2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Giving this Pride Season & all year Scapegoating vs. Solidarity: Codifying Discrimination By: Nicole Lashomb*/TRT Editor-in-Chief
OPINIONS
writer on board was also key to the success appy Pride everyone! I am that we have accomplished today. We can the editor-in-chief, co- proudly say that at no time in nearly 10 owner and co-founder of years have we been without a trans writer. The Rainbow Times, (TRT). This Actually, at one point we had three transmay be old news to many of you. I gender writers, two trans women and a emphasize it now because by the trans man. We also faced hatred and disend of this year we’ll celebrate our crimination from some people back then, 10th Anniversary—one in Novem- to the point that at one or two of our first ber, when we had the soft launch Pride celebrations, there were undercover that made TRT online possible, and police in our booth. How far have we come the other in Feband yet, how far we ruary, when our still have to go. first print issue hit the What has afforded HEY WATCHED AS stands back in 2007. us the place in All of these years LGBTQ media that MAINSTREAM ISSUES haven’t been in vain at we proudly hold in all. The beginning is New England today never easy and there WERE HEAVILY COVERED is not just the trans are always uphill batcoverage, but also tles to climb. At first, as the quality of our exwith any endeavor run BY MOST GAY PUBLICA clusive coverage and by members of marginthe unique niche alized groups, like Gri- TIONS NATIONWIDE UNTIL market within the cel M. Ocasio and I, market that we and as sexual minoriserve. With responMARRIAGE EQUALITY WAS ties, we had to hold our sible and unbiased work to higher levels of coverage came a personal expectations THE LAW OF THE LAND larger crowd of peoto prove our profesple from adjacent sionalism to garnish communities and althe respect of others, overachieving in all lies who were requesting TRT to expand to we set out to accomplish. And as time has their towns and cities. shown, we succeeded. It was not just about expansion to Going back to the first few years, it was LGBTQ New England, but something that people’s feedback and reactions to the cov- others had not focused on before. That diserage what made us aware that the product tinctive service we offered was reaching was being well received by most. The fact To read the rest of this story visit: that from day one we had a transgender http://wp.me/p22M41-4l4
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FAITH
The Lord’s Prayer for LGBTQ people of faith By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist “ … by virtue of the IRONICALLY, SOMETIMES Creation and, still more,” wrote priest, paleontologist, and THE PERSECUTED CAN BECatholic theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “nothing here COME THE PERSECUTOR. below is profane for those who know how to see.” (http://goo.gl/Fd24a9) Nothing is wicked or blasphemous, including LGBTQ people individually or as a collective group, for those “who know how to see.” Increasingly, the ability to understand is apparent not just in the secular realm with the widespread acceptance of God’s LGBTQ children, but also by religious leaders of different faith traditions who baptize infants of same-gender parents or perform a religious wedding rite for same-gender couples. Knowing how to see goes beyond the obvious to look for a deeper, sometimes hidden, understanding of the world and everyone’s place in it. Things, as the expression goes, aren’t always what they appear to be. It applies to those fearful of transgender children that the Giver of Life has created as part of Creation. Every transgender man and woman is meant to be part of the unfolding cosmos.
In a letter to a friend, de Chardin once observed, “... for you, as for everyone, there is only one road that can lead to God, and this is the fidelity to remain constantly true to yourself, to what you feel is highest in you. Do not worry about the rest. The road will open before you as you go.” (https://goo.gl/OJ4Cl9) This doesn’t mean because you hold deeply held beliefs, there isn’t error in your logic or reasoning. At one time folks had deeply held beliefs, often based on biblical interpretation that segregation, for example, was permitted by the Divine Light. As the saying goes, faith without logic and common sense becomes superstition and science without faith slides into hubris. The ancient gods of Rome and Athens forgave humankind for all of its sins, but one—arrogance. It’s a lesson we, individually and collectively as societies and cultures keep forgetting. To read the rest of this story visit: http://wp.me/p22M41-4kX
By: Keegan O’Brien*/Guest Columnist
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n Wednesday ev e n i n g March 23rd North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, better known House Bill 2 (HB2) or the “bathroom bill”—the most far-reaching and discriminatory anti-transgender law in the country. The law has several components. First, it prohibits city governments from passing anti-discrimination laws that override state legislation, specifically overturning a recent ordinance passed in Charlotte banning discrimination against LGBTQ people. Second, it mandates that all public schools require people to use the bathroom that aligns with their birth certificate. Third, and this has been by far the most overlooked feature of the bill, it prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage above the current state level. Anticipating that the bill would be controversial and spark opposition, Republicans rushed it through during a special session, giving legislators and the public no time to review it. Every Republican and eleven Democrats voted in favor of the bill in the House. In protests of the GOP’s maneuvering, Senate Democrats walked off the floor and the bill went on to pass unanimously To justify their discrimination, Gov. McCrory and his bigoted Republican cohorts have deployed a slew of vile transphobic rhetoric, claiming that trans people are deranged and that anti-discrimination laws are simply cover for predators to use bathrooms so they can victimize women and
Letters to the Editor [RE: A Comprehensive Guide To The Debunked “Bathroom Predator” Myth] Dear Editor, The best defense is always a great offense. It’s difficult to eliminate fears with facts. It’s easier to eliminate fears with reality. For instance, how many heterosexual rapes and assaults are committed in public bathrooms annually? If none or almost none, has this number increased in places with trans bathroom policies? If many rapes and assaults already occur in public rest rooms, then wouldn’t we rather have the possibility that a transgender person who could assist the victim is walking through the door any minute? Has there been a decline in places that have changed their policies? —Dale Orlando, Online
See More Letters on Page 15
children. But this couldn’t be farther from reality. There have been zero (http://goo.gl/K15N5O) reported cases of trans people, or anyone for that matter, using a different bathroom in order to kidnap, abuse, or prey on women or children. Gov. McCrory’s story is pure fiction. There have been, however, countless cases of trans people being attacked, from verbal harassment, to physical assaults, to even being killed, for using the bathroom of their choice. In the most recent national Transgender Discrimination Survey (http://goo.gl/hBt7Ro) report, 63 percent of respondents reported experiencing a serious act of discrimination in their lifetime, and according to a 2013 Williams Institute report 70% of trans people (http://goo.gl/veObpK) report being denied entrance, harassed, or assaulted while trying to use the restroom. In addition to codifying discrimination and second class citizenship, North CarThe read of this story can be found in the New England Pride Guide or online at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4l1
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 Mike Givens National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Liz Johnson Lead Photographers Alex Mancini Steve Jewett Reporters John Paul Stapleton Christine Nicco Sara Brown Luke Sherman Chuck Colbert Keen News Service
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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.
