2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018
Fighting for justice while battling the privilege paradox Misgendering the transgender community: #SimplyNotSoSimple By: Mike Givens*/TRT Assistant Editor
By: Nicole Lashomb*/TRT Editor-in-Chief
M
y intensely personal experience with the transgender community, in the most intimate way possible, has made me keenly aware of how damaging societal constructs, personal bias and blatant carelessness toward gender-identity can be, whether intended or not. I’ve witnessed the destruction, chaos, and first-hand despair that those involved in a
Pronouns: A Big Deal Misgendering a person who’s transgender may not seem like a big deal for those responsible for the misgendering, but such careless actions often wreak havoc on the psyche of the transgender affected individual. That damage can lead to decreased self-worth and self-esteem, a feeling of invisibility of living as their authentic selves, which could lead many in this community to experience increased depression and
... WHEN IT IS THE SAME PEOPLE REPETITIVELY MISGENDERING AND MISNAMING SOMEONE REGARDLESS OF EXPLANATIONS, CORRECTIONS, EDUCATION & PATIENCE EXTENDED, 15 MONTHS IS LONG PAST THE ACCEPTABLE TIME FRAME, ESPECIALLY WHEN ANOTHER PERSON’S WELLBEING AND SAFETY ARE AT STAKE. transgender person’s life can cause— whether it be through a personal relationship, business relationship or as an acquaintance at the supermarket. Such turmoil can be caused through things that the cisgender world thinks is a simplistic mistake. Yet, one of those “simplistic mistakes” can literally mean the difference between wellbeing and even death.
even suicide. That doesn’t even include the peril one puts a transgender person’s life is when this misgendering occurs in front of others that could be transphobic or wish to do harm to the trans person. Something as “simple” as misgendering isn’t so simple after all. The more that I’ve witnessed this, the more pain I see trans people suffer through because of the thoughtless ...
See Misgendering on Page 15
Being unwanted can make you stronger By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist
FAITH
“You were a mistake,” my friend’s mother told him. “Your father was upset when I told him I was pregnant again.” Recently, my friend shared he was about five or six years old when his mother broke the news. She later found out he was gay, which only fueled an already complicated relationship. After this traumatic experience, my friend said he didn’t live his life. He existed for many years, pushing from day to day. Too often he thought “people are being polite when they invited me to things. They didn’t want me. They were just being polite.” Fortunately, he eventually learned folks were being genuine and they did want him. It took him a long time to realize that he was not a mistake. Despite the childhood trauma, he described his parents as “good, troubled, God-believing people, who did the best they could.” According to him, his parents were not sophisticated and struggled with their own demons stemming from individual childhood trauma. He eventually realized it wasn’t about his parents wanting him, it was
about God intentionally placing him in the world. If you ever doubted why you’re here, look to the stars on a quiet night, even if there is no one to hold your hand, and know you were meant to be here. Think how amazing, mystical, and wonderful the cosmos is. You’re part of it. There is something to the saying “the miracle of life.” Think about the odds of being here. And, yet you are. Although my friend would never want to relive his childhood, he concluded, after years of reflection, it probably made him kinder, more empathetic, and more compassionate toward others. In some ways, his sojourn reminded me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (https://is.gd/IJnaG2), a Protestant pastor and Christian martyr who spoke truth to Nazi power in the 1930s and 40s. Bonhoeffer’s horrible experience deepened his faith and caused him to “ponder the strange and wonderful ways God had led him. It was no easy, peaceful meditation (https://is.gd/WM04XF).”
See Unwanted on Page 23
I
t was 107 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix when my flight landed at its airport on the afternoon of Friday, August 3. For weeks I’d known that the temperatures were going to be excessive and when in conversation with others, I was consoled with platitudes about the difference between “dry” and “moist” heat. I’d never been to Arizona before—or the Midwest for that matter—and despite the high temperatures, I was excited about the work I’d be doing. I’d started a new fulltime job leading the communications unit of an international human rights organization and this assignment that brought me all the way from Massachusetts to Arizona would be my first major project. On Saturday, my colleagues and I drove more than two hours through the southwest desert into Ajo, a small, economically-depressed former mining town about 40 miles from the United States-Mexico border. While in that town, my colleagues and I would be coordinating a public action to draw attention to the fact that people providing humanitarian aid to undocumented migrants crossing the border were being prosecuted by the federal government. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard and seen the stories: families being torn apart at the border and placed into detention facilities; children screaming for their parents; parents in agony over not knowing where their children were taken. I was quite proud that weekend to be working with activists and organizers who were fed up not only with the fact that those families are being torn apart, but also with how people supporting those families were
Letters to the Editor
[Re: Community Periscope: Brockton, Mass. Programs for the LGBTQ Community]
being arrested and sanctioned by our own government. My Privilege It’s difficult to acknowledge one’s privilege. Throughout my adult life, I’ve had to wrestle with the varying dimensions of privilege—and the glaring lack of privilege—that have characterized my 36 years on this earth. To be blunt, I’m black, so that’s one strike against me in this nation. However, I’m a cisgender male, which carries an incredible amount of privilege. I’m gay— strike two—and that carries its own level of marginalization. However, I’m very well-educated, which again confers a high level of privilege in a society that values those of us lucky enough to have been able to get a good education. I have a “whitesounding” name—another privilege—and my voice over the phone and the way I articulate myself via e-mails leads many to think that I’m white—another check in the privilege column. I’ve always been effeminate in my manners, so while people may look at me physically and presume me to be a heterosexual male, as soon as I open my mouth or engage in my everyday ...
See Privilege Paradox on Page 20
The Rainbow Times The Freshest LGBT Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 Fax: 928.437.9618 Publisher Graysen M. Ocasio Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb
Dear Editor, Having grown up in Brockton (BHS class of ’81), I am thrilled to see such positive change and amazing resources for LGBT folks. Thanks for making my day! —Jeff Rosenberg, Online
National/Local Sales Rivendell Media Liz Johnson
[Re: High Court Upholds Trump-Pence Admin’s Muslim Ban, More]
Lead Photographers Steve Jewett Christine M. Hurley
Dear Editor, This is not a surprise—with Trump packing the court with his pet judges so that he has full control at one of his whims. It is only a matter of time before SCOTUS allows POTUS to start going after the LGBTQ community as well as Muslims that are currently legal citizens here. Next will probably be Roe v. Wade, then the equal marriage ruling, then Voting Rights, Anti-discrimination laws, etc Remember Germany in the late 1930s – Jews, intellectuals, Gay and Lesbian, Roma people, and other groups wound up in the death camps. Wonder when Trump will establish the first one and where? How many millions will die in a Trumpkoff dictatorship? —Tom McDonald, Online
Reporters Jenna Spinelle Chris Gilmore Nicole Collins (In-
Please send Letter to the Editor to: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.
Assistant Editor Mike Givens
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.
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018
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Legislative roundup: LGBTQ community sees several wins at the State House In the 2017-2018 legislative session, advocates at the State House scored key victories for LGBTQ people across Massachusetts. LGBTQ advocates and allies have worked together collectively, in some instances for several years, to accomplish a string of achievements that help advance Massachusetts’ reputation as an inclusive state.
