The Rainbow Times' Pride / June 2020 Issue

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June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

White privilege & fragility must end: Key to ending overt & covert racism By: Nicole Lashomb* The Rainbow Times’ Editor

T

he brutal murder of George Floyd

by Minneapolis, Minn. Police was the final catalyst where collectively, we stood up across the globe and said, “No more!” With 400 years of lynching, murders, beatings, and racism in almost every institution across the nation under our belt, we should be absolutely ashamed of ourselves. The time for comprehensive systemic change and the dismantling of racism should have taken place centuries ago. However, now is the time in history where there is no turning back.

After witnessing the modern day lynching of George Floyd by the savage policemen that took his life over a counterfeit $20 bill—which he may have had no knowledge of in the first place—has roused the world to action and to stand up to the gross injustices black men and women face everyday. Black Lives Matter. If we don’t act now, then we will be complicit. We must do everything in our power to get it right going forward in any and every way possible. White folks, I’m looking at you!

I'm taking aim at the oppressive system that has benefited white folks while disenfranchising others endlessly, especially considering economic impact and police brutality. As white folks, most of us have not experienced police brutality or profiling because our skin color has never been the target. Anytime someone is critical against white perspectives, some white folks take it personally, as if they are under attack, of which they are not. White fragility is a big part of this problem.

According to sociologist Robin Diangelo, who coined the term, white fragility is a “state in which even a minimum of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.”

So many white folks I know or have debated from time to time have proclaimed that white privilege is not real, or that they themselves have never experienced white privilege, because they grew up poor or experienced great hardships in their lives. If you are white, whether you know it or not, you have benefited from institutional racism and from privilege. If you find this thought offensive, then you, too, suffer from white fragility. I’ve found myself repeating to white folks ad nauseam that white privilege does not mean you haven’t had a hard life. However, it does mean that the color of your skin has never been one of the factors that has made or contributed to your life being more difficult. That is the very definition of white privilege. Let that sink in before reacting.

Instead of learning and understanding what white privilege is or how white fragility adds to the racial discrimination, hatred, abuse and killings, a common reaction, according to Diangelo, is to deny it exists at all. However, my experiences dictate otherwise.

As a white queer cis woman married to a Latinx, indigenous man and being multicultural myself, I've witnessed this firsthand privilege in countless ways—privilege that would have gotten a black person killed in this country for doing exactly what I did. For example, twice, when pulled over by police and they took, what seemed to have been forever, to get out of their cruiser, I got out of the driver’s side of the car, in the middle of winter, with both of my hands in my coat pockets, and approached their cruiser quickly to find out what was going on and why I was pulled over. I did this with no regard, as if it were ok for me to do that. My own white privilege made me comfortable enough to think that it was acceptable for me to do that in the first place. In contrast, black parents are being forced to tell their children to stay in the car, keep their hands on the wheel at all times and to address officers as yes sir, no sir, etc. They’re forced to start talking to their children about police and racism at a very early stage in their young lives. Do we ever do that in white households? Not

The common denominator here is that most of the police is good to us white folks. That is because white folks do not have the same interaction with police that black folks and other people of color do—we never have and never will. Our opinion of certain officers and departments will never be the same as black people or people from other marginalized groups. It will never be the same because we have never been the targets of their racial/ethnic bias. That is why I will never use my voice to exalt a department or a police officer because my skin color will never be a reason for mistreatment by those in power, by those who mercilessly killed George Floyd, for all 8 minutes and 46 seconds and prior to when he took his last breath, which was before that time ended.

In contrast, I know what they would do if it were my husband, because I have seen first hand what they’ve done to him too.

Mind you, my husband is a light-skinned Latinx and indigenous man. That hasn’t always helped him, I must attest with anger towards what I have witnessed first hand.

ACCORDING TO SOCIOLOGIST ROBIN DIANGELO, WHO COINED THE TERM, WHITE FRAGILITY IS A “STATE IN WHICH EVEN A MINIMUM OF RACIAL STRESS BECOMES INTOLERABLE, TRIGGERING A RANGE OF DEFENSIVE MOVES. mine. And, I bet not yours either, if you’re a white person like me.

That cold Western Mass. winter morning, I literally stormed off to the cruiser to confront the cop. It was obvious that I was furious en route as I trekked through the snow. My hands were in my pockets. How did they know that I didn’t pose a threat or have a weapon? I know the answer to that.

I am white. When the officer saw me approach the police vehicle practically arriving at his door, he came out of the car nonchalantly and told me to wait a minute and asked me to step back inside of my vehicle. I was literally 5-6 feet away from him.

If I were George Floyd, Eric Garner, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, or countless other black men and women (trans and/or cis) dying from the hands of police, I would’ve been shot, detained, choke held, tased, thrown to the ground, arrested and charged in some way that day. But, instead, I was asked to go back to my car and told that he’d be "right with me." He did that because he had no bias against me. It’s as simple as that.

All over the social media sphere, I see countless posts of white folks chiming in about how “good” the police is and what a great job is being done in their communities. Well, they have been good to me too.

As matter of fact whenever we’ve been pulled over in the 18 years we’ve been together, I always make sure the officer in question sees me by speaking to them too, to try and spare my husband any potential racial profiling that has resulted before in numerous circumstances. Still, my presence hasn’t helped him either. They’ve mistreated him any way, regardless of my presence there. If you are married to another white person, you will never get to experience this. If you don’t know, you shouldn’t be making assumptions nor giving your opinion about something you know nothing about.

As Diangelo has pointed out, instead of taking criticism of white racist systems as a personal attack, leverage it for positive gain. Read that again: “…instead of taking criticism of white racist systems as a personal attack, leverage it for positive gain.”

That is what I do with my husband, my family, friends and comrades in the trenches fighting for their lives and racial and economic equity, much in the same way a line of white women lined up at one of the protests to protect black protesters from an onslaught of law enforcement.

They knew how to leverage their privilege that day. Do you know how to leverage yours? If not, please find more information online. There are tons of research papers

that can explain this at all levels of the racelearning scale. It is not up to our PoC friends to teach us about this, just as it is not up to the LGBTQ+ community to teach others about our lives either.

During this pride season and every day of the year, when someone who is Black, Indigenous, Latinx etc., speaks up, writes, raises their hand—acknowledge what is said, seek opinions from People of Color, reply to others in a supportive role, give people a thumbs up ... make People of Color (and BIPOC, and others from the LGBTQ+ PoC community) be seen and heard. It is the very least us white cisgender folks can do. *Nicole Lashomb is Editor-in-Chief of The Rainbow Times and Co-Executive Director of Project Out. She holds an MBA from Marylhurst University and a BM from the Crane School of Music/SUNY Potsdam.

Nicole may be reached via e-mail directly at: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.

Multiple Award Winning

The Rainbow Times The Largest LGBTQ Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 Fax: 928.437.9618 Publisher Graysen M. Ocasio Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb Assistant Editor Mike Givens National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Liz Johnson Lead Photographers Steve Jewett Christine M. Hurley Photographer Jenna Joyce

Reporters Mike Givens Chris Gilmore Audrey Cole Ad & Layout Design Prizm PR Webmaster Jarred Johnson Columnists/Guest Lorelei Erisis Deja N. Greenlaw Paul P. Jesep Mike Givens Keegan O’Brien* Affiliations QSyndicate *Guest Columnist

The Rainbow Times is published monthly by The Rainbow Times, LLC. TRT is an award-winning publication affiliated with 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.

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June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

Cities around the globe find innovative ways to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride this year, more A different approach to Pride marches everywhere: This is Pride in 2020, re-imagined due to COVID-19

PRIDE 2020

By: Andrew Collins Special to TRT

LGBTQ Pride festivals may look a bit different as we navigate life during the COVID-19 pandemic, but make no mistake, Pride is happening in 2020. It's just happening in some new ways.

All of the major Pride gatherings that had been scheduled for June and many planned for July and beyond have, at least as physical gatherings, been rescheduled for either later in this year or 2021. But just about every Pride organization has also come up with a plan for observing Pride as a virtual experience, one that you can access and enjoy from anywhere with a web connec-

tion.

As for Pride events still scheduled to take place later this summer or fall, organizers continue to monitor the situation. One advantage some smaller communities might have is being able to hold a less crowded outdoor event, maybe a parade or a festival, while still upholding social distancing and PPE guidelines. It remains to be seen when and if such gatherings will be possible, but some of these Pride events could potentially show organizers in other cities how they can approach Pride planning in 2021 and beyond. With or without a vaccine,

San Francisco Pride has announced a variety of virtual Pride events throughout the month of June.

there's no doubt that society must continue taking new safety measures concerning festivals, events, and parades going forward.

As part of the solution, Pride organizers should and can continue to offer robust virtual programming in addition to or in place

PHOTO: SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE

of physical gatherings.

See Pride 2020 On Page 8

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

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Pride 2020 From Page 6 While it's disappointing for many of us not to be able to gather with friends and allies for Pride parades, rallies, concerts, and other physical celebrations this year, the transformation of LGBTQ Pride into a virtual event has some positive and perhaps permanent implications.

As Pride planning committees have been forced to think outside the box, they've come up with new, or at least better executed ways, to broadcast the ongoing conversation about Pride online and through social media. Sure, the idea that we can and should wear our Pride on our sleeves yearround and wherever we are—in our homes, in our workplaces, at the grocery store or farmer’s market, while we're out walking the dog or hiking—may sound obvious.

But, how many of us have truly taken the time to consider what Pride means on a personal and community level, and not merely as a singular event that we think about just once a year?

For many, Pride is something we've tended to think about participating in mostly in terms of attending physical marches and festivals: I made it to Rhode Island PrideFest last year but wasn't able to attend Boston Pride, or perhaps, I didn't have the money or the time to travel last year so I missed out on Pride entirely.

