The Rainbow Times' July, 2015

2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

LGBTQ struggles do not end with marriage equality Op-Ed: Obama owes TWoC an apology By: Nicole Lashomb*/ TRT Editor-in-Chief

OPINIONS

Since the SCOTUS decision leading to the legalization of same-sex marriage across the nation, I have found myself breathing a bit easier these days. Like many in our community, I celebrate. I celebrate because no more do my wife and I need to carry our Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy with us while traveling within our own country. No longer will we be concerned about our legal marital status if we faced an emergency in a region that did not recognize our union as it happened even just a few years ago.

While away on vacation, we both came down with the flu, which lead to severe dehydration, forcing us to visit a local clinic to seek medical care. While we were at the reception desk checking in, the woman behind the counter asked us each for our emergency contact. When we told her we were married and were each other’s contact, she literally refused to write down our respective names in the records. When we demanded it further, she ignored us as if she couldn’t hear our request. We spoke to a manager that night and she stood by her employee. Simply put, our marriage was not recognized this time and many subsequent times either.

Yes, I celebrate.

I celebrate because religious fundamentalists can no longer claim that their marriage is somehow more important, or carries a deeper meaning that ours. Our marriage weighs the same. We are equal. I celebrate because for the first time, we are recognized as family, not just in certain states, but in the whole country. This gives us a myriad of privileges not available to us before. I celebrate because I don’t have to explain to anyone who my wife is to me—everyone knows what marriage looks like. I celebrate for

I celebrate because religious fundamentalists can no longer claim that their marriage is somehow more important, or carries a deeper meaning that ours. I celebrate because I don’t have to explain to anyone who my wife is to me—everyone knows what marriage looks like. those who choose not to get married because at least they have the choice. I celebrate for those who cannot celebrate any longer, those who have come and gone before us. I celebrate in honor of those who lost everything when their partner died and distant family members took their estate because the law did not protect them. I celebrate because the law finally protects our family. I celebrate because if we choose to renew our vows on the East Coast, West Coast, Midwest or South, we can. Yes, I celebrate.

Today, I celebrate and I will always be grateful to have been given this right that so To read the rest of this story visit: http://wp.me/p22M41-3GM

SCOTUS decision doesn’t change hearts and minds By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist

T

he U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on marriage equality. Absent the introduction of a constitutional amendment in Congress and ratified by two-thirds of the states to define marriage between one man and one woman, which is likely to succeed, the law allowing two people of the same gender to enjoy marital rights is still limited because it can’t change hearts and minds.

There are laws to protect minorities in housing and employment and limit behaviors that marginalize the dignity of another human being, but sadly we see often how much work there is to heal the nation on race relations to bring America together. People in parts of the South still have to be convinced why flying the Confederate flag (http://tinyurl.com/qcx8g5r) has more to do with racism than family pride and honor.

Injustice cannot always end with the wave of a judicial wand or the passage of laws. Efforts are already under way to circumvent and undermine marriage equality.

Russell Moore, president of the Southern

The madness is spreading.

States are looking for ways to protect “religious liberty,” though in reality no one’s religious liberty, other than LGBTQ freedom of religion, is under threat.

By: Natalia Muñoz/Special to TRT

I

n June 2015, many in the LGBT communities nationwide were in a particularly celebratory mood. As has become an annual custom, New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio hosted a rocking party at Gracie Mansion prior to the city’s mega Pride march.

And President Obama hosted a party at the White House.

Obama’s solidarity with the LGBT communities has become quite solid.

When he was a candidate for the presidency, however, he was leaned toward obfuscation, disingenuously opting to describe his views about LGBT rights as “evolving.”

He probably has always been a supporter but in politics, there is a thinking that being 100 percent honest about civil rights is a dangerous stand to take while in candidacy mode.

It felt offensive then and recently, I was reminded of the president’s unflattering recurring need for self-aggrandizement—as if being president was not enough. It came at the expense of a courageous woman, an undocumented transgender woman from Mexico.

Obama’s remarks to someone shouting from deep in the crowd gathered in the White House as he spoke about LGBT inroads were indecorous, and even bullying.

Of all the times to lose his cool, it is distressing that it wasn't against racists ranters, it wasn't against haters, it was against an undocumented transgender woman.

The person shouting to him was Jennicet Gutiérrez, who, on behalf of undocumented transgendered people in immigration prisons, pleaded with Obama to let them go because their lives are in danger by being placed in the same cells as homophobic violent people.

The T community suffers violence all the time but it is a non-story for major corporate media outlets.

Obama’s response to her pleas?

“No, no, no, no, no. Hey, listen, you’re in

Letters to the Editor

Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, shared in a recent telephone interview (http://tinyurl.com/osj8n6z) with The Huffington Post that in the long-term the sanctity of traditional marriage will triumph.

He also inferred the Commission will look to identify every opportunity to undermine marriage equality.

In June, North Carolina’s Senate overrode (http://tinyurl.com/nb83og9) a veto by its Republican governor allowing a bill to become law permitting taxpayer salaried government representatives not to perform marriages based on religious beliefs. Although the bill is targeted at same-sex couples, in theory refusing to issue a license or perform a ...

[Re: Stonewall Transgender Woman Celebrates Marriage Equality Decision] Dear Editor, There is a factual inaccuracy in your article titled "Last Living Stonewall Transgender Woman Celebrates Marriage Equality Decision." Miss Major GriffinGracy is a black transwoman who was also at Stonewall. She's still very much with us.

You can see a photo of her at yesterday's San Francisco Pride parade here: https://goo.gl/q1TDVt Please correct this error. It's extremely important that the trans women of color who helped start the modern gay rights movement are remembered and honored, not forgotten. Thank you.

—Gwen Park, SF, CA [Re: #WickedPissed: Activists Halt Boston Pride Parade for 11 minutes] Dear Editor, I am grateful for this reporting – being...

See SCOTUS on page 14

See More Letters on Page 15

If you still feel inclined to defend the most protected man on the face of the earth called to task by one of the most vulnerable people on the planet, read more about the LGBT history. my house,” Obama told her. “Shame on you.”

What?

That’s what she got for her activism from the former South Side community organizer;

See Trans Apology on Page 15

The Rainbow Times The Freshest LGBT Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 / 413.282.8881 Fax: 928.437.9618 Publisher Gricel M. Ocasio Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb Assistant Editor Sara Brown National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Chris Gilmore Liz Johnson Lead Photographer Alex Mancini Steve Jewett Reporters Chuck Colbert Christine Nicco Sara Brown Clara Lefton Jessica Castellanos

Keen News Service Ad & Layout Design Prizm PR Webmaster Jarred Johnson Columnists/Guest* Lorelei Erisis Deja N. Greenlaw Paul P. Jesep Natalia Muñoz Francisco “Jimagua” Cartagena Mendez Keegan O’Brien* Affiliations National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association QSyndicate *Guest Writer

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, The Connecticut Alliance for Business Opportunity,CABO, 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 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.

