t re-enlist, because I have a photograph of you and another guy in your underwear and you guys are hugging each other,” the sailor said to the vet.

“This is good therapy because it allows me to start being who I am,” he said at the end of his speech.

A round of applause followed.

“In those days, the witch hunts were real.”

On the evening of Friday, July 20, the City of Boston held an LGBTQ Veterans Town Hall at District Hall in South Boston.

The event was an opportunity to allow LGBTQ veterans to speak about their lived experience and also provided the City an opportunity to collect data on how best to serve this specific population.

“Every time we have one of these, it’s been amazing to hear the stories that come from them,” said Giselle Sterling, commissioner of Veterans Services for the City of Boston. “We want to do right by what we heard. It went really well. The respect we were going for was in the room.”

From February 28, 1994 to September 20, 2011, the United States government enforced Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT; https://bit.ly/2Kdt9b7), a policy that explicitly banned openly-LGBTQ people from serving in the armed forces. Prior to the ...

See Veterans on Page 19

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10 Horrible Things the Trump-Pence Administration Has Done Since the Transgender Troop Tweet* One year ago today, Trump tweeted transgender people had no place in our military. His actions lacked support from military personnel, studies about military preparedness, and the public. Despite that, he has advanced a full-on assault against LGBTQ people’s rights and freedoms.

Here are 10 anti-LGBTQ actions this administration has taken since Trump’s tweet one year ago: 1. Trump announced “Deploy or Get Out” rule that could remove HIV+ military personnel from service.

Newsweek: “How Trump’s ‘Deploy or Get Out’ Policy Could See People With HIV Kicked Out of Military For No Reason” 2. Trump required future military recruits to display “no signs of gender dysphoria for 36 months.”

Military.com: “New Trump Transgender Military Policy Bars Those With Gender Dysphoria” 3. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

Wall Street Journal: “Trump Administration Backs Baker Who Refused to Make Wedding Cake for Gay Couple.”

4. The Department of Health and Human Services announced rules allowing health care providers to discriminate against LGBTQ people on the basis of “moral objection.”

CNBC: “Feds To Create HHS Unit To Protect Health Workers Objecting To Doing Abortions, Treating Transgender people.”

5. Betsy DeVos and her Department of Education refused to protect transgender students from bullying and harassment.

BuzzFeed News: “The Education Department Officially Says It Will Reject Transgender Student Bathroom Complaints” 6. The Bureau of Prisons eliminated Obama-era policy protecting transgender prisoners.

NBC News:The revised Transgender Offender Manual now mandates officials “use biological sex as the initial determination” for trans inmate placement decisions.

7. The Department of Justice reversed federal policy and stated that Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimina-

This November in Massachusetts VOTE Yes on 3, to uphold Transgender Protections.

tion “does not encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se, including transgender status” BuzzFeed News: “Jeff Sessions Just Reversed A Policy That Protects Transgender Workers From Discrimination.”

8. Department of Justice argued in court that employers have the right to fire employees based on their sexual orientation.

Vice News: “The Trump Administration Wants Being Gay To Be A Fireable Offense” 9. Trump created inhospitable work environments for LGBTQ federal employees.

Politico: “[Anti-LGBTQ Trump appointees have] “fostered a climate where six staffers who are LGBT described removing their wedding rings before coming to work in the morning, taking down photos of their partners and families or ultimately finding new jobs further away from certain political appointees.”

10. The Trump White House refused to acknowledge Pride Month for the 2nd year in a row.

NBC News: “President Trump Misses LGBTQ Pride Month — Again” *DNC Press

This November, VOTE YES ON 3, to uphold dignity and respect for our transgender neighbors

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SCOTUS from Page 3 to access an abortion, the Affordable Care Act, the environment, the Second Amendment, and the concept of executive privilege, an often-contested legal theory that the president may withhold certain privileged information from Congress and the judiciary, even when faced with a subpoena.

“We are very concerned about Kavanaugh’s views on executive power,” said Sabrina Santiago, co-executive director of The Network/La Red (TNLR; https://bit.ly/2OfVufl), a social justice organization specifically serving and advocating for survivors of partner abuse in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, sadomasochism, polyamorous, and queer communities.

“He suggested in 2009 (https://nbcnews.to/2L69nun) that presidents should be immune from criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as personal civil suits, until after leaving office,” she continued. “This is very concerning to us in light of the executive orders issued by Trump regarding travel bans, transgender soldiers in the military, religious freedom, The Dakota Access Pipeline, to name but a few.”

His record on reproductive rights has also caused concerns amongst advocates.

In 2017, Kavanaugh voted to block a lower court’s ruling that would have allowed an immigrant minor to have an abortion. Though the minor was ultimately allowed to have the procedure, Kavanaugh wrote a dissent claiming the ruling would create, “a new right for unlawful immigrant minors in U.S. government detention to obtain immediate abortion on demand” (https://wapo.st/2OacDac).

“Confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh will absolutely tip the balance of the court against the constitutional right to access abortion, and the right to be free from discrimination,” said Childs-Roshak in an interview with The Rainbow Times. “Any ruling overturning Roe v. Wade doesn’t change the fact that the Massachusetts Constitution protects the right to safe, legal abortion, but a person’s right to make their own decisions about abortion shouldn’t depend on where they live.”