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
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Op-Ed: Changing an institution from within; my experience as a gay Methodist pastor By: Will Green*/TRT Guest Columnist
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hen I tell people I am a clergy person in the United Methodist Church (UMC), they often tell me about personal connections they have to my church from their own life. “My grandmother used to be a Methodist.” “I went to a Methodist Church when I was a child.” “My parents were married in a Methodist church.” People have these connections because the Methodists have a long history of meaningfully connecting with many people’s lives. Currently we have over 12 million members worldwide and we are the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. When I tell people I am an out-of-thecloset gay clergy person in the UMC who is in a partnered relationship, they often say they didn’t know that was possible. Many LGBTQ people know what it is like to be the impossible. It is true that the UMC states in our official church teachings, “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” This insulting, disgusting, and ridiculous sentence is something I will never accept. An important part of my life and faith is resisting this harmful lie from my church with the full power of God’s love. For 10 days in May, I was in Portland, Ore. at the 2016 General Conference of the
See Methodist Pastor on Page 6
During a recent protest at the United Methodist General Conference, LGBTQ activist Reverend Will Green sings the hymn “Blest Be The Ties That Bind” with his arms and PHOTO: TDJ DEL ROSARIO feet bound behind his back.
4 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Are Prides necessary? If you have to ask, then you have no idea! By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT Columnist
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TRANS NEWS
t's June and officially Pride season. Yes, it's that time of year when you spend the day marching for your right to be and the rest of the day enjoying the comfort of others who accept you for who you are. Every so often, I will hear some folks question why we need Prides anymore these days. I always tell them that we still have a long way to go and that they really don't understand what it has been like for us existing in the world. It's not easy being different. Today's social climate is indeed getting better, but there still is resistance to us being who we are. Just look around at North Carolina and several other states where there are anti-LGBT bills up for consideration. These are awful bills that restrict our rights as Americans. These are really anti-American bills, which look to deny Americans their rights. These bills use fabricated fear in the name of religious freedom and for the protections of social
institutions. Simply stated, they are a means to try to control Americans. We need to rebel against this control and we need to march for our rights to be who we are. Yes, we really need the marches. Some may call them parades, but I see them as marches for
vive. As a trans person, I know that I share a lot of these feelings with my LGBQ brothers and sisters. Being trans, however, means you have another element to deal with: your gender. Growing up as a boy I noticed a discon-
JUST LOOK AROUND AT NORTH CAROLINA AND SEVERAL OTHER STATES WHERE THERE ARE ANTI-
LGBT BILLS UP FOR CONSIDERATION. equality. If you are LGBTQ you know how awful it was growing up and how much hatred was thrown upon us and how most of us retreated into our closets with scars that last a lifetime. If you are not LGBTQ, please try to imagine what it’s like to have society overwhelmingly opposed to your right to love whom you choose and/or live as the gender you know yourself to be. You face ridicule, damnations, and are made to feel that you are wrong and evil. These are not healthy feelings but these are the feelings that you must deal with if you want to sur-
nection in my being. I felt that I was like the other boys; but then again I wasn't. I also felt like one of the other girls; but then again I wasn't. I was confused, but I decided to live as male. I figured that there will most likely be trouble if I chose to live as a female. At the time, in the late 1950s, I was attending a Catholic school, which was taught by nuns. I would think that they would have had a big problem if I told them that I was really a girl. Plus, many of my classmates would no doubt make fun of me and I most likely would have been bullied and teased if I came out at that point. I
decided to stay in my closet and tolerate the scars that I had. Living in the closet as trans I had to deal with scars such as shame, guilt, self-hatred, and the constant fear of being “found out.” I can tell you that it's awful living like that. I tried not to think about it but it doesn't go away. I was who I was and I knew that I had to somehow deal with it. That's how the closet comes in. If you've ever been in any kind of closet you know that it feels like you are living only half of your life. It's awful. This is why I march and enjoy the Prides. It feels so good to not be ashamed, to not feel guilty, to not hate yourself and to not be afraid. To share those feelings with others who have also had similar experiences is such a wonderful release. Yes, I firmly believe that we still need Prides today and we still need marches for our rights as Americans and our social justice. We still have a long way to go but I will keep marching until we get those rights. At that point, I will then call it a parade: a parade of love and acceptance. *Deja Nicole Greenlaw is a trans woman who has three grown children and is retired from 3M. She can be contacted via her email at: dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.
Ask a Trans Woman: The importance of honesty and the struggle to tell the truth By: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT Columnist
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PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN
’ve been thinking a lot lately about honesty. For one thing, it’s important to me. It’s sort of the central theme of a lot of the things I do and the ways I choose to lead my life. It’s also a thing I struggle with. Honesty is something I think about a lot as an actor and a writer. Heck, it’s sort of how I got the gig writing this column in the first place. I tend to be more forthcoming and open about my life and experiences than many people you will meet. I have a reputation for having few filters. But here’s the thing, even as habitually honest as I try to be, it still takes a lot of work. And as a trans person, who spent a large portion of my life in the closet, I have a very complex relationship towards honesty in general. An almost compulsive honesty makes me go onstage and tell large groups of strangers weird stories about my life. It makes me share so many personal details of my thoughts and experiences in my writing and with you here. All that honesty came as a sort of self-defense technique for keeping people from looking too closely at my life and, gods-forbid, figuring out that I was carefully hiding this massive secret
THE RAINBOW TIMES DIVERSE............just like our team is OBJECTIVE..........someone has to be INCLUSIVE........no one is left behind .....That is HOW media should be.....
