The Rainbow Times' Nov. 2018 Issue

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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Midterm election results and the voyage north, as many are seeing it By: Nicole Lashomb*/TRT Editor-in-Chief

here is a good chance many of you are reading this post-election day.

The midterm elections and all it brings will likely have already happened— elected officials will tout their victories and those that we less successful will concede.

The fate of the ballot questions will have been decided and surely both sides of the issues will have taken to social media to express their view of the results.

The ballot referendum that most directly affected the LGBTQ community was Question 3 (https://is.gd/VInuaW), which decided the fate of transgender protections in public spaces. Prior to the vote, I had the privilege of presenting the “yes” side of this issue with a fierce colleague, Alice Merkl, at Salem State University. I was thrilled to see how many students were there and participated in the discussion, with nearly all professing support for #YesOn3. The engagement in this civic process was encouraging and I was proud of them for informing themselves and taking part in our democracy, regardless of how jaded that democracy is under the current presidential administration. As I type this, there are just days to go before a popular vote will decide the fate of the lives of so many in our community, including mine.

Yet, I am hopeful.

As I ponder what the results of the midterms will bring, I have prepared myself for great sorrow, yet I remain hopeful that the commonwealth, the very one that prides itself on being a pioneer of equality, will come through for us all and transgender residents will continue to be protected under the law as it was enacted since 2016.

It would be a disgrace if we woke on November 7 to find ourselves in a state of in-

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equality, again.

Regardless of what the morning of November 7 brings, there is so much chaos ensuing in this country that Americans seeking to immigrate to Canada has skyrocketed. In Canada, things like healthcare, LGBTQ, women, racial and ethnic rights and religious freedoms are not in jeopardy the way that they are in Trump’s America.

As a matter of fact more Americans are immigrating to Canada than they have in more than a decade, the GlobalPost reported (https://is.gd/WwSM76). This shouldn’t be surprising when so many of us

ALTHOUGH WE ARE ALL ENTITLED TO EQUAL RIGHTS AS CITIZENS OF THE U.S. UNDER THE 14TH AMENDMENT, A “NATION THAT CAN RID ITSELF OF GROUPS IT DISLIKES HAS JOURNEYED FAR DOWN THE ROAD TO AUTHORITARIAN RULE are under attack by the White House. The transgender community alone is an ongoing target of this administration and has been for quite some time, culminating in the most recent #WeWon’tBeErased movement (https://is.gd/M2gDq5), which was launched when a White House memo was discovered (by the New York Times) that indicated erasing trans identity.

According to the GlobalPost, Canada is likely to see an uptick (https://is.gd/WwSM76) in Americans seeking asylum based on things like religious persecution and life threatening situations.

Celebrating Matthew Shepard’s life, more

By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist

FAITH

atthew Shepard was brutally taken from his family and friends over twenty years ago. The world also lost a gentle, courageous soul at only 21 years of age. He lived his truth and showed others the importance of being authentic in a cold, complicated world.

Matt seemed to be an old soul in a young body. October marked the 20th anniversary of his murder. Last month his ashes were interred (https://is.gd/9dJnQw) at Washington National Cathedral (https://is.gd/tlzurA).

According to Matt’s mother, Judy Shepard, she and her husband had “given much thought to Matt’s final resting place, and we found the Washington National Cathedral is an ideal choice, as Matt loved the Episcopal church (https://is.gd/991tDJ) and felt welcomed by his church in Wyoming.”

In 1976 (https://is.gd/A2zUId), a year before Matt was born, the Episcopal Church formally declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full

“… a Muslim American citizen of Iranian descent might get asylum in Canada if they show they cannot live safely in the US because of the threat of injury or death, or that they can’t get a job due to their religion or ethnic background,” the GlobalPost reported. “In other words, if [the Muslim American] could prove that a blanket travel ban like the one Trump brought in is not just causing him to feel uneasy, but actually has caused him a reasonable subjective and objective fear, due to letters of threat or perhaps some other incident, he'd have a chance at a refugee hearing.”

and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church.”

A lot has changed since 1998. Significant steps have been made to advance LGBTQ civil and human rights. The Episcopal Church, since Matt’s death, elevated a gay priest to bishop, Gene Robinson. The Episcopal Church also formally decided that God’s call to be a priest was open to everyone and it made the rite of marriage open to all.

The Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington D.C. is “dedicated to serve as a house of prayer for all people and a spiritual home for the nation (https://is.gd/oUIwgu).” Bishop Robinson participated in the ceremony to welcome Matt and inter his ashes.

There is extraordinary symbolism for Matt being interred at the National Cathedral.

Funerals for Presidents (https://is.gd/QAA7FY) Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan were held there. Helen Keller and Admiral George Dewey are among the notables Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

There is also a rising number of African and Middle Eastern migrants crossing the border, seeking refuge in Canada. “Trump’s immigration crackdown, and Canada’s openness, are expected to beckon more to follow,” the publication reported (https://is.gd/WwSM76).

“Virtually every person who’s crossed [the border], from pregnant women in the

Letters to the Editor

[Re: Ministry Beyond The Church: Rev. Joe Amico]

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

—Kendall Lake, Online [Re: Ask a Trans Woman: Celebrating My Transition, Remembering Where It Started]

Dear Editor, It’s lovely to know that somebody else celebrates her rebirthday! That’s what I call my first day of living full time as a woman, though unlike you I didn’t begin HRT until later. Mine was also on an auspicious day, the spring equinox, somewhat by accident.

—Shirley Dulcey, Online Please send Letters to the Editor to: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.

NOTE: All letters to the editor must be accompanied by a phone # and an e-mail address to verify your identity prior to its publication. We reserve the right not to publish a letter for any reason at all.

back of trucks to those shepherding their children to safety, have said to us that the United States is no longer a safe country for them to be in,” Paul Caulford, a doctor at the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Healthcare outside Toronto, in an interview with the Otherhood podcast in February. The GlobalPost reported (https://is.gd/WwSM76) on this very issue in March 2017.

Since then, hate-related incidents and attacks by fellow Americans and the White House have surged at exorbitant rates.

Many in the LGBTQ community, or any marginalized group for that matter, have expressed not feeling safe in the United States anymore. At the same time, there are a select group of women who idolize Trump for “fighting to preserve a way of life ‘threatened’ by an increasingly liberal Democratic Party,” according to a recent report by the New York Times (https://is.gd/hDLPQR). In a climate where people are so emboldened to act on heartfilled hatred,and are encouraged to do so Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

The Rainbow Times The Freshest LGBT Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com

editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 Fax: 928.437.9618

Publisher Graysen M. Ocasio Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb Assistant Editor Mike Givens

National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Liz Johnson

Lead Photographers Steve Jewett Christine M. Hurley Reporters Jenna Spinelle Chris Gilmore Nicole Collins (In-

tern)

Ad & Layout Design Prizm PR Webmaster Jarred Johnson

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

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

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

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

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New ‘X’ designation signals progress for trans, GNC community By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor

IN THE LIMELIGHT

After California, New Jersey, Washington state, and Oregon, New York City will become the fifth locality in the United States to offer a gender-neutral “X” option for birth certificates, a move that many herald as a progressive step forward.

"This change may seem small but it is monumental," trans activist Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker told NBC News at the signing ceremony for the new law (https://nbcnews.to/2QBTAps).

2014 saw New York City passing a law allowing transgender people to easily change their gender designation between male and female on birth certificates and this latest bill, signed in early October, acknowledges the rights of intersex, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people, who are often ignored in conversations around gender identity.

However, there is still a legal gray area when it comes to the rights of trans people and gender identification in legal documents. Only four states provide gender-neutral birth certificate options and there are no laws dictating whether the other 46 must acknowledge, or even respect, the “X” gender designation.

Federal passports only provide a male

ceptance of trans, non-binary, and intersex people in Massachusetts,” he said.

Jennifer Levi of the GLBTQ Advocates and Defenders (GLAD; https://bit.ly/2mMNdR4) said that, from a legal perspective, it’d be hard to predict what the implications would be for such a change in Massachusetts.

“It would be a largely new development,” she said. “It is therefore difficult to predict the legal effect at this point; cases and policy would need to be developed to determine what weight or meaning to give an ‘X’ marker.”

and female gender with no “X” gender option available. In order to change a gender designation on a passport, a trans person must have a physician attest to their participation in gender affirmation medical treatment.