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 3

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

Justice arrives as a thunderbolt: On same-sex marriage “The Fight is Over” IN THE LIMELIGHT

June 26 has been solidified as the historic date for LGBT history in the United States. It is the day in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not enforce laws prohibiting same-sex adults from having intimate relations. It is the day in 2013 when a Supreme Court procedural ruling enabled same-sex couples to marry in California. It is the day in 2013 when the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not deny married samesex couples the same benefits it provides to married male-female couples.

And this year, in a widely expected yet stunning victory for LGBT people nationally, June 26 is the day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on marriage for same-sex couples are unconstitutional.

This latest decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, requires states to both issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize marriage licenses obtained in other states by same-sex couples.

The 5 to 4 decision (http://goo.gl/13FEOw) authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy strikes down bans that have been enforced in 13 states and is expected to secure the lower court decisions that struck down bans in nine other states.

Kennedy wrote that “the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment couples of the same-sex may

not be deprived of that right and that liberty.”

“The Court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them. “ President Obama, at an impromptu press conference outside the oval office Friday morning, said the decision was “justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.”

“Today, we can say in no uncertain terms that we’ve made our union a little more per-

fect,” said the president, in remarks that sounded, at times, unscripted. He said the decision “affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts: that when all Americans are treated equal, we’re all more free.”

LGBT organizations all over the country began issuing press releases declaring the decision “historic,” “amazing,” and “landmark.”

In Obergefell, which includes cases from

four states, Kennedy was joined in the majority opinion by the court’s four more liberal justices: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.

Chief Justice John Roberts led the dissent, joined by Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.

Chief Justice Roberts, who read from his dissent on the bench Friday morning, said “a State’s decision to maintain the meaning of marriage that has persisted in every culture throughout human history can hardly be called irrational.”

“In short, our Constitution does not enact any one theory of marriage,” wrote Roberts.

“The people of a State are free to expand marriage to include same-sex couples, or to retain the historic definition.”

Justice Scalia, who is known for his harshly worded disagreements, derided Kennedy’s majority opinion, characterizing it as “pretentious” and “egotistic” and said it “has to diminish this Court’s reputation for clear thinking and sober analysis” and caused him to want to “hide my head in a bag.”

Openly gay U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin called the majority decision a “huge, huge milestone in our quest for freedom and human equality.” On MSNBC just minutes after the decision was released at 10 Friday morning, she called the decision “sweeping” and predicted it would help promote “full equality” for LGBT people in other arenas, including employment and public accomTo read the rest of this story visit: http://goo.gl/0Xd3g0

4 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

Mainstream coverage on the LGBTQ community mostly about equal marriage Marriage Equality. That’s a success and a massive deal. History was made mere weeks ago (http://tiny.cc/ql07zx).

But as I saw all of the victory coverage, all of the photos of people breaking down in pure joy on street corners, I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world this was the only thing mainstream people seem to ever hear about us from big-name newsies.

No, that’s not a question of whether we should be celebrating and spreading the news about this awesome victory. Because we should. But rather, the question is … why is mainstream news coverage on the LGBTQ community virtually only ever about equal marriage?

Getting equal marriage on the books is great and all, but it doesn’t exactly solve the LGBTQ world’s problems. And, to _only_ cover a matter most interesting to white, cisgender, upper-middle-class people (straight or not), not only distracts from those problems that need our immediate attention, but encourages the mainstream to ignore them entirely.

While marriage equality is a victory for some people, the vast majority of us have bigger things on our minds. We can’t obtain it yet, even if we want it and it’s on the books, because we still have so many other roadblocks in front of it.

“Mainstream LGBTQ” focuses far too much on a select few rights that, compared to the other issues the LGBTQ community has to deal with, don’t really matter much.

PHOTO: TRT/STEVE JEWETT

By: Milo Todd/Special to TRT

Even at the SCOTUS Decision Day Event at the Mass. State House, people were still thinking of what’s left to do.

Nearly 50% of LGBTQ people attempt suicide (http://goo.gl/6OE5QH) at some point in their lives due to harassment and/or bullying, 1 in 12 transgender people is murdered (a disproportionate amount of them being transwomen of color http://goo.gl/7ca8oW), intimate partner violence for LGBTQ people (http://goo.gl/WMOYwU) is the same rate as that for straight women, and 40% of the homeless youth population is LGBTQ

(http://goo.gl/HheVZk).

Transwomen are being put into men’s prisons (http://goo.gl/Yx6XGT) and raped by both inmates and security. LGBTQ seniors are going back into the closet (http://goo.gl/4pKrTk) because care facility workers abuse them. Bisexual people (especially those of color) are being harassed everywhere…including so-called LGBTQfriendly spaces (http://goo.gl/SKE0iE).

Focusing on an issue such as equal mar-

riage and turning it into the issue for the LGBTQ community makes straight and cisgender people think that now, once equal marriage has been granted in the U.S. and throughout the world, everything will be okay. All problems solved.

But there’s no way to solve all problems when only one specific problem is being focused upon for one very specific group of people. Intersectionality is the only way we’ll be able to start working toward a better future for the LGBTQ community because it can help us be appropriately and accurately represented in the problems we face.

While such mainstream LGBTQ notions as equal marriage were important in their own way, they were terribly distracting from issues that can be considered far more impending.

Putting equal marriage on the books hasn’t helped or wouldn’t help Ky Peterson (http://tiny.cc/dxz7zx). Or AJ Betts (http://tiny.cc/myz7zx). Or Lawrence (http://tiny.cc/d2z7zx). And it won’t help those in the future with these or similar problems.

Yet we rarely hear about issues like those linked. Instead, the biggest names in news have been pouring all of their LGBTQ energy into gushing about … well … pretty much one thing.

Guess what that one thing is (http://tiny.cc/2uz7zx).

And marriage equality aside, virtually any

See MarriageEquality...Next! P. 15

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July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

MA Lawmakers push for pay equality for women By: Sara Brown/TRT Assistant Editor

PHOTO: STANROSENBERG.COM

Mass NOW is the Massachusetts Chapter of BOSTON, Mass.—Some lawmakers in the National Organization for Women, Massachusetts are trying to combat the gen- NOW. Mass NOW works to advance the der wage gap in the state. equal status of women.

A bill was filed by Rep. Jay Livingstone According to the Equal Pay Coalition, and Sen. Patricia Jehlen called An (http://tinyurl.com/n9rbso4) Act to Establish Pay Equity. AcAfrican American women earn cording to the bill, in Massachu66 cents for every dollar earned setts, women earn 80 percent of by men and Latina women earn what their male counterparts do.