I LIED. A LOT. AND NOT JUST TO THE PEOPLE I LOVED AND LIVED WITH. BUT ALSO, FOR A LONG TIME, I LIED TO MYSELF. about my gender identity. The idea being that if I had a reputation for being incredibly, almost weirdly honest, then no one would think to ask the questions I was desperate to avoid having to answer. They would not feel the need to delve, to look deeper and more closely. They would not think to ask what I was doing in my room with the door closed so late into the evening, night after night. There would be no question why I was bringing big bags of thrift store clothes into my room that just disappeared into a box in the back of my closet, buried under a perpetual and conveniently messy pile of laundry. Because everybody knew Mac (my old name) doesn’t lie. You should be careful asking him for advice, because sometimes he’ll give you startlingly honest opinions. And if you’re hanging out with him, it’s entirely likely he will overshare some drugfueled anecdote or questionably legal adventure. The point is, I spent basically the first 30 or so years of my life hiding an incredibly large part of who I am and the things I was doing from everyone around me. I lied. A
lot. And not just to the people I loved and lived with. But also, for a long time, I lied to myself. I hid the truth of myself under so many layers of lies and partial truths that it became an ingrained habit. I got good at it. But eventually, as seems to happen, the weight of all that secrecy and unspoken words became too much. People close to me began to ask the questions I did not want them asking. They noticed the gaps in my stories, and where I could not effectively explain those gaps, they filled in their own assumptions--assumptions that were often worse than the actual truth. More than that, I began to doubt the lies I was telling myself. Maybe there was more to my “dressing up” than just wanting to play around with gender, kink, or costumes. It wasn’t a phase and I definitely was not moving on. Along a similar trajectory, I also began to realize how important honesty was to me in my own relationships. Officially, my marriage ended because my wife cheated on me with a gangsta-rapping clown (that’s actually not a wildly unlikely joke I made up for this column. It really happened. I
have a genuinely weird life. But it’s a story for another time … ). It was not the only time she cheated on me, however. It had happened before and both times, I found out through other people and in little dribs and drabs of revelation. To be completely fair to her, I was not exactly the best husband. I was, as you might guess, dealing rather badly with a whole host of gender issues, many of which I was only then coming to honest terms with myself. I was in my own way lying to her just as much as she was lying to me. As the years went on and I got some intellectual distance on the events, I thought more about how my marriage ended and I began to realize that what bothered me was not so much that my wife had slept with other people. It was the lies and the lack of trust. What was, what is, important to me, is honesty. Heck, my ex-wife got the chance to sleep with one of her musical idols! If I had been propositioned by Björk, I might have made a similar choice!! (BTW, if any of you have any connections to that wonderfully cute and delightfully eccentric little Icelandic pixy, tell her I’m totes available!) I realized that honesty and openness were more important to me than any strict definitions of monogamous fidelity. You might be asking at this point what all that about my marriage has to do with me being trans. Good question. And I’m getting to it right about here. It was still a good few years before I would finally decide to start being honest To read the rest of this story visit: http://wp.me/p22M41-4kR
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
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6 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
Trans Talk 101: Terms to know and use By: Christine Nicco/TRT Reporter
In an effort to gain a better understanding of the language used in transgender culture, The Rainbow Times has compiled a special three-part series to explore the rich and diverse terms used by the trans community. The first part of the series will explore a list of commonly—and not so commonly— used words and phrases used when discussing gender identity. The terms here within were compiled by some of the nation’s leading experts and advocates for the transgender community—The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. However, it should be noted that “some transgender people may not use some or all of these terms,” according to UCSF’s website (transhealth.ucsf.edu). Language is powerful, so let’s get it right. Terms to know and use Transgender: A term for people whose gender identity, expression or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth. Transgender is a broad term and is good for nontransgender people to use. "Trans" is shorthand for "transgender" (Note: Trans-
See Transcreation on Page11
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Methodist Pastor from page 3 UMC: A global legislative assembly with more than 800 elected delegates. This is the body responsible for the UMC’s horrible statements about LGBTQ people for the past 44 years. From the ugly “incompatibility” statement quoted above stems a whole range of offensive and restrictive statements including defining marriage as between one man and one woman, threats to penalize clergy who minister to queer people, and other discriminatory rulings. In the first week of General Conference there were committee debates about how to handle proposed legislation. I observed the Human Sexuality subcommittee and it was simply atrocious. Methodists made speeches saying that we who are LGBTQ deserve to be beaten, disowned by our families and have our very existence criminalized by governments. In typical fashion, the Bishops of the church never spoke up against any of these forms of violence. I would guess that readers of this article who are not Christian are not surprised by any of this—assuming that there are non-Christians who care long enough to read this sort of a column.
This was my fourth General Conference. I was in attendance with a large group of pro-LGBTQ volunteers and a smaller core group of people committed to nonviolent direct action. We disrupted business any way we could. We went where we weren’t supposed to go, shouted down the hate with cries of “shame!” and loudly sang hymns in protest. We tied our hands and feet with rainbow ribbons and laid down in hallways to demonstrate how cheap calls for superficial unity constrain us. We stood around the perimeter of meetings with rainbow duct tape over our mouths. We disrupted with marching and singing and chanting and worked hard to escalate the tension. We were prepared to lose the votes as we always do, but we were not prepared to accept injustice in the name of Jesus. At the beginning of the second week something unexpected happened that took us by surprise. The Bishops released a statement in response to threats from the denomination’s right-wing that said they would leave the church over the UMC’s failure to squash our resistance to homophobic bigotry. In their proposal, the Bishops moved to table all debate on sexuality
We tied our hands and feet with rainbow ribbons and laid down in hallways to demonstrate how cheap calls for superficial unity constrain us.