Rights at Risk GLAD attorneys noted that a Kavanaugh confirmation to the Supreme Court could

“IS CAKE-BAKING FOR THE PUBLIC A RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY? IS SELLING WEDDING FLOWERS TO THE PUBLIC? HARDLY, AND YET HAVE WE SEEN THE COURTS MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE RECENT MASTERPIECE CAKESHOP CASE.” —DEBORAH SHIELDS, ED, MASSEQUALITY also impact other groups outside of women and LGBTQ people.

“Beyond specific LGBTQ rights issues, many other issues of concern to our communities, from immigration rights and the rights of asylum seekers, to access to health care … voting rights, climate issues, questions of corporate and executive power and more—will likely all come before the Court.”

U.S. Congressman Ed Markey spoke at July 16 press conference with PPLM and voiced his own concerns with Kavanaugh’s nomination.

“This is a critical moment for our country … so I am going to fight this nominee every step of the way and I ask every American [to] join me in this fight,” said Markey at the event. “This is a fight for health, for equality, for dignity. It is a fight for the ages and we must win. We need all Americans to organize, to march and raise their voices to say that Judge Kavanaugh does not represent the values we need on the Supreme Court.”

Santiago echoed the concerns of Markey and the GLAD attorneys.

“We are concerned about how often Kavanaugh has been compared to conservative justices such as Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy and what this will mean for gay marriage, transgender student rights, and so many issues that the Trump Administration has focused on,” she said.

Looking Ahead

What lies ahead for national LGBTQ rights if Kavanaugh is confirmed?

“We can expect many more cases that broaden religious and ‘moral’ exemptions from anti-discrimination laws even when adherents are not engaged in religious activities,” said Deborah Shields, JD, MPH, executive director of MassEquality (https://bit.ly/2uZM7rS), a Boston-based LGBTQ rights advocacy organization. “Is cake-baking for the public a religious activity? Is selling wedding flowers to the public? Hardly, and yet have we seen the courts moving in that direction, especially in the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop case (https://bit.ly/2JfUZPt).

“What can we do? I think we need to make sure that LGBTQ people use their voices and get out to vote, support progressive candidates, donate to progressive or-

ganizations, protest at rallies, send petitions, and support our statebased equality organizations.”

Santiago said that a confirmation will not change TNLR’s dedication and service to its clients.

“At the moment we will continue doing what we always do,” she said. “We will make a space for survivors from the LGBQ/T communities to talk about their experiences of both abuse from a partner and the many barriers they face when trying to get protection from the police or courts. We will be a place where survivors can get support around not only being survivors of abuse, but also their experiences as immigrants, people of color, folks living with disabilities, folks living with HIV/AIDS, folks who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, and religious minorities. We will also continue to collaborate with other community organizations and leaders at the state and national level as a strategy becomes clear about how to address these concerns.”

GLAD warns that now more than ever, LGBTQ people need to be vigilant when it comes to their rights.

“We are all acutely aware that this time marks a new political and civic moment in our nation’s history and a dramatic shift in our federal courts,” the attorneys said.

“None of us can take for granted the full measure of protections we have secured while powerful forces are working mightily to unsettle even long-standing legal precedent. GLAD will continue fighting against the determined minority of people who seek to reverse equality and civil rights in every branch of government and alongside the majority of Americans who stand with us.”

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8 tips for dealing with social media stress and sadness, the right way Fenway Health on passage of bill requiring LGBT Elderly Awareness Training for providers PHOTO: TRT/FARA WOLFSON

By: Mikey Rox*/Special to TRT

W

THE FRIVOLIST

hen social networks first gained popularity—back in the days of AOL chat rooms—it was exciting, fun, and a generally positive experience. For LGBT people like us, it existed as an outlet where we could be ourselves without fear of discovery and ridicule from the outside world. But as time has trudged on, social media has evolved into a dark and depressing vortex of negativity—mostly attributed to our outrageous political climate—which, if you’re not careful, can suck the life right out of you.

It’s hard to quit social media altogether—I’ve tried myself and failed—but if you’re experiencing a sense of sadness and despair as a result of your time spent on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, it may be time to reevaluate your priorities and implement ways you can make the experience and your overall life better. Here are eight ways how.

1. Maintain a balance between online life and real life Spending too much time on any one thing is not a good thing, especially if it’s causing unnecessary stress and anxiety. You wouldn’t actively throw yourself into a lion’s den of radical political foes in real life, so why put yourself through that online? Certainly there’s the appeal of being able to voice your opinion without much consequence— we’ve all been keyboard warriors at some point—but what good has it done? Has anyone changed their mind based on what you’ve commented? Chances are slim, and all you got from it was a headache. Thus, the first way to take back your life from the stronghold of social media is to maintain a balance, or tip the scales even. If you’re spending a lot of time online, power off and seek out the positive real-life relationships you have and plan activities you enjoy doing.

2. Quit a platform or two If the idea of quitting social media completely causes anxiety, there’s a compromise: Get rid of one or two platforms that

you can live without. For me, it’s hard to quit Facebook because I use it for business and I like the convenience of having it attached to other app-based accounts that allow me to log in effortlessly using Facebook (really one of the more brilliant moves that Facebook made to keep us from straying), but I can live without Twitter because I don’t see the point of it anyway. I look forward to the day that I don’t have a business that requires social-media (which may never come, sure), so I can deactivate Facebook, never to be heard from on that platform again. A boy can dream, at least.