While there's no denying the joy and excitement of attending celebrations in real life, this year's reimagining of Pride as a virtual experience allows us to appreciate

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

it wherever we are and even—to some extent—whenever we wish to. And imaginative, inclusive, thoughtful Pride programming has the potential to make it so that all of us, going forward, will be able to "attend" Pride, regardless of whether we live in a big city or a tiny rural town, and whether we show up at a physical gathering or participate using our phones and computers.

Pride isn't canceled in 2020. If anything, it's taking place in more places among more LGBTQ+ folks than ever before.

Here's how to participate in several prominent Prides taking place around the Northeast and in some other major cities throughout North America:

LGBTQ Puzzle: Pride month’s is for Rocketman

Boston Pride Following a virtual Pride Flag Raising on June 5, Boston is observing its 50th anniversary of Pride throughout the entire month. And yes, some of this celebration will take place online (bostonpride.org/), but organizers are also encouraging folks throughout the metro region to gussy up their homes, yards, and even pets (please, only pets who actually enjoy being dressed up!) with Pride gear and to share photos through social media (tag @BostonPride and #WickedProud), especially the weekend of June 12-14. Specific events taking place throughout Boston Pride Week include a forum on "the Rich History of LGBTQ Bars in Boston" (June 7), a panel

See Pride 2020 On Page 18 Across 1 O'Neal of The Bad News Bears 6 Bend over 10 Direction from Stephen Pyles 14 In concert 15 Bedrock pet 16 Cosmetics businessman Laszlo 17 Start of the response to "Be yourself" in Rocketman 20 Wilde, for example 21 Treat, as seawater 22 Edvard Grieg's land (abbr.)

23 Canine from Kansas 24 Gore Vidal, ___ Edgar Box 27 More of the response 33 With 39-Across, Corydon author 35 Kirsten of Spider-Man 36 "A drop of golden sun" 37 Iditarod terminus 38 Director Gus Van ___ 39 See 33-Across 40 More of the response 42 More of the response 45 Plea made on one's knees 47 Acapulco article 48 Blows it 49 Mustangs of the NCAA 50 Meas. for Dr. Kildare 53 End of the response 57 Big sticks 58 Have top billing 59 Robert of HIV research 60 With respect to 61 Continent of Cho's parents 62 Moon in Return of the Jedi

63 Bombed, on Broadway 64 Mary-land athlete?

65 Odometer button

Down 1 Dances like Hines 2 Where to find Moby Dick 3 Tugboat sound 4 Remove, as a nametag 5 Hollywood district 6 Gets the bottom line 7 Civil uprising 8 Anderson Cooper's network 9 Wieners 10 Best buy for WNBA tickets 11 Michael Buble's "___ Little Tenderness" 12 Part of ILGA (abbr.)

13 What an athletic supporter might do?

18 Land of Sinead O'Connor 19 Itty-bitty, to Baudelaire 23 First extra inning 24 Network of _Wedding Wars_ 25 "If I'd only ___!"

26 "Thou shalt not ___ adultery" 28 Childcare writer LeShan 29 Like the Seven Dwarfs 30 Diva's performance 31 My fair one, on Broadway 32 Color for Easter eggs 34 Went back to homophobia 38 Eyes, in a gay bar 39 Family docs 41 On the spot

43 Salt's saint 44 Like a chicken to a chicken hawk 46 Fly over the equator 49 Jock's Johnson support 50 Causes of sneezes 51 Amanda Seyfried flick of 2009 52 Stallion's sound 53 Collette of The Hours 54 Fairy-tale monster 55 Grizzly's hideaway 56 Social activist Addams 57 Top

We, at TRT, absolutely stand with Black Lives Matter.

No Tolerance, only justice.

SOLUTION

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June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

Creep of the week: Racism, murdering people of color; we can’t go back now

I

’m writing this on June 1, the beginning of Pride month. Simultaneously, across the country people are protesting and tensions are escalating over the issue of racism.

This is, of course, related to Pride. Many cite the Stonewall Riots in 1969 as the pivotal moment in the LGBTQ rights movement. You can only oppress people so much, abuse them for so long before they start to fight back.

We’ve had a problem with racism in the U.S. for over 400 years. Many police departments began as an effort to protect the system of slavery. The roots of this problem are deep.

I don’t condone violence. I don’t condone destruction. But I definitely think that police murdering a Black man is a much bigger deal than a police cruiser on fire, and if you don’t, well, you might be a racist.

There is so much hurt and anger in this country. And sadly we have no leader at the highest level of government. We have a white supremacist Twitter troll masquerading as the president. And he’s just making things worse. He’s urging state governments to respond violently. He’s promoting the idea of shooting looters. To say he is incapable of leading is true, but he also doesn’t want to. The more chaos he can create, the better his chances are of reelection.

Trump and far too many in America don’t see racism as a problem, they see

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AND YET WE HAVE, AS A COUNTRY, PUSHED PEOPLE PAST THE BRINK. YOU CAN’T SEE A VIRUS.

YOU CAN SEE A POLICE OFFICER KNEEL ON A MAN’S NECK UNTIL HE DIES. YOU CAN SEE WHITE PEOPLE PROTESTING AGAINST PUBLIC SAFETY LOCKDOWNS WITH ASSAULT RIFLES, THREATENING TO KILL ELECTED OFFICIALS AND HAVING THE POLICE DO NOTHING. YOU CAN SEE THE VERY REAL AND EVERY DAY AGGRESSION OF RACISM. like a tough guy and urge violence against “thugs” and hope that this is enough to distract the country from the fact that well over 100,000 people have died in a matter of a few months from COVID-19.

There were people who said they voted for Trump because they were tired of “the system” and wanted to burn everything down and start over. This was, of course, supposed to be a metaphorical burning.

And yet, here we are.

It will take a lot of hard work, a lot of soul-searching, a lot of real change to actually address racism in America. As a country, we’ve risen to many challenges.

But this one is sinking us deep. *D'Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and

This Pride

BE SAFE & GIVE BACK!

comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

http://bit.do/hrcspan

http://bit.do/hrcspan

I DON’T CONDONE VIOLENCE. I DON’T CONDONE DESTRUCTION. BUT I DEFINITELY THINK THAT POLICE MURDERING A BLACK MAN IS A MUCH BIGGER DEAL THAN A POLICE CRUISER ON FIRE, AND IF YOU DON’T, WELL, YOU MIGHT BE A RACIST.

Black people and allies rising up against 400 years of oppression and violence and intimidation as the problem. Everything was fine so long as everybody pretended that everything was fine.

Remember when Colin Kaepernick dared to kneel next to the football field during the National Anthem in order to protest police brutality against Black people? That was a peaceful protest. And racists lost their minds. Trump called him a “son of a b!tch.” Mike Pence walked out of an NFL game because kneeling players upset him so.

And, of course, these same racists are losing their minds about the much less peaceful protests happening across the country.

Remember how the very phrase “Black Lives Matter” upset so many white people, even some who would swear up and down that they don’t have a racist bone in their bodies as if racism is something that lives inside of a skeleton rather than a perpetual vehicle of violence that is always active even when it is silent? “ALL lives matter,” they said. White people literally took a protest against Black people being murdered and made it about themselves. Many of these white people would likely say, “I don’t see race,” as if race is some kind of spectral aura rather than a defining characteristic in a country that devalues brown and black bodies. This isn’t Halloween.

This is a 365-day, 24/7-haunted house that we ask Black people to walk through every day, multiple times a day. And, if they dare complain about it, then we crank up the fear factor. We give police departments with a history of violence against citizens military-grade weaponry and gear. We give them tanks. We say to then, “Go out and hurt the people who are pushing back against the hurt. Go hurt them more.”

And there is no correct way to protest this. The way the message is delivered isn’t the problem. It’s the refusal of those in power to hear that message, to keep ignoring Black voices, to spell out “La la la, I can’t hear you” with tear gas.

It is heartbreaking to see these protests happening right now because there is still a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus sweeping across the country. And yet we have, as a country, pushed people past the brink. You can’t see a virus. You can see a police officer kneel on a man’s neck until he dies. You can see white people protesting against public safety lockdowns with assault rifles, threatening to kill elected officials and having the police do nothing. You can see the very real and every day aggression of racism.

And so we have yet another crisis on top of yet another crisis, and a president who doesn’t see either crisis as a problem. In fact, Trump no doubt is thrilled about the protests taking place because he gets to act

http://bit.do/hrcspan

By: D’Anne Witkowski* Special to TRT

http://bit.do/hrcspan

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June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

During COVID-19 pandemic the LGBTQ+ community comes together for social support The way that members LGBTQ+ members, all ages, races, and backgrounds deal with coronavirus By: Mike Givens TRT Assistant Editor

IN THE LIMELIGHT

Izébel V. has devoted her time in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic to helping others in the LGBTQ+ community as they struggle to access social support during a time of isolation for so many.

“One of the most visible ways I’ve been supporting other members of the LGBTQ community is helping people access mental health services,” said V., a Boston resident. “If you are queer, and you aren’t wealthy enough to pay out of pocket, and you don’t have amazing insurance, you probably know how hard it is to find a therapist, even without the stress of a pandemic.”

V.’s sense of altruism didn’t begin during the pandemic, however.

“I’ve moderated a communitybuilt list of mental health providers for the last five years, and written a how-to guide to help people access the support they need, but I know from personal experience sometimes having someone just help you go through the process, so I’ve been helping folks with that,” she said, noting that she helps assess needs, navigate the in-

surance process, educating others on teletherapy options across state lines, and other tasks. “If using insurance isn’t an option, and the big online therapy apps won’t work either, I’ll refer them to a queer-friendly therapist doing sliding scale therapy during the epidemic who is on the other side of the world.”