As this played out, many of us stood by literally prepared to be arrested, complete with our lawyer’s phone number written on our arm in anticipation of being taken into custody. and form a special committee to report back at a future meeting that would deal only with sexuality and the possibility of splitting the denomination. Amazingly, the proposal passed. And to everyone’s surprise, the conference moved on. This was a very confusing turn of events. On the one hand, all of the church’s discriminatory policies stay the same. On the other hand, something seems to have changed in that, for whatever reason, the church could not continue with its homophobic business as usual. As this played out, many of us stood by literally prepared to be arrested, complete with our lawyer’s phone number written on our arm in anticipation of being taken into custody. After so many years of fighting and failure, the only way forward is for God to intervene. Now there seems to be the possibility that God is intervening by bringing an end to the UMC. Schism in this denomination would be an extremely complicated and difficult process, but that may be the best way. After this General Conference, more and more people are coming to terms with this than have considered it before. Whatever comes of future meetings, for me this General Conference was an important lesson in collective action and courage. Our people were beautiful, brave, creative and free. I am so grateful to be a part of this movement. We are powerful. Our power resides in not complying with the unjust system. This is what being a queer person is all about for me. It is also consistent with my theological and spiritual grounding in the God who preaches good news to the poor, release to prisoners and liberates the oppressed. *Reverend Will Green is the pastor of Ballard Vale United Church in Andover, MA. A lifelong United Methodist, he has previously served churches in Hull, Newton and Brewster.
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June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
From left, Robert Oates, MD, vice chair of urology; Jaromir Slama, MD, chief of the division of plastic surgery; and Joshua Safer, MD, department of endocrinology and medical director of BMC’s new Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery Photo: BMC
BMC opens exclusive center for trans MTF transition-related care By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor
BOSTON, Mass.—In mid-May, Boston Medical Center (BMC) announced that it will open a center devoted exclusively to providing healthcare for transgender people, the first hospital to do so in the Northeast. “This is an important addition to our surgical offerings as it truly represents BMC’s commitment to industry-leading medical care and to serving the needs of all members of our community,” said Kate Walsh, president and CEO of BMC, in a press statement. “For many of our transgender patients, surgery is the only way for them to lead a more complete life.” BMC’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery will provide primary care, mental health services, hormone therapy and several surgical procedures for transgender people at its new facility, which opened on May 18. It will start performing male-to-female genital surgical procedures in the late summer. BMC currently provides male-to-female surgeries such as facial feminization (a series of procedures that alter typical male facial features into typical female facial features that can include lip augmentation, cheek implants, brow lifts, and other surgeries) and mammaplasty (a surgical procedure to reshape and augment the breasts), which is also known as “top surgery.” The new center will offer these procedures as well as neovaginoplasty (the creation of a vagina through the inversion of the penis) as well as orchiectomy (the removal of testicles), which are also known as “bottom surgery.” BMC, however, will not offer female-to-male genital surgical procedures at this time. “The fact that BMC now offers these services could mean significantly less cost for people ( not having to travel out of state for surgery), less stress … and overall, I think it reinforces the important message
that there is nothing wrong with [being] transgender and there is nothing wrong with transgender people accessing the healthcare they need and want,” said Kaden Avery Mohamed, a trans activist who lives in Allston, MA. Garrett Garborcauskas, a research technician in the healthcare field who has advocated for more trans-competent health care services, said that BMC’s announcement will provide a continuity of care that will help make the transition process easier. “Having trans primary care, trans endocrinology, trans mental health, and trans surgery under the same roof means less time is spent trying to find trans-competent (never mind trans-compassionate) providers … and having to educate doctors,” he said, noting that as a member of the trans community he believes BMC is making great progress. “Having the doctors within the same system is incredible, and can help treat the whole patient.” Trans people often find it frustrating when faced with doctors who are incompetent around issues of gender identity or have to see several doctors at several different practices to procure the full array of services they need. According to a spokesperson for Boston Medical Center, the staff will do its best to ensure a solid continuum of care for new and current clients. “Current and new patients at BMC who are interested in male-to-female transgender genital surgery will undergo a [thorough] physical and mental health evaluation by BMC clinicians, or if preferred, BMC clinical staff will work with the patient’s current primary care and behavioral health providers to obtain the patient’s medical records and any pertinent diagnostic test results,” said BMC’s Associate Director of Media Relations Ellen Slingsby. “The medical record and test re-
See BMC on Page 15
8 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
PHOTOS: LEAH JAMES
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Laila McQueen
Q&A with RuPaul’s Drag Race star Laila McQueen By: John Paul Stapleton/TRT Reporter
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ow that the eighth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has come to a close, the fans can look back at their favorite moments and keep up with their favorite queens. In most seasons, the farther a queen gets, the bigger her fan base is, but for Gloucester MA’s Laila McQueen going home in the second episode didn’t stop her from blowing up on the internet. McQueen has been performing all over the country and updating her Instagram to keep up with the challenges from the show in her #ShouldaCouldaWoulda series on Instagram. She’s popping up all over the place in terms of the Drag Race world, including Bob the Drag Queen’s music video for “Purse First.” McQueen sat down for an exclusive interview with The Rainbow Times to discuss her life post Drag Race.
Q: What have you been doing since the show? A: I’m one of the only girls who [has], since the show, been non-stop traveling. I’ve been doing nothing but gigs. I’ve been all over the country. My manager’s great so the second the promo came out he was like “You want to book Laila? You want to book Laila?” to everyone. Q: I see that you still have a big following after the elimination still! A: Surprisingly! People like me! I’m very surprised and I’m very grateful! Q: Do you think that’s been helped by your #ShouldCouldaWoulda series? A: A: Oh for sure, people are really loving that. A lot of people were upset to see me go because they wanted to see more.