3. Stop the comparisons to the social media ‘highlight reel’ One of the major contributors to social media sadness, which is a legitimate disorder (https://is.gd/zzfpP1), is comparing your life to the ‘highlight reel’ of others you follow. You may be part of that façade yourself; I know I am. We purposely push the great content out there—the beautiful restaurants we eat in, the luxurious places we go, the expensive clothing we wear— because we want to elicit the envy of our friends, family, and perfect strangers, whether we’ll admit it or not. And then we look at other people’s feeds and judge our own success, happiness, wellbeing, and wealth by those fantasies.

Not healthy, says Dr. Judi Cinéas, a psychotherapist practicing in New York and Florida.

“People follow a lot of things online that create an illusion of reality that they try to emulate,” she explains. “When their lives fail to follow that path it can cause some dissatisfaction. Instead, follow things that are more in line with your life and the goals that you are working towards. Seek out things that inspire and motivate you to pursue your own goals. Social media houses enough content to build you up and tear you down in the same split second. It’s up to you to determine what you allow.”

4. Limit your social media use and remove the temptations Cut back on the time you spend endlessly scrolling Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

BOSTON—Last week, the Massachusetts Legislature passed “An Act Relative to LGBT Awareness Training for Aging Services Providers,” which will require the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) to develop a training program for providers of elder services on how to prevent discrimination against older adults based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression and on how to improve access to services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elders and caregivers.

The law also requires all providers of aging services who contract with or receive funding from MassHealth’s office of long-term care or EOEA, or whose services are certified by EOEA, to complete the training program.

In passing the law, Massachusetts becomes the only state in the country to require that all state-funded or licensed providers of services to older adults complete training in how to provide meaningful care to LGBT older adults and ensure that LGBT older adults can access services.

California has a similar law, but training is limited only to those working in the field of long-term care.

“It’s impossible to overstate what this is going to mean for LGBT older adults in Massachusetts,” said Lisa Krinsky,

LICSW, director of the LGBT Aging Project, which is a program of Fenway Health.

“LGBT people are significantly more likely to age alone without a spouse or partner or children to support them. They are more reliant on formal caregivers such as home health workers and visiting nurses or assisted living communities. They have valid fears about experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression and some even feel the need to go back into the closet.”

LGBT older adults are much more likely than the general population to experience disability and physical and mental illness while they age. They are more reliant than the general population on services such as senior housing, transportation, support groups, legal services, and assistance from caregivers with their activities of daily living. Yet older LGBT adults also report widespread experience with discrimination by caregivers and service providers that range from refusing to provide care to physical abuse and harassment.

“It is so important to have the state’s official recognition of this problem and a clear directive to come up with solutions,” Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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Feminizing hormones and what happens when you take them By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT Columnist

I

TRANS OPINION

f you are a trans person, you might opt to take hormones to get yourself to a place where you might feel more comfortable with your gender identity. I have been taking hormones to feminize myself for more than 11 years, and I have noticed some differences since I started taking hormones. I must tell you that these differences may or may be noticed by other people who have also taken feminizing hormones. Nobody is the same. Results can and do vary.

I’ve noticed that my skin is softer and my face has been feminized to a certain degree. My fingernails, which were once strong, are now soft and break easily. I’ve also noticed that my body hair has changed drastically. Before I began taking hormones, I had armpit hair, chest hair and I was beginning to get stray hairs popping up in places like my upper arms and my back.

Since taking hormones, my body hair has just about vanished. I only shaved my armpits, my chest, and the stray pop up hairs a few times before those hairs stopped growing. I no longer shave these areas. I still have leg hair, but I only shave a couple

of times a year because the hair that I do have is very soft, fine, and can’t be seen unless you inspect closely. My facial hair is no longer coarse, but it still grows like my leg hair in the respect that it is now soft and fine. You can see some hair in a certain

gens attack testosterone genitally, while others attack the "free testosterone," which is testosterone that has been released by different organs and now roams free in the body. Since testosterone is the main component of sex drive, and anti-androgens at-

SINCE I STARTED HORMONES FOOD TASTES EVEN BETTER TO ME NOW AND I HAVE GAINED WEIGHT SINCE MY HORMONE REGIMEN INCEPTION. light.

My appetite for food has certainly increased. Since I started hormones food tastes even better to me now and I have gained weight since my hormone regimen inception.

My breast tissue has seen a lot of growth.

My sex drive has decreased with hormones. The de-masculinizing hormones, the anti-androgens, attack testosterone, which fuels the sex drive. Some anti-andro-

tack and suppress it, the sex drive decimates. My orgasm intensities now are only a fraction of what they were before I began taking hormones.

While my sex drive has been decimated, I find that touch during intimacy now gives me intense tingling sensations of pleasure throughout my body, which I hadn’t had before taking hormones. The intense sensations, at times, make me feel like my body is floating. I can’t reach climax from

the sensations, but it feels wonderful.