In September, Dana Zzyym won a fouryear legal battle when a federal court in Denver ruled that the 60-year-old U.S. Navy veteran could receive a passport affirming their identity as neither male or female (https://cbsloc.al/2qdsh9L).

What if the Bay State followed suit?

Blessing Ajaero, a Massachusetts resident who identifies as transgender, said that if the Commonwealth followed in the steps of the other four states, it would be an even greater victory for trans rights.

“I think it would be more inclusive for intersex, trans/nonbinary, and gender nonconforming folk,” they said.

“Scientifically, we already know that both gender and sex are spectrums. Many of the variations that are termed ‘syndromes’ are actually common chromosomal manifestations. It would be incredibly validating to finally be able to reflect that on a necessary legal document of identification.”

Mason Dunn, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC; https://bit.ly/2wXXbsV) agreed, saying that it could open up a path for gender non-conforming people to have

more public affirmation of their identities.

“Having access to identification documents like birth certificates would be a monumental win for the visibility and ac-

A Problematic Definition of Sex On October 21, The New York Times reported that the federal government is considering a very narrow definition of sex (https://nyti.ms/2An82wt), mainly one that is based on the appearance of genitals at birth and cannot be altered.

A definition of sex as binarily male or female, based solely on one’s genital presentation at birth, and legally unalterable would be a massive hit to the trans community. According to the Times, , the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS; https://bit.ly/2EvpEWg) is considering narrowly defining sex as an update to the federal Title IX law that prohibits gender discrimination in federally funded education programs.

See Gender X on Page 19

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Podcast provides platform for LGBTQs to discuss shared experiences, stories By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor

IN THE LIMELIGHT

“This is exactly what I never knew I needed,” said BluSparrow3.

Rating the podcast five stars, Neil Eggshellman, said “These episodes get to the heart of what it is like for queer friends to make their truth known. As a straight male, it helps me empathize with their challenges and realize where I can be a better friend/ally. It’s also going to keep you laughing throughout. Check it out!”

Via Instagram, an enthusiastic fan posted, “It is a wonderful resource for hearing the voices and stories of a variety of people in the LGBTQ+ community.”

Lauren Flans and Nicole Pacent first met while doing a stage reading of a new play three years ago. Both actresses, they decided to keep in touch. A friendship developed and Lauren pitched Nicole an idea.

“Nicole was just about to start facilitating groups at the Los Angeles LGBT Center…” said Flans. “I was so eager to get going that I actually asked her if she’d do a coming out podcast with me at the end of her very first day of facilitator training!

“She was like, ‘This is so crazy – I’ve literally been thinking about how I want to do something like that!’ So we started having meetings about it pretty much right

away and launched this past June for Pride Month.”

The “Coming Out with Lauren and Nicole” podcast (https://bit.ly/2O83VYH) came out of a shared need for both women to discuss and amplify the stories of LGBTQ people. Both currently volunteer at the center and one workshop, in particular, helped drive Flans to make her podcast dream a reality.

“My hands-down favorite group to facilitate is the Women’s Coming Out Workshop; I’ve been doing it for over a year-and-a-half now,” she said. “The more time I spent with that group, the more two things in particular stood out to me: [first], it really made these women feel better about what they were going through when I was able to make them laugh, and [second] I was consistently wishing there was some kind of resource where they could hear a bunch of other coming out stories, so that they'd realize they absolutely weren't alone in what they were feeling.

“There were so many times when one of the women in the group would relate something that was obviously incredibly personal and difficult for them, and when they had finished, the first thing I’d say was, ‘I just want you to know that’s probably the fourth time I’ve heard someone in this group say that.’”

“F**k it! I’ll make it myself” Flans said the look of relief on the faces

of the workshop attendees when their experiences were validated was “unreal” and that she wanted to find a resource for the women, a place where their identities as queer people could be affirmed. However, she said she never found any.

“F**k it! I’ll make it myself,” Flans said to herself. And she went about making a podcast.

“I wanted a co-host because I think that, for something as personal as coming out, it’s so important to have multiple perspectives,” she said. “I also knew from the start that I wanted to do it with Nicole if she was game.”

Pacent, as described by Flans, is an “outstanding LGBTQ advocate” and also identifies as bisexual and has done a lot of work around bi visibility. Flans identifies as a lesbian. The differences in experiences and orientations, according to Flans, brings a nuanced perspective to the show.

“One of the things that was really important to both me and Nicole was making sure that the podcast we made had a sense of humor about itself,” she said. “My background is very strongly based in comedy— improv and sketch—and I honestly believe that humor is essential in dealing with difficult subject matter.”

The show does, however, approach the subject of coming out with the deference and seriousness it deserves.

Daisy Egan, for example, an actor and writer living in New York, said she had a positive experience sharing her coming out story in episode five.

“It was the first time I was telling my story in a cohesive way, publicly,” she said.

“So in a lot of ways I was working some things out for the first time. We ended up talking a lot about gender identity and polyamory. It felt like we were just having a conversation and I think the end result reflects that. Good interviewers don't make

you feel like you're sitting in an interview.”

Egan also said that the podcast is important for a range of people living in the closet.

“I think normalizing experiences is important,” she said. “I think for younger listeners, podcasts like ‘Coming Out’ can help give strength and courage moving forward. Especially listeners in non-metropolitan areas where they may not run into too many LGBTQ+ folx. Having a wide breadth of experiences shared could help younger kids see that there's not one right way, or they might recognize the experience helping them feel less alone.

“For us oldies, it's easy to recognize pieces of our own story in everyone's story.

Hearing from our ‘fam’ is a great way to remind us that we're in this mess together.

So many of our stories are painful, but Lauren and Nicole make the conversation easy and fun. Looking back with humor is such a healing experience.”

In episode 12, Kieran Smiley, Flans’ close friend from childhood, was a guest on the show and shared a very touching story about his coming out experience.

In the episode, Smiley discusses how his first awareness of his orientation was during his teenage years when looking at adult magazines. He dated girls throughout high school, but during his sophomore year, he told Flans that he was attracted to a male classmate.

“It was euphoric to say it out loud,” he said. “And then for her to reciprocate it and tell me she had the same feelings for a girl was just like … it didn’t feel at all odd or off or something that wasn’t natural for the both of us.”

Describing it as a “freeing experience,” Smiley and Flans identified as bisexual, with Smiley saying that bisexuality was his “gateway” into his true acceptance of being

See Podcast on Page 20

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Health care groups warn of health consequences of Trump’s plan to define sex

BOSTON—The Fenway Institute and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality announced that over 35 national health care associations and providers have sent a letter (https://is.gd/lettoadmin18) to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urging them to drop reported plans to narrowly define sex as an immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.

Signers of the letter include the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, all of which endorse a standard of care for transgender people that includes mental health counseling, hormone therapy, and surgeries that affect primary and secondary sex characteristics. These organizations represent thousands of health care providers across the country.

“The science is clear. Genetic sex chromosomes, anatomy, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity are separate. In many people they are aligned with one another, and in millions of other people they are not,” said GLMA President Gal Mayer, MD, MS, who has considerable experience caring for LGBTQ patients as the former medical director of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. “Any policy that tries

to define an individual’s gender based solely on any one of these characteristics ignores decades of research and study, and contradicts the massive expertise of the healthcare providers and their associations represented on this letter. We can all confirm that gender and gender identity are not binary and in many cases not the same as the sex assigned at birth. Gender and gender identity exist on a spectrum, are personal experiences, are not always static, and can only be defined by the person living that experience.”

“Transgender people face discriminatory treatment in public settings, including hospitals and other health care facilities,” said Sean Cahill, director of health policy research for The Fenway Institute. “As a result, many transgender people avoid care due to prior mistreatment and the fear of anticipated mistreatment and stigma. It would be malpractice to rescind nondiscrimination protections for transgender people in health care settings.”

The plans were first made public October 21 by the New York Times in a report (https://is.gd/WjL7xk) based on a U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) memo that was leaked to the newspaper. The Times reported that HHS is proposing a legal definition of sex that would exclude transgender individuals under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination. A number of recent federal court rulings have found that

anti-transgender discrimination constitutes sex discrimination under Title IX, and the sex discrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act and Affordable Care Act. These rulings also were used as the legal basis for federal nondiscrimination rules affecting access by transgender people to healthcare, education, and other services that receive federal funding.