V. is part of an informal, self-mobilized group of LGBTQ+ people who take it upon themselves to provide support for those within the community who are in distress. While she helps many within the community to find local food pantries or shop for groceries, she also A Zoom meeting with LGBT seniors devotes herself to conevents during the pandemic for my comnecting others with social opportunities to munity,” she continued. “One is a Zoom for combat the quarantine’s imposed self-iso- telling 10-minute or less personal stories, lation. usually with a theme: bears, ghosts, Burn“I’ve also run a few series of online

PHOTO: THE LGBT AGING PROJECT

ing Man, sexy stories. It’s sort of like The Moth, but less practiced, and with more

See Pandemic On Page 24

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Trump Administration revokes health care protections for sexual & gender minorities On the Pulse Orlando anniversary & during Pride month Trump hits LGBTQ+ community another low blow BOSTON―On June 12, the Trump Administration announced that it would remove sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination language from seven federal regulations governing access to health care, health insurance, and services for nursing home eligible elders. The final rule would remove sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination provisions from the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination regulation (implementing Section 1557), as well as rules governing other major programs governed by the US Department of Health and Human Services including Medicaid enrollment and services, state and federal health insurance exchanges, insurance coverage, Qualified Health Plans, and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

“In the middle of a global pandemic, with tens of millions of Americans newly out of work and no longer insured by their employer-based health plans, it is unconscionable that the Trump Administration would take steps to make it even harder for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to access health care, health insurance, and elder-care services,” said Fenway Health CEO Ellen LaPointe. “Moreover, given the well documented evidence that communities of color are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infections, complications,

health care is widespread, correlates with poorer health and well-being for LGBTQIA+ people, and makes LGBTQIA+ people less likely to access health care. This exacerbates health disparities that LGBTQIA+ people experience.

Since 2011, the Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization that accredits hospitals and other health care organizations, has required sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination policies in health care institutions as a criterion for accreditation.

The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, and other health professional associations have endorsed the necessity of sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination policies. For more than 15 years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and numerous federal courts have issued rulings finding that federal prohibitions on sex discrimination prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The removal of sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination policies goes against the broad consensus of support for these policies in the health care system, mainstream jurisprudence, and

PHOTO: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

and fatalities, this move will do even more harm to Black, Latinx, and indigenous

LGBTQIA+ people.”

Anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination

in

See Trump Hates On Page 25

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Queer icon Janelle Monáe talks LGBTQ representation and Pride 2020 plans Non-binary “Homecoming” actor, Monáe, refers ‘too on the nose’ pandemic By: Chris Azzopardi* Special to TRT

PRIDE MONTH

I really hadn’t planned on telling queer powerhouse singer-actress-activist Janelle Monáe that I made food for my boyfriend the night before I got on Zoom with her.

That afternoon, Monáe was feeling it all. This global pandemic, the quarantining. She told me she can’t even create right now because she doesn’t have the mental bandwidth.

When we linked up, her mind was understandably heavy and momentarily adrift. While talking about Amazon’s second season of its thriller Homecoming, Monáe accidentally called her character – a war vet who we first meet on a boat, alone and drifting, unsure of how she got there – an “ex-veterinarian.”

“I said veterinarian,” she started, realizing her slip-up. “It’s that quarantine mind!”

Then I diverted her attention to her neosoul album Dirty Computer, a life-affirming celebra-tion of queerness released in 2018.

I began by telling her about my night before we Zoomed, when my spiraling mind happened to find a rare moment of pure, unencumbered joy within that album as I prepared for our virtual chat. Songs from

Dirty Computer had my boyfriend and I bopping in the kitchen. Emerging from her face was a smile so wide I could almost see my reflection in it. It was like I’d cracked a code. A pandemic-era topic universal enough that it got even Janelle Monáe curious that she, during a promo tour for a TV show, couldn’t help but ask me a question everybody is asking everybody because all we do is cook now: “What were y’all eatin’?”

Monáe’s in isolation too of course, trying to navigate not merely how to be an artist but if that’s even possible for her right now.

From lockdown, she at least looks put together. Greeting me like the bots she sings about, she says, “Hi, I’m Janelle and I don’t know who I am today.” She appears to be reclining on a couch, a white top hat perched on her head; her virtual backdrop is appropriately one for Homecoming. In August, Monáe leads the cast of the slavery-themed horror film Antebellum, which was initially scheduled to be released in April.

And though it was just in February, it seems like another life when Monáe opened the Oscars and celebrated diversity and being, as she proclaimed on national TV during her performance, a “black queer artist.” Previously, in 2018, she came out as pansexual, after years of telling the press she was dating androids.

So no wonder she was looking forward to headlining NYC Pride Island on June 27.

In a state-ment, she called it a “dream.” But summer gatherings, including NYC Pride Island, have been canceled.

Monáe is still doing what she can; recently, she took part in a special performance for Verizon’s Pay It Forward Live, when she and Verizon made donations to small businesses owned by those in the LGBTQ community and other minorities affected by COVID-19.

“Stay up, Chris,” she gently consoles as we wrap, offering the same kind of brighteyed hopeful-ness contained in “Americans,” one of the songs that, for a few dazzling minutes, took me out of life as we now currently know it. She continues: “And send my love to your boyfriend.”

Even in a pandemic, even when she’s not creating, Monáe has so much to give.

Q: How are you coping with everything that’s happening right now?

A: I don’t know. I probably won’t know until, like, next month. Time is not real to me. I feel like I’m in a warped, alternate universe, especially watching everybody walking around with masks and avoiding each other, and dealing with an administration who hides information and is putting capitalism above the health and well-being of our people. I have no grasp of reality

Read the rest of this story at The Rainbow Times’ website

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Boston Pride retracts original statement on BLM, sparks community outrage By: Audrey Cole TRT Reporter

BOSTON, Mass.—Boston Pride recently came under fire after an initial official statement about Black Lives Matter’s protesters and police brutality backfired, according to local activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Boston Pride released a statement, which they later took down, that referenced their response to the murder of George Floyd and the current demonstrations against racial injustice,” according to Michael Histen aka Majenta, a philanthropic Boston Drag performer and winner of the first Boston Drag Gauntlet. “Many of us in the LGBTQ+ community felt it was tone-deaf, as it did not even include the phrase “Black Lives Matter…”

Exclusion of black, brown and trans voices is an issue that continues to plague the organization over a number of years, which has prompted actions and demonstrations formerly, even causing the pride parade to a halt for 11 minutes in 2015. The release in question wasn’t received well.

“Boston Pride is a reactionary organization,” said JP Delgado Galdamez, Communications Associate at The Network/La Red. “Pride didn’t start showing they care about Black people and People of Color until members of these communities, often also people who are queer and transgender, started doing actions like blocking the parade route. Boston Pride did not read the

Boston Pride Parade 2018 / PHOTO: THE RAINBOW TIMES’ ARCHIVES

room when they decided to post a statement that didn’t even meet the lowest bar of them all, saying #BlackLivesMatter.

According to Majenta, the most recent misstep is exasperating.

“Incredibly, the Boston Pride board statement called for individuals to take ‘concrete actions’ without actually listing any actions that Boston Pride itself would be taking to address systemic racism,” she said. “This remarkable lack of leadership— asking others to do the work without taking any action yourself—is truly galling.”

Delgado Galdamez, said Boston Pride’s initial release was not surprising.

“The community response was immediate and overwhelming,” they said. “Many of us know, from personal experiences, that

Boston Pride wasn’t committed to supporting Black Lives Matter, and that was reinforced in the way the first statement was written. And I guess I was a little bit of a fool for believing that they would, by their own morals, support Black Lives Matter, as one of the members of their board is Deborah Drew, Secretary of the Massachusetts branch of the Log Cabin Republicans.”

Boston Pride penned yet another statement with the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter and vowed to do better.

“The Boston Pride Board has heard the voices of concern from members of the community regarding a previous statement posted on our website related to the recent atrocious events of the murders of Black

and Brown people at the hands of police officers in so many places across this country,” the statement read. “We deeply apologize for the hurt and pain we caused by our shortcomings. We pledge to hold ourselves accountable now and in the future. We acknowledge that we need to do more as a social justice organization to not only communicate our outrage, horror and intolerance of these acts of police violence, but also to take substantive action to better address racism and white privilege within Boston Pride, the LGBTQ+ community and society at large.”

Black folks and people of color have made demands that the organization has failed to meet throughout the years and the initial release is a reflection of that dismissal, said Majenta. “[It] did not address any of the issues that we have been calling for with Boston Pride, such as not allowing the police and corporations to participate in Pride events,” Majenta continued. “This stance, or lack thereof, shows that Boston Pride is not only unwilling to stand against systemic racism but is actively participating in its continuation.”

Eventually, the original release was replaced with an updated, more inclusive version on the Boston Pride’s website (https://bit.ly/2UJLMGE).

However, according to a story published

See Boston Pride/BLM On Page 21

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

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The RhodeIsland PrideFest Parade in Providence won't be held in 2020, but organizers have created some great digital programming.

PHOTO: RI PRIDEFEST

Pride From Page 8 during which "LGBTQ Veterans Tell Their Stories" (June 8), a display of Pride Lights to commemorate those affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic (June 9), and the virtual Pride Festival will take place on June 13th, but has no entertainment, and instead there will be a social media campaign “Show Your Pride” to engage everyone in the community, where people put on their favorite Pride outfit and post photos to their social media platforms and tag Boston Pride, between June 12-14. This also gives them the opportunity to include a message of support for Black and Brown communities.