I’ve also noticed that I may cry much more easily with hormones. Sometimes, I cry even though there is nothing sad or anything wrong. Sometimes I cry because I am happy, or I see a cute picture of a kitten or a human baby.

When I am out in public, I find myself always looking around and checking out people, animals, and things for possible threats. I never did this before I took hormones, but now I am constantly on guard.

Sudden noises or movements now scare me. I remember when I was at work and my co-worker would come into my cube to talk to me and I would be so involved in my work that I didn’t notice her. When she called my name I would suddenly jump and sometimes make a little exclamation of surprise. When I’m driving, sudden noises and movements also scare me. I figure that may be the hormones working to protect me, warning me of possible danger.

The last thing I’ve noticed with taking hormones is that I now have a wonderful feeling of peace.

As I stated earlier, not all people who take feminizing hormones may notice these changes and effects, but I personally have noticed them. *Deja Nicole Greenlaw is retired from 3M and has 3 children and two grandchildren.

She can be contacted via e-mail here: dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.

Ask a Trans Woman: Answering transgender questions from around the world what it’s like to be treated as both male and ne of the more female, and indeed also as “other” in my NO, I AM OCCASIONALLY DYSPHORIC BECAUSE I i n t e r e s t i n g own society. I did not truly identify as male parts about before I transitioned, but I presented myself writing this column, and that way, and that was how I was treated.

Honestly, I could probably write an entire MIGHT HAVE BEEN CALLED, “SIR” TOO MANY TIMES my life generally, is that sometimes I’ll check my book about the differences. But suffice it to e-mail, or one of my so- say, I feel quite lucky, as a trans person, and cial media feeds, and as a woman who is always curious about IN A DAY. I AM DYSPHORIC BECAUSE I HAVE TO find a message from a the world and the people in it, to have these random person in some perspectives. very elsewhere part of the world. SomeSTRUGGLE SIMPLY TO BE TREATED, AND ACCEPTED, AS times they are quite complimentary, admi- “What are some of the struggles you have ration from afar. Other times, they are faced being a transgender female in this terribly heart-wrenching; trans people in society?”

ANY OTHER WOMAN, AS THE WOMAN I AM. Ah, well, to begin with, though where I bad situations. Occasionally, they are just PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN

By: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT Columnist

O

curious, reaching out for a better understanding.

As I was sitting in my favorite local bar with a friend one evening, I received one of the last sort. A very polite message from a girl in New Delhi, India with a list of questions for a class writing project.

She had apparently come across a fairly recent column of mine where I discussed questions I like to be asked and others that I prefer not to be (https://bit.ly/2uTU4hG).

I thought it might be useful to answer her questions here, to share with you lovely folks.

“What’s great about being trans?”

I discussed some aspects of this in my recent column, but it is what I most like to be asked, so I definitely have more to say. One major thing I think is absolutely great about being trans is that it has afforded me the opportunity to know, and really experience,

live is probably somewhat safer and less discriminatory than many other places in the world, it’s still not a picnic. Indeed, I have often said that most of the difficulties I face being a trans woman have less to do with actually being trans and more to do with how the world around me treats trans people.

I am not depressed or dysphoric because I am trans, necessarily. I am sometimes depressed because people treat me poorly. I can still even be legally discriminated against in vast parts of my own country.

Many people still feel perfectly okay yelling slurs at me in public and I am often treated as,“less than.” That is often quite difficult.

Being a little depressed, in that context, is not at all a surprising side-effect. Relatedly, if I am dysphoric, it is not because I do not “feel” I am a woman. I know I am.

I know at the very core of my identity and

I am quite secure in that. No, I am occasionally dysphoric because I might have been called “sir” too many times in a day.

I am dysphoric because I have to struggle simply to be treated, and accepted, as any other woman, as the woman I am.

“How did you decide to make this decision?

This is actually a really great way to ask this. I tell a story at some greater length in another column of the “moment” in my life that made me realize I needed to transition, not just to be myself, but also to be a better artist (https://bit.ly/2O8Ivf6).

More broadly, though, I reached a point where my life was simply untenable. I could no longer keep up the facade of pretending to be a man. I was drinking quite heavily and making a lot of rather dangerous decisions. “Committing suicide by

lifestyle choices,” is how I like to sometimes describe it. In a very real sense, the man I had pretended to be was falling apart at the seams.

It was either die or transition. The “choice” was that I felt I had very little choice left in the matter.

“What is something you feel people should know and always keep in mind?”

That we are people, just like the people you know already. Trans people are brothers, sisters, friends, parents, coworkers, and neighbors. We love, we hate, we eat too much chocolate, we binge on Netflix, we go to work, we go to school, we do good things in the world and our communities, and sometimes we make poor choices about our diets and our lovers.

We do all the things you do. We are more

See T-Questions on page 23

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Veterans from page 12 policy’s implementation, however, there were strict rules in several areas of the armed forces that allowed for the dishonorable discharge of openly-LGBTQ people.

Roughly half a dozen veterans spoke of their experiences in the military, and the stories were harrowing.

“For all those years I served in diverse [positions], I served with pride, honor, and commitment, but I also served in silence of who I truly was,” said Robert Santiago, deputy commissioner of Veterans Services for the City of Boston. While in the U.S. Navy, one of Santiago’s jobs during his career in the 1980s was something that hit too close to home.

