TheStandard_Vol8_Issue10.pdf

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE OCTOBER 2020 VOLUME 8 ISSUE 10 THESTANDARDPS.COM @THESTANDARDPS

CONTENTS VOLUME 8, ISSUE 10

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Volume 8 Issue 10 FEATURE

PS PRIDE 2020 PAGE 25 - 28

COVER THE CHOICE IS YOURS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME COVER NCLR 2020: A PIVOTAL POINT FOR LGBTQ LEGAL RIGHTS COVER A REPUBLIC, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT SHOUT OUT LOCALS CHIME IN ON THE 2020 ELECTION FEATURE PALM SPRINGS PRIDE: EXIST, PERSIST, RESIST TOTALLY OVERBOOKED TWO GREAT BOOK REVIEWS ABOUT TWO GREAT WOMEN OCTOBER 2020 3

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COMMENTARY

The Standard Magazine 400 N Sunrise Way #263 Palm Springs CA 92262 760.831.4869 Nino Eilets Publisher Luciano McNulty Editor Maya Kalabic Art Director PHOTOGRAPHER David A. Lee CONTRIBUTORS

Bob Bogard, Jack Bunting, Mark Dawson, Dann Foley, Ron deHarte, Jill Langham, Lee Lynch, Lisa Middleton, Tim O’Bayley, Alexandria Rosales, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Stephan Scoggins, Martha Tang, Ryan Turrin & Christopher Vasquez

www.thestandardps.com EDITORIAL CREDITS :

BrandPoint, Huffington Post, LGBTQ Nation, Project Publicity, MSN, Reuters & CNN The Standard Magazine is published monthly. Opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of the Standard or its staff, advertisers or readers with exception of editorials.

Publication of the name or photograph of any person, business or organization in articles or advertising in the Standard is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person, business or organization. The Standard disclaims any responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Advertising rates are subject to change without notice. The Standard reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject any advertisement for any reason including, but not limited to poor taste. It is the policy of The Standard that we only publish letters to the editor that are signed by the author and verifiable by phone number. We can reserve the right of anonymity upon request. The letters need to be original, in good taste and free of libel as well as edited for clarity and grammar. Letters are subject to editing by The Standard that also reserves the right to decline print. Please forward your letters to: info@thestandardps.com The views

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expressed is not necessarily those of The Standard. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. No portion of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the expressed consent of the publisher.

COVER

AN ELECTION OF A LIFETIME

BY CHRISTOPHER ASTRALA

This year’s election is the most important in our lifetime. The decisions voters make in November will reverberate for a generation to come, through all three branches of American government and across the world.

Given the president’s performance during his first term and his opportunities to cement and then expand those changes in another four years, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the 2020 election is the most important one in our nation’s history.

A CNN poll showed 71 percent of registered voters are extremely or very enthusiastic about voting in this year’s elections; the final CNN poll conducted before the 2016 vote showed just 46 percent were that hyped up to vote. Surveys show voters are as tuned in to the presidential race now as they were immediately before the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, and much more so than just prior to the 2016 race.

IMPORTANCE OF VOTING The only way to preserve the government “of the people, by the people, for the people” that President Abraham Lincoln described in the Gettysburg Address is for “the people” to participate in election of that government. “The people” that Lincoln was talking about includes each one of us. Voting is not an every four-year event when the hoopla of a presidential election stirs voters’ interest. The down ballot and off year elections are very important as well. These are the elections that govern everything from potholes to education to parks to environmental protection to public safety– issues that have an everyday impact on our lives and deserve our attention.

Not too many years ago, people were willing to risk their lives to secure the right to vote. It is a privilege we cannot take for granted. It was not until 1918 that women were allowed to vote. Eighteen year olds have only been able to vote since 1971. The very close Bush v.

Gore presidential election in 2000 showed us clearly that each vote can make a difference. Voting is the cornerstone of democracy.

our allies have been exerting more and more political power -dramatically altering the political landscape.

Today, there are 11 million LGBTQ voters estimated nationwide who will play a decisive role in the upcoming elections. We have also identified 57 million “Equality Voters” -- friends, family members and other allies who prioritize LGBTQ-inclusive policies when deciding which candidates to support.

THE LGBTQ VOICE The 2020 presidential election will determine whether the Trump administration’s attacks on LGBTQ rights are allowed to continue -or whether we begin the work of restoring our democracy. And while the stakes couldn’t be higher, for LGBTQ people in particular, there also could not be a greater opportunity to make change.