Contraceptive Coverage An Act Advancing Contraceptive Coverage and Economic Security in Our State (ACCESS ACT) will bolster reproductive health protections for women in the Bay State. The bill mandates that Massachusetts residents have access to affordable birth control and ensures that insurance companies provide coverage for all legitimate forms of birth control while prohibiting them from interfering with reproductive health decisions. “President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to gut the birth control mandate of the Affordable Care Act in October 2017,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of Naral Pro-Choice Massachusetts (https://bit.ly/2MWBJeN), which played an active role in advocating for the bill. “Trump hasn't hidden his anti-woman agenda. We moved quickly by working with Massachusetts health insurers to create a state law that preserves and expands
the rights of the women and families of Massachusetts to access co-pay free contraceptive coverage.” In November, Mass. Governor Charlie Baker signed the ACCESS Act into law and Holder contends that the legislation will have long-lasting consequences. “With this new law, no matter what happens at the federal level, the people of Massachusetts do not have to worry about co-pay free access to birth control. Massachusetts was the first state to respond to Trump's anti-choice attack on birth control Mock solitary confinement cell with Black and Pink and Greater Boston Interfaith Organization members at and, according to the Boston City Hall in support of a prison reform campaign Guttmacher Institute prisoners was signed into law in the spring. safety of LGBTQ people who are incarcer(https://bit.ly/2xvDHLz), we are one of nine The reforms include policies that restrict ated. states that prohibit cost-sharing for birth the Massachusetts Department of Correc“We are talking about folks who are our control (https://bit.ly/2yMusne).” tions from arbitrarily using solitary con- neighbors, sisters, brothers, moms and finement practices on LGBTQ prisoners, dads,” said Dominique Morgan, the naCriminal Justice Reform new mandates calling for transgender pris- tional director of Black and Pink A comprehensive bill addressing the oners to be housed with prisoners of the (https://bit.ly/2sdZXoA), a national ... Massachusetts criminal justice system that same gender identity, and the creation of a saw several key protections for LGBTQ special commission to study the health and See LGBTQ Wins on Page 10 PHOTO: MICHAEL COX
IN THE LIMELIGHT
By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor
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Judge: Produce docs re: Trans Military Ban implementation plan
This November, VOTE YES ON 3, to uphold dignity and respect for our transgender neighbors
WASHINGTON—Late las month, Federal District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a ruling ordering the Trump administration to disclose information about its decision to ban otherwise qualified transgender troops from military service in Doe v. Trump, GLAD and NCLR’s case challenging the Trump administration’s transgender military ban. Judge Kollar-Kotelly also denied both parties’ motions for a full resolution of the case. In her ruling, Judge Kollar-Kotelly said that the government has improperly refused to produce documents related to its decision to reverse existing policy and exclude transgender people from military service. The court held: “Plaintiffs are entitled to complete discovery. . . . [D]espite the fact that one of the Defendants’ main defenses in this action is that their decisions regarding transgender military service are owed great deference because they are the product of reasoned deliberation, study, and review by the military, Defendants have withheld nearly all information concerning this alleged deliberation. This is not how civil litigation works. Defendants cannot prevent Plaintiffs from obtaining the facts about a disputed issue and then expect to be granted summary judgment on that issue.” “The court said that the government can’t continue to Stonewall by refusing to disclose basic information about why it suddenly reversed military policy that permitted open service by transgender people,” said Jennifer Levi, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Transgender Rights Project Director. “This is the third court to rule that the government must produce documents to justify its decision to exclude otherwise qualified transgender people from military service.” said Shannon Minter, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director. “This administration is not above the law. [This] ruling once again confirms that the government must obey the same
rules applied to other litigants in our nation’s courts.” Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s October 2017 preliminary injunction blocking the ban from taking effect remains in place. Three other legal challenges to the ban are also proceeding, including GLAD and NCLR’s second case, Stockman v. Trump. BACKGROUND June 30, 2016: The United States Department of Defense (DOD) adopted a policy permitting transgender people to serve in the military based on a nearly two year DOD review determining that there was no valid reason to exclude qualified personnel from military service simply because they are transgender. July 26, 2017: President Trump tweeted that “the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” August 9, 2017: NCLR and GLAD filed Doe v. Trump, the first lawsuit filed to stop the ban, challenging its constitutionality and requesting that the court issue a nationwide preliminary injunction to stop it from taking effect while the case is being heard in court. August 25, 2017: President Trump issued a memorandum ordering Secretary of Defense James Mattis to submit “a plan for implementing” the ban by February 21, 2018. Secretary Mattis delivered this (the “Mattis Plan” and panel report) to President Trump on February 22, 2018. October 30, 2017: The United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Doe v. Trump plaintiffs had established a likelihood of success on their claim that President Trump’s ban violates equal protection, that plaintiffs would be irreparably harmed without a preliminary injunction to stop the ban, and that the public interest and balance of hardships weighed Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018
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CDC, Mass. DPH partner to address spike in HIV diagnoses in Lowell, Lawrence Partnership highlights need to address HIV transmission through intravenous drug use By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor
HIV NEWS
In response to an alarming rise in HIV diagnoses in northeastern Massachusetts (https://bit.ly/2H5C63P), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH; https://bit.ly/2LqEsIt) worked collaboratively with the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC; https://cdc.gov) to study the root causes of the spike and provide much-needed support in the cities of Lowell and Lawrence. “Since 2015, approximately 129 new cases of HIV infection among people who inject drugs have been linked to this outbreak,” said DPH spokesperson Ann Scales in a statement shared with The Rainbow Times. “DPH is working with Lowell, Lawrence and surrounding communities to expand access to HIV testing and syringe services programs, to reduce the stigma that keeps people from seeking treatment, and to improve the coordination of public health efforts and services.” According to the DPH, in 2016, 23 HIV diagnoses were recorded in northeastern Massachusetts from people who used intravenous (IV) drugs. In 2017, the number of diagnoses jumped to 52, an increase of roughly 55 percent. In April 2018, the DPH worked alongside the CDC to conduct a field study in Lawrence, Lowell, and surrounding communities to explore root causes and de-
velop solutions. A CDC report shared with The Rainbow Times shows that, from April to June, the CDC and DPH conducted interviews with the Lowell Health Department (https://bit.ly/2BQr9Sh), the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (https://glfhc.org) and Lowell Community Health Center (LCHC; https://lchealth.org), IV drug users both with an HIV diagnosis and without, and healthcare providers to collect data on HIV diagnoses and opioid use. The Findings The CDC found that 129 people linked to the Lowell and Lawrence areas had been diagnosed with HIV between 2015 and 2018, the majority of which were between the ages of 20 and 39. Eighty-five (85) percent of the diagnoses were attributed to IV drug use. Three-quarters of those using IV drugs reported the use of fentanyl, a highlyaddictive opioid painkiller. “What is happening in Lawrence and Lowell could be happening anywhere in the state,” said Carl Sciortino, executive director of Boston-based AIDS Action Committee (AAC; http://aac.org). “The opioid crisis has created a perfect storm: Increasing numbers of people addicted to opioids, scarce access to harm reduction programs in much of the state, and the introduction of fentanyl.” Sciortino said the addictive nature of fen-
Because the right to make our own end-of-life decisions matters.
Lowell Community Health Center
tanyl compounded with a lack of access to clean needles has contributed drastically to the epidemic. “Fentanyl is well known to be potent, causing a significant overdose rate, but it also wears off faster than heroin leading people to inject more frequently. In the absence of clean syringes, more frequent injection and sharing of needles is likely increasing the risk of HIV transmission. We are also seeing a skyrocketing of Hepatitis C cases statewide, an early indicator of the scale of the challenge we’re facing and the risk of a greater HIV outbreak.” The CDC findings underscore Sciortino’s contention. According to the CDC report, of the HIV diagnoses studied during the 2015-2018 period, 90 percent were identified as having “laboratory evidence” of contact with the Hepatitis C virus. Judy Lethbridge, a quality coordinator for LCHC, said that the center has started providing more clean needles in the Lowell community to help combat the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C. “What we do know is that there is greater awareness of HIV in this community today versus one year ago and that we have distributed many more ‘safer injection kits’ than in prior years,” she said. “Normally we distribute fewer than 100 per year; currently we distribute about 1,200 per year. These kits allow the user to clean their needles between uses, for themselves, or between users, if sharing.”
PHOTO: LOWELL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
Dr. Chris Bositis, HIV director at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, said that there are also social factors that contribute to the spread of HIV through opioid use, noting that he suspects that “the social instability associated with being homeless [or] unstably housed, along with the compounded stigma of substance use disorder, mental illness, and homelessness, results in fewer emotional resources for self-advocacy, as well as isolation from the system where the prevention services are usually offered.” The Recommendations The CDC report recommended that linkage-to-care be increased for those living with HIV in Lawrence and Lowell, but also across the entire Commonwealth. The report also noted that relationships should be strengthened between the DPH and local community health centers so as to be in more regular communication about HIV diagnoses. Recommendations were also made around increasing HIV tests and clean needle exchanges. More education on and access to Suboxone, a narcotic used to treat opiate addiction, was also suggested. The DPH committed to continued monitoring of HIV diagnoses in northeast Massachusetts, but also providing more tests and syringe exchanges in the area as well. The City of Lowell recently authorized ...