54 cents for every dollar earned The bill is backed by the Equal by men. Women are not the only Pay Coalition along with several ones affected by the pay discrepother groups in the state. Accordancy. The Coalition’s report finding to the coalition, the bill would ings also state that Black and close the wage gap by establishAfrican American workers earn ing new rules regarding pay transonly 78 cents for every dollar parency. The changes would earned by white men. Hispanic allow employees to discuss their and Latino workers earn only 72 salaries with other co-workers centers for every dollar earned by without risk of termination, rewhite men.

Senate President quire employers to publically adThe pay disparity for women of Stan Rosenberg vertise the minimum that an color has not gone unnoticed by available job would offer, and prohibit em- Former owner of Spanish publication, La ployers from requiring applicants to provide Prensa, Natalia Muñoz, who supports the salary history during the hiring process with- bill. out an employee’s written authorization.

“For starters, women of color would begin Women make up almost half the work- earning about 50 percent more than they curforce and lose a combined total of approxi- rently make, so that's tangible progress you mately $12,239,814,352 annually due to the can see in your paycheck,” she said. “How wage gap according to the Equal Pay Coali- has this become acceptable? I think we, as tion (http://tinyurl.com/n9rbso4). women, internalize a lot of oppression.”

“Everyone deserves equal pay for the Senate President Stan Rosenberg says he same amount of work,” Mass NOW supports pay equality as well. (http://tinyurl.com/pkv6nm2) volunteer “When women don’t make the same Jenna Connolly said as to why she supports amount, it becomes an economic strain on... the bill. “If you put in the same amount of work, you deserve to be paid the same.” See Equal Pay for Women on Page 15

6 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

Transitioning & your family: When things do not go smoothly for everyone By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT Columnist

W

TRANS NEWS

h e n y o u transition to living full time in your true gender it can be one of the happiest days of your life.

After years of dealing with questions, guilt, shame, and fear, you are finally ready to take the plunge. You can finally be you!

You are ready to embrace the world as a vastly improved person. This can feel very exhilarating, as this is a truly incredible event in your life!

Although you are very happy with your personal growth achievement, others may not be so happy with it. You may have family members who do not like the improved you and they may want you to return to the old you. They liked you just fine as you were and they may have no interest in even associating with the new you, let alone celebrating with you on your personal achievement.

They might refer to you as mentally unstable and may claim that you need help. They

might blame you for breaking up your family and causing embarrassment and pain to your family members. How could you do this to your family, your spouse, and your children? How could you do this to your

fect, now out of the family. If a family member sides with you, they may be also excluded from the family. It puts them in a tough spot where they must choose between supporting you and holding the line against

One possible answer for the trans person is to transition back to their gender assigned at birth. This may make other family members happy, but it would most likely make the trans person quite miserable. poor parents? They might even call you selfish.

On one hand you are incredibly happy in your personal breakthrough of finding yourself. On the other hand you are labeled as unrealistic, crazy, narcissistic and selfish.

This leaves you in a very bad situation.

As a result of family members who rally together against you, you may be excluded from family affairs and parties during the various holidays in the year. You are, in ef-

you.

No one wishes you Happy New Year. No one invites you to hang out anymore or to celebrate the holidays. Have you ever spent a holiday not being with your flesh and blood because you are not welcomed? If you have, then you know the feeling. If you haven't, then I ask you to please try to imagine it. How would you feel? What would you do? Many trans people have lost family members who will not accept or support

them. What can the trans person do?

One possible answer for the trans person is to transition back to their gender assigned at birth. This may make other family members happy, but it would most likely make the trans person quite miserable. Transitioning back is rare and many who do so eventually take their lives. According to 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) (http://tinyurl.com/5wmgdmj) 41 percent of transgender people have attempted suicide. I don't think I'd enjoy life if I transitioned back to male. I believe it is selfish to want us, trans people who have already transitioned, to go back to living as the gender assigned to us at birth.

I once asked a local therapist about what a trans person, who has lost family members due to transitioning, could do to reestablish family connections. She told me that all they could do was to keep the communication lines open and hope and wait that one day they might change their minds.

Many of us are still hoping and waiting. *Deja Nicole Greenlaw is a trans woman who has 3 grown children and is retired from 3M. She can be contacted at dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.

Ask a Trans Woman: What about Caitlyn Jenner? Examining Jenner’s transition By: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT Columnist

PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN

Lately, it seems like the only question people want to ask me is, “What do I think about the whole Caitlyn Jenner ‘thing’?” I’ve been asked this question by hair stylists, friends-of-friends, bartenders, baristas, strangers on a train and cis gay men galore. It’s what they all want to know when they find themselves confronted with a bona-fide, in the flesh, transgender woman.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like that all these people are asking questions. I also like answering people’s questions. It’s an amazing sign that suddenly all of these people have a person that they ‘know’ who is trans.

It’s that vital connection that helps people over the hump to acceptance.

That’s maybe the best part of this whole Jenner hoopla. For years, she’s been there,

flickering on the TV in living rooms and bedrooms. “This man’s man—envy of the husband, fantasy of the wife, probably both for all those gay men who saw her in “Can’t Stop The Music”! And, now, she’s a woman!

Caitlyn Jenner has brought being trans right directly home for all those people.

That’s great.

But let me be honest, the question has begun to bore the hell out of me because all

this.

What do I think about her actual transition? The surgeries? Who she may or may not be attracted to? Her money? Why did she choose now, why not do it years ago?

Isn’t she maybe doing this for the publicity?

What about the Kardashians? What about the reality show?

The thing is though, if you’ve ever met a white, middle-aged transitioner, someone

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Caitlyn Jenner is going to blow all our minds with some totally off-script stuff she’s been keeping carefully under wraps for “The Show!” that is not what people want to hear. That’s the analysis of a professional media wonk, activist and trans columnist. I think about these things a lot and that’s what I think of

married with kids who started their transition somewhere between the ages of 40 and 70 then you’ve heard this story before. With the exception of Caitlyn Jenner’s fame and her money, her transition, at least so far, is so not earth-shattering or even off-script in any way from a thousand other stories.

In that respect, I suppose it’s just the right story for middle America. But for those of us in the trenches, it doesn’t advance the narrative one bit. It just means we all have to sort of collectively tread water on the really interesting explorations of how gender roles, the binary, race, privilege and a spectrum of sexualities and identities play into what it means to be trans, while the rest of the country just plays catch up.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Caitlyn Jenner is going to blow all our minds with some totally off-script stuff she’s been keeping carefully under wraps for “The Show!” Maybe she’s actually super-queer! Maybe she sleeps with whoever she wants, regardless of gender in massive indulgences of consent and careful communication! And maybe

she’s a closet socialist to boot and is just identifying as a Republican so she can sneak into their ranks and be all super-secret-double agent and just blow the Fox News addled minds of all those old white men trying to grind our country into the dirt.

Maybe, but I doubt it.