Over the past several election cycles, LGBTQ people and

During the 2018-midterm elections, the Human Rights Campaign successfully worked to mobilize Equality Voters in key races across the country. In fact, Equality Voters accounted for 29% of the electorate in 2018, making it one of the most substantial voting blocs in the election. Turnout among Equality Voters increased from 36% in the 2014-midterm elections to 56 percent in 2018. This trend is only expected to continue in 2020.

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LGBTQ people and our allies played a key role in pushing candidates over the finish line in dozens of races with groundbreaking consequences.

Specifically, Equality Voters helped protect the Senate’s first out LGBTQ member, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, and elect another out member, Senator Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona. Equality Voters helped elect and re-elect governors who are working to enact critical non-discrimination protections, outlawing the dangerous and abusive practice of so-called “conversion therapy,” and acting as a powerful backstop against anti-LGBTQ state legislation. And Equality Voters helped restore a pro-equality majority in the House of Representatives that passed the Equality Act. This is part of a growing trend. In 2016, LGBTQ voters and our allies helped oust former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory after he signed into law a draconian anti-LGBTQ bill known as HB2. According to a CNN exit poll, 65% of 2016 North Carolina voters opposed the law. During Alabama’s special election in 2017, the coalition built by groups like the Human Rights Campaign and the NAACP played a role in defeating anti-LGBTQ zealot Roy Moore and electing Doug Jones to the US Senate. Let’s keep that momentum going.

HOW CAN I VOTE SAFELY IN 2020?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, voting is more complicated.

You may not want to vote in person, especially if there will be long lines. The safest way to vote is by mail. Most states will let anyone vote by mail this year, even if you don’t have a reason. Click here to see your state’s COVID-19 response to voting. Seven states, including Louisiana, still require an excuse if you wish to vote by mail.

Voting by mail is also called absentee voting. You have to request a ballot by mail, phone or online. Then your town will send you a ballot. You fill it out and either send it back or bring it to the election office and drop it in the box in person. Either way, no lines and very safe. You may hear that voting by mail leads to fraud, or problems with a fair count. This is not true. Voting by mail has been shown to be as fair as in-person voting.

If you vote by mail, do it as soon as possible! The post offices are going to be busy! You can also vote early in some states. This is safer than waiting until Election Day and risking a big line.

Because of COVID-19, some states may have changes in their voting rules and the timing of their local elections.

Visit www.usvotefoundation.org to look up your state’s election dates, deadlines, and different ways you can vote.

Visit www.vote.org/covid-19/ to see your state’s COVID-19 resources for voting.

With so much at stake in 2020, a fight for full federal equality, defend the fundamental rights of LGBTQ people and protect the most vulnerable -- both here and around the globe -- from stigma, institutional inequality, discrimination and violence. We cannot waste this hard-won privilege if we want to preserve government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

We must demonstrate the importance of LGBTQ issues and the power of our votes.

OCTOBER 2020 7

COVER

2020 ELECTION A PIVOTAL POINT FOR LGBTQ LEGAL RIGHTS

BY CHRISTOPHER VASQUEZ | NCLR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Not to sound histrionic, but November 3, 2020 will be one of the most consequential days for LGBTQ equality in the history of the United States. On Election Day, voters all across the United States will cast their ballots for candidates from the next occupant of the White House all the way down to local representatives in the cities and towns where they live – all under the ongoing auspice of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic that continues to vex the nation. And in nearly all those elections, LGBTQ and other hard-won civil rights will also be on the line, particularly for transgender individuals.

Probably most important for LGBTQ individuals living in the U.S., the 2020 election will have very real impacts on safe, reliable, and affordable access to healthcare. In fact, over the past three years, we have seen constant attacks over the last three years on LGBTQ healthcare, including attempts to deny transgender individuals access to medically-necessary care and lifesaving services, including by attempting to strip protections from the Affordable Care Act, and by allowing federally-funded homeless shelters to deny services to unhoused transgender individuals during a pandemic.

The last six months have also shown the impact on the fight for racial justice in the U.S. will play on the 2020 election. At NCLR we know that the struggle for racial equality affects the LGBTQ community equally as much as the general population. Racial justice is an LGBTQ issue, and as our new Executive Director Imani Rupert-

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Gordon reminds us, “we are not free until all of us are free”. Racial justice in the LGBTQ community includes supporting and protecting transgender women of color – particularly Black transgender women – who constantly face systematic oppression and violence that is unacceptable. The Black Lives Matter movement has shown us that we as a country must do much more to protect and support our Black and POC communities.