North Shore Pride The Pride festivities of Salem and the surrounding North Shore will take place as Virtual Pride 2020, with the theme "Uniting Community." Planned activities include Zoom-based networking events, a Pulse night of remembrance (June 12), virtual drag shows and performances, a webinar speaker series, a live stream interfaith service (June 25), and a virtual Pride parade (June 27) and vendor fair. The vendor fair (https://bit.ly/2zmK3Qi) is already live and takes place throughout the month of June, and you can view a full schedule of North Shore Pride events here (https://bit.ly/2XKPMIQ).

Pride! Portland As of this writing, Pride Portland is working on details for its virtual event, which it's coordinating with several other Pride organizations around the state. You can find the latest updates here (https://bit.ly/3hdlgyX).

Vermont Pride One of New England's favorite fall Pride celebrations, always taking place during one of the prettiest times to be in the Green Mountain State, Pride Vermont Week is still tentatively planned for September 413, culminating with a parade and festival in downtown Burlington on Sunday the

13th. It's unclear at the moment how COVID-19 guidelines will affect holding this event, but organizers will continue to assess the situation and revise plans accordingly. To keep up with the latest news, check out the Vermont Pride homepage (https://bit.ly/3f8GRqM) and also the annual Pride Guide (https://bit.ly/37hNyUD).

Portsmouth Pride Originally slated for June, the New Hampshire Seacoast's increasingly popular Pride event (https://bit.ly/2BKHSql) has been moved to Saturday, October 10.

Rhode Island PrideFest Famous for holding one of the world's only night-time Pride Parades each June in Providence, Rhode Island, PrideFest announced in April that it's working with city officials to come up with a new date for its next installment. Organizers also immediately began a grassroots effort to help feed local residents during this difficult time and successfully delivered meals to more than 13,000 people in need during its campaign, which ended May 30. Additionally, organizers have announced a number of virtual Pride events for June, including a parade, art gallery, social media contest, and a flag raising ceremony, which has been postponed until later in the month as an act of support for and solidarity with the family of George Floyd and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Visit their homepage for more information (https://prideri.org/).

Hartford Pride Another of New England's autumn festivals, Hartford Pride (www.hartfordpride.org/) is still slated to happen this year on Saturday, September 12, with "All-American Boy" singer Steve Grand headlining the event.

New York City Pride Following last year's Stonewall 50 WorldPride celebration, this always hotly anticipated Pride experience is presenting a number of virtual events throughout June,

See Pride 2020 On Page 23

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Sup. Court rules for LGBTQ workers’ protections In what is being hailed as a landmark and same-sex sexual harassment (1998), all civil rights’ victory for the LGBTQ community, the conservative court ruled to protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination in employment, a blow to the Trump administration.

In response, GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary L. Bonauto issued the following statement: “[This] historic ruling affirms critical legal protections for LGBTQ people across the country. The Supreme Court has settled the question of whether federal employment nondiscrimination law protects transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

The answer is a definitive ‘yes.’”

The 6-3 ruling authored by Justice Gorsuch recognizes that existing federal sex discrimination protections for workers apply to LGBTQ people based on well-established precedent and because a person’s sexual orientation or transgender status can only be understood in relationship to their sex. This conclusion “has been standing before us all along,” the majority opinion states. Further, prohibiting employment discrimination is a “major piece of civil rights legislation” written in “starkly broad terms.” As a result, the Court holds employers are liable for discrimination when an individual’s “sex is a but-for cause” of harm to an employee.

The decision joins other foundational sex discrimination opinions about sexual harassment (1986), sex stereotyping (1989)

of which the Supreme Court has found to be within the broad scope of what Congress wrote into federal Title VII law.

It also means that if you are transgender, you cannot be discriminated against any longer as it pertains to employment protections.

Although a major win, federal and many state laws still leave too many LGBTQ people and others unprotected in critical areas of life including access to public places like stores or public transportation, or in federally funded vital social services.

The ruling also arrives against the backdrop of pervasive systemic racism and racist violence, that imposes incalculable and intolerable costs on Black Americans and all people of color, including those who are LGBTQ. The fight for LGBTQ justice is inseparable from the fight for racial justice. As we celebrate this decision, we must keep working with Congress, state and local officials, and all institutions and all people in this nation to ensure discrimination is off limits in every arena. We must strive to ensure that the words of our statutes have meaning and real-world impacts for all Americans.

While the ruling provides critical federal protections for LGBTQ people, most states still permit discrimination in public accommodations—including stores, restaurants, and hotels—based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

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“WE CAN ONLY HAVE PRIDE WHEN WE ARE

AMPLIFYING THE VOICES WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITY AND FIGHTING FOR THEIR

RIGHTS, NOT WHEN WE ARE PROVIDING CORPORATIONS AND THE POLICE WITH A PLATFORM THAT DOES NOT HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ROLE IN PERPETUATING AN UNJUST SYSTEM.” Boston Pride/BLM From Page 16 by Boston Magazine (https://bit.ly/2YDNhaN), Boston Pride’s Black and Latinx Pride Committee, was not consulted regarding the board’s initial release.

Casey Dooley, the committee’s chair “is now beginning conversations with her committee about next steps, which she says will likely include a call for all Boston Pride board members to resign and make way for a more transparent and diverse leadership that she says feels long overdue,” the report read (https://bit.ly/2YDNhaN).

Boston Pride responds The revised release took a more direct approach in recognizing racism, police brutality and its commitment to black and PoC communities. “Oppressions are interlocked, no one is free until we are all free. #BlackLivesMatter,”it concluded.

“We acknowledge that we need to do more as a social justice organization to not only communicate our outrage, horror and intolerance of these acts of police violence against Black and Brown communities, but also to take substantive action to better address racism and white privilege within Boston Pride, the LGBTQ+ community and society at large,” said Linda J. DeMarco, President of Boston Pride.

The organization will also be issuing short and long-term action plans to “better support LGBTQ+ communities of color.”

“We are inviting everyone to send suggestions to change@bostonpride.org so we can practice listening to our community,” DeMarco added.

According to DeMarco, she recognized the importance of working with local organizations in order for Boston Pride to be able to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people of color.

“We are reaching out to Black Lives Matter, Black [and] Pink, MTPC, TransCend and other Black and Brown community organizations to support them and have them

work with us to make Boston Pride a better organization,” she said. “We need and want the input of Black and Brown communities. We are hopeful that working together we will create [a] better representation of the community and develop a community dialogue about the issues facing Black and Brown communities and the LGBTQ community. We are working on several initiatives that will be announced soon.”

DeMarco also agrees there is a lack of diverse representation on the board of directors and said the organization will change that.

“We are going to do a better job of adding board members who are people of color,” she said. “We had several members of our board who are persons of color, but we need more people from the Black and Brown community to join the board. We are seeking nominations from the community for new board positions.”

Police Involvement One of the chief concerns of activists on behalf of people of color, include the involvement of police presence in pride celebrations.

According to a 2016 report published by The Rainbow Times (https://bit.ly/3d3RUji), “Boston Pride [under Sylvain Bruni] had withdrawn the parade marshalship of Woburn Police Officer Anthony Imperioso after learning of several incendiary Facebook comments regarding Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

“When entire communities know the police primarily as a destabilizing and terrorizing force that incites violence and endangers Black and POC lives, it is unconscionable to invite the police to march alongside the very members of our community who they have brutalized,” Majenta said.

DeMarco acknowledged the birth of today’s LGBTQ rights movement and how police brutality was front and center then as well.

See Boston Pride/BLM On Page 28

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PHOTOS: THE RAINBOW TIM

ES

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

On June 5th, 2020, protesters took to Police Headquarters in Salem, Mass. to support #BlackLivesMatter & demand the firing of Capt. Kate Stephens.

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

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Pride 2020 From Page 18

27), and Black Queer Collective and LatinX (June 28). There are lots of amazing, engaging ways to get your Pride on at Toronto's site.

culminating with the big weekend of June 26–28, which features a Friday-evening digital Pride Rally hosted by trans journalist Ashlee Marie Preston and trans actor Brian Michael Smith. Other key events include a Human Rights Conference, Savor Pride culinary experience to benefit God's Love We Deliver, a Pride 2020 Dragfest, and a Virtual Pride Art Run. Here's a full calendar of NYC Pride events (https://bit.ly/3cPfArw).

San Francisco Pride One of the world's most well-attended events, Pride 50 in San Francisco is packed with digital programming this year, with Pride weekend taking place June 27 and 28 and featuring an online celebration and rally from 1 until 9 p.m. on Saturday, and from 2-7 p.m. on Sunday. But already, the San Francisco Pride (www.sfpride.org/) website has tons of engaging content for this year, including the chance to meet and read the words of past Pride Parade Community Grand Marshals, and the chance to watch Lavender Talks panel discussions (these are planned through September).

Washington DC Pride Another famous gathering, Pride in our nation's capital has taken on extra significance during this important election year, and as our nation grapples with racial discrimination and police brutality in affirmation of #BlackLivesMatter. DC's #StillWe Pride 2020 (Re-imagining Our Pride Expe-

TRT Statement

rience) includes a number of great digital events throughout the month of June.

These include a Pride Night Virtual Dance Party 5.0 (June 6), Out/Spoken celebration of LGBTQ Pride storytelling experience (June 9), Flex Your Queer/Trans/Non-Binary Pride Yoga and Sunset Dance Party with Tracy Young (both on June 14), the LGBTQ Victory Fund's National Pride Inside fundraiser (June 20), and Capital Pride in the City: Still We Entertain (June 28), billed as "a showcase of pre-recorded live performances by local LGBTQ+ singers, dancers, drag performers, and much more."

There's also a Pride Expo and other events planned for later in the year.