“I worked in the legal department. And part of my duties was to assist in preparing documents with evidence—or without evidence—of a sailor’s perceived homosexuality. In those days, the witch hunts were

“I didn’t come completely out until 2008,” she said. “That’s a long time. As I’ve moved on with my life, one thing that I’ve noticed is that I love helping people, which helps me.”

Jeen is an active member of the Transgender Vet2Vet group (https://bit.ly/2LlYSY1), which provides support for LGBTQ veterans.

“I must say I’m proud to work with the City of Boston’s Office of Veterans Services,” said Marty Martinez, the chief of Boston’s Health and Human Services division. “Through the leadership of Commissioner Sterling, we are engaging our veterans and their families; we are advocating for assistance in their time of need and connecting them with the services they've earned. For those veterans that have returned home, it's imperative [that] we, as a City, take a holistic approach and work to enhance the veteran community for every veteran regardless of place of origin, cir-

“I SERVED NINE YEARS, 10 MONTHS, AND 24 DAYS AND I WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED, BUT I LEFT THE SERVICE WITHOUT MY HONOR.” real,”he explained.

For seven years, three months, and 14 days, Rebecca Jeen served in the U.S. Air Force and had a unusual story of how she came to accept her identity as a transgender woman.

Stationed in England from 1975 to 1978, Jeen, who identified as male at the time, was in a store perusing dresses indiscreetly.

“That’s not your size,” Jeen recalls a woman telling her about a dress that she was eyeing.

The woman told Jeen that she knew “a few of you,” meaning men who enjoyed dressing in women’s clothing. She proceeded to invite Jeen back to her home and threw small parties with other men who enjoyed dressing in women’s clothing. Jeen would be surprised to learn that the woman was the wife of an Air Force general.

HGLHC from Page 8 do a big event,” Estebrook said.

“We wanted to have some big celebration. It’s something we’d wanted to do for years.”

After brainstorming, the Collective came up with the name “One Big Event” and began throwing a massive fundraiser party in the fall of every year.

This year, it’s on October 20 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. “‘[A]mazing’ wouldn’t even begin to cover it.”

In the near future, besides continuing to help the Hartford LGBTQ community, the

cumstance, or orientation.”

November 2017 saw the first LGBTQ veterans town hall and Martinez says that the plan is to expand upon services for marginalized veterans.

“Our goal with this event and others is to facilitate real and meaningful conversations that help strengthen the connection our veterans have with one another and to recognize that, while progress has been made in supporting our LGBT military members, there is more work to be done,” he continued. “Going forward we will have more of these town halls … We will be hosting town halls to support members in the African-American community, women veterans, Latinx veterans, and more.”

To learn more, visit the City of Boston’s Veterans Services page (https://bit.ly/2DYZ4DW).

Collective plans to get more involved with the Getting to Zero project (https://bit.ly/2LAIfHn).

“That means zero HIV infections, zero [HIV] deaths and zero stigma, because there’s still a lot of [that],” Estebrook explained.

To do that, Estebrook and the Collective hope to supply HIV-negative individuals with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) (https://bit.ly/2mEUJ2D)—a medication that keeps patients HIV-negative—and to get every HIV-positive individual into treatment.

“That would just be—‘amazing’ doesn’t begin to cover it.”

QPuzzle this Aug. 2018: Of Paramount Importance

Across 1 "The Queen of Mean" Helmsley 6 They aren't straight 10 In the sack 14 Come to mind 15 Penetrate the cracks 16 Jethrene Bodine portrayer Max 17 As a companion 18 Enjoy a bear market 19 French existentialist's word 20 1958 film of 33-Down 23 Contraction in a gay apparel carol 24 Brosnan TV role 25 Brian Epstein managed them 27 Fashionably nostalgic 30 Cook in the microwave 31 Brand name for a drag queen, perhaps 34 Minor bones to pick 36 Gets ready to shoot off 39 Nutty-fruitcake filler 40 Quinto, who is developing a biopic about 33-Down for Paramount 42 Norma, in a Field film 43 Persian Gulf port 45 "___ Lady" (crossdressers' show of old) 46 Memory unit 47 Rose fruit 49 Sometime label of Dusty Springfield 51 Evans of Bewitched 54 Two threesomes in bed?

58 The O of BYOB

59 Partner of 33-Down 62 Sib of David Six Feet Under 64 The Lion King sound 65 End of a farewell from Frida 66 Just makes, with "out" 67 "Tickle-me" doll 68 It puts people out 69 Maryland athlete 70 Sound like Harvey Fierstein 71 Growing Up Gay in the South author James

Down 1 Male deliveries?

2 Ostentatious display 3 Beginning of a carol about orgasm?

4 Hamlet told Ophelia to go there 5 Diamond design 6 The A in GLARP (abbr.)

7 Smell awful 8 Advocate cover, often 9 Baudelaire collection, "Paris ___" 10 Vigoda of sitcoms 11 1955 film of 33-Down 12 Bone-chilling 13 Drag queen's garment 21 Prudential rival 22 Smart-mouthed 26 Boxing ref's end to a buttwhipping 28 "If I Were a ___ Man"

29 Colette's The ___ One 31 Guy who cheats on his boyfriend, e.g.

32 Big Columbus sch.

33 Gay icon who died July 8, 2018 35 Merit badge site for the "morally straight" 37 Cabaret's Kit-___ Klub 38 "Got it?"

40 "Button your lip!" or "Check your fly!"