We’ll get a reality show that is all ours.

Oh, joy. For months, after every single episode I’ll get an inbox full of people who want to know just what I, as a trans person of note, think of Caitlyn’s latest “drama.” I’ll even suck up my incredible actor’s distaste for the reality show format and watch the whole damn thing just so I can be polite and answer all those people’s questions as intelligently as I can. Because that’s the sort of gal I am.

It’s entirely possible I’ll even meet Caitlyn at some point. She’ll be wicked sweet and I’ll remember this column and feel just awful about the things I said. Some Hollywood type might even reach out to me to consult for the show or gods-forbid be on the thing! I will say yes so quickly you won’t even be able to get the word “hypocrite” out fast enough to catch my glittery dust!

But for now, and probably for the next several rounds of media cycles, I suppose we should all prepare ourselves for more AllCaitlyn, all the time! And, if those of us who are lucky enough to have voices that get amplified and heard, we might be able to sneak a few thought-bombs in between the lines of the standard narrative. Change the world a little while everyone’s attention is focused on the latest reality show spectacle and the usual gatekeepers are distracted.

Caitlyn Jenner might not be groundbreaking. But maybe she’s just what we needed. * Lorelei Erisis is an actor, activist, adventurer and pageant queen. Send your questions about trans issues, gender and sexuality to her online e-mail address at: askatranswoman@gmail.com.

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

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#WickedPissed: Boston Pride mum on demands, zero talks By: Sara Brown/TRT Assistant Editor

BOSTON, Mass.—Thousands of online users and organizations across the state and nation (http://tinyurl.com/otydqmb)took to the streets and stormed the internet responding in support of a protest that disrupted Boston Pride's 45th Anniversary Parade for several minutes. The protesters staged a sit down at Boylston and Charles streets, halting the Boston Pride (BP) parade for 11 minutes in solidarity and remembrance of the 11 Trans women of color murdered this year in the United States. The group developed the hashtag #WickedPissed on Twitter, a spin-off reference to Boston Pride's #WickedProud theme. “…We won’t wait for the advances of the most privileged of our community to trickle down to the rest of us. We live in a society that has declared war on Black people, women, immigrants, trans people, poor people, and—at the intersection of all that— trans women of color. It is the duty of the entire LGBTQ community to stand united and prove that all of our lives matter,” #WickedPissed said in a statement released initially to The Rainbow Times (http://tinyurl.com/pyvovth).

Boston police confronted #WickedPissed protestors (https://goo.gl/yoG3Lp), threatening arrest, as reported by www.Workers.org (http://goo.gl/pBZzoX). But organizers “refused to back down one inch until the planned protest was over, while the entire

scene unfolded before hundreds of cheering onlookers."

Many organizations and activists within and outside city limits are applauding #WickedPissed for standing their ground and brining attention to an issue that is often ignored.

“Addressing the needs of communities of color is a significant issue that many LGBTQ organizations have struggled with for quite some time. The protest on Saturday by #WickedPissed was a much-needed wakeup call for every LGBTQ organization in the Commonwealth, and the nation," Director of Political and Legislative Affairs for MassEquality Krina Patel said in a statement sent to The Rainbow Times. "More resources need to be devoted to addressing the many disparities that disproportionately impact communities of color, including, but not limited to, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, more resources and legal protections for transgender people of color, and culturally competent healthcare for LGBTQ people of color. Saturday's protest was a perfect opportunity to continue the dialogue on addressing the issues of all LGBTQ people, including those most impacted by healthcare, educational, and socioeconomic disparities; communities of color being the most hard hit by these inequalities."

Others agree that the demonstration was a Read the rest of this [Updated] story at: http://goo.gl/TWNj5G

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

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Desventaja social: Comunidades gay Matrimonio gay y el terrorismo espiritual

E

LATIN VISION

radicar el discrimen en su contra.

El choque entre culturas también ha fomentado la desventaja social. La cultura caucásica o anglosajona es muy diferente a la cultura hispana, y a la de otras etnias, por lo que surgen diferencias en torno al concepto de familia, las leyes, las creencias religiosas y las estructuras sociales en general.

No es lo mismo ser gay latino o negro que un gay caucásico (dadas las diferentes dinámicas de familia, culturales y sociales que existe en cada raza y etnia). Hay que fomentar la empatía en los grupos gay caucásicos por los gays de color e hispanos. Esta unión permitirá conceptualizar una lucha fuerte en contra del discrimen por orientación sexual, y atenderá las necesidades particulares de quienes estamos en mayor riesgo de ser víctimas de dicho discrimen.

Por otra parte, es sabido que con las uniones matrimoniales entre parejas del mismo sexo, se obtendrán otros derechos que están enlazados a la unión civil de pareja (derecho a incluir a nuestras parejas en los planes médicos, leyes de herencias, entre otros). Sin embargo, la lucha debe ir más allá del matrimonio gay, por lo que debe hacer frente a la desigualdad, el discrimen y el racismo en aquellos grupos que son más vulnerables.

La lucha por la equidad debe conceptualizar que todo ser humano nace libre y con una dignidad inviolable. Todos los seres humanos deben ser protegidos, tener los mismos derechos y oportunidades, así como amar libremente sin ser objetos de discrimen.

Para lograrlo, debemos comprender que las diferencias culturales no nos deben dividir, por lo cual debemos y podemos aprender y tomar lo mejor de cada una de ellas.

Nuestra lucha por la igualdad no puede jamás ser una lucha de clases, en la que ciertos grupos otorguen mayor importancia a sus necesidades particulares y menosprecien las necesidades y desigualdades que enfrentan a diario aquellos grupos con mayor vulnerabilidad social.

La comunidad LGBTT se enfrenta a un sistema que ha privilegiado la heterosexualidad frente al homosexualismo. Nuestra lucha es en contra de un sistema que ha causado el sufrimiento, el suicidio y las agresiones en contra de gays tanto caucásicos, negros, hispanos, asiáticos, europeos, así como de todas las clases sociales y de todos los países. ¡En la unión está la fuerza¡ Vamos a unirnos en una misma lucha, en un mismo abrazo y en un solo propósito que logre erradicar de una vez y por todas la homofobia y el discrimen de nuestras sociedades. Para comentarios puedes escribir a: eljimagua@live.com | Twitter: @eljimagua. *Francisco el Jimagua es escritor y activista de derechos humanos de Puerto Rico.

Por: Gricel M. Ocasio*/Publicadora de TRT

E

ste fue un momento histórico, el 26 de junio, cuando la Corte Suprema de la nación—en un voto 5-4—declaró que las parejas del mismo sexo tienen el mismo derecho que las parejas del sexo opuesto a unos derechos civiles inequívocos ante la ley. Esta decisión le otorga a todas las parejas gays la legitimidad al matrimonio civil en los Estados Unidos y sus territorios.