Toronto Pride Canada's—and indeed one of the globe's—largest Pride festivals was also

one of the first to announce transitioning to a virtual format this year. In fact, cities across Canada have uniformly cancelled large gatherings through summer, which means the Fierté Montréal Pride (https://fiertemtl.com/) and Vancouver Pride (https://bit.ly/3dRajkA) festivals, both in August, are taking place digitally rather than in person. The superbly designed Toronto Virtual Pride page (https://bit.ly/2YhyzWL) contains links to numerous online events and features, such as special events like Digital Drag Bingo and Sunday Tea Party with recording artist Charlotte Day Wilson; weekly Monday LGBTQ+ Trivia, Thursday Sex Talk: Calls in Quarantine, Family Pride Fridays, and more; Stay Home Saturday parties; and Festival Weekend events that include a Trans Pride (June 26), a Dyke Rally (June

We, at The Rainbow Times, add our voice to the millions of protesters around the nation (and the world) to demand fair and equal treatment of black people in our country and everywhere around the globe. Black Lives Matter. We recognize the undeniable truth that this land was founded on—first stolen from Native Americans and, subsequently, built on the shoulders of enslaved people at the merciless hands and despicable actions rooted in white supremacy.

Unfortunately, we have still not pivoted away from those founding abominations since then, nor from the violence that continues to perpetuate the message that some lives are more important than others.

For more than 400 years, the black community has demonstrated peacefully (in various ways and venues), demanding social ...

See TRT Statement On Page 25

24 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

Pandemic From Page 10 room for audience reactions and feedback.

They’ve been open to anyone, but my community is predominantly queer, so the event is predominantly queer. It’s great seeing people have a way to connect with each other and laugh with each other right now.”

Then, every few weeks, there’s Femme Fusion.

“At Femme Fusion events, I bring together queer femme DJs from all over the United States, Canada, even Spain who play music together during the same set,” she said. “It’s sort of like a DJ battle, but instead of being competitive, the DJs are chatting with each other on the platform, supporting and complementing each other, sending each other silly gifs. It’s a great vibe that I think we strike every time because it’s queer femmes. Attendees can interact with each other and the DJs on the chat or the music platform as well, or join a Zoom dance party. People will ask each other to dance across Zoom and send hearts with their hands across the video to say thank you. And we’ll inevitably have people bring out their stuffed animals, especially stuffed unicorns, and be silly across the Zoom video windows dancing and waving them at each other.”

Former The Rainbow Times guest columnist, Just JP, a Boston-area drag performance artist and community advocate, said they have done their best to support local nightlife performers and producers who have lost income due to social distancing guidelines and the closing of venues.

“It was a quick and complicated transition from venue-based nightlife to online drag, as most folks lost income while having to purchase equipment and learn new skills. It's hard to thrive when we're barely surviving,” they said. “Some performers took the lead and started new recurrent shows, like Biqtch Pudding's ‘Digital Drag;’ some others adapted their production process to keep posting consistent content, like Face Down Queens' ‘Fashion Photo RuFlu.’ “Some others started hosting their regular gigs on platforms like Twitch and Zoom.

Some examples are The Vixen's ‘Black Girl Magic,’ Onyx, Pulp and Zayn X's ‘Shade Range,’ and Violencia Exclamation Point's ‘Serve Mondays,’ which follows the spirit of its predecessor project ‘All Star Mondays,’ being a show that welcomes all types of performance and you can apply through their social media.

Nightlife and entertainment aside, JP also provides the standard modes of support to friends and members of the community

Donate to Project Out To assist transgender people in their quest to authenticity

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June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

JP ALSO PROVIDES THE STANDARD MODES OF SUPPORT TO FRIENDS & MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY LIKE CHECKING IN ON FRIENDS WHO STRICTLY ADHERE TO QUARANTINE GUIDANCE, GROCERY shopping, AND OTHER ERRANDS. like checking in on friends who strictly adhere to quarantine guidance, grocery shopping, and other errands.

Mason Dunn, former executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (www.masstpc.org), said that he and his tight circle of friends have set up a unique collaborative, providing each other with not only social support, but also culinary cuisine.

“We’re a small group of friends, and queer pseudo-family, from all very different backgrounds and experiences,” Dunn said. “We normally spend quite a bit of time together, but this quarantine has changed that. Rather than let that get us down, we’ve fired up our ovens and mixing bowls, to provide delicious treats for each other while we’re apart.

“Every few weeks, unprompted and unannounced, someone from the group delivers some kind of treat, from a responsible social distance. Cakes, cookies, rugelach, homemade pickles, breads of all different types and varieties have all appeared on our doorsteps. It is all completely random, spontaneous, and driven by love.

With the exception of Joey, who is a professional cookie baker, we’re all amateur bakers and cooks, some of us trying recipes for the first time. The show of love from our queer family, mixed with a splash of something new and exciting, has been a recipe that has helped feed our souls during this difficult time.”

More Formal Forms of Support JP works at The Network/La Red (https://tnlr.org/en; TNLR) an LGBTQ nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence. With an increase in domestic violence incidents due to more couples self-quarantining together, their job has been to consistently share resources for those looking to flee abusive relationships.

“A lot of my work has been curating a social media feed, alongside one co-worker, that speaks to survivors and their experiences, acknowledges what's going on, like COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter, advertises our services, and shares resources that are useful and align with TNLR values,” they said.

Julie “Jinx” Nowak, LGBTQ+ initiative coordinator for BayPath Elder Services (http://baypath.org), said that the elder

services provider transitioned into online meetups to help elders stay in touch during the pandemic.

“We moved our Pathways events, which welcome LGBTQ+ folks and significant others, family, friends, and allies (SOFFAs) online, using the Zoom platform,” she explained. “This has allowed us to stay in touch with everyone who has been attending our in real life events, and also has helped us reach isolated elders who have been searching for online gatherings during lockdown to fill the sudden gaps in their social lives.

“Most of our guests come from the MetroWest area, but as always we do welcome folks from farther away. Now we even have a couple of people who check in from upper New Hampshire.”

Baypath also implemented a weekly virtual coffee hour for seniors as well as a bring your own lunch gathering that allows seniors to socialize with LGBTQ+ high school youth. Soon, in response to a number of requests, Baypath will create a virtual “artspace” for seniors to work on art projects while socializing with one another.

The virtual nature of interactions has also helped staff at Baypath more easily network with colleagues in the elder care sector.

“We’ve been delighted by how easy it’s become using Zoom and FaceTime to talk with colleagues at other agencies,” she continued. “Our growing network of outreach folks working with LGBTQ+ older adults has been sharing ideas and ‘signal boosting’ events for one another for years, but suddenly we’re able to just “drop by for a visit” online to really talk through ideas and discuss challenges and share tips about what’s working well with our various groups.”

Group activities also allow for mass showings of a documentary highlighting the risks faced by LGBTQ+ elders.

“Interested groups can arrange for an online showing of ‘Gen Silent,’ a powerful documentary following the challenges, fears, and triumphs of several LGBT elders in the Greater Boston area,” Nowak said, mentioning that she facilitates a guided discussion following the film. “‘Gen Silent’ is a good way to introduce groups to the often-hidden world of LGBT elders, and spark productive conversations about vari-

HAPPY VIRTUAL PRIDE 2020

ous ways to make a venue more warmly welcoming.”

The Fenway Institute’s LGBT Aging Project (http://lgbtagingproject.org), has often screened “Gen Silent” to help encourage conversations around the concerns of aging in the LGBTQ+ community. Bob Linscott, assistant director for the project, said that his organization has also mobilized to support seniors during the pandemic.

“The LGBT Aging Project has a new LGBT Senior Advisory Council, which is an ad hoc team of community members who came together during the pandemic to help mobilize our community,” he said.

“This group, which is made up of half a dozen LGBT older adult volunteers, set out initially to offer basic beginner classes for Zoom. We wanted to help older adults get over any barriers with technology. The main focus of our beginner Zoom classes was to help get folks to feel more comfortable using video chat platforms like Zoom so they could use them on their own. Ultimately we wanted to give folks a new way to connect with one another since meeting in person was no longer possible during the pandemic.”

As the pandemic has progressed, so has the LGBT Aging Project’s Zoom program.

“In the weeks since the pandemic began we are now offering more opportunities through Zoom,” Linscott said, noting that the Zoom program will continue even after the pandemic is over as some seniors will continue to self-isolate given concerns over their health. “The LGBT Aging Project has a weekly drop-in group for LGBT older adults every Monday at 11:30 a.m. That has been nice for people to know we are there and that they can just jump in and talk with other people. The Aging Project is also hosting two LGBT bereavement groups that are run through Zoom. These are important services because the pandemic is really bringing up the pain of past losses and not allowing people to come together and support one another in person during times of grief.”

The project also has an all-volunteer group of wellness ambassadors. Linscott said, “we have another group of volunteers from all over the state who have been making wellness calls to check in on our homebound LGBT elders. We wanted these folks to know they are not forgotten and we also wanted a formal means to check in and see what the current concerns and needs are in our community of seniors. In addition to asking folks about their immediate needs, such as groceries or medications, our volunteers are asking if they are able to connect to the internet and if they have devices like a smart phone or computer to join in video calls. Equally important to this critical service, the volunteers have friendly conversations with folks.”

Feedback has been quite positive, according to Linscott, who said he even had one elder tell him, “This call turned a very bad day into a very good one.”

Licensed mental health counselor Carla Rosinski said she’s had an equally satisfying experience as a volunteer.

Read the rest of this story at at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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Trump Hates From Page 12 public opinion, as over 70 percent of Americans support sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination laws,” added Sean Cahill, Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health. “Today’s news is just the latest demonstration of the Trump Administration’s contempt for our Constitution’s guarantee of equal justice under law.”

The additional removal of sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination provisions from HHS programs will harm LGBTQIA+ people who have disproportionately benefitted from them. In 2014, Medicaid covered a significant portion (39%) of LGBTQIA+ adults with incomes of 139% of the federal poverty level or less. As a result, the rate of uninsurance among lowand middle-income LGBTQIA+ adults was much lower (18%) in states that had expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA than in those states that did not expand their Medicaid programs (34%).