2020 will also be a turning year for ending the dangerous practice of conversion therapy, where LGBTQ youth are subjected to harmful therapy – often against their will – to unsuccessfully change their sexual orientation, gender identify, or gender expression.

While we have had significant wins over the past year outlawing the discredited practice in Utah, Virginia, and numerous municipalities in several states, there are still large numbers of LGBTQ youth being subjected to this cruel practice in the 30 states that have not passed legislation to end conversion therapy, which has been shown to lead to higher rates of depression and suicide in LGBTQ youth. Electing local, state, and national legislators who understand that all LGBTQ youth are born perfect will be key to bringing an end to it in all 50 states.

The ongoing COVID pandemic has also put a renewed spotlight on issues of poverty, particularly for the LGBTQ community. Studies have consistently shown that the LGBT community experiences higher

rates of poverty and participation in federal anti-poverty programs than the general population. This dynamic is even more pronounced for transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Because of this, NCLR, as part of the National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action Network, helped launch the #FightLGBTQPoverty Campaign to make sure that the next presidential term takes additional action to dismantle barriers to social and economic justice for LGBTQ+ people.

And the last 3 years we have also seen a radical destabilizing of the U.S. immigration system that threatens to dismantle the asylum process, which greatly endangers the lives of LGBTQ refugees – particularly transgender women – fleeing violence in their home countries, putting countless thousands of LGBTQ lives at risk every year. A future Congress and the next presidential administration will have the power to help set an immigration policy that doesn’t discriminate or put anyone in unnecessary danger trying escape dangerous living situations and make a safe, new home in the U.S. And all of these issue are taking place during the worst pandemic the U.S. has faced in over a century. Safely voting during the pandemic is easily the greatest challenge during the 2020 election. We need to ensure that Americans – especially the more vulnerable LGBTQ population – are able to vote safely during the most deadly pandemic the U.S. has since in over a century. Making sure that every voter is able to vote-by-mail safely in their homes should be a top priority for every state.

And we must also continue to fight voter suppression tactics that most greatly affect Black, POC, and transgender individuals based on oppressive voter ID laws. We need to ensure that every American who is legally able to is afforded the same right to safely vote as every other citizen.

To make sure LGBTQ legal equality is advanced following the 2020 election, it is vital that every LGBTQ individual that is able to votes in November – and registering to vote is key to that goal! NCLR has taken an active step to make sure the LGBTQ community is able to get registered to vote in whatever state they live in by teaming up with Headcount to publicize the #VoteWithPride resource guide that includes all the information they need to make their voice heard at www.nclrights.com/vote. The resource also includes all the information LGBTQ people need to vote safely by mail during the pandemic.

NCLR is focused on making sure everyone in the LGBTQ community is safely able to vote in 2020. Research has shown that at least 2 million people identify as LGBTQ+ and are not registered to vote.

But we are also particularly focused on communities of voters that have historically been underrepresented at the polls, including youth, Black/POC, and transgender individuals. Each of these communities has in the past faced significant obstacles that have made it difficult for them to make their voices heard, and we want to do everything we can to make sure they are able to register and

OCTOBER 2020 9

COVER vote without these obstacles this year.

In 2020, many issues that affect LGBTQ rights will be on the ballot on the national, state, and, and local levels. These include healthcare free of discrimination, access to safe and affordable reproductive health, an immigration system that doesn’t deny asylum to LGBTQ refugees, protections from the dangerous practice of conversion therapy, finding ways to address LGBTQ poverty, dismantling systematic racism that puts the lives of Black and POC transgender women constantly in danger, protecting and supporting LGBTQ individuals during COVID-19, and many others.

It is incumbent on every LGBTQ individual who is legally able to register and safely vote so their voices are heard this year! In 2020, the LGBTQ needs to vote like our rights are on the line...because they are.

#FightLGBTPovertyCampaign #VoteWithPride www.nclrights.com/vote

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COVER

A REPUBLIC, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT

BY LISA MIDDLETON

“A republic, if you can keep it”, a line attributed to Benjamin Franklin not long after signing the United States Constitution in September 1787. For 233 years, we have fallen short of our ideals, we have kept human beings as slaves to be bought and sold, we have fought a civil war, we have limited the equal application of our laws; and yet – we have kept it. Through sacrifice, example, patriotism, resistance, persistence and through lives lost in struggle – we have kept a system of laws and representative democracy.