See Laila McQueen on page 12
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June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Gay for Good (G4G): LGBTQ volunteer group seeks to make a difference BOSTON, Mass—A few weeks before Valentine’s Day, about two dozen volunteers came together on a Saturday morning to make Valentine’s—but not for their special someone. The recipients? Seniors citizens served by FriendshipWorks, an organization that seeks to alleviate the isolation faced by the elderly community. The approximately 25 people that met to make the cards all belonged to Gay for Good (G4G)—Boston. Founded in 2009 in Los Angeles, G4G brings together LGBTQ people to volunteer with local environmental and social welfare organizations. G4G has chapters in 11 cities across the country, from Pittsburgh to Seattle and Dallas-Fort Worth to Chicago. “We’re looking to really encourage people within the LGBTQ community to participate in the broader community through volunteer projects,” explained G4G— Boston board member Art Nava. “So we partner with community groups—nonprofits in the area—on a variety of different projects.” Nava said that G4G—Boston, the organization’s sole chapter in New England, tries “to make it easy for people” to serve the community by offering relatively short projects on Saturdays, Sundays, and after work, adding that the board works to create a sense of camaraderie among the members. “One thing after they formed the chapter
PHOTO: G4G—BOSTON
By: Luke Sherman/TRT Reporter
Boston volunteers get ready to deliver groceries to elderly neighbors in the South End and Fenway/Symphony neighborhoods after assembling the groceries at Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly in Jamaica Plain
here that they got right was really just making sure that the volunteer had a great experience,” said Nava, who began volunteering with the group shortly after it formed six years ago. “It’s kind of silly, but everyone wears nametags, people take a moment to introduce themselves by name and what town they live in, and they make a real effort to make sure that things don’t
get too cliquey, which I think a lot of things in the area sometimes kind of miss.” The board of G4G—Boston meets virtually once every four weeks and strives to plan its excursions at least two to three months in advance, which all members can attend. The chapter targets groups that have established volunteer programs and volunteers outdoors during the warmer months.
In addition to providing opportunities to the approximately 1,000 members to serve the community, G4G—Boston also functions as a space for people to befriend one another. “The social aspect of G4G has been incredible. It’s just really nice to know there
See G4G on Page 15
10 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
PHOTO: AYDIAN ETHAN DOWLING/FACEBOOK
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Aydian Ethan Dowling will be busy during Pride Season. Check out his Pride schedule!
Aydian Dowling heads to Beantown By: Chris Gilmore/ TRT Reporter
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ydian Dowling leaped to stardom in 2015, after FTM Magazine recreated (https://goo.gl/zgbrpR) Maroon 5’s legendary and iconic racy photo of the band’s front man Adam Levine for Cosmopolitan’s UK magazine in 2012. FTM’s publisher, Jason Robert Ballard, saw a similarity in Levine and Dowling’s physiques, which gave him the concept that would then feature Dowling in FTM (http://goo.gl/v1aUQd). Media frenzy ensued and Dowling’s photo and name went viral on mainstream media in the U.S. and abroad, an instant stardom for the 27-yearold proud trans bodybuilder. The hype challenged Dowling, who decided to go for the unthinkable at the time. He entered the Men's Health Ultimate Guy Contest with the hopes of becoming the first trans man featured in a mainstream national magazine. This brought more attention to Dowling who was interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres about the contest. Thousands voted for Dowling in 2015 and although he didn’t win, he did win. He won the Reader’s Choice Pick, he was one of the top 5 semifinalists, and was ultimately featured on the cover of Men’s Health with all of the other finalists
(http://goo.gl/QKdBZ7). Still, hungry for visibility to help other trans people, Dowling’s achievements were being followed international zine Gay Times’ editor Darren Scott, which resulted in Dowling landing his first solo cover on the gay magazine (https://goo.gl/zcLhXR). It was, according to what Scott told the Independent (http://goo.gl/iBs1tg), the “first ever trans man to be featured on the cover of a gay magazine internationally.” But how did this success happen to Dowling? It started years ago when the vlogger decided to record his FTM transition journey on YouTube (https://goo.gl/TPbZuX) from pre-Testosterone to present, on his channel: ALionsFears. Vlog after vlog, he shared with his followers the physical and emotional changes that he experienced while continuing on Testosterone. His bodybuilding hobby gained the attention of thousands of followers, who then joined his various social channels. His Instagram (https://goo.gl/fOcVBJ) account has almost 110K followers and his FB fan page has approximately 54K fans. His brand keeps growing.
See Dowling on page 13
TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 11
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Trans 101 - Terms from page 6 gender is correctly used as an adjective, not a noun, thus "transgender people" is appropriate but "transgenders" is often viewed as disrespectful). Transgender Man: A term for a transgender individual who currently identifies as a man (see also “FTM”). Transgender Woman: A term for a transgender individual who currently identifies as a woman (see also “MTF”). Gender Identity: An individual’s internal sense of being male, female, or something else. Since gender identity is internal, one’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others. Gender Expression: External manifestations of gender, expressed through one's name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine and feminine changes over time and varies by culture. Typically, transgender people seek to make their gender expression align with their gender identity, rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. Transsexual: An older term for people whose gender identity is different from their assigned sex at birth who seeks to transition from male to female or female to male. Many do not prefer this term because it is thought to sound overly clinical.
Cross-dresser*: While anyone may wear clothing associated with a different sex, the term cross-dresser is typically used to refer to heterosexual men who occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories culturally associated with women. This activity is a form of gender expression, and not done for entertainment purposes. Cross-dressers do not wish to permanently change their sex or live full-time as women. “Cross dresser” replaces the term "transvestite." *Transgender women are not crossdressers or drag queens. Drag queens are men, typically gay men, who dress like women for the purpose of entertainment. Be aware of the differences between transgender women, cross-dressers, and drag queens. Use the term preferred by the individual. Do not use the word "transvestite" at all, unless someone specifically selfidentifies that way. Queer: A term used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual and, often transgender, people. Some use queer as an alternative to "gay" in an effort to be more inclusive. Depending on the user, the term has either a derogatory or an affirming connotation, as many have sought to reclaim the term that was once widely used in a negative way. Gender Non-Conforming: A term used to describe some people whose gender expression is different from conventional ...
See Trans 101 on page 13
12 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Lila McQueen from page 8 People are so in the moment in the show, having these little tidbits makes it nice for them I guess to see more from me. Q: What does this say about being a popular drag queen that you’ve been so popular since the show compared to what they push as the best? A: I guess people just like me. They saw that I have more to give. People are so crazy online, our whole cast was figured out, but no one had any clue I was on. People mentioned ‘Oh maybe Laila’ and the Nancy Drew Crew on Reddit was like “No! Debunked! She is not!” And then I was and everyone started looking me up to find more about me.