See HIV Diagnoses on Page 19
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Monthly Spanish-language group in Boston offers confidential space to addresses Latinx issues, challenges of dual identity BOSTON―Fenway Health recently announced a monthly Spanish-language support group for Latino/a (Latinx) members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community negotiating the unique issues and challenges related to being both Latinx and LGBT. “Many LGBT people in the Latinx community struggle to reconcile their sexual orientation or gender identity with entrenched anti-LGBT cultural and religious stigma,” said Gerardo Moreno-Serrano, MS, LMHC, a bilingual psychotherapist at Fenway Health who facilitates the group. “Additionally, they must contend with racism and homophobia within our broader society, higher rates of HIV, immigration and asylum issues, and other issues of health and safety. Our group aims to give LGBT Latinx people the tools and support they need to live healthy, authentic, fulfilling lives.” According to the Williams Institute, an estimated 1.4 million or 4.3 percent of Latinx adults in the U.S. consider themselves part of the LGBT community. Data analysis by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs shows that LGBT Latinx people are more likely than people of other racial and ethnic minority backgrounds to experience hate violence. The community is also disproportionately affected by HIV. According to the CDC, gay and bisexual men accounted for 85 percent (7,271) of the HIV diagnoses among Hispanic/Latino men in 2015. Hispanic and Latina transgender women are also significantly affected by HIV. The LGBTQ Process Group in Spanish for the Latinx community meets weekly at Fenway Health’s Ansin Building, 1340 Boylston St, 7th floor, from 12 to 1:15 p.m. every Wednesday. The group is an open and ongoing culturally sensitive intervention for the Spanish-speaking LGBT community to explore how race/ethnicity, gender/sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, culture/traditions, family/society, and developmental stage have an impact on Latinx LGBT people. The group is open to
Fenway Health patients and others (age 21 and up) regardless of where they get medical services and referrals are accepted on an ongoing basis. The group is one of a variety of shortterm, skill-based psychotherapy groups, longer-term psychotherapy groups, and support groups offered at the health center, including those addressing mental health conditions, coming out issues, unhealthy sexual behavior, recovery from violence, LGBT aging issues, and gender transition/affirmation. For more information about Fenway Health’s Latinx LGBT support group contact Gerardo Moreno-Serrano, MS, LMHC (857.313.6512). Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhood, 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 na-
tional and international health issues. Fenway’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center cares for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else, including those who are LGBT or just figuring things out; home-
less; struggling with substance use, or living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts joined the Fenway Health family, allowing both organizations to improve delivery of care and services across the state and beyond.
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LGBTQ Wins from page 3 advocate for LGBTQ prisoners based out of Nebraska. “These [are] foundational aspects of respect that it took a law to implement.” Michael Cox, an active member-leader of the Boston chapter of Black and Pink, said that the provisions are a great first step, but more work needs to be done. “The true measure of the effectiveness of these reforms will be [in] how many prisons and jails we close in this state,” he said. “Instead of debating about how we can make prisons less awful, we should be debating how to abolish them. At Black and Pink, we envision a world where humans are not put in cages. We know the causes of incarceration are poverty and racism. If we can address these issues, a brighter day will be around the corner.” Cox also noted that while passing legislation is important, it does little to change the cultures within the prison system. “The issue of culture needs to be addressed by hiring prison staff from behavioral health and social work rather than paramilitary backgrounds,” he said. Deborah Shields, executive director of MassEquality (https://bit.ly/2uZM7rS), a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, noted that the provisions of this bill help establish the Commonwealth as a trendsetter. “Massachusetts will be the second state in the nation, after Connecticut, to require the protection of LGBTQ people in prison,” she said.
MASSACHUSETTS SCORED A HUGE VICTORY BY BECOMING THE 1ST STATE IN THE COUNTRY TO PASS LEGISLATION MANDATING CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE FOR LGBTQ ELDERS. The State Budget The Massachusetts state budget allotted $900,000 for programs to support youth development, including LGBTQ youth and young adults. More than $30 million was apportioned for the provision of HIV/AIDS services and programs, specifically for those living with viral hepatitis, sexual transmitted infections (STIs), and tuberculosis. “For the last several years the governor has cut the budget line item that pays for HIV, STIs, and Hepatitis C,” said AIDS Action Committee (AAC; http://aac.org) Executive Director Carl Sciortino. “We
were fortunate to have the legislature restore more than [$2 Million] this year, bringing us back up to $30.8 million, which the governor signed into law. These additional funds will allow programs across the state to do more outreach, testing, prevention, and harm reduction work. In particular, given the opioid crisis (FMI: page 6), we have a growing number of needle exchange sites opening across the state, all of which require funding for frontline staff and supplies.” Archaic Laws Though Massachusetts is often hailed as a progressive state, it still has several outdated laws in place. An Act Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young Women (NASTY ACT) was signed into law in late July and provides revisions to several bills impacting women. Statutes criminalizing abortion, premarital sex, adultery, and contraceptive use were effectively nullified thanks to the bill’s passage. “NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts has been pushing for years to have the laws repealed from the Massachusetts General Laws,” said Holder. “With the nomination of [Brett] Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court (https://bit.ly/2MZSC8l) we recognized that President Trump intends to use this nomination to overturn Roe v. Wade and this posed a threat to the people of the Commonwealth seeking to control their re-
productive destiny.” Though Massachusetts is often seen as a liberal bastion, Holder said, it was important to nullify the outdated laws to ensure that the Commonwealth is protected, should federal authorities attempt to attack women’s rights. “We didn't want to enter a state of limbo where the legality of access to abortion in Massachusetts was unclear or could be misinterpreted,” she continued. “We worked with the Massachusetts Legislature to repeal any archaic laws that could be used to attempt to ban the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion. The Legislature acted swiftly, recognizing the threat to reproductive health care, and we were thrilled to remove this potential barrier to access from Massachusetts law.” LGBTQ Elders Massachusetts scored a huge victory by becoming the first state in the country to pass legislation mandating culturally competent care for LGBTQ elders. The bill requires the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to develop specific curricula to teach service providers about issues relating to LGBTQ older adults. The legislation also requires any agency that is licensed by, or contracts with, the Commonwealth to adhere to this training and provide access to care to LGBTQ seniors. Bob Linscott, assistant director for the LGBT Aging Project at The Fenway Institute (https://bit.ly/2wv2ht9), said that the bill’s passage will increase awareness of the number of LGBTQ elders currently in need of services. “People are going to start showing up on the radar screen. We’re going to see that [LGBTQ elders] are in every town and every city. Within five years, everyone is going to understand the urgency.” Shields of MassEquality said Massachusetts has done strong work to be a leader on this issue, compared to other states. “We are the only state in the nation that now requires LGBTQ cultural competency training for all elder care providers,” said Shields. “This means that our elders can receive care without fear of discrimination or harassment. As our population ages and as the current federal administration attempts to roll back our civil rights, this new law is especially significant.” Healthcare Confidentiality “The PATCH Act fills a gap in health care confidentiality that served as a deterrent to many LGBTQ people,” said Shields of An Act to Protect Access to Confidential Healthcare (PATCH Act). “The new law means that for people who are on another person's health insurance, such as LGBTQ youth who are enrolled through their parents, or anyone in an abusive relationship with the insured person, will have their medical information about sensitive services be kept confidential on health insurance statements sent to the enrolled person.” By way of example, Shields discussed a young transgender person seeking gender affirmation services or HIV testing as a beneficiary on someone else’s insurance such as a parent.
See LGBTQ Wins on Page 19
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Misgendering from page 2
Misgendering and suicide The Chronicle reported (https://is.gd/Wf6f1l), that as many as “77 percent of trans respondents in an Ontariobased survey had seriously considered suicide and 45 percent attempted suicide,” as per the Canadian Mental Health Association. In the United States, the suicide rate is not far behind at 41 percent. Many people are aware of these kinds of statistics, but yet, I wonder if anyone actually considers why a person may choose to take their own life and the impact that their own actions may have on the transgender person?