El triunfo inundó las redes sociales con el “hashtag” #LoveWins (#TriunfaelAmor).

Los famosos como Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Salma Hayek y otros (gays y alíados), celebraron la indudable ocasión.

Hubo inmediatamente bodas en estados en los que nunca se esperó el matrimonio gay.

Desde la decisión Suprema, la tierra sigue girando sobre su eje, y no han habido calamidades, como las predichas por los fundamentalistas religiosos. Estas personas, a quienes no tengo el interés de nombrar, son seres humanos que verdaderamente dan lástima. Al llamarse “Cristianos” una palabra que deriva del nombre Jesucristo y quién nunca habló de los gays, estas personas difunden odio en el nombre de Dios. En la nación donde vivo, la palabra “homosexual” no se utiliza y se considera de mal agrado personal y profesionalmente, por lo que no la usaré en esta columna.

Los “fundamentalistas religiosos” se han llenado la boca al degradar, juzgar y condenar, ellos mismos, a las personas gays. ¿Por qué? Aparentemente, esta decisión les afecta a ellos personalmente, aunque no entiendo cómo. Por lo cual se han dado a la tarea de difundir su odio en contra de hijas/os de Dios. Sí, los gays y la comunidad LGBTT son todos hijas/os de Dios. Es tan así el terrorismo espiritual de estos “religiosos” que sus palabras han destruido a miles de personas gays en el mundo entero.

El suicidio de las personas gay, los jóvenes y niños gay y transgéneros son los más altos de la nación. Sin embargo, estos fundamentalistas religiosos continúan con su plan. Al salir esta noticia que tan sólo nos otorga el derecho al matrimonio civil y los derechos que ya las parejas del sexo opuesto han gozado por años, estos terroristas religiosos se dieron a la tarea de aumentar su odio.

Tristemente, es un odio que no tiene fundamento y que nace de la ignorancia y el deseo desenfrenado de mantener aterrorizada a la comunidad que les escucha. ¿Cómo lo hacen? Ellos se proclaman pastores, sacerdotes y personas dotadas del conocimiento y la interpretación necesaria para juzgar y condenar a otros, algo que es un “pecado” el cual ellos deciden convenientemente olvidar.

Los teólogos e historiadores más destacados, como John Boswell, Profesor de Historia en la Universidad de Yale; L. William Countryman, Profesor de Nuevo Testamento en la Universidad de Berkeley; y Robin Scroggs, del Union Theological Seminary, nos muestran a través de dos libros publicados que “aquellos que perciben en los pasajes bíblicos una condena de la homosexualidad, ha sido por una errónea traducción y/o una pobre interpretación de los textos”. Déjeme decir eso otra vez. Ha sido por una errónea traducción y/o una pobre interpretación de los textos.

Si no quiere que una persona gay se case, no se case con una persona gay. Si no desea tener hijos, use métodos anti-conceptivos o

no tenga sexo con una persona del sexo opuesto. Si no le gusta que otras parejas del sexo opuesto opten por no tener hijos biológicos, no sea amigo de ellos. Pero, no trate de impresionar a otros con mentiras que nacen de su incomodidad con las personas gay. Eso no le da derecho a no seguir los mandamientos cardinales de los que Jesucristo les habló a sus discípulos cuando le preguntaron cómo llegar al reino de Dios. A lo cual la Biblia—la palabra de Dios según ustedes mismos—dice que Jesucristo contestó en Lucas 10:27 (en varias versiones de la Biblia, http://goo.gl/gJzJx2): “Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma, y con todas tus fuerzas, y con toda tu mente; y a tu prójimo como a ti mismo”. Si su religión, amiga/o lector/a profesa lo contrario, entonces no es una iglesia cristiana, y no sigue el mandamiento más común del que Jesucristo habló. Si juzga, peca; si odia, peca; si predica odio, peca; si le desea mal a otro, peca; si hiere a un/a hijo/a de Dios, peca, si le miente a otros, peca; si es infiel, peca, etc. Es claro, y si desea hablar del viejo testamento en contra de los gays, recuerde que si come tocineta o mariscos, también peca y eso está escrito en Levítico, en los versos adyacentes a los que se refiere usted para condenar la “homosexualidad”. Esté pendiente de quien le habla sobre Dios y como lo hace.

Antes de cerrar esta columna, deseo dejarle saber a nuestro colega y amigo Wilfred Labiosa, hijo, que le enviamos—todo el equipo del periódico The Rainbow Times— un sentido pésame por la muerte repentina de su padre, reconocido pintor y acuarelista de ascendencia puertorriqueña, Wilfred Labiosa, Padre, cuyo sepelio se llevó a cabo en la Galería W. Labiosa en el Viejo San Juan. No hay palabras que expliquen cuan compungidos están nuestros corazones ante su repentino fallecimiento. Le envíamos a Wilfred, a su madre y al resto de su familia nuestro pésame y le acompañamos en sus sentimientos ayer, hoy, y siempre. *La autora es la Publicadora de The Rainbow Times. Tiene un bachillerato en periodismo de la Universidad de Temple en Philadelphia, PA y una maestría de Administración de Empresas de la Universidad de Marylhurst en Portland, Oregon. Comuníquese con ella via correo electrónico a: publisher@therainbowtimesnews.com. http://bit.do/hrcspan

http://bit.do/hrcspan

l clasismo, la homofobia y el racismo son conceptos muy arraigados en diferentes culturas. Los seres humanos, crecemos escuchando y asimilando ciertos estereotipos y prejuicios en contra ciertas razas o identidades sexuales. Desde esta perspectiva, cuando hablamos de derechos, es importante poner sobre la mesa las necesidades particulares que poseen los grupos con mayor desventaja social.

Todas las organizaciones LGBTT (caucásicas, hispanas, afroamericanas, europeas…) deben comprender que el concepto de desventaja social se aplica a los sectores o grupos de la población que, por causa de su origen étnico, raza, u orientación sexual, poseen el riesgo real de discrimen. Esta realidad les impide a ciertos grupos dentro de la comunidad gay a completar un desarrollo individual y colectivo, tanto en el campo social, familiar, y hasta el profesional.

La atención que se le brinda a la lucha por la equidad necesita de un análisis holístico y abarcador. Se debe fomentar un progreso que tome en consideración a las poblaciones que están más propensas a ser víctimas del discrimen y la desigualdad. Es importante resaltar a las personas gay de color, hispanos, los emigrantes, las mujeres, los pacientes de VIH o de condiciones crónicas y las mujeres transexuales y transgéneros.

En torno a la desigualdad laboral y el discrimen en el empleo: se impedirá que muchas personas gays de color, hispanas o transexuales logren conseguir un empleo, o muchas de estas personas serán empleadas, pero no se les pagará lo justo. Es importante destacar, que los requisitos para obtener un empleo, jamás deben tomar en consideración la identidad sexual o el origen étnico de una persona.