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Q: When it came down your elimination, you ripped your dress off, which I thought was great, most queens wouldn’t pull that trick out. A: I was talking to the girls about it, they were like “Girl twirl your dress, take it off!” I didn’t take my wig off, so that was great. Q: I thought that showed a lot of confidence! A: Apparently, I’m like a really good actor. I don’t think I’m all that confident, but I’m very humble and keep doing myself and find more confidence along the way. I’m full of self-doubt so that’s where all this drag and art comes from. It’s like “Are you really good? I’m not sure, but just go with
it.” Q: Apart from your drag, you’re also a fine artist correct? A: I went to school for fine art so I try to do more art, but I’ve been travelling so I haven’t had time to do as much. Within three weeks of moving back home after school I got the call to be on the show so I went right into doing that. Q: In your work, that confidence struggle comes out in your paintings. You really get across the whole fat positivity and anger with the “no fats, no fems” thing. A: I’m not under the impression that I get it across so well so I appreciate that. In school they always tried to get us to tell a story. I find art very emotional and emotionally driven so I didn’t necessarily like that. I like to do stuff about feelings and leave it more open and abstracted. Q: So what made you choose that topic? A: I just at a certain point get so fed up because as a community, the gay community is like “Everyone needs to respect us, everyone needs to give us equal rights,” but then to each other, there’s a whole level of disrespect from gay person to gay person, from gay person to transgender person, from queer person to queer person. I feel like no one really respects each other and I get really bothered by that. Growing up and coming [out] and feeling like you’ve found Read the rest of this story at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4kT
TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 13
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Las donaciones salen de nuestros proyectos de Orgullo Gay Por: Gricel M. Ocasio/Publicadora de TRT
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LATIN VISION
l periódico The Rainbow Times es un periódico del cual soy publicadora y codueña. Nuestro décimo aniversario está a la vuelta de la esquina y estamos sumamente orgullosas, Nicole Lashomb (la otra co-dueña y editora) y yo de nuestro equipo, nuestros anunciantes y de nuestros fieles lectores a través de los años. Lo que nos ha mantenido como el periódico LGBTQ de mayor audiencia en Nueva Inglaterra son varios factores que atribuyo a buen periodismo y a un sentido de responsabilidad comunitario que compartimos como equipo. The Rainbow Times está compuesto de mujeres y hombres gay cis-géneros, de personas de color, de personas transgéneros y de aliados. Somos parte de una organización diversa e inclusiva, y nos enorgullecemos de ser así. El periódico es gratuito y se publica mensualmente el primer jueves de cada mes. Además, cada año publicamos dos proyectos más: 1. el Mapa de Eventos de Nueva Inglaterra (“New England Pride Event Map”, en inglés - https://goo.gl/UtMQKo); y 2. la Guía de Orgullo Gay de Nueva
Dowling from Page 10 "This was my main support," Long Islander Dowling said in his “Pre T to 4 Years on T” vlog, referring to his 34K+ online YouTube fans and well over 1 million views. Not long after, in 2011, Dowling was chosen as one of three LGBT persons to have their stories showcased on the Emmy Nominated It Gets Better Project on MTV. His latest and biggest gig in New England is as Boston Pride’s Festival Emcee (https://goo.gl/IMRb5T) on June 11. But, that's not everything that this trans man is doing to keep himself busy. Innately an entrepreneur, Dowling launched Point 5cc (http://point5cc.com/) in 2011, to "help raise money" for his own top surgery. “Point 5cc,” according to the company’s site, is a reference to a “common dosage of hormones that a trans person on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is prescribed—it was Aydian’s dosage at the time he founded the company.” Currently, Dowling is the founder and president and the company has evolved to a trans style clothing company whose partial sale proceeds go to Point of Pride, their "non-profit arm that provides their 'Annual Transgender Surgery Fund’ (http://goo.gl/tDtZ2V), and their chest binder and breast form donation (http://goo.gl/z5mPam) programs," reads its website. And Dowling is the “pioneer,” that Men’s Health wrote about, for the transgender community. “I’ve been putting effort into giving visibility and supporting the transgender community for the last five to six years, so I’m so privileged to have that honor …” said
A TRAVÉS DE LOS AÑOS, GRACIAS A ESTOS DOS PROYECTOS, HEMOS PODIDO DONAR DINERO EN EFECTIVO MUCHAS ORGANIZACIONES EN MASSACHUSETTS Y CONNECTICUT. Inglaterra (“New England Pride Guide”, en inglés), la cual estará disponible a principios de junio. Estos proyectos nos permiten donarle asistencia financiera a organizaciones sin fines de lucro pequeñas de Nueva Inglaterra. A través de los años, gracias a estos dos proyectos, hemos podido donar dinero en efectivo a las siguientes organizaciones: al primer centro de mamografía de “Fenway Health”, a la organización “Noho Pride”, a la organización de “Boston Pride”, a la “LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts”, la AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts, el “Beantown Softball League”, a personas con necesidades de la comunidad LGBT, etc. Me tomaría mucho tiempo mencionar a cada una de ellas. Lo importante es que el donar ayuda financiera a las comunidades y organizaciones a las que orgullosamente servimos está siempre
en el corazón de todo lo que hacemos en The Rainbow Times. Tan sólo el año pasado el por ciento de los márgenes que sale de estos dos proyectos anualmente desde el 2009 se han ubicado a los proyectos mencionados arriba (una vez se pagan los gastos relacionados con las celebraciones de Orgullo Gay) se le otorgaron a tres organizaciones importantes: la Conferencia de TRANSCending Boundaries, el centro para personas indigentes de LifeBridge de Salem, Massachusetts, y a la liga de “softball” Beantown al equipo de los Terriers. En otras palabras, cuando usted se anuncia con el Mapa de Eventos de Nueva Inglaterra, o con la Guía de Orgullo Gay de Nueva Inglaterra, su contribución ayuda a otras organizaciones también, pues una
the activist in his second TV interview on the DeGeneres show. In an interview with MetroWeekly (http://goo.gl/aJvvv5) this year, Dowling explained his final realization about not being a lesbian, but being transgender. He said it was in “February, 2009. It was the first time I looked in a mirror and said, ‘I’m transgender.’ It was really hard when I first did it. I felt like it was hard enough being a lesbian. And it was even harder being a lesbian who ‘stood out’ because I was a masculine lesbian. I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, how is that going to work? How could you ever change genders? Your whole life would just be totally different.’ It just seemed unfathomable to me. It was like a fairytale of some kind.” And fairytales can come true.