THOUSANDS MORE
TRANS PEOPLE THAN DO
HATE CRIMES RESULTING IN MURDER—ACTUALLY HAPPEN AT LEAST AS
OFTEN TO
TRANSMASCULINE INDIVIDUALS AS TRANSFEMININE INDIVIDUALS.” —LOREE COOK-DANIELS, THE ADVOCATE, FROM A FORGE REPORT And, I’m not referring to transphobic people only here. I am thinking of countless others who are self-proclaimed “allies” of the community that have continually gotten it wrong, repeatedly. The consequences A 2014 study in the journal, Self and Identity (https://is.gd/RLLPRA), researchers asked transgender people about misgendering and their experiences around it. • 32.8 percent of participants reported feeling very stigmatized when misgendered. • Those who were misgendered more frequently felt that their identity was very important, but experienced lower self-esteem around their appearance. • They also had a reduced sense of strength and continuity in their identity. “It’s deliberately disrespectful and undermines the new self the individual in transition is building,” explained Moulton. “It also can be discouraging and can lead someone to believe they shouldn’t transition. Constant misgendering is very discouraging and gives gender dysphoric people a feeling of desperation and hopelessness.” It is dangerous Not only does the misgendering impact http://bit.do/hrcspan
http://bit.do/hrcspan
Excuses only serve you Over the last 15 months of transitioning with my loved one, I’ve grown increasingly impatient with others and outraged by carelessness, to be precise. Countless times, we’ve been told, “You have to give me time to get used to it,” “I keep forgetting because I knew you before” and other excuses ad nauseam. It doesn’t mean that at the beginning of a personal transition people around aren’t allowed to ever make a mistake. However, when it is the same people repetitively misgendering and misnaming someone regardless of explanations, corrections, education, and patience extended, 15 months is long past the acceptable time frame, especially when another person’s well-being and safety are at stake. Throughout these last several months, it’s become glaringly obvious to me why many trans people choose to move away from their former homes and communities. It’s just too painful and dangerous at times—even with something as “simple” as misgendering. Simply recognizing a person’s gender identity and respecting who they are by merely getting their pronouns and names correct goes a long way at starting to resolve this epidemic in the trans community. It starts to build confidence in authentic living and sends a message of acceptance and value for who transgender people are as individuals. It really is not a difficult concept, so why do so many have difficulty with it?
“...THE KINDS OF VIOLENCE THAT AFFECTS
http://bit.do/hrcspan
behavior of others, and the more outraged I become, especially with something as “simple” as misgendering. Misgendering comes in two forms, according to David Moulton, a registered therapist and Canadian certified counselor—intentional and unintentional. “Intentional misgendering is when a person knowingly refers to another individual by the wrong gender,” he said via a report for the Durham College Chronicle (https://is.gd/Wf6f1l). “For example, if a person identifies as ‘he’ and would like to be called as such, but another person refuses and calls the individual she, that is misgendering. Unintentional misgendering happens mostly by accident. For example, going to a Wal-Mart and referring to the cashier by ‘Sir’ but really, her gender is female.” Moulton said to the Chronicle that misgendering causes increased anxiety and distress for the individual. “Misgendering can slowly chip away, and in some cases, Moulton says misgendering can lead to suicide.”
http://bit.do/hrcspan
the personal well-being of the transgender person and those who love them, it literally affects the physical safety of such a person as well. If you misgender someone in front of others or you publicly out someone as being trans, you run the risk of physically putting their lives in danger. While to you personally, being trans may not be a reason to harm someone, to others, it is a green light or justification in some sick and demented way. To be clear, it is no one’s right or responsibility to “out” someone in public or privately behind closed doors. It’s a trans person’s right and their right alone to decide if and when they tell others that they’re transgender, or even if they want to
be out in the first place. Doing so is hurtful, disrespectful and humiliating in many instances. Your words, intentional or not, could end up being the catalyst for the trans person experiencing greater harassment and discrimination or even losing their life or the lives of those that love them. It can certainly be that grave as history has taught us. Otherwise, there would be no need for the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). The website Healthline.com reported (https://is.gd/mLf0jK), that the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey found these alarming statistics: • 33 percent of trans people surveyed had at least one experience of discrimination when seeking medical treatment. • 27 percent of respondents reported some form of employment discrimination, whether it was being fired, mistreated at work, or not hired because of their identity. • 77 percent of people who were out in K12, and 24 percent of those who were out in college or vocational school, experienced mistreatment in those settings. Anti-trans hatred and murder Though trans women of color are, without a doubt, grossly and disproportionately affected by anti-trans hate-based violence that often leads to death, the Advocate reported (https://is.gd/rcDsNL) that there is invisibility in the types of violence experienced by the trans community in its entirety such as “sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.” The author of this piece asserts that there is a critical component missing regarding the victims of anti-trans violence.
See Misgendering on Page 23
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'Silent Life' explores Hollywood’s bisexual golden age There were things in that book that cannot D o c u m e n t a r y be described in polite company even now, Now! loves Com- and it put its young author Bret Easton Ellis on the map. Then came a hilariously dorky pany We see you out just-say-not-to-drugs-and-behave-yourself there, those of you film version in 1987 starring Andrew Mcdevoted to Docu- Carthy, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. mentary Now! What endures from that debacle is a very You’re not the cool soundtrack album and a cult following mainstream TV of snickering Gen Xers. Now Hulu has deviewer, to be sure, but you know a cided to give it another go, this time as a TV series from Lost writer-producer Craig good Bill Hader-as-Spalding Gray seg- Wright. It’ll star The Walking Dead’s ment and Errol Morris parody when Austin Abrams as Clay, the bisexual drugyou see one, and that means you de- addicted college freshman home for Christserve some kind of television enter- mas break contending with his equally tainment. Well, the upcoming season drugged friends, as well as Lily Donoghue of the acclaimed IFC series, created by for- (The Goldbergs) and Cooper Koch (Fracmer Saturday Night Live cast members ture). We’re hoping it’s a nice period 1982 Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers and Hader, series, with all the fashion adventures and which in each episode parodies a different new wavey details that promises. And it classic documentary—from Grey Gardens had better be bleak, like no-holds-barred, really, really, bleak. Otherto Stop Making Sense—is wise you might as well just going to get even more watch Degrassi. specific. They’ll be tackling D.A. Pennebaker’s Silent Life explores Holly1970 film, Original Cast wood’s bisexual golden age Album: Company. It feaTwin Peaks’ Audrey Horne, tured the first cast of actress Sherilyn Fenn, has a Stephen Sondheim’s legnew role. She’s playing biendary musical —Dean sexual silent film star Alla Jones, Elaine Stritch, Beth Nazimova in what’s being Howland, Donna McKcalled a “fantasy biopic” echnie—as they spent all about Rudolph Valentino night in a recording studio (translation: maybe it hapworking on the cast album pened, maybe not, probably for that show. The DN! not, but it’s fine). From direcversion of this will be tor Vladislav Kozlov, Silent called Original Cast Life will explore cinema’s Album: Co-Op and will first male sex symbol in a feature guest stars Taran story that toggles from past to Killam (SNL), James Urpresent. It co-stars Isabella baniak (Venture Bros.), coLisa Cholodenko Rossellini, Franco Nero and median John Mulaney, Tony Award-winning star of Hamilton, director Kozlov as Valentino, but we’re Renee Elise Goldsberry, and School of most excited about Fenn’s character, the Rock’s Alex Brightman. We’ll be watching, legendary Nazimova. The acclaimed Russif for no other reason than to see who’ll be ian stage actress moved to Hollywood and singing the fake version of “Ladies Who earned a lot of money in silent films, eventually opting to produce and write them, Lunch.” too. She was also notorious for her HollyBrace yourself for more Less Than Zero wood lesbian clique, known as the “Sewing If you were around during the 1980s, you Circle,” and for the wild parties she threw remember Less Than Zero, the shocking at her mansion called “The Garden of novel that exposed the depraved lives of a Read the rest of this story at: bunch of fictional rich kids in Los Angeles.
5 reasons to resist tossing out your ex-relationships’ mementos
THE FRIVOLIST
By: Mikey Rox*/Special to TRT
W
hen a relationship ends, tensions run high—and the first thing many of us do to satisfy our anger and sadness is to toss or burn the photos, letters and other mementos our partners have given us. This act of aggression won’t solve anything, and, in fact, will only serve to hurt you more later. Quell the temptation to pitch your ex-relationships’ physical reminders with these five reasons to hold onto them.