41 Erect 44 Earhart milieu 46 Windy-day toy 48 Wicks making a basket, e.g.

50 Case of the jitters 51 Contemporary of Bonheur 52 Back from dreamland 53 ___ Gay 55 Campbell of Martin 56 Penetrate 57 Peter the Great, and more 60 Tasty tubers 61 Broadway stage piece 63 Sixth sense

SOLUTION

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August 2, 2018 - September 5, 2018

No Categories from Page 2 (https://bit.ly/2NAnuJa), in which users answer true/false questions about their lives (e.g., “I have never been ostracized by my religion for my sexual orientation”) and are assigned “points of privilege,” out of 100 points, at the end.

The quiz, and the many others out there like it, incentivize and glorify living oppressed lives, making struggles seem like trading cards to be collected. Once again, it turns identity politics into a competition and it implies that some opinions and experiences are more important or valid than others.

It’s just more focusing on boxes and less on people.

Yes, it’s important to leave space for oppressed individuals and communities—but I strongly believe all viewpoints are valid and deserve to, at least, be listened to. Shutting others out due to which categories they fall into objectifies, discourages, and invalidates them. It’s much more crucial and worthwhile to learn about the people themselves before assigning labels to them or assuming they’ve had certain experiences, which, by the way, can be oppressive in itself at times.

Some within the LGBTQ community are, obviously, more privileged than others, but

Nearby Pride Events* Rochester Black Pride Aug. 8-12 https://bit.ly/2KsJNzE

Northey Street House Bed & Breakfast Inn Est. 2002

30 Northey St, Salem, MA • (978) 397-1582

Home builT for a fine cabineT maker son-in-law also lived. give THe gifT of

Aug. 9-19 https://bit.ly/2acA7s7 P-Town Carnival Aug. 11-17 https://bit.ly/2FtNGRu

Travel back inn Time and sTay in THe norTHey sTreeT House bed and breakfasT inn salem ma. an 1809 federal wHere His daugHTer and sea capTain

**Montreal Pride**

kfast! y brea t r a e H

HisTory. discover an unforgeTTable HisTorical experience.

ameniTies • consistently rated 5-stars on Tripadvisor.com • walk to waterfront, attractions, restaurants, train.

• private baths, parking, ac, deck, garden, cable Tv/dvd/vcr, hairdryers • year-round packages

commuter rail newburyport / rockport line. bus #459 from logan Terminal c

Worcester Pride Sept. 5-9 https://bit.ly/2KqzwV0 Hartford Capital City Pride Sept. 8 https://bit.ly/2qUH1NA Pride Vermont Sept. 8 https://bit.ly/2r94rfm Springfield MA Pride TBD https://tinyurl.com/yab78d4e **Sponsored Pride Celebrations where The Rainbow Times is the main media partner. Thank you Montreal Pride! ** NOTE: The Rainbow Times is not responsible for event date changes.

Please contact the organization or their website for updates to the listings prior to traveling to any of the events listed above. Happy Pride!

SHUTTING OTHERS OUT DUE TO WHICH CATEGORIES THEY FALL

INTO OBJECTIFIES, DISCOURAGES, AND INVALIDATES THEM. divisions like these eliminate pride itself and split the queer community into competitive subgroups.

In one of the most dangerous, contested, and important eras for the LGBTQ community, it is of utmost importance that we all band together without divisions. Identity politics are important, but partitioning up the community due to preconceived notions takes us in the wrong direction. *Nicole Collins is a freshman at Carleton College and an advocate for the LGBTQ community and transgender rights. She used to run an LGBTQ podcast, “DIalog(ue),” and currently spends her time making music and writing.

LGBTQ Youth from Page 6 speech and freedom of religion,” said Rachel Healy, the director of communications and public education at the ACLU of Maine. “It was important to us that the bill not outlaw speaking in confidence with someone about the teachings of your faith.”

Despite the veto, the organizations still encourage voters to turn out this November for the midterm elections.

“It’s absolutely essential that fair-minded voters turn out this November and elect a pro-equality governor who will sign these critically important protections when lawmakers pass them again next legislative session,” said Stephen Peters, senior national press secretary and spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.

Midterm elections will take place nationally on Tuesday, November 6.

This November ...

VOTE YES ON 3!

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LGBTQ Adoptions from Page 2 also members of the LGBTQ community.

As a result of such identity, disproportionate numbers of children have been rejected by their birth families and instead forced into a in a system of abuse and instability.

“Research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because of their LGBTQ status, and are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care,” the report continued (https://is.gd/dfPXOT).

Ian Thompson, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union, said there are over 118,000 children waiting to be adopted in the United States. He told the Washington Blade (https://is.gd/MD2uPf) “the best way to provide loving and stable homes for these children is to have as many qualified prospective foster and adoptive parents as possible,” it read. “ …40 members of the Senate–led by Sen. Wyden– joined leading child welfare organizations and civil rights advocates in saying that discrimination has no place in our child welfare system because every child deserves the opportunity to grow up with the support of a loving family.”