Dowling’s upcoming Pride season appearances include the following cities:
Para leer el resto de esta historia visite: http://wp.me/p22M41-4kV
• June 9-10th: Philadelphia Transgender Health Conference • June 11th: Boston Pride (Festival Stage Emcee) • June 28th: Palm Springs Pride, CA • July 3rd: Toronto Pride (voted International Grand Marshal by Pride Toronto) • July 24th: Circus Church (tentative) Portland, OR • July 28-30th: PrideCon Anaheim, CA August 5-7th: Gender Odyssey Seattle, WA To check out Boston Pride Festival’s concert performers on June 11, visit http://goo.gl/lFHdmK. For a list of its 10day event calendar, go to http://goo.gl/VmQfF2.
Trans 101 from page 11 expectations of masculinity and femininity. Please note that not all gender non-conforming people identify as transgender; nor are all transgender people gender nonconforming. Many people have gender expressions that are not entirely conventional—that fact alone does not make them transgender. Many transgender men and women have gender expressions that are conventionally masculine or feminine. Simply being transgender does not make someone gender non-conforming. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as gender non-conforming. Genderqueer: A term used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man or woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or they may define it as wholly different from these terms. The term is not a synonym for transgender or transsexual and should only be used if someone self-identifies as genderqueer. Bi-gendered: One who has a significant gender identity that encompasses both the male and female genders. Some may feel that one side or the other is stronger, but both sides are there. Two-Spirit: A contemporary term that refers to the historical and current First Nations people whose individual spirits were a blend of male and female spirits. This term has been reclaimed by some in Native American LGBTQ communities in order to honor their heritage and provide an alternative to the Western labels of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. FTM: A person who transitions from "female-to-male," meaning a person who was assigned female at birth, but identifies and lives as a male. Also known as a “transgender man.” MTF: A person who transitions from "male-to-female," meaning a person who was assigned male at birth, but identifies Read the rest of this terminology list at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4kZ
Happy Pride 2016! Come by TRT’s booths at BP, North Shore Pride, Worcester Pride, etc.
The Rainbow Times DIVERSO.........como nuestro equipo OBJECTIVO...alguien tiene que serlo INCLUSIVO....sin dejar a nadie fuera Así es como la prensa DEBE ser
14 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
QPuzzle: Three Days in June
GAY TOP 10
1. Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson 2. Margarita With A Straw 3. Orange is the New Black Season 3 4. Parched 5. Carol 6. That's Not Us 7. Portrait of a Serial Monogamist 8. All About E 9. Liz in September 10. The Girl King
Courtesy: WolfeVideo.com
LESBIAN TOP 10
TOP 10 BEST SELLER VIDEOS 1. Henry Gamble's Birthday Party 2. Those People 3. Holding the Man 4. You're Killing Me 5. That's Not Us 6. Beautiful Darling 7. London Spy 8. Helicopter Mom 9. The Danish Girl 10. The Sum of Us
Across 1 Ballet follower 6 Loesser's most happy one on Broadway 11 Like family 15 "What does she see ___?" 16 Lover of Henry and June 17 John of M. Butterfly 18 Neighborhood where 39Across is located 21 They hit Stephen Hough's piano strings 22 Went for, at Barneys 23 Some dam project 24 Swedish import 26 Style Tracy Turnblad's hair 27 Ward of Once and Again 29 Used farmers' tools 33 Possible result of unsafe sex 34 Mardi Gras follower 36 They cause a bicycle to be "bi" 39 Site of 1969 riots soon to be designated a national monument 43 Person in the Navy 44 One of Bernstein's strings 46 Slingers' ammunition 49 Dieter's catchword 52 Region in J. Siberry's land 54 What you can give it 57 Fruit flavor for gin 59 Cats inspirer's monogram 60 ___ Menace (Radicalesbian phrase) 64 Carolina pro footballer
66 Speech in which Obama mentioned 39-Across in 2013 68 Carbs or cabooses 69 Room at the top 70 Kind of queer 71 Puts into service 72 Onetime Oprah rival 73 Fender bender scars Down 1 LGBT ___ (Obama was the first to mention them in a 66Across) 2 Come apart 3 Bulldykes 4 Come off as 5 Sea eagles 6 King of Lawrence's land 7 SASE, for one 8 Cowardly lion actor 9 Vidal's ___ from Golgotha 10 Words before were 11 Kate's sitcom partner 12 "Bears" that aren't bears 13 Take into the body 14 Had an opening for 19 Finish filming 20 J. Caesar's tongue, or back muscle 25 Bitch's response 28 Queen's "subjects" 30 Mooring sites 31 Long, slippery one 32 Martin of the Daughters of Bilitis 35 "Get thee ___ nunnery" 37 Tyler of Lord of the Rings 38 Cut quickly
40 Love, to Navratilova 41 "Xanadu" band, for short 42 From the Union 45 Has a hissy fit 46 California home of Streisand 47 Planet with a butt sound 48 William of Knots Landing 50 South American that may climb every mountain 51 One that attacks a fly 53 Emily Dickinson output 55 Dr. for the children's hour? 56 Star Trek sequel, briefly 58 Came to a halt 61 Like a twosome 62 Ziegfeld Follies costume designer 63 HRC does this to candidates 65 Family diagram 67 Nickname that Taylor dislikes
SOLUTION
TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 15
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016
Letters from page 2 [Ask A Trans Woman: “Barstool Activism” & the Importance of Trans Visibility] Dear Editor, This is wonderfully on point and well presented. I gave up trying to “pass” in any way other than true self a few years ago. During the course of meeting someone new who wasn’t expecting a trans* person. I have found that it’s about six minutes between the time of “OMG Gender Panic” to “ok, she’s human like me.” Our everyday visibility is vital to our success—it’s the small informal engagements that make all of the difference in our collective worlds— and success within it. Thank you for reminding me of that fact. —Connie Englert, Online [Trans Community Members & Allies Boo As Gov. Baker Exits The Stage] Dear Editor, Thank you for your coverage! While the governor’s lack of commitment was infuriating, the response to the protest of some attendees was truly disappointing. If you were a gay, bi, or lesbian cisgender person in the crowd calling us rude, how dare you. You folks have had anti-discrimination protection for years. This bill is vital to our community’s well-being. If anyone is rude, it is you for not joining us wholeheartedly in this fight. And we’ve seen this before—in NYC in the 70s, they passed gay ordinances exclusive of trans people. It wasn’t till recently that NY state came (partially) back around for trans people. This isn’t new, it’s tired. If you are a member of the LGBT com-