1. Throwing the mementos out won’t get back at them If you think tossing out the tangible remnants of your relationship is somehow “getting back” at your ex for whatever he or she did, you’re wrong. If you’re angry enough to go to those lengths, it’s safe to assume that you’re the one scorned while you partner may be eager to move on. If that’s the case, it’s doubtful that they care what you do with those possessions. So, in fact, you’re not affecting them but rather hurting yourself in the long run by destroying the evidence. Before you do what can’t be undone, stop, think about this decision and find something more productive to do. If you need the mementos out of your sight stat, find a box, tape it up and put it away until you’re ready to reminisce. 2. The negative feelings you have right now won’t last forever Breakups suck. They hurt; leave us depressed, lonely and insecure; and maybe even feeling like damaged goods. But like other painful situations in life, this too will pass—eventually—and once the skies clear again for you, you may reflect fondly on the relationship. When you do, you’ll be glad you have the reminders that once upon a time you had a good thing, and though it didn’t work out, you were able to successfully move on and make peace with the fact that everything happens for a reason. 3. You may reconcile one day Real talk: It’s hard to find someone to whom you’re attracted who will put up
with your bull$hit—for me it is, at least— so when I find that person, I’m committed to the relationship and making it work. Everybody argues, and sometimes it’s easy call it quits to hurt your partner’s feelings when that’s not what you really mean. You might even “break up” a few times along the way—something most us have experienced with at least one relationship—but if you know deep down that there’s a chance of reconciliation, concentrate on that (and the work you’ll both need to put in to make a go of it again) instead of being destructive. 4. You’ll regret it if they die My first relationship with a guy didn’t last long—about six months when I was a sophomore in college—but it was the first time I fell in love and experienced gay love in return. We dated long-distance for the entirety of the relationship, and to keep in touch in a world where e-mail was just becoming commonplace, we sent letters and cards to each other regularly. When we broke up, I was crushed—mostly because it was my fault—but that didn’t stop me from throwing out everything he ever sent or gave me. He’s dead now, and there are few things I wouldn’t give to have those letters. 5. That relationship is part of your story—embrace it I see my relationships as sort of like getting a tattoo: While there’s no physical representation of that experience on my body, the relationship still leaves an indelible mark. I have many tattoos, and I haven’t always been happy with the end result. I held onto that state of mind for a long time, particularly in my 20s, but as I’ve gotten older I realize that I just have to accept the things I can’t change—despite that I’m an absolute control freak. I recognize now that these “mistakes” on my body and, similarly, in my personal life are all part of my story, my learning experience, and all of it informs the future decisions I make so I (hopefully) don’t make the same mistakes again. Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com
PHOTO: KATHCLICK
HOLLYWOOD
By: Romeo San Vicente*/Special to TRT
TheRainbowTimesMass.com
18 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018
Older Trans women and their search for a Cisgender partner By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT Columnist
M
TRANS OPINION
a n y older trans women used to live in a heteronormative world. They may have married women and raised children. They also may have experienced turmoil and conflict from within about their gender. However, most of them kept it hidden way deep down inside their souls until the day they decided to move forward and live authentically. It was then time to own up, admit, accept, and live their true lives, although many times there was suddenly new trouble in their marriage. Their wives may have become uncomfortable with this “new version” of theirs and the relationship could have deteriorated. Not all worsened, but many did. In the relationships that did have trouble, many times the wives wanted a divorce. Living it myself--being a divorced trans woman and talking with others who had similar experiences--I found that tough times usually lie ahead to those now divorced trans women. Besides the trauma and guilt associated with a failed marriage, the trans woman often found herself pushed out of their house and living away
from their ex-wife and their children. I realize that this also happens to many other folks, but adding the trans aspect to it multiplies the effect, especially after time goes by, and thoughts of searching for a new partner enter the trans woman’s mind.
women who will accept and love them. However, from what I notice, many trans women have a very difficult time in finding any such cis women. Some divorced trans women want to be with a cis man. There are many men who
I’M NOT SURE WHO HAS IT WORSE, THE TRANS WOMAN WHO CANNOT SEEM TO FIND A CIS FEMALE AT ALL OR THE TRANS WOMAN WHO FINDS A CIS MAN, BUT IS FORCED TO LIVE IN HIS CLOSET. After a while, the divorced trans woman may heal enough to begin dating, but dating may now become an issue. Many divorced trans women want to pair up with a cis woman, but many cis women do not want to be with a trans woman. Many cis women want to be coupled with a man who was assigned male at birth (AMAB), or a woman who was assigned female at birth (AFAB). Some trans women do find cis
want to be with trans women, but not necessarily on an open basis. That is, they will date and will be intimate with trans women, but often it must be on the sly and not in the man’s hometown area. Other times, men are afraid that their family and friends will disapprove of them pairing up with a trans woman, so the relationship is kept in the dark and unbeknownst to friends and family.
I’m not sure who has it worse, the trans woman who cannot seem to find a cis female at all or the trans woman who finds a cis man, but is forced to live in his closet. The first trans woman seems to have very little chance of partnering with a cis woman and the second trans woman may find a cis man, but cannot live openly with him and often must live alone, apart from him too. The second trans woman has a taste of the relationship she wants, but she cannot have the whole relationship. Is it worse to have very little chance at all at a relationship or to have a relationship that must remain in the closet? I don’t really know, but in either way, any solid relationship is likely out of the question. As such, loneliness and frustration may become part of the trans woman’s life. So, what do you do about this? I don’t have any answers right now, except that maybe in the future time may possibly change the way society looks at trans women. Right now, unfortunately, it seems that many trans women are not desired as full-time partners of cis folk. Hopefully, more cis people may change their minds about coupling with trans women in the future. Once again, time will tell. *Deja Nicole Greenlaw is retired from 3M and has 3 children and two grandchildren. She can be contacted via e-mail at dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.
Ask a Trans Woman: Thinking about identity; Who I am and whom I am to you By: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT Columnist
I
PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN
dentity. Who are we? Who do we tell people we are? I talk, and think, a lot about identity myself. And I thought it might be useful to share some of those thoughts with you. I believe that identity, for the most part, is audience dependent. Who I say I am tends to be different depending on who I’m talking to. I think perhaps I notice this more starkly because I tend to talk to a much wider range of people than most folks. To be clear, who I am, in myself, does not necessarily change, except perhaps over long periods of time, incrementally. But when I’m alone with myself, in my own thoughts, I’m just me, this person I am. All of the words I attach to who I am, to describe who I am, to identify myself, are mostly for you, whoever the audience of the moment is. And though the words might change, depending on whom I’m talking to, who I am, does not. Perhaps I think about this so much because I’m an actor. That’s one of the words I use to describe to you who I am: actor. I have often, as an actor, had the experience of being different people, very intentionally wearing different identities. But even when I’m doing that, when I’m telling you I’m a Latvian aristocrat, who is a scientist and also sort of a loner, I’m still me underneath all that. And yet, for those moments that
I’m telling you I’m a Latvian aristocrat, that is who, by mutual social and linguistic agreement, I am. And hopefully, if I’m doing my job, it is for all intents and purposes of the moment, real. I’m not saying that my identities, or yours, are as mutable and temporary as all that actor-being-a-Latvian-aristocrat business. But, I use it to demonstrate why I tend to be so aware of audiences and who I am telling them I am. Here’s a quick digression to clear up what I mean by an audience. What I’m talking about is any other person, or people, outside of yourself, that you are attempting to communicate with or present yourself to. An audience in these terms could be your partner, or your coworker, your family, friends, teacher, boss, children, or just people in the street-anyone whom you want to have a particular understanding of who you are. It is my experience that we wear different identities for all these different audiences. We are different people, with different labels, though who we are fundamentally, inside ourselves, might not actually change. And what I’m saying is that the understanding of who you are that you might wish to convey tends to change depending on what you want these audiences to understand about you. For instance, if I’m talking to a group of other trans people, I might simply describe myself as a woman. She/her pronouns, thank you very much. I might also make reference to myself as being trans. But, I wouldn’t necessarily go to all the bother of
SOMETIMES, FOR THE SAKE OF PARTICULARLY “STRAIGHT” CIS-FOLKS, INEXPERIENCED WITH GENDER FLUIDITY OR THE RANGE OF TRANS IDENTITIES, I’M A TRANSSEXUAL. saying I’m a male-assigned-at-birth (AMAB), transgender woman. The transgender part is assumed in that case, and also not a particularly distinguishing characteristic, though perhaps still crucial to my belonging in the group. However, if I’m talking to a group of cisgender people, especially whom I don’t have an established history with, I may well decide to identify myself as a transgender woman. If they are queer cisgender people, I might be able to shorthand that to trans woman. Sometimes, for the sake of particularly “straight” cis-folks, inexperienced with gender fluidity or the range of trans identities, I’m a transsexual. I don’t really think I fit our own trans community definition of that identity very well. But for them, it’s going to get them a lot closer to understanding who I am if I use a label they already have some familiarity with. And, it’s not entirely inaccurate. I have changed my body through the medical in-
tervention of hormone replacement therapy. And, for a long time, I considered further surgery. So, in this instance, transsexual will do. It becomes, to them, what I am. Similarly, if I’m with a group of cis people who don’t have much knowledge of trans experiences, I might say that I am a woman and have always known as far back as I have memory that I was a woman.And that’s true. But it’s also a radical simplification. Because, if I was discussing the same experience of identity with a group of trans folks, or trans-aware cis folks, I would say that I am a woman, and knew quite early on that the way I was being gendered felt wrong. But it took me a long time to first understand what that feeling of being gendered incorrectly meant and then to accept that it was because I was a woman. And then, it took me even longer to have the words to describe the experience in those
See T-Identity on page 23
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HIV Diagnoses from page 6 a syringe service program in June and the DPH has plans to partner with a local community health center or hospital to administer the program. Lawrence currently has a syringe exchange program. Increasing substance abuse programs and health care providers in the northeast has also been highlighted, a goal that will increase access to care. “We have recently initiated a short-term educational group for those with substance use histories, to improve risk reduction education among this group, with the hope that they will increase the knowledge of others in their peer group,” said Lethbridge of measures LCHC has taken to address the opioid and HIV epidemics. She also noted that LCHC has increased its community outreach efforts and partnerships to better educate at-risk populations.