The full letter can be read here: https://is.gd/lettoadmin18.

About Fenway Health Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhoods, the LGBT 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 LGBT 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.

About GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality is a national organization committed to ensuring health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and all sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, and equality for LGBTQ/SGM health professionals in their work and learning environments. To achieve this mission, GLMA (formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association) utilizes the scientific expertise of its diverse multidisciplinary membership to inform and drive advocacy, education, and research.

Community conversation on being LGBT and Aging, screening of Gen Silent at the Duxbury Senior Center

The Duxbury Senior Center will have a conversation on aging for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults, friends, and allies in the South Shore area on Thursday, November 8, at 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This a community-wide event is a partnership with the Duxbury Senior Center, Duxbury Interfaith Council, the LGBT Aging Project, and No Place for Hate.

The event will begin a conversation about how to best support the older LBGT community and provide a chance for friendship, bonding, and a sharing of resources and information.

The evening will include a screening of the award-winning film, Gen Silent followed by a discussion led by Bob Linscott, MTS, from The LGBT Aging Project at Fenway Health. Gen Silent is a documentary that follows the lives of six LGBT seniors living in the Boston area who must choose if they will hide their sexuality in order to survive in the long-term health

care system.

The film reflects the reality of what LGBT older adults face today. Many do not seek out the help they need because they live in fear of discrimination, or they harbor a distrust of healthcare institutions. The follow-up conversation will look for solutions for these unique challenges. Social workers will be at the program in case someone needs support.

A light dinner is included. This is a free event open to all.

In addition to this program, the Duxbury Senior Center plans to offer regularly scheduled events for the LGBT older adults on the South Shore. A second community conversation is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5th at 2: 00 p.m.

If you have questions about the program, or to RSVP, call Donna at 781-934-5774 etension 5730. Local transportation is provided in Duxbury.

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Eleven years later: Eric McCormack’s comedic revolution

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The sitcom star on the value of ‘Will & Grace’ now and why the show ‘could’ve backfired’ By: Chris Azzopardi*/Special to TRT

ric McCormack auditioned for the role of gay lawyer Will on Will & Grace without realizing the effect he’d have on closeted teenagers. “I was worried about network executives and what the gay community would think,” he says, “but when I was thinking of the gay community, I wasn’t thinking of 16 year olds.”

In 1998, when the sitcom touched down on NBC in a TV universe that was distinctly less gay, the show presented itself as farcical comedy. But by the time it ran its course, ending (or so we thought) in 2006, Will & Grace was, through sheer existence, a cultural landmark leading the way for LGBTQ inclusivity in entertainment and in the broader world.

And those ’90s teenagers? “What has been revealed is that it was (them) sort of peeking over (their) parents’ shoulder going, ‘OK, I like this show, this show’s for me,’ and, ‘Hey, if my mom likes this show then I can do this,’” McCormack says.

Eleven years went by without Will, his roommate Grace (Debra Messing), his gay pal Jack (Sean Hayes) and Jack’s rollicking, boozed bestie, Karen (Megan Mullally). Marriage equality happened. More queer characters – trans, of color – happened. And in 2017, with Trump jabs and jokes scoffing at discriminatory cake bakers, Will & Grace returned to NBC with a new agenda for the queer-comedy revolution it once led.

Recently, McCormack, 55, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and this month, became the recipient of the Point Foundation’s Impact Award in recognition of his significant impact on the LGBTQ community. Here, the actor reflects on playing Will during a more conservative time in America, the episode NBC cut from reruns and the significance of gay actors portraying his love interests.

Q: When you first began playing Will, how much more attention did you get from gay men?

A: (Laughs) Well, I’m from the theater, so I was pretty much already gettin’ my share!

Q: But this is national primetime television, known to the world.

A: (Laughs) I think that was the most interesting journey, because in the theater, all through my 20s, when I first started doing television guest spots in Toronto and Vancouver, I did a bunch of gay roles. I was a bartender at the gay bar, and I was the guy in the office who the girl thought was coming onto her – but I say, “Honey, I’m gay.”

These roles accumulated for me, and nobody else knew I was doing them. When Will finally landed for me, I didn’t have to go out and do a lot of research. My best friends were gay men, I grew up in the theater. So, it was a natural extension.

But when it suddenly, as you say became “national,” there was – yeah, you have to

The Will & Grace cast

be careful with that (attention), though, because what happens automatically is NBC phones and says, “Hey, People magazine wants to do a thing on you,” and of course People magazine always features you and your wife in the kitchen making pasta, right? Or something dopey like that.

(Laughs) So within two months it’s clear (I’m) married, but you don’t want it to look like you begged People magazine to show the world that you’re straight. It could’ve backfired, and that’s the thing I’m always grateful for: the LGBT community could’ve just said, “Eh, another one, no.”

But they didn’t.

PHOTO: ANDREW ECCLES/NBC

Q: Representation has evolved and shifted in the last 20 years, and now there’s more criticism of straight actors taking on LGBTQ roles. Can you reflect on that era versus now as far as straight actors portraying LGBTQ characters?

A: I think the pendulum swings, and I really do think it’s project to project. I think what we’re doing with the trans community – first of all, that wasn’t even an expression for most Americans five years ago, so it’s important how we handle that because a lot of Americans will go, “Well, trans is like what? He puts on a dress?” A

lot of people just don’t know. So, it’s important that, if there is a role that is specifically trans, we cast a trans actor so that we start to educate.

The flipside to me is that whenever someone says you were straight playing gay, I say, “Well, yeah, Neil Patrick Harris played the biggest womanizer and he’s quite openly gay, so I feel like it’s OK.” So I think if there’s a balance, and if it happens in the right ways, if we make sure that people of color and women are represented, that we’re doing the right thing by all the

See Will & Grace on Page 23

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have not interpreted sex discrimination provisions correctly.

“It is shocking to learn that nearly half of LGBT adults live in states that lack laws explicitly prohibiting discrimination at work for LGBT employees. And, most people wrongly assume that there is a federal law explicitly prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination,” said Ineke Mushovic, MAP Executive Director. “The reality is that far too many LGBT employees remain at risk for discrimination, harassment and even termination. It’s time to update our nondiscrimination laws, so that everyone can have a fair shot to earn a living and provide for their family.”

• Federal protections: A growing number of federal courts and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have concluded that when a person is discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, such discrimination is inherently based on the individual’s sex and is therefore illegal under federal laws’ prohibitions on sex discrimination.

• State laws: Only 20 states and the District of Columbia have state statutes that explicitly prohibit discrimination in employment Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

Tanzania authorities gather names of gay citizens

Paul Makonda, a government official in Tanzania, announced recently that a committee of 17 people had been formed to identify gay people in the country, where homosexuality is illegal and gay public displays of affection can lead to arrest.

The committee includes “police, lawyers and doctors.”

Makonda claimed that the government had already been given 18,000 names from civilians. He further stated gay citizens often “boast on social networks” and said his team would pursue them.

Officials claimed they wished to “educate” gay citizens.

Caitlyn Jenner donates to LGBTQ non-profit

Early this month, Caitlyn Jenner donated $60K to the transgender community of http://bit.do/hrcspan

http://bit.do/hrcspan

http://bit.do/hrcspan

NEW YORK—Last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump Administration is preparing to redefine the term “sex” for the purposes of several federal agencies. This redefinition is out of step with science, medicine and the law—and it is intended to not only to eliminate protections for transgender and intersex people, but to stop recognizing transgender and intersex people all together. This latest proposal also creates more barriers to combating discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals; while the Department of Justice previously would and did sue state/local government entities for anti-transgender discrimination that will not be the case with this administration.

A new brief from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), the ACLU and Lambda Legal, Are LGBT Workers Protected from Discrimination? Unravelling the Patchwork of Federal, State, and Local Employment Protections, examines the existing federal, state and local laws and court rulings that offer protections to LGBT workers. This brief also examines the legal gaps that leave workers vulnerable to discrimination because laws don’t explicitly include the terms “sexual orientation” or “gender identity,” and courts

Earlier this month, the Muslim Youth Leadership Council published a resource guide, titled “I am Muslim and I Might Not Be Straight (http://bit.ly/2PaLAQ8),” in hopes of helping LGBTQ Muslims find a community.