Statistically, LGBTQ families are four to five times more likely to adopt than opposite-sex couples. This amendment would literally destroy the chance for thousands of children to have a family.

According to the Lifelong Adoptions (https://is.gd/Kf2Ph4), “same-sex parents in the U.S. are four times more likely than different-sex parents to be raising an adopted child,” its website read. “Among couples with children under the age of 18

Coming Out from Page 2 people are loved unconditionally by the Maker of the Universe. Although some— and I consider myself one of them—may not have the inner strength to forgive and let go, the Cosmological Maker always forgives the sincere and genuine.

In thinking about these two very different family situations, I reflected about how all of us are a holy Creation of the Creator. I also thought about the lessons or perspective these experiences give to me.

In the case of Sean and his mom, I was nurtured by their positive energy. In the case of the abused young man and his socalled partner, I thought about spiritual and emotional brokenness. I prayed that the domestic violence would end and advised it may need police involvement.

If you believe in a higher power, there is no “coming out.” The Giver of Life knows everything there is to know about you. The Cosmos unfolds as it was intended by the Holy Architect.

You cannot be a mistake for being LGBTQ. Otherwise you would never have been born. Mistakes are not given life.

It’s a difficult concept to understand, but all of us are loved unconditionally. Our souls are known intimately and completely by The Giver

in the home, 13 percent of same-sex parents have an adopted child, compared to just 3 percent of different-sex parents.”

The agency also found that: • Researchers estimate the total number of children nationwide living with at least one gay parent ranges from 6 to 14 million.

• An estimated two million LGBT people are interested in adopting.

• Gay and lesbian parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the United States.

• More than 16,000 same-sex couples are raising an estimated 22,000 adopted children in the United States.

Not only would this amendment drastically impact the LGBTQ community, but it also opens the door to discriminate against single parents, interfaith parents or anyone that doesn’t fit the mold of a fostering/adoption agency’s religious belief system.

“Nine states already have laws on the books that allow child welfare agencies receiving taxpayer funding to discriminate against LGBTQ youth and families—Alabama, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. Five of those bills have passed in the last two years,” LGBTQ Nation reported (https://is.gd/dfPXOT).

And, according to data from the Family Equality Council’s Every Child Deserves a Family campaign, “more than 21,000 youth were awaiting adoption in these states.”

LGBTQ and children advocacy organizations have been quick to react, keeping the focus where it should be—on ending the ...

See LGBTQ Adoptions on Page 23 of Life. You cannot be rejected. Why? Because you are Creation. God (gender neutral) doesn’t make mistakes. God doesn’t reject that which was made in the image of the holy and sacred.

Ultimately, each person answers to God, conscience, and the person with whom he or she joined together to create a family. In some ways, there is no such thing as a coming out story. The Supreme Being already knows who you are. You cannot come out to God. God already knows you.

God knew who you were when dad had a twinkle in his eye looking at mom. You were conceived. You were born. You have purpose. You have meaning. You were loved unconditionally before you entered the world from the womb as an LGBTQ person. *Paul is a personal chaplain/spiritual director, seminary trained priest, and lawyer in greater Albany, NY. He’s also author of “Lost Sense of Self & the Ethics Crisis.”

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#Hike4Rights from Page 4 So, right now, if a trans person were to experience discrimination in a grocery store, for instance, that person would be able to go to the Attorney General, the Massachusetts Coalition Against Discrimination, or a private attorney, and hold that grocery store accountable for that discrimination.

Without the legal protections, that accountability does not exist.

EE: I think one of the legal aspects that is so important for me is thinking about the federal landscape and how trans-hostile [it] is right now; as the [Commonwealth] of Massachusetts, we have the opportunity to say, “not in our state,” and that in our state we’re going to continue to respect and honor trans people as people who should have access to public spaces.

Q: How will this ballot question impact trans people socially?

MD: I think it sends a very clear message if the voters turn down the transgender rights ballot. It not only sends the message here, but nationally, that we aren’t welcome in our own home. That will be disastrous on the state and national level. That being said, [if] we win this ballot … it will show for Massachusetts that we are members of this community, we are valued, [and that] we are people who deserve just as much protection in public spaces as anyone else.

Q: Why Mt. Greylock?

EE: It’s the tallest point in Massachusetts.

MD: It is. I think there’s something to be said [about] “being on the top of Massachusetts.” And a group of trans folks, our friends and loved ones coming together to say “this is our state,” from the tallest peak down to the lowest valley, and everywhere in between. “This is our home, and we deserve rights.”

Q: What’s your itinerary for the hike?

MD: … It’ll likely be 15 or 16 days out on the trail. We’re looking for folks to help us out along the trail by hosting us for a night so we can get out from the outdoors and enjoy a shower or something along those lines.

The Mt. Greylock meetup will be one of hopefully a couple of other meetups where folks can meet us for a day hike. There will be opportunities to engage with us along the trail and to have conversations. While people won’t be joining us overnight for liability and safety reasons, there will be many opportunities to be with us in spirit,

LGBTQ Adoptions from Page 21 suffering of the children in the system and providing them with what is desired most—a family of their own while preserving the dignity of thousands of potential families and creating an adoption process free of discrimination.