niversary. Sciortino noted the need for the Commonwealth to be more aggressive in its treatment of both HIV and opiate addiction. “We need a comprehensive approach that includes prevention and education, treatment, law enforcement, and harm reduction,” he said. “Given the scale of overdose deaths, now greater than the rate of AIDS deaths in the 90s, we also need to open supervised injection facilities, or overdose prevention sites that will provide life-saving care while also acting as a conduit to a broader range of services. “We need far more urgent and courageous action from our state, including the legalization of supervised injection facilities, if we really want to stop the rate of death occurring in our communities.” Lathbridge said that she’s still concerned about new HIV diagnoses given how highly communicable the disease can be.
QPuzzle this September, 2018: Peppermint Twist
THREE-QUARTERS OF THOSE USING IV DRUGS REPORTED THE USE OF FENTANYL, A HIGHLY-ADDICTIVE OPIOID PAINKILLER. Bositis stressed that his center also provides support services. “GLFHC has a Ryan White-funded HIV care and treatment program that provides primary care, HIV specialty care, and case management services for persons living with HIV,” he said. “We also have a [Department of Public Health] funding prevention program, which includes HIV testing, case management services, and a syringe service program.” The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (https://bit.ly/2kWnncA) is a federallyfunded direct service organization supporting those living with HIV/AIDS across the nation. August 18 marked its 28-year an-
LGBTQ Wins from Page 10 With the passage of the act, insurance companies will no longer be able to list itemized services on statements sent to the primary owner of the insurance plan, whether a parent or spouse. As such, those services will remain confidential and will not be shared with the primary insurance holder. “This is a huge step in removing barriers to health care for thousands of people,” she continued. *** Though passage of these bills is a tremendous step forward, Shields noted that there is still a big battle on the horizon. “As much progress as we have made, we must spread the word to vote Yes on 3 to
“A deep concern of mine is the potential for this outbreak to affect many more individuals who do not perceive themselves at risk and who will get into care late,” she said. “Per the CDC report earlier this year, not all of the 129 people who have been genetically linked to this outbreak have participated in IV drug use, but rather may have been sexual partners of those who have. This ripple effect has the potential to spread the virus more widely, just as it did in the 1980s and 1990s.” To learn more about safeguarding oneself against HIV, visit the AIDS Action Committee website at http://aac.org.
protect the existing transgender anti-discrimination law, which covers public accommodation,” she said. “The opponents are waging a hugely divisive campaign and we need to be sure to volunteer with the Yes on 3 campaign and spread the word to friends and family to vote in November.” To learn more about the Yes on 3 campaign, visit https://bit.ly/2Pf7w8n.
Transforming Parents, a support group for parents of trans, gender non-conforming or questioning, children, teens & adults. Meetings: 1st Thursday of each month in Northampton. Next: Sept. 6th; 6:30-8:00. FMI: transformingparents@gmail.com.
Across 1 Homer work 5 Patron of Wilde's homeland, briefly 10 Stats on a stallion 14 Sammy once of the Cubs 15 Pirate's stash 16 Parker of South Park 17 Leopold's partner 18 Responds to yeast 19 "...a deer, a female deer..." 20 Musical in which Peppermint became the first transgender woman to originate a principal role on Broadway 23 In the loop, at a gay rodeo 24 Swiss miss, perhaps (abbr.) 25 As a bottom limit 28 Sea near the Caspian 30 Gives a butt-whuppin' to 31 20-Across is based on the music of this all-female band 35 Anderson Cooper's network 36 Edgar Box to Gore Vidal 38 Ambient rocker Brian 39 Start of a song title from 20-Across 42 More adept 44 Wife of Buck's Wang 45 Blows one's top 47 Where to vote against homophobic candidates 49 Elizabeth Perkins' Weeds role 50 End of title 55 Maupin's ___ of You 56 "___ la vista, baby"
57 Pointing to it is the little hand's job 59 "The thing," to Hamlet 60 Fruity-smelling compound 61 Primal impulse 62 Welcome bedroom sounds 63 Nasty type 64 Went right with your stallion
Down 1 Subj. for some aliens 2 Honeypot lover 3 Fortune-teller's opening 4 1972 Minnelli musical 5 Leather bands 6 Hot dish holder 7 Sat for JustUsBoys 8 Declare firmly 9 New Ager John 10 Moor jealous of his partner 11 Dentist's mouth penetrator 12 Hard to penetrate 13 Melina's Providence nickname 21 Some E.R. cases for Dr. Callie Torres 22 Webzine 25 Bend over 26 The sound of music 27 Deity identified with Diana 28 "Got ya!" 29 Legal matter 31 Seventh notes to Debussy 32 Gets hard 33 R.E.M.'s "The ___ Love"
34 Arrange by penile length, e.g. 36 The Guardians writer Castillo 37 Architect Maya ___ 40 Shots from Mauresmo 41 __ Enchanted 42 Tibet setting 43 Hairy embrace? 45 Of the season after Mardi Gras 46 Owner of an "arsonist" cow 47 Former American Idol judge Abdul 48 Winfrey of The Color Purple 49 ___ del Sol 51 Class for future AZT makers 52 Cushiness 53 Went lickety-split 54 Likely to break the condom, perhaps 55 Cruising area 58 Checkers side
SOLUTION
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Privilege Paradox from Page 2 mannerisms, that notion is quickly dispelled. And effeminate gay men, as many of us know, routinely have their manhood and sense of masculinity eviscerated by our patriarchal culture (another knock against me). I also struggle with mental illness which, combined with my identity as a black male, places me in a special category of outsidedness. I’m an introvert—another demerit, at least in the eyes of our talkative culture—but I also make a great salary and am well off compared to so many others (a point of privilege). I’ve made my peace with the soup I live in, negotiating my way between and among varying identities, some bestowing certain societal and cultural benefits while others leading to my inevitable dissociation with the mainstream. That weekend in Ajo provided a stark realization of a privilege that I hadn’t reconciled myself with: being an American. This is not a country that I’m proud to live in by any means. There’s so much we can be doing better when it comes to capitalism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, economic inequality, misogyny, sexism, ableism, mass incarceration, xenophobia, our electoral system, and so many other issues. All that being said, many of us have it better than in other countries. Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and several other countries see
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thousands of people flee north into Mexico and the United States every year. Why? Gangs, unimaginable violence, widespread and hard-hitting political corruption, climate change, and persecution are rampant in these countries. So rampant that people uproot their families and travel hundreds of miles north into foreign nations knowing that, at best, they will live in poverty. Many of those families will come to the United States knowing they’ll be vilified, but so desperate for new lives and an escape from their social and cultural agonies that they’ll accept living in substandard conditions under a presidency that despises and demonizes them. I’ve never had to face a reality like that— at least not yet. I’ve never had to make a decision to halt my life and leave the country I grew up in to start a new life in a nation where I knew I wasn’t wanted. I can’t imagine that. I suspect that many reading this column can’t either. It doesn’t sit well with me, this privilege, this gnawing feeling that I live and work and thrive in a nation so hostile to others, particularly “others” of a certain skin tone who hail from other countries. They walk hundreds of miles with little food and water, no guarantees, and no expectations of being welcomed. They cross arid deserts through modern-day underground railroads hoping to come into a nation that squarely places a bullseye on their backs. So, where am I now? Since that weekend, I’ve been humbled by a rejuvenated desire to utilize my privilege to center and uplift those countless lives who cross the southwestern border into a nation filled with hostility. I take stock of where I am in life, show deep appreciation, and dig in my heels for the fight for justice. The battle continues, and I keep fighting ... *A graduate of the Boston University College of Communication, Mike Givens has been a social justice advocate for 10 years. During that time he’s worked on a range of initiatives aimed at uplifting marginalized populations. An experienced media strategist and communications professional, Mike currently devotes his spare time to a number of vital issues including racial justice and socioeconomic equity. He is currently the associate director of strategic communications for an international human rights organization in Cambridge, Mass.