The Council is a part of the larger nonprofit organization Advocates for Youth, which aims to provide youth with information about sexuality and sexual health.

The guide quotes an adult named Fatimah on the topic: “As a 20-year-old queer, non-binary, hijabi Muslim, my identity is complex. My parents often say that there aren’t any LGBTQ people in my community … What I’ve come to understand is that queer Muslims have existed since the beginning of Islam… And Allah made us just the way we are.”

NEWS BRIEFS

Patchwork of employment protections leaves LGBT employees at risk

Guide created to assist LGBTQ Muslims in finding a community

Phoenix, Arizona. Twenty thousand dollars of the donation was given to the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS for a new program, the Transgender Resource and Navigation Service (TRANS), which attempts to help transgender and gender nonconforming people navigate the United States healthcare system.

The donation comes only weeks after Jenner’s October 25 Washington Post opinion piece (https://wapo.st/2F3R9eB), in which she criticized president Donald Trump after having declared her support for him earlier.

Online training program helps improve oncologists’ LGBTQ knowledge

After the launch of an online training program, oncologists’ knowledge of the LGBTQ community has improved, according to early results.

Curriculum for Oncologists on LGBT populations to Optimize Relevance and Skills (COLORS), is made up of four 30minute-long modules that cover LGBTQ identities and terminology.

According to results, the percentage of oncologists that answered over 90 percent of questions correctly on an LGBTQ knowledge test increased from 33 percent before the training to 85 percent afterward.

Fifty-six companies sign letter opposing Trump transgender comments

On Thursday, 56 companies—including Uber, Google, and Facebook—signed and sent a letter to the Trump administration stating their opposition to the recent move to define gender as the genitalia with which an individual is born (https://nyti.ms/2AM8O6t).

The administration’s announcement and effort has been led by the Department of Health and Human Services (https://is.gd/XWA31d; DHHS), just around a year after they controversially told others within the government not to use the word “transgender” in official documents.

The signees stated the policy would harm their workers and that they stand with the United States’ transgender community.

We Observe TDoR this month Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20, 2018

Transgender Awareness Week http://bit.do/hrcspan

November 12-16

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 11

Multiple organizations, 19 states & others on record opposing Trans military ban

WASHINGTON—A wide array of former military leaders, veterans’ and civil rights organizations, women’s groups, military scholars and historians, and states have gone on record opposing President Trump’s ongoing efforts to exclude transgender people from military service.

Groups and individuals filed thirteen friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the plaintiffs in Doe v. Trump in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The case was filed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and was the first lawsuit to challenge the Trump-Pence transgender military ban and secured the first preliminary injunction halting the ban while the case is heard in court.

A friend-of-the-court brief is filed by non-parties to a case who have expertise to offer and a strong interest in the subject matter of the litigation.

“Our nation’s most respected former military leaders are going on record to oppose this destructive and irrational ban. They are telling the court that excluding qualified individuals simply because they are transgender harms military recruitment and retention and contradicts foundational military values of loyalty, duty, respect, integrity and honor,” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter.

“The briefs submitted by these experts explain why the transgender military ban weakens our present and future military.

These also provide a historical lens, demonstrating that just like the ban on women in combat, and racial segregation of servicemembers, the transgender military ban must be relegated to the dustbin of history,” said GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi.

Key arguments include: • Allowing transgender troops to serve strengthens our military; • The ban on transgender people serving undermines military recruitment and retention goals, which is particularly problematic at a time when service branches are trying to grow their ranks in order to meet demands on national security; • Military service is a hallmark of equal cit-

izenship and has played a critical role in establishing equality for women, racial minorities, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual people; • Historically, “military readiness” has been invoked by civilian leaders as a cover for discomfort and discrimination against groups previously excluded from service; • The transgender military ban rests on the same stereotypes used to discriminate against women.

A compelling brief from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Service Women’s Action Network, NYC Veterans Alliance and others, spotlights military heroes who would have been excluded from service if prior discriminatory regulations had remained in effect: “Consider where our military would be today if past categorical bans and limits on service had not been lifted. We would likely have seen no Gen. Colin Powell, the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We would likely have seen no Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, the first female Air Force officer to venture into space as part of the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor. We would likely have seen no Brig.

Gen. Tammy Smith, the first openly LGB general in U.S. Army history. And if the Transgender Ban is allowed to stand, we will likely never know what future heroes our country has passed over, including potentially the very plaintiffs in this case.”

Another brief authored by the Truman Center, Minority Veterans of America, and others presents first-person accounts by servicemembers and veterans about how the diverse experiences of servicemembers strengthens the military, including this quote from a Marine veteran: “The most effective units I saw were those that had people with different perspectives who could think about how to solve a problem in a way you never thought of. When I was in the Middle East I wanted a unit comprised of a variety of people, that way I knew that when a problem occurred, and one always occurred, we would be thinking about how to tackle it from all the angles. All I, and my team cared about,

Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

12 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

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November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 13

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

PHOTO: EDGAR CHAPARRO /UNSPLASH

14 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

5 Steps to coming to terms with your balding head

By: Mikey Rox*/Special to TRT

THE FRIVOLIST

Male pattern baldness for a young gay man can be tough to come to terms with, but rest assured that your hair is only one aspect of your overall appearance and personal style. Instead of obsessing over that which you lack—and have little control over, frankly—concentrate on the total package you present.

When your shoulders are held high because of boosted self-esteem from other outward factors, people will notice (even the haters!)—without thinking twice about your sitch up top. To make the move to a more confident you, consider these tips on how to accept (and love!) your balding head.

1. Assess the situation If you notice your hair thinning and that prospect is a source of anxiety for you—I’ve been there myself—assess the situation rationally and consult a professional. Master barber Brandon Barney suggests taking the issue straight to the person you’ve trusted your hair with for years—your barber or stylist.

“The barber should have an idea—if they've been doing your hair for long enough to see it change—of both how your hair is growing and when it's starting to retreat,” he says. “If you don't have a regular barber, be your own detective. Look in the mirror and really look at yourself. After the shock of ‘Holy shit, I'm old’ wears off, be honest with yourself. You'll know if it's easier to see your scalp if your hair looks thinner at the roots.”

It’s important, too, that you’re comfortable enough and have a decent rapport with your barber or stylist that they’ll tell you the hard truth. My stylist downplayed my thinning for a long time out of fear of hurting my feelings. That didn’t help the situation, and I lost valuable time in trying to halt the process. That’s how I wanted to approach the issue—with a Minoxidil regimen—but that was a personal choice and certainly not an endorsement for the tem-

porary remedy. This is a do-you situation and only you can decide how to make the best of it.

2. Stop lying to yourself I was in denial about my male pattern baldness for several years because I didn’t want to accept that my youth had expired. As a result, I grew more self-conscious every time I looked in the mirror. I knew I had to deal with it at some point, even though the acceptance process dragged on. I wasn’t alone in this battle, however, and neither are you.

“You lose your hair and one thought comes into mind: I am no longer young,” says Barney. “Age has caught up. The sooner you can accept that, the sooner you can manage it. Older isn't dead, and age is only a number. If you're feeling depressed, selfconscious about it, you're not alone. The vast majority of people experiencing [thinning hair] feel that way. But learning how to manage it and accepting the reality of it will change how you feel about it and yourself.”

3. Ask your significant other and friends their opinions When trying to figure out how to handle my own situation, I turned to my boyfriend and my friends for what I should do. While the final decision wasn’t up to them ultimately, I wanted to hear from my male buddies on how they were approaching or had approached their own balding, and I wanted to gauge my boyfriend’s response to buzzing my hair so the thinning wasn’t as noticeable at the source. These consultations helped me come to terms with my situation and make a proactive move regarding my hair that would eventually eradicate my anxiety.

4. Work with what you’ve got Now that you've accepted what plenty of men continue to deny, you can start to disguise your “problem” area properly. This doesn’t mean spraying on fake infomercial

Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

LGBTQ students encouraged to apply for scholarships

LOS ANGELES—Lesbian, gay, bisexual, Angeles event, Herb Hamsher Point transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students Scholar Nia Clark, a social work student at enrolling in undergraduate or graduate pro- California State University, proudly told grams for the 2019-2020 academic year are the audience: "I am bigger than the discrimination that encouraged to apply online for a Point Foundation Scholarship. Point Foundation threatens my black Trans existence every (Point) is the nation's largest scholarship- day. I am somebody. I'm a leader. I'm a granting organization for LGBTQ students Point Scholar. And I'm going to change the of merit and currently is providing finan- world by living authentically and unapolocial assistance and programmatic support getically in my truth."