Todos debemos preguntarnos si verdaderamente se está haciendo lo suficiente para erradicar el discrimen y el racismo contra las personas gay de color; las mujeres lesbianas, transexuales, y transgéneros las mismas oportunidades en la búsqueda de empleo; si se remunera el trabajo de las personas gays de igual manera que a los trabajadores heterosexuales; y se discrimina dentro de la misma comunidad gay.

Relacionado a la salud: la salud es un derecho fundamental e innegable relacionado al ejercicio de los derechos humanos. Toda persona debe tener derecho al disfrute de un adecuado estado de salud que le permita vivir una vida digna. Sin embargo, las personas gay casi siempre han sido víctima de discrimen por parte de los sistemas de salud.

Es evidente que particularmente en Estados Unidos, las personas de color poseen un mayor riesgo de discrimen y desigualdad en hospitales y en los servicios médicos en general. Además, los pacientes gay de VIH, cáncer y otras condiciones crónicas, deben ser considerados como grupos en desventaja social, por lo que debemos hacer un mayor esfuerzo por mejorar su calidad de vida y er-

No es lo mismo ser gay latino o negro que un gay caucásico (dadas las diferentes dinámicas de familia, culturales y sociales que existe en cada raza y etnia).

http://bit.do/hrcspan

Por: Francisco “El Jimagua” Cartagena Méndez*/Especial para TRT

http://bit.do/hrcspan

12 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

BOSTON, Mass.—Revolutionary medical guidelines on how to care for the LGBT community were released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) late last year. Such guidelines are impacting the overall standard of care received by creating an inclusive environment for patients.

“This groundbreaking publication represents a major step forward in giving medical schools, teaching hospitals, and health systems a roadmap for improving the care of LGBT and other individuals with differences in gender identity, gender expression, and sex development,” said Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., AAMC president and CEO. The guidelines have 30 competencies that future doctors must master, according to the AAMC. These competencies fall under eight major themes: patient care, knowledge for practice, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and personal and professional development.

The AAMC began developing these guidelines in 2012 with funding from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation (http://tinyurl.com/np4asx7). The non-profit organization is dedicated to improving the health of the public by advancing the educa-

PHOTO: FENWAY INSTITUTE

By: Sara Brown/TRT Assistant Editor

Dr. Harvey Makadon of Fenway Institute

tion and training of health professionals. The AAMC developed an advisory committee composed of medical education experts that helped develop these set of standards.

“Physicians and medical school faculty members are committed to treating all patients equally, yet research shows that everyone has unconscious biases that can affect how we interact with people from different experiences and backgrounds,” said Kirch.

“This new resource will help train physicians to overcome these blind spots and deliver high-quality care to all patients.”

According to Mason Dunn, Executive Director of Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition, proper inclusive medical care to the LBGT community is vitally important.

“It’s not just about knowing the proper medical practices but also [about] being fully inclusive,” Dunn said.

“If someone has repeated negative experiences they are less likely to seek health care.”

Dr. Harvey Makadon, Director of the National LGBT Health Education Center at The Fenway Institute, says one of most nerve Read the rest at: http://wp.me/p22M41-3GI

By: Clara Lefton/TRT Reporter

WORCESTER, Mass.—Umbrella, a MetroWest group serving LGBTQ teens—particularly those identifying as transgender and gender-nonconforming—offers life-changing support according to one of its alum.

“The experiences of transgender youth are extremely different even from LGB youth, and it has been so useful to me to have a specific trans space through the years, both when I desperately needed the extra support and assistance as well as now when I merely enjoy being around people with whom I share experiences,” said Jonah Miller of Needham, MA. The frequent meetings include social and educational programming organized by facilitators and peer leaders.

The group has meant so much to Miller that he has even introduced it to friends.

“I’ve brought many trans or questioning friends to Umbrella over the years and made tons of new trans or questioning friends at Umbrella and it’s been incredible to see how well these meetings were able to guide, help, and support every one of the people who have attended them,” he said.

The bi-monthly group grew out of an organization known as OUT MetroWest, a nonprofit that focuses on supporting LGBTQ teens in the Boston MetroWest area through a variety of curriculum and dialogue. Known as WAGLY or the West Suburban Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth, its flagship program launched in March 2011. Its first official meeting had over 30 youth from 14 towns.

Although the meetings' success was overwhelming, according to its director, the youth attendance demonstrated the need for other services.

“It was clear from the beginning how important these weekly meetings were for [local] LGBTQ youth. But what was also clear was that over 40 percent of our participants identified as gender-nonconforming or transgender,” said OUT MetroWest’s Executive Director, Jack Patrick Lewis.

Shortly thereafter, staff started requesting a creation of a new group.

“At the request of a few of our youth peer leaders, we explored the creation of a specific program tailored to the needs of this population,” Lewis said.

In January 2012, only six months after WAGLY’s first meeting, Umbrella was launched. It required collaborations between Lewis, the organization’s Director of Programs Marie Caradonna, area therapists and community support.

“Our ultimate goal for the program is to provide a safe, supportive, social opportunity for our youth,” said Lewis.

According to Lewis, the group offers the teens a chance to be themselves.

“Umbrella is a place where our youth never have to justify their identity, are offered educational programs specific to their concerns, and can explore ideas or work through issues that affect them as teens and members the trans and gender-expansive community,” Lewis said.

The group has a dedicated following.

“What I find most interesting about Umbrella is how far people will travel to be a

PHOTO: OUT METROWEST

AAMC releases groundbreaking medical Umbrella covers all: Groups give guidelines for the LBGT community trans teens the support they need

Jack Lewis (Executive Director of OUT MetroWest) with Jujubee of RuPaul's Drag Race

part of it. At that first meeting we had a youth who had driven over an hour to attend and even now we have people driving similar distances,” said Miller.

According to Miller, the popularity of the group is because it tailors to the needs of transgender teens.

“While there are plenty of LGBTQ youth groups around, trans-specific youth groups are lacking and many LGBTQ groups have many reported issues with inclusion and understanding of the ‘T’ in their acronym,” Miller commented.

Although Gay Straight Alliances have become more prevalent in high schools, the groups are not necessarily dedicated to anyone who fits outside of those categories, according to Caradonna.

“It is unlikely that a youth will have a teacher who is trans, or [who is] very welleducated about trans issues. Umbrella fills those gaps,” said Caradonna.

The group also allows transgender youth to meet like-minded individuals.

“Not only do we have knowledgeable adults who understand the struggles a trans/genderqueer youth experiences, but there are enough youth who participate in the program that a youth is likely to find someone who shares similar interests beyond their trans identity,” Caradonna said.