Additionally, the PACE program serves vulnerable, nursing home eligible elders who are trying to stay in their homes as long as possible. LGBTQIA+ elders experience disproportionately higher rates of social isolation, which correlates with depression, treatment nonadherence, and substance use, than their straight, cisgender peers. The PACE program is a vital service for these elders.

“Many LGBTQIA+ elders experienced overt and at times violent acts of discrimination at the hands of police, other government officials, and employers during their youth,” Cahill added. “As elders many have experienced discrimination in accessing health, aging, and disability services.

Making them even more vulnerable to discrimination by revoking policies that prohibit it just seems cruel.”

This latest move by the Trump Administration targeting LGBTQIA+ people is one of numerous anti-LGBTQIA+ policies enacted by the Trump administration over the past three years that are harming the health and access to care of LGBTQIA+ people.

These policies include: • Promoting religious refusal policies that allow discrimination in health care and social services based on religious and moral beliefs; • Dismissing Peace Corps volunteers and Air Force service members who tested positive for HIV, and refusing to provide preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP) to at-risk Peace Corps volunteers; • Placing transgender inmates of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, especially transgender women, at much higher risk of rape by incarcerating them according to their biological sex at birth instead of their gender identity; • Prohibiting transgender people from serving in the U.S. military; • Removing sexual orientation and gender identity questions from federal surveys of older adults, people with disabilities, and victims of crime; • Filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that gender identity is outside of the scope of Title VII of the Civil

AMA Opposes Discrimination Against Patients “Respect for the diversity of patients is a fundamental value of the medical profession and is reflected in long-standing AMA policy opposing discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or a woman's decisions about pregnancy, including termination.

“The federal government should never make it more difficult for individuals to access health care -- during a pandemic or any other time.” In a comment letter issued last year, the AMA noted, "This proposal marks the rare occasion in which a federal agency seeks to remove civil rights protections. It legitimizes unequal treatment of patients by not only providers, health care organizations, and insurers, but also by the government itself—and it will harm patients. Such policy should not be permitted by the U.S. government, let alone proposed by it.”

DNC REACTIONS DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on Trump rolling back Obama-Biden administration protections against discrimination in health care:

“Shameful. On the four-year anniversary of Pulse, in the middle of Pride Month, and during a pandemic, Trump has taken a knife to protections against health care discrimination put in place by the ObamaBiden administration. This illegal attack on the health of LGBTQ+ Americans and other marginalized communities is appalling, but tragically unsurprising. Trump and Republicans have made it their mission to undermine the rights of LGBTQ+ people — in school, at work, at home, in the military, in social services, and in health care. And they will stop at nothing to rip health care away from millions of Americans. We must elect Joe Biden, for the health and safety of LGBTQ+ people and all Americans.”

Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex and national origin;” • Filing a brief in the Masterpiece Cake Shop case before the U.S. Supreme Court supporting discrimination against a gay male couple and stating that there is no compelling federal government interest in prohibiting anti-gay discrimination; • Attempting to repeal or weaken the ACA, which has cut the uninsured rate in half for LGBT people since it was enacted in 2010.

Fenway Health Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhoods, the LGBTQIA+ community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues.

Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29, including those who are LGBTQIA+ or just figuring things out; homeless; struggling with substance use; or living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS Action, Fenway’s public health division, works to reduce the number of HIV infections while supporting those already infected, and operates a needle exchange that serves as an entry point to healthcare services for active substance users.

TRT Statement From Page 23 and economic justice, which has been stolen from it by the oppressor—the same oppressor that take oaths to serve and protect us all.

Police members who have a history of abuse and/or severe conflict with people of color and any other members of marginalized groups should not be serving on the force. We have seen some of this in the past in Boston and reported on it. Those same police officers are still serving in Mass. as well, and their bias continues to exist. Will we wait until Boston becomes a battlefield just like Minneapolis has now, as Baltimore did in 2015? Or, will we put a stop to this system of oppression?

We denounce the use of chokeholds. It is a tactic that has proven to kill people, especially when biased police officers use it against members of marginalized groups.

Police should not be biased. Police should be here to protect. We know some police officers who are disgusted by this and are joining in to protest “killer cops” that are unlike them. But, we are wary of many more that would do exactly the same thing again that was Read the rest of this story at at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

Lawsuit tests Trump Admin’s reversal of healthcare protections for trans people on ACA Interpretation of Section 1557 contradicts the Affordable Care Act, endangers trans people Pangborn v. Ascend, a federal lawsuit brought by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) on behalf of a transgender man denied coverage for gender affirming care, will test the legitimacy of the Trump administration’s reversal of an HHS rule that had previously made clear that transgender people are covered under the ACA’s non-discrimination provision known as Section 1557. The case alleges, among other claims, that Alexander Pangborn’s employer violated the ACA by categorically excluding insurance coverage for transgender people’s medical needs relating to gender transition.

Section 1557 of the ACA bars discrimination in healthcare access and insurance on the basis of sex as well as race, color, national origin, age, and disability. The Department of Health and Human Services published a final rule today formalizing the Trump Administration’s claim that Section 1557 does not protect transgender people from discrimination in health care, reversing HHS’s prior interpretation of the law.

“The Trump administration’s new interpretation of Section 1557 contradicts the Affordable Care Act. It’s contrary to established case law, dangerous to transgender people, and can’t survive legal challenge,” said Jennifer Levi, GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director. “Unfortunately, the new rule is likely to confuse healthcare practitioners, insurers, and employers, and invites providers to turn away transgender people when seeking basic medical care.

This is yet another callous policy coming from an administration intent on appeasing the far right and ignoring sound legal and medical policies.”

“Alexander Pangborn is a hospice nurse who provides compassionate care every day to his patients and their families, yet he was denied access to the health care he himself needs,” said Chris Erchull, GLAD Staff Attorney representing Pangborn. “The purpose of the ACA is to ensure Americans have access to healthcare. The purpose and the legal meaning of the nondiscrimination protections in Section 1557 are to ensure that individuals like Alexander are not denied care because of anti-transgender prejudice or other bias. The Trump administration's repudiation of those protections is both cruel and unjust. It will not hold up in court.”

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

26 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

Black Transgender man murdered by Tallahassee Police Dept. officer in Florida TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Amid riots and numerous protests in Minneapolis and nationwide, news outlets are reporting yet the murder of a trans black man at the hands of the Tallahassee Police Department, after an alleged stabbing incident in which the victim was involved in, according to various reports. McDade was killed on Wednesday, May 27 outside Holton Street Apartments.

Tony McDade, 38, left a Live FB video (https://bit.ly/2C7qXP8) before the alleged stabbing and killing a man at the Leon Arms Apartment complex believed to be part of a group that allegedly and “brutally” attacked McDade a day before. In the Live video, McDade explained he was going after the same group of men who had attacked him as a form of revenge.

“You killed me,” McDade said in the live video. “I’m gonna kill you.”

Essence online, via the Tallahassee Democrat, reported that while some other renters claim that McDade was unarmed when he was shot, while Police Chief Lawrence Revell claimed that McDade had pointed his gun at a police officer.

“The suspect was in possession of a handgun, and the bloody knife was found at the scene of the stabbing,” Revell told Essence. Revell himself referred to McDade as a woman, even when McDade’s trans masculine identity was evident to

PHOTO: KYLE/UNSPLASH

By: Patrick DuBois Trans Headlines Reporter for TRT

other witnesses.

A witness, Clifford Butler, said that he never heard the officer, who shot McDade, give any warning before shooting.

“I see [the person] right behind the tree, but I see for him [the officer] just jump out of the car, swing the door open, and just start shooting. I never heard the ‘Get down, freeze, I’m an officer’—nothing. I just heard gunshots.”

Yahoo online reported that police and news reports initially from local news station WTXL, referred to McDade as a woman. But, others who knew him more personally corrected reports to say Mc-

Dade was a trans man.

Kim Simmons, a resident of the Leon Arms Apartments, told them.us that there was no warning from the police at all. “[The police officer] jumped right out [of] the car and started shooting,” said Simmons to the online reporting source.

Another resident said that the police said, “Stop moving N****! And then they shot him after he stopped moving.”

The officer that killed McDade hasn’t been identified thus far, according to papermag.com, but he has been placed on paid administrative leave in the wake of McDade’s death.

The Human Rights Campaign has reported that “2020 has already seen at least 12 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent means. We say at least because too often these stories go unreported—or misreported.”

From the 12 transgender people murdered, five were killed in Puerto Rico and eight were trans people of color.

The 12 transgender people are: • Dustin Parker, 25, was fatally shot in McAlester, Oklahoma, early on New Year’s Day. His employers released a statement shortly after his death, remembering Parker as “a steadfast friend, an amazing husband, and father and generous to a fault.

He loved fiercely, worked tirelessly, and took on life with so much hope and enthusiasm that his presence brightened all of our lives.”

• Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, was fatally shot in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico on February 24.

According to Metro Puerto Rico, members of her community knew her as “humble” and “noble.”

• Yampi Méndez Arocho, 19, was killed in Moca, Puerto Rico, on March 5. Arocho, a transgender man, shared his love for basketball and the NBA — donning Miami Heat apparel on social media. The biography line on his Facebook reads simply,

See Tony McDade On Page 31

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 27

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Alleged racist Tweet surfaces from Salem Police Department’s Twitter account movement that is serving to amplify our pain and shed light on the system [of] injustices that go on in this country … This officer was put on paid leave, when in reality they should have been dismissed from the police department and of having any power over us …”

SALEM, Mass.—Earlier this month the Salem, Mass. Police department (SPD) came under fire after a high-ranking official posted a personal opinion on the official police department’s Twitter account allegedly “disparaging” the city of Boston and Massachusetts leadership pertaining to commonwealth’s Black Lives Matter protests, according to the tweet posted. “@marty_walsh so you issued a permit for 10 of thousands of people to protest but I can’t go to a restaurant? You are ridiculous. You and Too Tall Deval are killing this State,” the tweet read on the SPD Twitter account.