Once selected, each scholar is paired with to 97 students.

Applications open online November 1, a mentor and participates in leadership development training with fellow Point 2018 at https://is.gd/tumZGy. Students may submit their application Scholars. Point Scholars also give back to the LGBTQ community by completing an until 11:59 p.m. PST January 28, 2019.

A short application information video is individual community service project each year. After graduation, scholars become available online (https://is.gd/7XGKrX).

According to a survey by StudentLoan- part of Point's growing alumni network, Hero.com, LGBTQ students accrue $16K connecting them with caring individuals more debt on average than their heterosex- and professional contacts in a wide range ual peers. Moreover, nearly a third of of fields throughout the nation. Since 2002, LGBTQ students report being discrimi- Point has awarded more than 450 scholarnated against because of their gender iden- ships.

Individuals, corporations, and organizatity or sexual orientation when seeking financial assistance for higher education. tions can support Point's mission by desigRecognizing that LGBTQ students face nating a scholarship with a "Name," which distinct financial disadvantages and mar- recognizes the donor, an individual, or an institution.

Named ginalization, Point Scholarship donors Foundation provides its scholarship recipiAM THAN THE pledge to cover the financial assistance and ents with mentoring programmatic support and leadership develDISCRIMINATION THAT Point provides its opment training as scholars. New Named well as financial support.

MY BLACK Scholarships for the 2019 - 2020 academic "Despite the constant year will include: CAA attacks on our commuRANS EVERY Point Scholarship; nity, our LGBTQ FedEx Point Scholaryoung people are eager M A ship; Stacy R. Friedto develop the skills DAY AM SOMEBODY man Point they need to fight back Scholarship; and the against discrimination LEADER M A OINT Patti Sue Mathis Point and become the leaders Scholarship. our country so desperCHOLAR The 2019 class of ately needs," said Jorge Point Foundation Valencia, Executive Scholarship recipients Director & Chief Executive Officer of POINT SCHOLAR NIA CLARK will be announced in June 2019 for LGBTQ Point Foundation.

"These students' determination to create an Pride Month. equitable society that values and celebrates diversity needs to be–and can be–realized About Point Foundation (pointfoundation.org) with our support."

Point Foundation empowers promising To receive a Point Foundation Scholarship, candidates must demonstrate aca- LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic excellence, leadership skills, demic and leadership potential–despite the community involvement, and financial obstacles often put before them–to make a need. Attention is given to applicants who significant impact on society. Since 2002, have experienced marginalization and/or Point has awarded more than 400 scholarare working to improve the lives of mar- ships. The Foundation promotes change ginalized groups, particularly the LGBTQ through scholarship funding, mentorship, leadership development and community community.

Speaking at the 2018 Point Honors Los service training.

“I

BIGGER

THREATENS T EXISTENCE .I . I' . I' P S .”

—

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

T

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 15

Transgender Day of Remembrance: Please attend one this Nov. By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT Columnist

TRANS OPINION

his November 20th will be the 20th Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR).

The TDoR was started

by Gwen Smith in 1999 to memorialize the brutal death of trans woman Rita Hester who was murdered in Allston, Mass. It continues yearly, every November 20th, to memorialize the trans folk who have died in the past year. It’s a very sad but necessary occasion, as we need to inform the public just how many trans people are brutally murdered every year.

I’ve been involved in TDoRs since the mid-2000s and the number of trans related deaths has risen every year. This could be due in part because the reporting of the deaths is getting more accurate, or maybe it’s because the violence against trans people has risen. I admit, it could be both as well. The bottom line is that these deaths need to stop.

As of this writing, there have been 352 reports of trans people’s deaths around the world, 38 of which have been reported in the United States. By using this site

I

(https://is.gd/D2XABI), I found the causes of death in the past year have been by suicides, shootings, beatings, stabbings, strangulations, burnings, beheadings, tortures,

stories out to the public and the public needs to understand the situation. It would help immensely if the federal government and mainstream media would recognize the

THE DEATHS OF CHRISTA, CHLOE, AND KIM GREATLY SHOOK UP THE WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SURROUNDING AREAS. stonings, suffocations, asphyxiations, dismemberings, throat cuttings, and deaths by clinical malpractices, fatal injections of industrial silicone, dying in custody, and a few methods not reported. If you visit the above-mentioned site, you can see for yourself how horrible the deaths were.

How can the terrible murders of transgender people be stopped? I can’t say for sure, but I believe that educating the public is a good start. The more people who hear or read about these awful situations, the better it would be in getting the word out about these brutal killings of trans people.

We need to get the stories of these murder

TDoR, which would nationally legitimize and bring the urgency of this situation to the front where it should be. The murders must stop. The notion that trans people are expendable must stop. The notion that trans people aren’t real must stop. We, as trans people, need to be seen as human beings so that we can live our lives without fear of being murdered, without fear of being ridiculed, without fear of being not accepted, and without fear of being left out of society.

My Springfield, Mass. transgender support group, UniTy of the Pioneer Valley, lost three members this year. One was

stabbed and beaten and two were suicides.

TDoRs are tough enough every year to bear but to have three friends die in one year because of the way society treats them can be overwhelming. The deaths of Christa, Chloe, and Kim greatly shook up the western Mass. and surrounding areas.

When the deaths hit home it really hurts. I don’t want any more of my friends dying because they are transgender people. I don’t want any more transgender people dying because they are transgender people.

We need these murders to stop.

I am asking, no, I am imploring everyone to seek out the local Transgender Day of Remembrance in their area and attend it.

Find out for yourselves the extent of these horrible and unjust murders of transgender people. The more people who attend these TDoRs, the better it will be. We need to get the word out. We need to stop these murders.

For those in the Springfield area, UniTy will be holding a TDoR on Thursday, November 15 at 3300 Main Street, Springfield. We begin at 6 p.m. with a hot meal.

From 7-9 will be the TDoR with guest speaker (https://is.gd/DPHCOk) Elijah C. Nealy Ph.D. Please come. * Deja Nicole Greenlaw is retired from 3M and has 3 children and two grandchildren.

She can be contacted ASAP at her e-mail: dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.

Ask A Trans Woman: The next step to follow; “We The People”, re-unite as one By: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT Columnist

PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN

t’s one of the quirks of working for a monthly paper that often I need to step outside the constantly churning, immediately updating, 24-hour news cycle.

This can be a little frustrating sometimes, but it can also be quite liberating. It often forces me to take the long view of news and events that affect the trans community specifically and LGBTQ+ folks generally.

Indeed, by the time you read this, America will have seen a Blue Wave. Or not.

And Massachusetts will have successfully preserved vital protections for transgender people. Or not.

As a result of all this, I have recently been reflecting on the words contained in the original sales pitch for this country: "We hold these truths to be self-evident (https://is.gd/uEx8a1), that all (people) are created equal (https://is.gd/1Zy9sF), that they are endowed by their Creator (https://is.gd/R2bYbr) with certain unalienable Rights (https://is.gd/1rVH2I), that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (https://is.gd/YQHLLQ).”

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the

governed (https://is.gd/H2zHBD), That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it (https://is.gd/1Hw3vK), and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

In my heart, and in my life, trans people will always come first. And, I will always fight for my transgender community. As I will fight for my own life.

But unless we stand up for each other, work to protect all marginalized people, we will be lost. It’s not enough to work for trans equality or gay or lesbian or bi equality. We must also make a stand for people of color and for immigrants. We must fight for the poor and the oppressed everywhere, and especially in this country, and in our own communities.

For if we do not live in a society that takes care of the most vulnerable among us, then as a society, we will have failed. If we do not care for the hungry, the disadvantaged, the marginalized and those who have been set adrift, surely we will be judged to be lacking, unsuccessful, even harsh and cruel, by future histories.

So, we must keep fighting. The election is over. Now it’s time to take to the streets; march, shout, carry signs, call legislators.

Above all, we need to organize.