Since its inauguration, the program’s popularity has led to a variety of increased services, including two meetings a month instead of one. Meeting nights are designed to allow those with therapy or medical appointments the opportunity to attend if they were previously unable to do so. On average, meeting attendees can range from 12 to 24 youth.

“When I attended the first official Umbrella meeting ever, there were only four youth and two adults stuck up in the loft above the huge meeting room used for WAGLY. It’s amazing to me, many years later, to return on alumni nights and see the 20+ youth struggling to all fit in the significantly-bigger space than that in which we used to meet,” Miller said.

Umbrella meets on the first Wednesday and the third Thursday of every month from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The meetings are located at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills at 309 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA. Aside from OUT MetroWest and Umbrella, its parent organization started offering in March 2015 a program for LGBTQ middle school youth. For more information about Umbrella and OUT MetroWest visit www.outmetrowest.org.

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 13

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015 PHOTO: THE RAINBOW TIMES/JEWETT

Op-Ed: Today we celebrate our wins; tomorrow we fight for the rest of them Instead of raining on the people's moment of celebration, we need to figure out how to insert ourselves to push this struggle forward.

TOP 10 BEST SELLER VIDEOS 1. Happy End 2. Of Girls and Horses 3. Orange is the New Black Season 2 4. She Must Be Seeing Things 5. Boy Meets Girl 6. Life Partners 7. Whitney 8. Tru Love 9. Beyond Love 10. Reaching for the Moon

GAY TOP 10

hospital; it's not irrelevant that same-sex couples can now gain citizenship; it's not irrelevant that people can walk around with their heads a little bit higher, or that life will be somewhat easier for LGBT youth. Our fight is still far from over. Housing and employment discrimination, violence against trans women, homelessness, bullying and suicide, police brutality, incarceration, immigration, poverty, women's rights—these are just some of the battles we have ahead of us and we can't depend on Gay Inc. to win them. When all we do is look at our victories in terms of their deficiencies, we miss the fact that winning small fights gives people a taste of their own power, and if history is any indicator, it also has the potential to heighten their confidence to fight for more.

This gives those of us with a wider ranging vision of liberation more of an opportunity to fight for the world we want to live in, not less. Instead of raining on the people's moment of celebration, we need to figure out how to insert ourselves to push this struggle forward. If you can't understand that, then you are missing one of the biggest opportunities we've seen in generations. We celebrate today, and keep up the fight tomorrow. *Keegan O’Brien is a queer socialist activist and writer, and a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

O’Brien is an independent columnist whose work has appeared in The Nation, Electronic Intifada, and SocialistWorker.org. He was also an organizer for the first alternative parade in 2011.

Courtesy: WolfeVideo.com

I

still vividly remember how it felt to be spat on and called a "faggot" at fourteen, when I went to my first protest for gay marriage in 2003. I remember how painful and humiliating it felt to find out that over half the country passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in 2004. I remember how enraging it was when my principal defended the a$$holes who bullied me for wearing a pro-gay marriage t-shirt because they "had a right to their opinion."

Today I’m glad no one will have to go through that again. If you had told me then that in a little over a decade the Supreme Court would legalize same-sex marriage, I would have said you were crazy. Well, a couple of weeks ago we made history and we made it for one reason: because countless numbers of ordinary people have been organizing, protesting, sitting-in, speaking out, and fighting for years. A turning point was the national equality march in 2009, the first national demonstration for LGBT rights in 15 years that had one simple demand: full federal equality in all matters of the law.

The march was organized by a multi-racial band of working class, grassroots, LGBTQ activists and despite being opposed by all of Gay Inc., and it turned out over 250,000 people. One of the march's most significant accomplishments was that it successfully brought the fight for marriage equality to a national level. That’s why this moment doesn't belong to the politicians or Obama, it belongs to us.

Unfortunately, some of my fellow radical LGBTQ activists dismiss this victory as a rich/white/cis issue—but I want to argue they are wrong. Gay marriage is a working class issue that provides essential benefits to couples—black and white, cis and trans— who desperately need them. This struggle has always been about affirming a basic sense of dignity and respect in a society that constantly tries to strip that away from working class people—which is exactly why it has resonated so widely among working class queers. It’s not irrelevant that same-sex couples can now visit their loved ones in the

LESBIAN TOP 10

By: Keegan O’Brien*/Special to TRT

1. Eat With Me 2. Tiger Orange 3. Seashore 4. Boy Meets Girl 5. Looking Season 2 6. Eastern Boys 7. The Boys in the Band BluRay 8. Boys 9. The Circle 10. The Imitation Game

14 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

SCOTUS from Page 2 marriage can be religiously justified because the couple is atheist, of different races, living together, previously divorced, or from mixed faith traditions.

The madness is spreading. States are looking for ways to protect “religious liberty,” though in reality no one’s religious liberty, other than LGBTQ freedom of religion, is under threat. Hence, it is especially important for the LGBTQ people of faith and their religious allies to speak up more forcefully.

According to the Pew Research Center, (http://tinyurl.com/o47wawh), “a majority of LGB adults are religiously affiliated.” In its May 2015 study, it found 59 percent affiliated with a religion. Forty-eight percent identified as Christian and 11 percent nonChristian including Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and smaller groups like Unitarians, Wiccans, and Pagans. Forty-one percent subscribed to no religious affiliation.

Of this group, 17 percent were either atheist or agnostic leaving by inference 24 percent

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

with some level of belief in a higher power.

Independent of the study is a New York Times article finding that gay “conservative” evangelicals (http://tinyurl.com/q8ld94d)are among the Christians helping to change hearts and minds with the fiercest opponents to marriage equality. They are some of the voices that must be heard in the LGBTQ community while being promoted as spokespersons in the media so those opposed or uncomfortable with the “re-definition” of marriage can be better informed.

Everything starts with a conversation.

LGBTQ persons of faith, as well as religious leaders who are allies to the LGBTQ community, need to be heard and their voices added to the public debate at every opportunity. They can intelligently discuss theology while sharing very personal stories to reassure those who fear change.

Although judicial and statutory law to further justice is needed and important, there must be ongoing efforts by LGBTQ persons of faith to discuss, educate, and as uncomfortable as it may be at times, to directly and respectfully engage with opponents of LGBTQ civil and human rights in public forums. * Paul is an attorney in the Albany, NY area, seminary trained priest, and corporate chaplain (www.CorporateChaplaincy.biz).

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 15

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015

Marriage Equality...Next! from P. 4 photographic coverage to marriage equality’s triumphs or woes is disproportionately skewed toward showing white, able-bodied, ironically straight-appearing men who are assumed to be gay (as opposed to possibly bisexual, pansexual, or fluid). It’s more than just a little irksome. It’s homonormativity (http://tiny.cc/jwz7zx).

Don’t get me wrong. This is something awesome and powerful. But this isn’t about just that. This is about how mainstream media covers the LGBTQ community at large.