According to department officials, the tweet was posted by SPD Capt. Kate Stephens and was removed from the official SPD account shortly after it was posted.

“It is known that the tweet was published in error [from] one who had access to the SPD Twitter Account and was then removed by the officer when realizing it was placed on the SPD Twitter Account,” said SPD Chief Mary Butler.

The Salem protest The tweet, sparking community outrage served as the catalyst to a community-wide peaceful protest, demanding the removal of Capt. Stephens from the SPD.

MORE PHOTOS ON P. 22

“I am absolutely mortified that an officer of the law, of our police department, thinks that eating at a restaurant should be as highly regarded as a Black person’s life,”

PHOTO: THE RAINBOW TIMES

By: Audrey Cole TRT Reporter

wrote the protest organizer, Mercis Arias on the Facebook event page. “Eating at a restaurant (any comforts, commodities, & privileges) is [not] more important than a

Right to Protest, time to listen Butler empathized with the protesters and understood the need to protest, especially given the current events where video has surfaced showing various instances depicting people of color dying at the hands of police officers.

“People have a right to be heard and it is their constitutionally afforded freedoms to assemble and be heard,” Butler said of the planned protest. “They will be allowed to do this without interference from the police department. Our only involvement would be if we were needed for safety. We have been here before with other incidents across the country … it is time to listen and be heard. Otherwise, it’s like saying we will have a meeting to talk about it, but no one ever schedules the meeting. It’s time.”

Within a few days, hundreds of online users, many of whom were Salem residents, took to the event page to express their support of the protest, which took place in front of the SPD headquarters. It was reported that more than 300 were in at-

See Salem Police On Page 29

28 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

At Pride: Closer look at why transgender people may attempt suicide By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw* TRT Columnist

I

TRANS OPINION

just was informed that a transgender friend of mine has taken her life.

She was young, smart, and pretty, but I guess you never know what people carry inside them. Something must have bothered her terribly.

I met her at my Springfield, Massachusetts transgender support group, UniTy, and she seemed happy that night. I didn't pick up on any sadness from her that night, just pleasantness with a bit of cheer. I wouldn't have guessed that she would end up this way. She is not the first member of my support group to pass away at their own hands. I can't say for sure, but I think this makes at least 10 the number of members who, I believe, have taken their lives. It's very tough when people you know end their own life.

Suicide is a big problem in the transgender community. Studies show that 41% of all transgender people attempt to take their life.

What percent of transgender people think

Boston Pride/BLM From Page 21 “In fact, the modern LGBTQ rights movement stemmed from Black and Brown trans individuals who stood up to persistent police harassment and violence at the Stonewall Inn Riots in 1969,” she said. “Boston Pride came out of that movement and held its first protest gathering in 1970. Fifty years later, the violence against Black and Brown people, especially Black trans women, undeniably demonstrates ongoing structural systems of oppression and racism, reminding us that our work is far from done.

To Majenta’s point, DeMarco said Boston Pride will make the organization’s concerns known to the Boston Police Department.

“For many years, [the] Boston Police Department has had an LGBTQ liaison that comes from the queer community so that they can ensure that our concerns are being communicated to police leadership,” DeMarco explained. “We have had a good relationship with [the] Boston Police and we would anticipate having community meetings with them to work out any issues and come to an agreement on police presence at our large-scale events, as their job is to protect all citizens in Boston.”

According to the City of Boston, the Pride parade is a permitted event that requires coordination with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of parade goers.

“As a city that prides itself on our strong community policing model, it is imperative to strike the right balance between having

about suicide? I don’t have an exact answer but I can tell you something Keri Stebbins, the executive director of UniTy told me.

She told me that at one meeting a discussion of the issue of suicide within the transgender community arose. At one point Keri asked for a show of hands of anyone who had ever thought of committing suicide.

Keri told me that every single person raised

that other trans folk have heard similar slurs used against them too.

Second, there are the attempts to deny and erase us. I have personally been told that I am not trans, that I am not a woman and that I will never be one. I've been laughed at too. Again, other trans people without a doubt most likely have encountered similar or other denials and erasures.

I'VE PERSONALLY BEEN CALLED F*GGOT, AN ABOMINATION, A SICKO, A WEIRDO, AND A PERVERT. their hand. Yes, suicide is and has been on the minds of trans people.

Why do transgender people think of suicide and why do they attempt it? I can't speak for everyone but I believe, and it's been backed up by the medical profession, that one reason that members of this community commit suicide is because of how other people treat us. Other people who do not support us and who make life a living hell for us by bullying us can drive us to this extreme measure. How do they make our life a living hell?

First there is name-calling. Sometimes, people call us derogatory names. I've personally been called f*ggot, an abomination, a sicko, a weirdo, and a pervert. I'm sure

Third, sometimes we get threatened. I've heard a couple of trans women say that their bosses threatened to fire them if they transitioned on the job. This was a while back, but I don't doubt it may still happen today. I've heard that some trans men and trans women have been threatened by their adult children who say that the trans parent will never see their grandchildren again if they transitioned to their true gender. I've known sons and daughters who refused to accept their trans parents and who tell their transgender parent to never come to their house presenting in their true gender.

Lastly, I've heard that close family members told some trans people that no one would ever love them if they transitioned,

a police presence for safety, and understanding the very heart of the issues that bring us together,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on police presence at Pride.

[NOTE: Mayor Walsh was sent several questions pertaining to Boston police officer’s current procedures and policies as outlined by the #8CantWait that many cities have pledged to uphold. Such questions pertained to the use of de-escalation techniques, a police warning before shooting anyone and requiring to report when a police officer points a weapon at a civilian.

However, no specific answer was given to that series of questions.]

But, on June 11, as reported by the Boston Globe, (https://bit.ly/2Y3clmV), “after weeks of protests around the country—and amid City Council scrutiny and calls to cut the departments funding—the Boston Police Department (BPD) recently announced changes to its use of force policy and pledged to bring and innovative policing initiative from New Orleans to the city.”

The BPD adopted 7 out of 8 recommendations of the #8CantWait Campaign, according to the story. The founder of the campaign, DeRay Mckesson, said to the Globe that the department “did not update the policies to require comprehensive reporting, notably when an officer points a gun at someone or threatens to point a gun at someone.”

Committee), Delgado Galdamez said they expect more from BP. “Boston Pride has been too long an organization led by people who do not represent those who experience the most violence in our communities,” they said.

“As an LGBTQ community, we should be looking to organizations, like Pride, to lead the way in the fight for justice of all LGBTQ people, especially Black trans women. That’s why, right now, we as community should follow the lead of Trans Resistance MA …”

Boston Pride isn’t the only LGBTQ+ Pride organization in the country that has been criticized for its lack of inclusion of LGBTQ+ people of color. Recently, LA Pride was also at the center of similar circumstances and through the years other Pride parades have also been halted by Trans PoC claiming lack of inclusion by said organizations, as reported by The Rainbow Times in the past 5 years.

Like many prides throughout New England, Boston Pride events were cancelled this year due to underlying COVID-19 concerns and public safety. However, the organization plans to reboot its pride week events in 2021.

Boston Pride, with the support of Mayor Walsh raised the Progress flag this year, which includes two additional black and brown stripes as well as the colors of the Trans flag at City Hall Plaza, as a symbol of solidarity with ‘black and brown brothers and sisters,’” DeMarco said. “Over the next year, Boston Pride, in partnership with the City of Boston and the LGBTQ+ com-

Moving Ahead Sharing in Dooley’s disbelief (from Boston Pride’s Black and Latinx Pride

and that they would die alone. I'm certain that there are a lot more awful things some trans people may have heard in their dealings with work/friends/family etc.

So that's a lot to think about and process and understand why we, as transgender people, may think of suicide now and then.

I'm sure there are lots of other reasons, but these are the ones that I've known from my circles.

What can we do to stop transgender people from taking their own life? I think that number one is for everyone to accept the transgender person. When the transgender person tells you their identity, accept it or somehow affirm it. Number two is to continue loving them unconditionally. Number three is to support them in their lives. Let me tell you, being a trans person is not easy, but with acceptance, love, and support from others it gets easier.

As I stated earlier, I'm sure that there are other reasons why a trans person tries to take their life. I don't have all the reasons and I don't have all the answers but please, please try acceptance, love, and support for a start. *Deja Nicole Greenlaw is retired from 3M and has 3 children and two grandchildren.

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

munity at large, will host listening sessions and will pursue creating a unique Pride Flag to be flown for Boston Pride 2021 and beyond. We invite everyone to participate in discussions surrounding the design for the new Boston Pride flag.”

According to Majenta, there is no pride until all are heard and treated with justice.

“Pride came from riots and fighting against oppression and working to dismantle unjust systems,” she said. “We can only have pride when we are amplifying the voices within our own community and fighting for their rights, not when we are providing corporations and the police with a platform that does not hold them responsible for their role in perpetuating an unjust system.”

The Human Rights Campaign recently released a letter, joined by prominent LGBTQ and civil rights organizations, condemning racism, racial violence and police brutality while calling for action to combat these scourges. One hundred plus leaders of the nation’s most prominent LGBTQ and civil rights organizations, in and outside of Boston, signed the letter.