Whoever has ended up in office, always

... UNLESS WE STAND UP FOR EACH OTHER, WORK TO PROTECT ALL MARGINALIZED PEOPLE, WE WILL BE LOST. IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO WORK FOR TRANS EQUALITY OR GAY OR LESBIAN OR BI EQUALITY.

remember, they work for us. We The People. All the People. And if they are not doing their job, if they are failing to uphold the will of The People, we have prior instructions regarding what we should do about that.

Let me try and break down what I mean.

If you run a business and find out that your employees are using their positions to enrich themselves at the company’s expense, what would you do? If they are engaging in graft, theft, bribery, or just gross mismanagement, you are likely to demote or fire them. At the very least, you would keep a sharp eye on their work.

This country is no different. Except that we are all the owners of the company. And, even the employees who aren’t openly stealing from us, or moonlighting for other employers, well, a lot of them kind of suck at their jobs.

The “company” is in massive amounts of

debt because the CEO is spending all his time golfing, and the rest of upper management is blowing the operating budget on fancy war toys and brutally violent games in other people’s yards.

The least among us are barely protected.

People are hungry. People are sick and there’s barely anything left to buy groceries, never mind see the doctor.

Do you hear what I’m saying? The seas are rising. The climate is changing. Trans people are still being murdered in shocking numbers. Black people are still being shot simply for going about their lives. Immigrant children are being separated from their families, with little hope of reunification.

Refugees are streaming out of the everexpanding war zones into any country that will take them. And, we are acting like it’s Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

16 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 17

PoP’s Surgery Fund Scholarship accepting applications Point of Pride (PoP), a non-profit organization serving the transgender community, is now accepting applications to our Annual Transgender Surgery Fund.

Applications close November 30, 2018, and recipients will be announced in early 2019. To date, PoP has awarded over $45,500 in financial aid to recipients.

“Every trans person deserves safe and complete access to gender-affirming care,” said Aydian Dowling, Board President and co-founder of Point of Pride. “Community fundraising programs like this one are critical in helping all trans folks can get the assistance they need to live more authentically.”

The scholarship-like program provides direct financial aid to trans people in need of gender-affirming procedures they cannot otherwise afford.

“With our current political climate and the uncertain future of health care in the United States, we hope this program not only helps as many folks as possible to afford the care they so urgently need, but also raises awareness to the challenges we face as a community in getting that care,” said Jeffrey Main, Board Secretary and cofounder.

To learn more and apply, visit https://is.gd/RsCf3a.

Point of Pride was officially founded as a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit organiza-

2017 Point of Pride scholarship recipient, Gabriel (third from left), with Point of Pride’s leadership and volunteers. Photo taken at Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference PHOTO: POINT OF PRIDE

tion in November 2016. The organization started as a part of Aydian Dowling's clothing company, Point 5cc, which previously ran the Surgery Fund as early as 2012. As the demand from the community increased, the need bacame apparent and a dedicated non-profit was founded for it.

About Point of Pride Point of Pride is a volunteer-operated non-

profit organization serving the international transgender community. Point of Pride offers an Annual Transgender Surgery Fund, a free chest binder donation program, a free trans femme shapewear donation program, an electrolysis support program, and other community-building support initiatives for trans youth and adults around the world.

Trump’s recent attack on Trans people met with resistance, orgs. react

WASHINGTON—In its boldest move yet, the Trump administration is planning to extinguish transgender people from existence, according to a memo obtained by the New York Times this weekend.

The memo states “that gender identity does not exist; that gender is set at birth and defined by genitalia.”

“The bottom line is that this administration has a transparent, callous, political agenda—and it is willing to undermine our most fundamental institutions to pursue it,” said GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi, via a statement. “We have seen this at work everywhere from the military—where Trump continues to pursue his ban on transgender troops despite its proven negative impact on military readiness and vocal opposition from military leaders—to the arenas of education, employment, and healthcare. It is a toxic agenda, dangerous to us all.”

The U.S. Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposal states, “that key government agencies needed to adopt an explicit and uniform definition of gender as determined ‘on a biological basis that is clear, Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

18 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

Gender X3 from page 3

“That would be a dramatic shift in federal law, which has never before included a definition of sex,” said Levi. “For federal law purposes, sex has been understood to have a broad definition and courts have interpreted it to include transgender people and individuals who do not meet stereotypical gender norms. The kind of change reported would be devastating and have hugely negative consequences for transgender people, including anyone who does not live [consistently] with their birth sex.”

Dunn of MTPC concurred.

“I am deeply troubled by the Trump Administration's attempts to incorrectly define gender as sex assigned at birth,” he said.

“Furthermore, the biologically inaccurate assumption that sex is binary erases inter-

Dunn is referring to the “Yes on 3” (https://bit.ly/2AtDbOy) ballot campaign, a statewide effort to protect the 2016 law providing civil and legal protections to transgender people in public spaces.

While the HHS proposal to define sex under Title IX is still in its early stages, Levi said that it will be important for states to provide comprehensive protections for trans people. “ … federal civil rights laws are intended to provide a floor of protections and states can go above that,” she said. “Many, including the New England states, have done so. The federal government should not restrict states from going further than federal law in expressly protecting vulnerable groups and individuals.”

Ajaero said that they are disturbed by the Trump administration’s attempts to attack trans people.

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 19

QPuzzle this November: “What Bob Said to Bob”

BLESSING AJAERO, A MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT WHO IDENTIFIES AS TRANS-

GENDER, SAID THAT IF THE COMMONWEALTH FOLLOWED IN THE STEPS OF THE OTHER FOUR STATES, IT WOULD BE AN EVEN

GREATER VICTORY FOR TRANS RIGHTS.

sex and trans people at the federal level.

Our communities will not be erased, nor will we accept this blatant attempt to define us through a lens of bigotry and misinformation.”

When asked about the move by the government, Ajaero said they hated it and that it would only cause more trouble for gender non-conforming people.

“If you have any understanding of psychology, sociology, biology, and history beyond the fifth grade, you know that this is just plain wrong, factually,” they said. “Determining sex only by genitalia is reductive and ignores all that we've learned through centuries of research about chromosomes, hormones, etc. Then on top of that, when you factor in the deliberate attempt at invalidating trans and intersex folks, it goes from factually wrong to morally wrong.”

Dunn explained that the recent announcement by HHS means that states will have to double down on fighting for their own rights for trans people.

“It certainly raises the importance of state battles for trans rights,” he said. “And it makes the fight for rights here in Massachusetts all the more important to win this November and beyond.”

“This administration makes me heartsick,” they said. “Though I'm Black, queer, and first-generation, I have never been as consumed by the political world as I've been since 2016.

“It's already horrifying when a government is lobbying to remove and restrict your rights, to dehumanize you and make you wish you'd never been born, but it's even worse when someone so obviously callous and cruel is the face of the movement. You can't even appeal to his better nature or to his need to save face. He has a terrible reputation amongst marginalized folk and doesn't care about keeping up a veneer of kindness or indifference like some other politicians. He just straight up hates us!

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR)

November 20, 2018

°°°°°° Transgender Awareness Week

November 12-16

Across 1 Reproduced nonheterosexually?

5 Nut from Oak Lawn 10 Nuts and bolts 14 Facetious "I see" 15 Lindsay of Liz & Dick 16 Farmer's tool 17 Chocolate factory vessels 18 Photographer Leibovitz 19 Cocksure Aesop character 20 Start of what Bob Armstrong said to Bob Barnard, on Insatiable 22 Coal delivery unit 23 More of what Bob said to Bob 24 A Girl Thing director 26 Most like Patrick Stewart 28 Einstein's birthplace 29 Plug attachment 30 More of what Bob said to Bob 34 More of what Bob said to Bob 39 At the top 40 1943 Bogart film 41 "If ___ my way ..."

42 Split one in the locker room 45 "Beat it!"

46 Long-jawed swimmer 47 Like Philip Seymour Hoffman playing a movie priest?

51 Wall St. bears watch it 52 More of what Bob said to Bob 55 PinkNews, for one 56 R.E.M.'s "The ___ Love" 57 It's glorious, in Oliver!

59 End of what Bob said to Bob 63 Marilyn Monroe facial feature 66 Maria's "Do-___" 67 Sample some buns, e.g.

68 United, to Vivien 69 "Why, ___ delighted!"

70 German industrial hub 71 Say whether or not you're coming Down 1 Superman portrayer Henry 2 Rub the wrong way 3 Cosmetics name 4 One who gives AZT, e.g.