I believe the reason mainstream news only covers something as simple as marriage equality is because it’s easy. They can just say “yay rights!” or “boo rights!” or “this is what people have to say about rights!” without ever actually having to bring to light any of the problematic, white-washed, straightfocused foundations of our (or any other) country that caused this and every other LGBTQ inequality issue we have. They can look progressive without changing a thing.

Basically, if straight and cisgender people think that the U.S. (or any other country that follows its footsteps) is done with its contribution to creating a safer, fairer world for all LGBTQ people because it put marriage equality on the books, they have another thing coming.

Yes, take a moment to pat yourselves on

Trans Apology from page 2 haughty talk from the now president.

The incident exploded on LGBT media and social media, with many people criticizing Gutiérrez, a founding member of FAMILIA TQLM, an immigrant rights organization, for interrupting the president.

Secret Service guards removed Gutiérrez from the White House as Vice President Biden guffawed along with the crowd of mostly white gay males.

Obama’s conduct at the LBGT celebration—of all places—was just sickening.

If instead of cutting her off, he would have made an effort to listen as he has in other situations, he would have learned about what mattered to her and people like her. Instead, he made it about himself, delighting the crowd with childish retorts about this being his party and he being the one who bought the apps and drinks, so everyone needs to shut up and applaud him.

It’s not an easy job being president, being a black president. Far harder being an undocumented trans woman trying to raise human rights issue.

I get it: Obama gets disrespected all the time because of the color of his skin. However, this was not one more time; this was a person, a transgender woman of color, trying to right a heinous wrong.

When progressives interrupted W for making wars and a litany of other painful and lethal mistakes, I didn't see anyone stand up for him. When he dodged a shoe thrown at him, progressives cheered.

It seems no one knows history anymore.

ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was formed in the 1980s to push then President Ronald Reagan to address the health crisis killing gay men by the thousands. Everything they achieved was through daring interruption of the status quo.

I suggest to those who defend Obama’s

And, to only cover a matter most interesting to white, cisgender, upper-middle-class people (straight or not), not only distracts from those problems that need our immediate attention, but encourages the mainstream to ignore them entirely. the back for all of the recent marriage equality successes. But tomorrow, it’s time to roll up your sleeves. That includes you, media. *Milo Todd is a freelance writer, editor, and journalist who focuses on LGBTQ and intersectional feminist issues. Originally starting as a freelance reporter and book columnist for Wicked Local, his work has since been featured in such venues as Everyday Feminism.

Of all the times to lose his cool, it is distressing that it wasn't against racists ranters, it wasn't against haters, it was against an undocumented transgender woman. bullying to read the history of ACT UP, and then take a moment to check their reactions against Jennicet.

Human rights are not gained solely in polite company, or at the “right time, right place.” It takes courage to face down police with clubs and bullets. It takes a resolve we are rarely asked to conjure these days to fight for what you believe in, and transcend the fear of being hurt or killed.

If you still feel inclined to defend the most protected man on the face of the earth called to task by one of the most vulnerable people on the planet, read more about the LGBT history. Why? Well, clearly you do not have a sense of all the people who were beaten up, imprisoned, tortured, marched, interrupted formal events, were arrested, lost their jobs, and their lives, so you could, today, be a proud fool.

And, one more thing President Obama: “Keep your hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

They're on me. I'm one of taxpayers who bought them for everyone.”

Shame on you. *Natalia Muñoz is a longtime journalist from San Juan, Puerto Rico, having been published in the NY Daily News, Ms. Magazine, and The Associated Press, among other media outlets.

Equal Pay for Women from Page 5 families,” Rosenberg said. “This is especially true for households run by single mothers.”

According to Rosenberg, women make up 62 percent of the state’s work force that earn minimum wage. Rosenberg also believes the pay discrepancy prevents women from saving enough money for their retirement.

“People think it just impacts them right then and there but it has lasting impacts over a course of a woman’s lifetime,” he said.

In fact, the gender pay gap increases with age. According to the Coalition, it jumps from 10 percent to 22 percent when women reach their mid-thirties.

Connolly believes one of the most important aspects of the bill is the pay transparency allowing employees to talk to their co-workers about salaries without the repercussion of being terminated.

“People shouldn’t be fired for discussing salaries,” Connolly said. “That doesn’t seem fair to me.”

The bill would also require employers to post the minimum pay and prohibits them from paying wages less than what is advertised.

“I have heard some criticism about this aspect of the bill. People say if the minimum salary is posted, then people won’t apply to [certain types of] jobs,” Connolly said. “I don’t think that would happen. If anything, I think this would allow people to know what they should be paid for the type of work they are doing.”

The Senate President believes it has taken so long for women to be paid equally because of outdated views of women in the workforce.

Letters from Page 2 WAY back in the line of march we were never told why the parade was delayed and the Boston Globe the next morning never mentioned this important action.

—John McDargh, Online [Re: #WickedPissed: Activists Halt Boston Pride Parade for 11 minutes] Dear Editor, Way to disrupt! My fellow sisters of colour, you do us proud! Keep up the good noise and make everyone listen.

—Chutney Grey, Online [Re: Black Lives Matter: A Statement from Boston LGBTQ and HIV Organizations] Dear Editor, As a representative of COLAGE of Greater Boston, an organization for the kids & teens of LGBTQ parent(s), I want to thank all the agencies listed on this letter and The Rainbow Times, and add COLAGE of Greater Boston’s name as a supporter.

—Jamie Bergeron, Online [Re: #WickedPissed: Activists Halt Boston Pride Parade for 11 minutes] Dear Editor, “None of us are free,if one of us is chained,none of us are free.” I’m proud of the victory on gay marriage, but the fight for true equality is not over yet. If we are united, then the LGBTQ community should be

...African American women earn 66 cents for every dollar earned by men and Latina women earn 54 cents for every dollar earned by men.

“You hear that they come in and out of the workforce to raise families so they don’t have as much experience as men do or that they are not as productive as men,” said Rosenberg. “I think those are pretty hollow arguments.”

The bill has until July 21st to be passed.

Until then, Muñoz encourages everyone to write their senator in support of the bill.

“We all have work to do,” said Munoz.

“That means writing elected officials asking them, ‘What are you doing to persuade your colleagues to vote for the Equal Pay Bill?’

To our elected progressive officials, I say, ‘It is not enough to stand with me; you are paid to move mountains in Congress. You get paid very well and have the very best health insurance, so end this canard that your hands are tied and do something. People's lives are on the line.’”

For more information, visit: www.maequalpaycoalition.com. To find your state legislator, visit www.malegislature.gov. preparing for the next battle (trans rights).

After the celebrations and high-fives are over, we will see just how important the trans community (of all races and ethnicity) are to the LGBTQ by how hard they fight with us on our rights.

—Melody McDowell, Online

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16 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

July 9, 2015 - August 5, 2015