“Any member of Congress who supports this amendment is clearly stating that it is more important to them to discriminate than it is to find loving homes for children in need,” said David Stacy, director of government affairs at the Human Rights Campaign in multiple reports.

Another story reported (https://is.gd/dfPXOT) “that more than 200 of signatories

online, or in person.

EE: We’ll have a blog as well.

MD: If we get sponsorships for GoPro cameras or something along those lines, [we’ll] do a video or a photo blog that we can update … when we get to places with Wi-Fi. Q: What specifically do you hope to show with this hike?

EE: We want to show that we’re really committed to winning this. I know that the opposition wants to tell people scary stories about trans people. We want to tell people beautiful stories about trans people, about trans people doing the things they love, trans people being in places they feel safe, and trans people living their lives.

MD: The other thing I will point out is that there’s a lot of misconception around what “public accommodations” means, thanks to the opposition spreading myths and lies about what the law actually says. The parks, the trails, the shelters, along with places like grocery stores and libraries, theaters, all of those are public accommodations. That’s what’s at stake here: our access to and our ability to enjoy all of those places that make Massachusetts our home.

Q: Do you have any words of encouragement to local and national leaders who are facing similar battles with regards to trans rights?

MD: We’re in a unique situation here [in Massachusetts] because there are so few signatures required to put a law on [the] ballot. My hope is we don’t see any other ballot initiatives, but I know that the opposition is looking for any opportunity to strike down our rights and our dignity through these types of … initiatives. For other states [where there is] a possibility of seeing this, it’s about bringing the community together, it’s about celebrating our victories, and, in the end, working for and by the community at all times.

EE: I hope to show … that trans people have as much right to be in public spaces as any other person does. I want to create a home in Massachusetts … where trans people have a right to use these spaces just like anybody else.

To follow the #Hike4Rights, visit https://bit.ly/2GAGL9n. *This story first ran in the New England Pride Guide 2018. It has been updated with recent information from a press release sent by the interviewees. joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a letter to members of Congress opposing legislation that would authorize discrimination in the child welfare system.”

Activists are hopeful that the amendment will not be included in the final House legislation.

And the fight goes on. *Nicole Lashomb is the Editor-in-Chief of The Rainbow Times and the Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder of Project OUT, for Trans Services. She holds an MBA from Marylhurst University (Magna Cum Laude) and a BM from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. Contact her at: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.

T-Questions from Page 18 like you than you think.

“When and what made you realise you were trans?”

The short answer is that I have always known I am a woman. As far back as I have memory, I have known.

The slightly longer answer is that I knew the way I was being gendered wasn’t right.

But adults seemed to think I was a boy and they knew how to do important things like pay bills and drive cars and make hamburgers. So, I figured maybe they were also right about me being a boy.

And so it took me a long time to understand they were wrong and I really was a girl. It took even longer to find out what “trans” was and connect that to my innate sense of my “true” gender not matching how I was being gendered. And, then even longer to accept all this myself and come to terms with it.

So, I have always known I was trans. It has taken my entire life to realize it.

“What is the biggest misconception people have?”

Ooh, lordy, there’s a lot of them. Probably the biggest misconception, though, re-

Letters from Page 2

[Re: Ministry Beyond ... Rev. Joe Amico] Dear Editor, I enjoyed your wonderful article and interview of Rev. Joe Amico. I am proud to have him as a friend going back to when he was a United Methodist minister in Oshkosh, WI USA, and actually even before! I met him several times when I served as secretary for the United Methodist state youth program.

—Kendall Aked, Online [Re: Ask a Trans Woman: Celebrating My Transition, Remembering Where It Started] Dear Editor, It’s lovely to know that somebody else celebrates her rebirthday! That’s what I call my first day of living full time as a woman, though unlike you I didn’t

lates to what I was talking about a couple of questions ago. It’s the idea that we are very different from anyone else.

I am personally kind of a weird person. I was really geeky growing up and a big punk rocker for a long time. In my twenties, when I was still pretending to be a man, I had bright blue hair for quite awhile.

But that’s just me, the individual person I am.

But in many other ways, I am just like anyone else.

I like to make the joke when I’m speaking to crowds that being trans is probably the most normal thing about me! Everything else is very weird.

“What have been the easiest and hardest parts for you?”

The easiest part is waking up every day, knowing exactly who I am. Knowing I am a woman, specifically this woman, Lorelei.

The hardest part was getting here.

Slàinte! *Lorelei Erisis is an actor, activist, adventurer, and pageant queen. Send your questions about trans issues, gender and sexuality to her e-mail at: askatranswoman@gmail.com. begin HRT until later. Mine was also on an auspicious day, the spring equinox,somewhat by accident.

—Shirley Dulcey, Online [Re: Retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy] Dear Editor, We’re royally screwed now since this a$$hole has the opportunity to nominate another anti lgbtq justice and another anti-jew, anti-women, anti-poc and xenophobe justice. Why is he still the president and how come no one has impeached him? I didn’t know there were so many people like him in this country.

What a disgrace to our international image. When he’s gone, we’ll be laughable to all and no one will care to respect nor come here because, why really?

—Jonathan Mendez, Online

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