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Positive Thoughts: Passing the Torch Almost a quarter-century after his passing, Pedro Zamora continues to inspire future generations, help in the fight against HIV By: Desirée Guerrero*/Special to TRT
I recently had the honor of attending a private fundraiser for the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship, a program of the National AIDS Memorial Grove (NAM). And I say “honor” for many reasons. Back in 1994, when The Real World: San Francisco first aired, I was a depressed, poor, lonely and questioning teen. I did have one close friend, who was also lonely and questioning—and who had even more mental health issues than me! Yippee! We both had experienced different traumas in our lives, and both had been somewhat ostracized from normal teen life. But we were also funny, smart, talented and, admittedly, pretty geeky. We were the real-life counterparts to the characters in the ’90s MTV animated series, Daria—a match made in suburban teen hell. One big difference between us was that her family had money. Her father worked in the film industry, which afforded them a beautiful home with a pool and plenty of food, and cable television. All these things were very attractive to me and I spent as much time as I could over there, swimming, eating and watching MTV. None of this I could do in our crappy, cable-less apartment with bare cupboards on the other side of town. It was my fantasy oasis from which I could escape the concrete-gray realities of my own life. Of course, the show we were completely obsessed with that year was The Real World: San Francisco. We were shocked, we were amazed, we were excited. We were transfixed. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Personally, in my life, it’s the only Real World season I’ve actually watched. We fell in love with certain cast members, and despised others. Of course, we loved Pam (Ling). She was a young beautiful med student with tattoos and a cool haircut. What wasn’t there to love? And then there was Pedro. That was the first time either of us had seen a reallife, out LGBTQ young person on TV. He was intelligent, charming, beautiful. Everyone loved him. And he was HIVpositive. Just a few hours after the last episode of that season aired, on November 11, 1994, Zamora passed away. So yes, it was certainly an honor to be at fundraiser promoting a scholarship in his
Correction In the August 2018 issue of TRT, a story about the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective mistakenly listed Director Linda Estabrook’s name incorrectly. TRT and its management deeply regret such a mishap.
name, nearly 24 years later. This wasn’t some big, stuffy, black tie affair at a fancy hotel. It was an intimate gathering on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, in the home of Jonathan Murray, The Real World’s co-creator and executive producer. Friends, former cast mates and people from behind the scenes shared their personal stories and memories of Zamora, making it feel more like a family reunion than a fundraising event. It was then that the reality of Zamora’s humanity ripped through me. This was no longer a mythical figure that I could idealize and admire through the magical lens of MTV. This was a human being. This was a human being who wanted to live and was scared to die, just like the rest of us. A human being who accomplished an amazing amount in his short time here but could have done so much more. He was a human being, who suffered greatly and died at 22, and shouldn’t have. This is the true tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. Within two years after his death, antiretroviral HIV medications were developed that would have saved Zamora’s life. And over the next two decades, the face of the epidemic has changed greatly. Being HIVpositive has evolved from a death sentence to a treatable chronic condition. Today, the life expectancy of an HIV-positive person on treatment is about the same as any other person. At the fundraiser, I also had the honor to meet several of the scholarship recipients, all of whom were young people living with HIV, of various racial and sexual identities, doing amazing things in their communities. Soon after learning that he was living with HIV at only 17, Zamora dedicated his life to raising public awareness, arming other young people with the information and tools needed to avoid acquiring HIV. And that is exactly what these young people are doing, today, in their own communities. But they need the help of programs like this to continue to do so, which is why the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship is such a beautiful thing. And let’s not forget that we all need to continue to be a part of that fight. Under a current administration that continues to slash funding for HIV/AIDS programs— which could, for starters, cut millions off from their life-saving meds—it’s frightening to think how quickly another wave of the epidemic could hit. Not to mention, stigma and ignorance around the virus in Read the rest of this story at: TheRainbowTimesMass.com
22 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018
Anna Kendrick, Fresh with a Twist, talks fluid sexuality, “Bechloe”, more The pitch is perfectly crazy in Anna Kendrick’s walk on the dark side of filmmaker Paul Feig’s warped sense of humor, A Simple Favor. It’s martini-sipper mom versus martini-swigger mom. Target mom versus Met Gala mom. Aspirational versus extra. It’s regular mom-meets-mom business, a modern mom-com—until Emily (Blake Lively) goes missing. Emily’s sudden disappearance prompts Stephanie (Kendrick) to mount an investigation by employing her keen Nancy Drew smarts and posting distressed clips of herself on her dorky craft vlog. (Friendship-bracelet tutorials are just gonna to have wait.) A bit camp? Yep. A bit queer? Obviously. And naturally so, as Kendrick’s 15-year career is steeped in queerness: at age 17, she cut her acting teeth on Camp, the 2003 teen musical-comedy directed by out filmmaker Todd Graff; as Beca, she brought covert aca-gayness to the three-part Pitch Perfect franchise; and in 2014, the 33-year-old Oscar-nominated actress slipped into Cinderella’s glass slippers for Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. And her long, impulsive kiss—“just another Tuesday,” Emily notes—with Lively in A Simple Favor, well, it’s not exactly straight, she says. Here, the longtime ally talks about attempting to allow the lesbian love to bloom between queer-coded Pitch Perfect leads Beca and Chloe (Brittany Snow), what irks her about self-congratulatory reactions to celebs coming out and, when it comes to her own sexuality, being open like Emily. Chris Azzopardi: A car sing-along, a little camp, some martinis and a mom makeout sesh: Anna, you sure know what the gay community wants at this point in your career, don’t you? Anna Kendrick: (Laughs) Oh my gosh! I wasn’t thinking of it in that way, but yeah, it is kind of camp. It takes itself a little seriously, but we’re always winking or having fun. It’s bright and colorful, and there’s an unabashed campiness to it—even though the stakes are very real in places. Q: What was it like coming to set for the first time and seeing the giant painting of Blake-as-Emily’s v@gina front and center in Emily’s front room? A: OK, this is actually really interesting: So that painting—fun fact—was never once on set. That is all post effects. Sometimes it was green screen, and sometimes it was this other painting that was very nice but very Tumblr art. It was actually Blake’s idea to have it be a little bit more, um, obscene. Certainly it’s art, but a little more shocking for Stephanie to see. Not so polished, not so pretty, not so coy. I thought that was really brilliant. Q: Regarding Pitch Perfect: Are we ever gonna get the Beca and Chloe love story that they so deserve? A: I know. I definitely wanted to have an ending that was a Bechloe ending, and we did shoot one version where Brittany and I tricked everybody into just shooting one that was just the two of us getting together.
We knew it was a long shot. It meant so much to us that there was this following around their latent relationship and, yeah, I thought it would’ve been really cool if it would have ended up coming to fruition in the end. If we ever do a four, I will fight tooth and nail for it, but I’m not sure it’s gonna happen.