5 It borders Tenn.

6 Denounce, to Shakespeare 7 Cry after getting the shaft 8 Black-ish character or gay symbol 9 SSW's opposite 10 One that sucks some sap 11 The Pink Panther director Edwards 12 They're found in some fruits 13 Result of a good, hard workout 21 "Meet Me in St. ___" 23 Andean pack animal 25 Supporter of bedroom activity 27 Stein fillers 30 One of the Mario Brothers 31 Green with an unfabulous social life 32 Style that's fashionable but

a failure?

33 Muscle Mary's pride 35 Actress Sandra's family 36 You can take them at Palm Springs 37 Use a rubber 38 Mr. Right-now 42 D.C. summer clock setting 43 Drama in the land of Samurai 44 Expected to come soon 47 Parting words, old style 48 Veto 49 Dean Cain's The ___ Hearts Club 50 Catch some rays at South Beach 53 Any song by Johnny Mathis 54 Bone near the scrotum 57 Good da. in Lent 58 Ref for Lytton Strachey 60 Geoff Ryman AIDS novel 61 Sink-trap shape 62 Summer for Rimbaud 64 Tyler of Lord of the Rings 65 Sixth sense

SOLUTION

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

20 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

ALL YEAR ROUND! Lauren Flans, Daisy Egan, and Nicole Pacent

Podcast from Page 4

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

gay later on in life.

All of the stories are gripping in their own way.

Pacent’s mother, Karen, is a guest on episode 17 and discusses her daughter’s coming out from the perspective of a parent.

Another guest, Lance Lowe, who’ll be featured in a future episode, according to Flans, came out to his mother two weeks before his episode was recorded.

“Sara Benincasa’s story about coming out to her dad [in episode 16] had a twist ending worthy of M. Night Shyamalan that was hilarious, and caught me and Nicole totally off-guard; you can hear in the episode how hard we’re laughing,” said Pacent.

Living in Cedar City, Utah, Rachel Hunt is a lead editor for an outdoor magazine and will be a guest on a future episode of the podcast and feels like the space it provides is vital.

“A podcast like this is absolutely needed in this day and age,” she said. “It's important for people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond, to hear these stories. Coming out is very personal, but I believe we gain strength from hearing each other's stories. It has been especially poignant for me to hear stories about how life can get better after coming out. We need representation in this community, and we need to be seen and heard. This podcast is doing a great job of creating a space for both.” “ ... I am excited to share my story,” she continued. “A lot of my coming out centers around how I was raised within a specific religion and the internal struggle I dealt

PHOTO: LAUREN FLANS

with in accepting myself as bisexual. I want to share my story in a way that people who may be in the same situation I was can see that you can accept yourself and live your life as your true self. I plan on sharing various snapshots of my life that had the biggest impact on accepting myself and also sharing a couple of stories of coming out to my friends.”

When asked about her vision for the podcast, Pacent said that the goal is to attract people from all walks of life to show the

THE SHOW DOES, HOWEVER, APPROACH THE SUBJECT OF COMING OUT WITH THE DEFERENCE AND SERIOUSNESS IT DESERVES. commonality of how difficult coming out is.

“You can live in the bluest state with the most liberal parents and already have out queer friends; it’s still an incredibly personal and vulnerable thing to reckon with within yourself, let alone share with others,” she said. “But a definite goal is for the podcast to expand its reach and audience so that the people who need it the very most can find it. People who live in places where they maybe can’t be out—even if they want to be—because it literally isn’t safe. We get messages from listeners in parts of the U.S. where that’s very true, and it’s both heart wrenching and inspiring.” 0 You can find “Coming Out with Lauren and Nicole” on all podcasting platforms.

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 21

All Trans Bodies celebrates life, challenges toxic beauty, inclusion

T

Founders Ryan Cassata, Niko Storment and Hunter Trinca* create InstaGram channel for trans community

a more accurate representation of the community and can help people not feel so alone. It is a powerful thing. Of course trans models, etc. are welcome within that framework, we simply want to show they are not the only ones, as some blogs suggest. It's not a popularity contest. It's a community.

By: Chris Gilmore/TRT Reporter

he infatuation with age, race, weight and overall presentation doesn’t begin and end in the cisgender world. Mainstream ideals of bodily perfection, beauty defined by magazine models, plastic surgery and ageless serums have become an all too familiar way for the media to portray and promote transgender bodies as well—until it was met with resistance.

Surging to 1K followers within a day of its launch and boasting nearly 20K subscribers in less than year since its inception, Instagram Channel, All Trans Bodies, swings back against toxic cis-passing expectations and strictly binary gender expression in an effort to be inclusive to all.

In this exclusive interview, The Rainbow Times caught up with two of All Trans Bodies’ founders to learn about the catalyst and ongoing mindset behind the Instagram channel and the subsequent effects it has had on the trans community. Singing sensation Ryan Cassata, 24, and artist Niko Storment, 26, spoke candidly about this and much more as they unveiled their direct experiences of living outside the box while daring to envision a world filled with truly diverse trans beauty representation.

PHOTO: MAXINE BOWEN

TRT: It’s Dec. 23, 2017 and you create All Trans Bodies. What were you thinking particularly that lead to this page's creation? Who is your target?

Q: Is there a plan to start a website for something like this?

Ryan: Yes! We believe that All Trans Bodies can become something bigger and hopefully help a lot of people to realize they are not alone.

Q: Do you think that there is a tendency to fit the cis-binary norm by trans men and women?

Ryan: Yes, People often feel like they are not “trans enough” to be a part of the trans community. There’s no such thing as being “trans enough.” We are all enough. We are all an important part of this beautiful community.

The successful team behind All Trans Bodies: Niko Storment (center/above), Ryan Cassata (bottom left) and Hunter Trinca (bottom right).

of people. I wanted to show how diverse our community is. I wanted a platform that makes room for every trans person. All Trans Bodies is for every trans person, especially the ones that often get left out or are made to feel invisible.

Niko Storment: Representation in the media for minorities is extremely powerful and crucial at this time in world politics.

Who we see in the media plays a huge role in consumer self-ideation and self esteem, and when you don't see yourself it can create a feeling that those glamorized roles are only for "those" people, not you. For trans people, this is already a challenge. We started ATB because we noticed that a form of this was taking place within the trans community as well. We wanted to showcase what our community actually looks like. The endless diversity is our strength, not something that should be hidden to seem more palatable.

Q: 1K in one day, that's a heck of a milestone, why do you think this happened so fast?

Ryan: I think people really resonated with the idea and they felt welcomed right away.

Ryan Cassata: I noticed that only binary cis-passing trans people were getting recognition. I wanted to showcase that the community is filled with all different types

Niko: This only speaks to the fact there is a definite market and need for this type of content. Like we mentioned before, we noticed there was some hiding of the diversity in our community to appear more palatable. However, we think as a society we have reached our saturation point for airbrushing in beauty standards and uplifting only a certain type of person. People are fed up with this type of behavior. They

want authenticity. They want to see themselves, and they want to see each other. We need community.

Q: Is there anyone else in charge of this page? How did you select this person?

Both Niko & Ryan: The page was started

by Ryan Cassata and Niko Storment, two friends who were having a conversation about the lack of diversity in underwear models. We since have had Hunter Trinca join the team to help out with the large volume of submissions.

Q: There are many trans pages, why was there a need for this one?

Ryan: There are so many trans pages but most of them had a minimum amount of likes to stay posted clause. In other words, the page will post the photo but say, “You need 1,000 likes to stay posted or we will delete your post.” This is very exclusionary. People without large followings would get deleted and their story would be erased.

Our page doesn’t delete stories/posts. We see each post as an equal contribution to our community.

Q: What happens to so-called trans models, trans muscular guys/women or people with societally perfect bodies, or media influencers who pretty much get all of the coverage, are they also welcome to join the page?

Niko: … Everyone, regardless of their race, expression, sexuality, mental ability, physical ability, etc. should have a chance to have a platform to express themselves. Additionally, showing every type of person is

Q: How do you keep up with the page?

How long does it take you to manage it?

Niko: We all are passionate about this, and we all have different strengths. We communicate and delegate tasks. We don't want to force anything; part of the beauty of ATB has been the organic nature of it.

Q: Do you need or are you currently looking for sponsors to support you with it or sponsor it?

Niko: Yes, website fees and seed money for

other projects we are planning can get expensive. We would definitely accept sponsorships.