G4G from page 9 are people in my community who share the same values as I do and who want to make a difference,” said member Clayton Vozzella, who joined the chapter in 2014. “I’ve made a solid handful of friends through the group that I see on a regular basis outside of G4G ... It’s been really satisfying to see some unification of the LGBTQ community in a world that seems to try dividing people through their differences.” Nava has had a similar experience. “Last year, we had an anniversary party for the five years and invited back some of the old board members,” Nava said. “That five-year mark was kind of when I reflected and thought about the friends I had made the previous five years and for the most part they were people I had met through Gay for Good.” The volunteers often grab lunch after the events to get to know each other better, Nava added. Julie Nowak joined the group a little over a year ago after seeing an advertisement for the chapter on Facebook and has enjoyed her experience thus far. “It's been wonderful to try new things and discover skills I didn't know I possessed. I feel more confident and more curious about new adventures, rather than trepidatious,” she said. “I recommend G4G all the time
munity, STICK UP FOR US! NOW is the time. Well, decades ago was the time, but here we are. We’ve fought side by side in battle after battle. Don’t let your respectability ambition squash your conscience. *note, the stickers said “APPROVED” —Reed Miller, Online [Boston Pride Withdraws Marshalship After Controversial FB Comments Surface] Dear Editor, It is appropriate to exercise caution in a nominations process. I empathize with the objections of disenfranchised members of our community. We’ve long permitted inappropriate inequities inside our equality movement. Nothing seems as unpalatable as a racist who claims to endeavor in the promotion of equality. However, as a fellow public servant, and uniformed brother, I must strenuously object to the assertion that an officer by nature is an inappropriate nominee. The very laws we demand to assure our equality are only as potent as the men and women who risk all to assure their efficacy. If ever their was a moment to walk a mile in someone’s shoes, we certainly must, while we acknowledge the impact to our disenfranchised communities, understand that many outstanding public servants are being painted with a very broad and very discriminatory brush. —Gary Wagner, Online
Send your letters to the editor with your full name, town, and phone number to verify your identity, even if you leave the feedback online. Send all “Letters to the Editor” toTRT’s Editor at: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com to friends and acquaintances.” While the membership of the group skews male and cisgender, the chapter has prioritized increasing membership from underrepresented communities. “I think the group does a decent job with diversity, and we are constantly trying to find new ways to broaden the demographics of the group. I particularly participate in a lot of community outreach and I’ve tried to increase the number of women in our group,” Vozzella said. “As some of us board members begin to consider stepping down, we are encouraging applications for future board members to come from underrepresented groups within the community. We are primarily looking at people who are trans, people of color, and women.” G4G—Boston has a number of events planned for its members this month. On June 5, the chapter will invite members to serve as course marshals for the 2016 AIDS Walk, sponsored by AIDS Action Committee, an organization that seeks to prevent new infections of HIV, maximize the health outcomes of those infected, and end the virus’ epidemic in Massachusetts. On June 11, G4G—Boston will march for the second time in the Boston Pride Parade. For more information on G4G—Boston and its events, visit http://goo.gl/xXUgZO. Anyone can sign up to join the group for free.
BMC from page 7 sults will then be reviewed and discussed by a panel of providers at BMC who have been selected to serve on this panel. “The panel includes specialists in primary care, endocrinology, plastic surgery, urology and behavioral medicine. Much like other medical boards … this panel will review each case individually to determine if the patient is appropriate for surgery. The patient will then be contacted by a provider to determine next steps.” Though Boston Medical Center has billed itself as providing comprehensive services for the trans community with the opening of its new facility, female-to-male surgical procedures are noticeably absent. Though BMC does offer chest masculinization surgery, also known as “top surgery,” female-to-male genital surgeries will not be offered. “Female-to-male genital surgery is not only a very complex procedure with additional risks and complications, but it is also not as frequently sought by patients as male-to-female genital surgery,” said Dr. Jaromir Slama, BMC’s chief of the division of plastic surgery. Dr. Slama said that, specifically, phalloplasty, a surgical procedure to construct a penis, requires a long operation, a stay in the intensive care unit and that results are not as satisfying for patients, noting that there can be, “altered sensitivity, appearance and inability to obtain an erection.” He also noted that complications are more common with this procedure. “We will consider adding female-to-male genital surgery in the future, after we are confident that the procedure will produce fewer complications, and that the results will be more satisfying for our patients,” he said. “ ... the evolution of female-to-male genital surgery is nowhere near complete, and there's quite a long way to go in the development of a surgery that gives optimal results,” said Garborcauskas. “This is not saying that the results currently are not good—it's just more difficult, only a few
Though BMC does offer chest masculinization surgery, also known as “top surgery,” female-tomale genital surgeries will not be offered. surgeons in the country do it, it takes multiple surgeries, and is extremely expensive.” Kaden Mohamed said he has mixed feelings about the lack of FTM surgeries at the center. “My first reaction is one of a little bit of sadness,” he said. “I have been considering more and more the options of having bottom surgery and having somewhere in Massachusetts, let alone in Boston, where I could explore those options would be really convenient and would make my exploration of this surgery more affordable. “Then, I think about it again, and all that sadness goes away because I cannot express how incredibly happy I am so see transgender women and trans feminine people have access to healthcare that they need! Mirroring society as a whole, trans women, trans feminine people, and maleto-female trans folks often face more marginalization and discrimination than trans men, trans masculine people, and femaleto-male people. Putting my selfishness aside, I can actually see this as a really positive first step for BMC to take and again, I Read the rest of this story at: http://goo.gl/ulBAUc
16 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
June 2, 2016 - July 6, 2016