PHOTO: KATHCLICK
By: Chris Azzopardi*/Special to TRT
Q: Because the studio doesn’t want to go there with their sexuality? A: It wasn’t like Universal was like, “There can be no lesbians in Pitch Perfect!” Because obviously Cynthia Rose is an openly gay character. But I think they were just confused by it because they weren’t listening to all the online chatter about it, whereas I see it every day, and I’m like, “Are you kidding? This is what they want!” Q: Best lesbian Bechloe fanfiction you’ve read? A: OK, I’ve actually only tried to ever read one. It was so sweet and puppy-lovey that I was like, “Aww, I wanted to read some sauciness!” I thought I was gonna get scandalized! Instead, I was like, “Aww! This is, like, so sweet! This reminds me of The Baby-Sitters Club books.” But I haven’t actually followed up on it. Q: You’ve been open about your girl crushes over the years. Have you ever had a girl crush that was or could have been romantic? A: Let me think about that. I definitely— there’s somebody I’m still friends with, and when we met we kissed. This was after high school, and it was the first time I had kissed a girl where it wasn’t just like, we’re at a party and boys are watching! That horrible performance silliness. But I think I haven’t had that emotional love for a lady, which isn’t saying it could never happen to me, but I think I’m more of an Emily than a Stephanie. Q: You once met a guy at a Gelson’s market who told you he does your Camp character, Fritzi, in drag. First of all, how often do you run into drag queens at grocery stores who tell you that you’re their inspiration? A: (Laughs) Not often enough! That was one of my favorite moments of being recognized, ever. And I’m sorry, what’s the second part of your question? I got too excited. Q: Which other characters of yours might make good drag material? A: Stephanie has a real Sandy-in-Grease vibe, where she doesn’t become the bad girl, exactly, but she loosens up and shakes it off a little bit. But I do always still like Rizzo in Grease, who is more fun than Sandy, so I’m not sure that Stephanie is necessarily the one. She’d have to really just be letting her hair down. Q: You’ve said you downplayed Fritzi’s sexuality when you filmed Camp. A: The thing that made me uncomfortable about Fritzi was I was 16, but it wasn’t so much that she was gay—it was that unrequited gay love situation. I think if she’d been crushing it and getting girls, I
would’ve been like, “Awesome, awesome, awesome!” It was just, at 16 you don’t want to be playing the girl that nobody likes, which I totally recognize as I get older is such a silly insecurity issue. But at the time I was definitely like, “Can’t somebody just have a crush on me in a movie –
god!” Q: Would you have approached Fritzi differently in retrospect? A: The truth is, I think would have just enRead the rest of this story at: “Aca-Yeah” TheRainbowTimesMass.com
TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 23
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018
Unwanted from Page 2 One of the things my friend took away from his uncharmed childhood was to use whatever cruelty or injustice he may have endured throughout his life and channel the energy for personal growth and toward the benefit of others. Adam Rippon (https://is.gd/y7rm5A), the Olympic skater who incidentally, as you may recall, is gay, says he couldn’t be a great athlete without hate and rejection. He drew strength from these experiences. Adam channeled the energy toward great things and into being a role model for young LGBTQ athletes. The best revenge (https://is.gd/ybaMNN), it’s been said, is not getting even, but success. Success comes in many forms. Not allowing someone’s negative opinion to become your reality is success. Making it as an athlete, when others mock you, is success. But, you don’t have to be a gifted, disciplined athlete to be successful. Take a negative, personal experience and be sure it never happens to someone else. Have you ever been to an event and seen someone
wandering around not sure where to sit? Invite him or her to join you and your date or colleague. Are you a seasoned professional at this point in your career? Do you remember what it was like starting out and the awkwardness? Take time to mentor a young person. I’ve professionally mentored at least one person uncomfortable with marriage equality. Today, he’s in a position of authority and much more sympathetic toward LGBTQ issues. Although an intern, I treated him as a colleague, and it made all the difference in the world. Attempting to understand the “strange and wonderful ways” a higher power tries to help in one’s personal awakening is “no easy, peaceful meditation.” Life is. Sometimes it’s best not to try to understand it. Experience it at the moment and embrace the perspective that it may offer now and in the future. *Paul is a personal chaplain/spiritual director, seminary trained priest, and lawyer in greater Albany, NY. He’s also author of “Lost Sense of Self & the Ethics Crisis (https://is.gd/YGeAGE).”
Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15 - October 15 September 28 HALLOWSCREAM in Salem Info. Page 8 T-Identity from Page 18 terms. Honestly, I would not have used or even really known the word “gendered” in this context, more than eight or 10 years ago, despite it being most useful to describe that specific feeling. So frankly, I would have described to myself that I have always known I was a woman because that was as close to accurate as I could get with the words and identities at my disposal. Nonetheless, who I am, to myself, remains the same. Even if who I tell you I am might change. Labels, identities, are just words and concepts that we use to convey to people broad ideas of who we are to ourselves, or whom we want to be to them. A label is not who I am. But it is how I want you to understand me. Those labels sometimes change, or I might also use other labels. Our public identities tend to be comprised of a conglomeration of all those labels that we use. Our public identity is what those labels add up to when we are trying to tell an audience whom we think we are. Language is a magic trick. With language, we create our realities. I am a woman. I tell you I am a woman, and you treat me as such, see me as such. But for a long time, I told people I was a man, and that was how I was treated and
seen. “Woman” feels more right than “man” ever did. It feels much more in line with my wordless, interior sense of who I am. I feel happier when my audience treats and sees me as a woman than when they treated and saw me as a man. And yet, who I am to myself has never fundamentally changed. There was no switch flipped. In my own head, I’m still me. The same me that I was yesterday, last year, and the year before that--the same me I can remember being as far back as I can remember, even though I have told a bunch of different audiences a bunch of different labels about who I am; even though I have sometimes changed identities like suits of clothes. All of it is just me trying to convey to you, a sense of who I am. I’m trying to make you see this incredibly detailed, high definition photograph of who I am to myself. But, all I have is words, a bunch of stock identities that changes depending upon the audience. But inside, to myself, I’m just me. Slàinte! * Lorelei Erisis is an actor, activist, adventurer and pageant queen. Send your questions about trans issues, gender and sexuality to her via e-mail at: askatranswoman@gmail.com.
Misgendering from Page 15
“The sources of statistics on anti-trans violence mostly come from the Transgender Day of Remembrance list and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs’ annual hate violence reports, which for the past few years have been able to report on the presumed gender identity, sexual orientation, and race of the victims who come to their attention,” he wrote.“It is important to note that both of these compilations rely almost exclusively on what is reported by the media—in other words, what mainstream reporters hear about and think is worthy of an article or broadcast. And data does, indeed, show that trans women of color are far more at risk of being murdered than other trans or LGB people.” GLAAD (https://is.gd/JUrdLz) wrote that context is critical. “The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs reports an alarming multi-year trend showing that trans women of color experience a greater risk of death by hate violence than any other group,” its website read (https://is.gd/JUrdLz). “The staggering levels of poverty transgender people face can put them in unsafe situations, and sometimes lead to their participation in the street economy.” Intersectionalities & trans masculine violence In addition to being transgender, the intersection of identities compound experiences based on hate and discrimination such as race, ethnicity, and sexism which contribute to systemic and institutionalized oppression. According to the author published in the Advocate (https://is.gd/rcDsNL), there is more violence against the transgender community than what is commonly reported. “What is far less discussed by the media or within the trans/LGB community is that other types of violence—the kinds of violence that affects thousands more trans people than do hate crimes resulting in murder—actually happen at least as often to transmasculine individuals as transfeminine individuals,” he found via a FORGE study (https://is.gd/Dz4IMl).
A national study in 2011 that was approved by the Morehouse College School of Medicine Institutional Review Board and funded by the Office for Victims of Crime, found that transmasculine individuals were actually more likely to be victims of childhood sexual assault, adult sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking than were transfeminine individuals. “... trans women were more likely to be victimized by hate violence ...” The survey was answered by 1,005 transidentified people. According to the Advocate (https://is.gd/rcDsNL), “30 percent of trans women reported having experienced hate violence, compared to 29 percent of trans men.” #SimpleNotSoSimple Nearly all individuals whose gender identity does not match their assigned sex at birth have been misgendered either intentionally or by accident. You’d be hard pressed to find a trans person who hasn’t experienced this type of dismissal of their identity. While misgendering someone may be a simple error that is no big deal to some, the transgender community does not have time to wait for you to catch up. It is their life, the lives of their families and their loved ones, and the risk of it all being taken away in one form or another, while they wait— while we wait, for you to inform yourself about one “simple,” not so simple mistake. We can do better. You can do better. My name is Nicole and my pronouns are she/her/hers. *Nicole Lashomb is editor-in-chief of The Rainbow Times & Co-Founder of Project Out, a non-profit organization dedicated to the transgender community through providing life-saving services and financial assistance. She holds an MBA from Marylhurst University and a BM from the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam). Nicole can be reached via e-mail at editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.
24 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com
September 6, 2018 - October 3, 2018