We just want to thank everyone who has submitted or even viewed or shared our page. We are very grateful for this chance to showcase the community in an authentic way!

Contact All Trans Bodies at mgmt.@ryancassata.com. *EDITOR’S NOTE: Hunter Trinca was not able to participate in the Q&A.

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

22 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

PHOTO: DALE STINE

The power of a trans woman L

By: Steven Boyce/Special to TRT

auren Foster is the first trans woman to be honored by Variety Magazine as a Woman of Empow-

erment.

“It’s an incredible honor,” says the supermodel and LGBTQ Activist. “It is one of those delights that tells me that I’m on the correct life path.”

Lauren believes she’s lived two lives. Her second path began at 18, when, with the full support of her loving parents and family, she transitioned into a woman. It was the early ‘80s and Lauren was just beginning to experience success as a fashion model. Worried her truth might stunt her burgeoning career, she chose to live stealth; a trans-term that refers to a person who passes as their desired gender and lives in secret. It all came to a head, however, when after appearing in Vogue, a rival model outed Lauren as transgender in the pages of the supermarket tabloid, National Enquirer.

“Vogue Model Used To Be a Man,” read the magazine’s headline.

“I literally stared at the Enquirer and cried and locked myself in my apartment for a week,” remembers Lauren. “I couldn’t tell anyone why I was upset because then I would out myself again. I had counted on living my entire life with my secret but now the world knew. It felt like a violation.”

She thought it meant the end of her career, but it wasn’t. She continued modeling.

She also proved herself an actress in Circuit and Joseph Lally’s provocative and artistic films, Faces and Miss America

Commits Suicide. She then found success throwing rave parties, working alongside Jeffrey Sanker, the most powerful promoter in the underground party circuit, and eventually began managing club music artists like DJ Paolo, Tracy Young and even Grace Jones. Most recently, Lauren starred on Real Housewives of Miami, becoming the first transgender woman to appear regularly on the franchise.

“The world today is so much more accepting,” she reflects now from her Miami home. “The trans community is experiencing a whole renaissance, so to speak. Especially with the millennial generation; the whole idea of fluid gender doesn’t phase them. It’s probably why some of my best relationships have been with men in their 20s and 30s.”

She jests, of course, but you know what they say; there’s a grain of truth in every joke. Lauren Foster is often compared to Samantha Jones from Sex and the City.

Like Jones, she is a bold, sexually liberated, powerfully independent woman who has never been reliant on anyone or anything for success and happiness. “Samantha lived her life the way she wanted to live it. So I appreciate the comparison, but they should have called me when they wrote the script. My input would have made Samantha way wilder.”

To trans youth coming of age, Lauren advises they learn and appreciate their herstory. “We’ve come a long way, baby!”

To the cisgender community who are fi-

Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018

Will & Grace from Page 8

communities that have needed it, then it’s great. But if we swing too far the other way, we’re starting to get to a point where I think we’re missing the forest for the trees.

Q: Except you were a groundbreaking sitcom, so there’s a lot of social and political weight attached to the show.

A: Yeah, so: Will we live up to that in that way? It’s like your queer uncle that was marching back in ’78: Maybe he doesn’t have the loud voice, maybe he can’t march as fast now, but he is still just as important.

And, in fact, those older gay voices – I loved that episode where Will educates (a character played by) Ben Platt (in season nine). It’s like, “You young gays can’t take any of this for granted. This was fought for and people were beat up and died to get here so that your father and your mother could throw you a wedding with your boyfriend.” This is the result of a revolution, and so were Will and Grace and Jack and Karen.

So, I think we kind of showed up, but we didn’t want to make it a victory lap, either.

We wanted to make sure there was still currency, and I think the way in for that, particularly with Jack and Will, was: What’s life like when you’re almost 50 and you’re not the hottest guy on the block but you’re still living that life, you’re still in New York and you’ve loved and lost, as they both have? And what do you want out of life?

That’s a cool, new storyline – and, again, nobody was telling exactly that story.

Q: The show’s first revival season in 2017 tackled politics and other hot-button issues. What topic from this current season do you most appreciate the show working in?

A: I think, obviously, the umbrella topic they’re using in the ads is the idea of marriage. Jack is going to get married, and so that’s great. We had episodes (before the revival) where I had the closest thing you could get to marriage back then with Taye Diggs, and then again with Bobby Cannavale.

I mean, to me, that’s one of my proudest moments on the show, that I actually had a commitment ceremony in Will’s apartment with Taye Diggs, a white man and a black man, a big, long kiss. Hall & Oates performed (laughs). And it was virtually not even spoken of. This is probably season six or seven, but it barely even made the press because people were so like, “Whatever.

Who’s Will making out with this week?”

But people don’t remember that always.

They always wanna talk about, “Well, Will is a bit sterile.” It’s like, No, no; if you watch the show throughout, I had Patrick Dempsey, I had Bobby Cannavale. I had lots of hot guys and married a couple of them.

Q: And if anyone has forgotten, you get with Matt Bomer this season to remind people.

A: Well, first of all, he’s the greatest guy.

So freakin’ funny and gay, so it’s not like the old days where we get another straight guy to come in and we both act gay to-

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 23

gether. Now there’s a bit more authenticity to it, and he was so great that I think we’ll see more of Matt.

Q: Is the dynamic different for you when your love interest is played by a gay actor?

A: When I think of last season, it’s three romantic moments I had and all three were with men who are actually gay and they were all Broadway guys, which was just great: Andrew Rannells and Ben Platt and Cheyenne Jackson. And yeah, for me I just loved that. It’s a step forward, and there will always be someone from the community saying, “Well, why aren’t they in bed?” And I’ll go, yeah, I know, but we still have the Ku Klux Klan. Let’s remember that this is a public network; it’s 9 o'clock, and we want young kids that haven’t been able to come out to their parents to watch the show and have that parent love the show. The show was never about overtly pushing buttons. We were competing with Sex and the City where they could do anything they wanted because they were HBO. We had to do it more surreptitiously, more subtly.

Q: I’ve seen some steamy stuff on primetime, though. I remember Desperate Housewives had a lot of bedroom scenes with that gardener.

A: True, but there is a difference. We are actually a four-camera sitcom, so the way that we have to get under people’s skin, the way that we have to be shocking is different; we have to do it with a lot of care.

We’re not callous about it. The jokes we choose, either politically or sexually, we play them throughout the week, we figure it out before we get in front of that audience, because we want to be around and we want to continue to be a voice and an example.

Sometimes all it takes is one bad decision, one bad joke, one situation that turns people off and all of a sudden we’re not in the top 20 or 30. Everything is calculated so that we can stay around and continue to be us, and it’s certainly changed in 20 years, but it’s still a country where people

won’t get their cakes baked by a freakin’ baker, so it’s changed, but not as much as we’d like to hope.

Q: Sean alluded to possibly seeing Jack and Will together, romantically, in the future. Do you see that as a possibility?

A: In a gay way, that’s the Sam and Diane of it all. (Laughs) Early on, because that’s how conservative network television was, people were thinking, “Well, maybe Will and Grace will get together, maybe she’ll fix him!” And as time went by, they started to realize that’s not what this show is. This is not the gay-conversion comedy. But Will and Jack – it’s my favorite stuff to play.

When he and I are together, we have so much fun. But we have to be careful how much we tease that out, because you do that and then that’s a different show.

Q: You played gay at a time when some straight male actors were told not to for the sake of their career. As a straight man auditioning for a gay role, did you or your team have any concerns?

A : I don’t remember that being a thing. I got two scenes into reading it and I just thought, “This is one of those shows. This is a Thursday night show. I bet they get Jim Burrows to direct it.” It just read like that, and that overpowered any fears. Plus, by that time, I’m 35, I’d been in the business a while, I’d been watching Seinfeld and Friends for years – that’s what I wanted.

And I think probably the opposite happened, because I had played a number of gay roles – I’d done drag roles – so this not only didn’t scare me but it made me think, “This is the one whose head will rise above the crowd because it’s not just Suddenly Susan or Caroline in the City; this is its own thing. There’s no other show like this at the moment.” And that’s what proved to happen.

Q: But can you still walk in heels?

A: (Laughs) You caught me on a good day – I’m breakin’ in a new pair of pumps.

Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com

24 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

November 8, 2018 - December 5, 2018