Boston Pride does not appear to have signed the letter yet. Submissions appear to take time to show on the letter, according to others who’ve submitted their signatures but whose organizations/companies’ names aren’t visible yet. BP could have signed the letter but their name hasn’t been added yet, but it was too late to ask them if they had Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 29

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

Salem MA PD From Page 27 tendance.

“I’m furious that this happened in Salem.

Capt. Stephens should be fired now,” said Daymond Rivera, a Salem State University Student and a member of the LGBTQ community. “Why wait? She expressed a clear bias against black and brown communities by comparing us to eating at a restaurant.

Then, she went on to refer to the Governor as ‘Too Tall Deval,’ a shot at Governor Baker and our first black [former] governor, Deval Patrick. That tweet was racist and tasteless. No peace, no justice.”

to adhere to in taking any disciplinary action against an officer regardless of what that action may be. Any action taken in excess of 5 days of suspension requires a full hearing prior to the disciplinary action being taken where they are afforded the opportunity, much like court, to have legal counsel and present their defense.”

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll elaborated on

Not so simple Butler explained the police procedure on disciplinary action in cases like this.

“As a Civil Service community, per their requirements, she [Capt. Stephens] has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, which will conclude with a hearing on the matter,” she said. “By Civil Service requirements, the officer must receive a minimum of a seven-day advanced notice of said hearing.”

Although several social media users expressed upset over Stephens’ so-called “paid vacation,” the chief explained the details.

“I don't believe that any officer who is facing disciplinary action due to improper actions perceives this time as paid vacation due to the gravity of the situation before them,” Butler said. “… We have the laws and rules of civil service and due process

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the process and the Chief of Police’s pertinent reaction.

“Within hours of the Tweet being published the individual responsible was identified and removed from service, and the City began an internal review to identify the full extent of these actions,” Driscoll explained. “… I believe that Chief Butler is treating this matter with the seriousness

that it deserves and that she will render discipline accordingly.”

George Floyd Like others, Driscoll shared in the outrage of police brutality, as demonstrated by the murder of George Floyd. Floyd died

See Salem Police On Page 31

30 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

Op-Ed: Police Officers—Are they heroes or disappointments?

By: Jenn Nakhai* / LICSW Opinion Guest Columnist**

S

alem residents like myself were baffled recently when we read Mass. State Representative Paul Tucker’s Facebook post: “An Open Letter to the Members of the Police Department (https://bit.ly/2UK4kGM)” in response to protests calling for Capt. Kate Stephens’ termination and to end the unequal police abuse and numerous murders of black and people of color, which has led to worldwide protests for Black Lives Matter. The entire Black Lives Matter movement has been more than one large reactive talk on Facebook threads. It is a revolution in the making. Live and direct from Facebook feeds to Instagram stories, all making their mark as people bought into the idea of equality, integrity and fairness. As many of us try to take a clear stance in the face of white silence and covert white violence, we still see complicit people defend “all lives.”

Coincidentally, these are the same people in my network who also complain when I advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

As I try not to allow rage to control my interactions, I found the comments within Mr. Tucker’s post to be more telling than the post itself. His post was aggressively supportive of the police (something expected from an ex-cop), but it also was much more than that. It was a permissive platform for “blue lives'' to post their

“... THE DAY I REPORTED MY ABUSER TO THE POLICE TO BE MET WITH QUESTIONS LIKE “DID YOU CHEAT ON THIS MAN? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAKE HIM SO ANGRY WITH YOU?” ... AMONG OTHER ATROCIOUS QUESTIONS ... IT WAS IN THAT PROCESS THAT I LEARNED HOW THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS SET UP TO FAIL THE POOR, BLACK, FEMALE, AND DISENFRANCHISED.” poems and sayings from “blue lives matter” pages. In the community, we refer to those clusters as white supremacy groups.

My call to action is asking you to object to these rationalizations by people in positions of power that support the racist and oppressive capitalist structure. When Mr. Tucker says (referring to police officers), “While you have been counseling suicidal and emotionally disturbed persons, protesters stood in front of the police station chanting all cops are bastards and suck my d!ck. I know even worse was said but I don’t use the same words that some of them did.”

We see Mr. Tucker’s priorities and loyalties, as far as what should be discussed in the community. We also see the ridicule to those of us protecting our frontlines by offering emergency mental health services (as I am a therapist myself). I found his comment as it pertains to police “counseling suicidal and emotionally disturbed persons” to be a slap in the face. Black lives are more important that insults screamed at you during a police brutality protest. But, it appears that insulting the police is more of an important issue to tackle than members of the police being videotaped strangulating a black man calling for his

deceased mother. George Floyd is just one of hundreds of thousands of black people killed at the hands of white people, for whatever reason, in the long history of abuse that exists and has existed for 400 years.

The replies to the post should worry the post writer for several reasons. If I were in his position, I would’ve taken action and immediately erased it, to provide an example of inclusion and to lead by example.

But, most importantly, I would’ve erased it because of the hurt, pain and additional injury that it causes communities of color and because of the “green light” that it sends to the supremacists living in Salem. After all, that is what leaders in powerful positions should do—unite and work for all, not just some, especially at such a racially charged moment in the history of the U.S. That is why chaos and racism have ensued, especially of the emboldening of their actions

by Donald Trump—a white supremacist himself, ignorantly tweeting from the confines of his bunker.

Also, replies to the post ranged from fans using “black” and “blue” symbols in their comments to demonstrating their loyalty to the organized movement of neo-Nazi thoughts and beliefs. America has fought multiple wars against this type of “ethnic cleansing” and “white supremacy” ideolRead the rest of this story at at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020

Salem Police From Page 29 when a Minneapolis Police Department officer, placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, while Floyd plead for his life and called for his deceased mother as he was taking his last few breaths.

“I am outraged by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and other Black men and women who have been killed unjustly, and know that every city and city leader, myself included, needs to do more to ensure justice and accountability for people of color in our community,” Driscoll said.

“Every police department ought to be taking a hard look at their use of force policies to ensure they are aligned with community values and authorize local law enforcement to exercise their powers judicially.”

As a result, Driscoll has taken on the mayoral pledge, which includes 4 steps— 1. Review the use of force policies; 2. En-

gage the community by including a diverse range of input, experiences and stories in the review; 3. Report the findings of the review to the community and seek feedback; and 4. Reform the community's police use of force policies based on feedback.

Bias has no place in the SPD Relating specifically to the SPD incident, the mayor zeroed in on trust and accountability.

“While this inappropriate tweet may have been removed from Twitter and condemned by many Salem residents, it is not enough,” Driscoll added. “We have a responsibility to ensure that actions such as this are addressed head on and that individuals in a position of public trust are held accountable.”

Butler said bias has no place in the SPD and expressed keen awareness of the need that the department is and stays impartial.

“Any statement that impacts the multiple

groups of persons within our community that are perceived as bias or which minimize feelings of fairness and equity from anyone in our community, particularly those in positions of authority, has to be more disheartening than I could provide in words to give it the truest sense of justice,” she said. “It has no place in the police department as we are here to serve our community, the whole community in a fair, unbiased, just and right manner—it should be expected of us. We will never be successful in our mission without the support all those in our community and particularly those in our marginalized groups.”

Community policing State Rep. and former Salem Police Department Chief Paul Tucker weighed in on the issue.

“I truly believe [that] in Salem we had embraced a community policing model that showed a commitment to underserved and

Tony McDade From Page 26 “Humility Prevails.”

• Monika Diamond, 34, a Black transgender woman, was killed in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 18. Diamond was active in the Charlotte LGBTQ and nightlife community and was the co-owner of an event promotion company. She also was the coCEO of the International Mother of the Year Pageantry System—a pageant that honors LGBTQ mothers.

• Lexi, 33, a transgender woman, was killed in Harlem, New York on March 28.

According to reports, Lexi was fatally stabbed in Harlem River Park. “I really looked up to her because of her tolerance and respect,” said Lavonia Brooks, a friend of Lexi. “Lexi had a beautiful heart, she was very gifted.” Brooks also noted that Lexi loved poetry, makeup, and fashion.

• Johanna Metzger, a transgender woman, was killed in Baltimore, Maryland on April 11. According to reports, she was visiting a Baltimore recovery center from Pennsylvania at the time. Johanna was known for her love of music and taught herself to play multiple instruments.

underrepresented communities, and that foundation would help us in a moment in time such as we have now,” said Tucker of the incident.

In addition, he also recognized the need for accountability from police.

“It’s also vital that police leaders be out front acknowledging any shortcomings in their department and work with community leaders to address them,” Tucker said. “I believe every police department in the country no matter what size, from a one officer department to the largest in NY and LA, needs to do a deep review of their internal policies in recruiting, selecting, hiring and training to keep anyone who does not belong in policing off the job.”

According to the State Representative, he is currently working with the Black Caucus at the State House to build inclusive policing procedures to ensure local authorities Read the rest of this story at at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

• Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, 32, was killed in Puerto Rico on April 21.

Ramos was killed alongside Layla Pelaez Sánchez, 21. According to reports, Ramos was visiting the island on vacation and was set to return to her home in Queens, New York, at the end of the month. Loved ones are mourning her death, calling her “full of life,” a “happy person,” and a “sincere friend.” On May 1, two men were charged under federal hate crimes law for Ramos’s death.

• Layla Pelaez Sánchez, 21, was killed in Puerto Rico on April 21. Sánchez was killed alongside Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos. According to reports, Sánchez had recently moved to the island and was living in the Tejas neighborhood in Las Piedras. On May 1, two Puerto Rican men were charged under federal hate crimes law for Sánchez’s death.

• Penélope Díaz Ramírez, a transgender woman, was killed in Puerto Rico on April 13. “Penélope did not deserve to die. Transgender people do not deserve to die. Every Read the rest of this story at at: TransHeadlines.com

32 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

June 11, 2020 - July 9, 2020