Keeping it, improving it and passing it on to the next generation depends on voting. The vote is the elemental act of a republic, of a free people. In this terrible year, on November 3rd, all of us in this country; frankly all of the world will stop and wait for the vote of the American people. Worldwide, we all know what is at stake on November 3rd.

But, it is not only White House and control of Congress at stake. Across the country from city council races (where I stand for re-election) to races for the state legislature, thousands of representatives will be chosen. And many of those will be members of the LGBTQ community. We need and honor our allies; but no one knows our lives like we do. Yet nationally with over 500,000 elected local, state and federal officials, less than a 1000 identify as openly LGBTQ. Here are three of the over 900 LGBTQ candidates up for election this November.

State Senator Scott Wiener is running for re-election to the California State Senate in San Francisco. Senator Wiener is fearless. He is frequently stopped in his neighborhood by older gentlemen, men who came of age in the 1950’s and 1960’s when the expression of their consensual love with an adult of their own gender was a criminal act. They ended up on the state registry of sex offenders. Where they remained until Scott Wiener passed the bill no one wanted to author that removed them.

In California, the first out generation can age with dignity because of Scott Wiener’s landmark LGBTQ Senior Bill of Rights.

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For over 70 years, in California, if a person over the age of 18 engaged in a heterosexual sex act with someone under the age of 18, it was a crime, but prosecutors and judges had discretion depending on a range of extenuating factors as to whether sex offender registration was appropriate. But, such discretion regarding the sex offender registry did not exist where when it was a homosexual sex act. SB 145 passed in August of this year, authored

by Scott Wiener, supported by law enforcement and civil rights groups and signed in law by Governor Newsom within the past few weeks has changed that and equalized the law.

Assembly member Todd Gloria is running for Mayor of San Diego. If he wins he will be the first member of the LGBTQ community and the first person of color elected to be San Diego’s Mayor. The son of a maid and gardener, he is a third generation San Diegan whose activism dates to his time as a student at the University of San Diego where he led efforts to include sexual orientation in the University’s non-discrimination policies. On the San Diego City Council he worked to ensure contractors doing business with the city had and followed sexual orientation non-discrimination policies. In the legislature, he is the Vice-Chair of the largest and most diverse LGBTQ legislative caucus in the country.

In 2019, Todd Gloria led the effort that resulted in California making the life-saving HIV prevention medications PrEP and PEP accessible in California without a physicians’ prescription.

In addition to his work on LGBTQ issues, Todd Gloria is known

for his leadership as the Chair of San Diego’s Budget Committee and his work on transportation, housing and homeless issues.

Across the country, the remarkable Sarah McBride is running to become the first transgender person elected to a State Senate seat. And, it is a special seat. The first Senate District in Delaware includes Vice-President Biden’s childhood Wilmington home. She has Vice-President Biden’s endorsement. Sarah is but 30 years, yet she is already an accomplished author and in 2016 at the Democratic Convention became the first transgender person to address a major party’s National Convention.

These are but three of the over 900 LGBTQ candidates who are on the ballot in this election. Our march for LGBTQ equality is at stake in November. We need your support. The country needs your vote.

OCTOBER 2020 13

COVER

SHOUT OUT

WHY IS THIS ELECTION IMPORTANT TO YOU?

America is at a crossroads. We need strong leadership to help us find new direction, purpose and hope for the future.

This election is important because it provides us with the opportunity to use our voice and vote, to help unify the country and build a brighter future.

I never thought SO much damage could be done in 3 years, especially initiated and incited by the President. This election is FAR from a laughing matter, it is a life and death matter for everyone, whether they realize it or not.

We are learning that progress made, is not progress effortlessly kept. If our own hands are not on the steering wheel, actively guiding our country’s moral compass someone else’s hands will be. I’m shocked at how quickly the country seems to have been driven into a tree.

Dr. Stephan Scoggins Tom Goss, singer/ entertainer

Thought my dad, Andrew Neiderman’s, comment might be best: This is the first election in my lifetime in which the future of my children and grandchildren has become more important than what might be good for me.

Melissa Neiderman, Author, Producer, Philanthropist.

Shann Carr, Lesbian Concierge of the Desert

We are at a crossroad of our existence.

We’ve been shown how “unbalanced” & “un-united we are compared to the rest of the world when it comes to following basic directions designed to save lives. We can either evolve and grow with Biden/Harris or we can remain sick and have to experience COVID-20. Please VOTE. Jill Langham, Heath Promoter, Trainer, Nurse, Author, Role Model, Party Starter.

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As a person living with HIV, I am alive today because of the Affordable Care Act, as are millions of people throughout our nation. I want to keep living, thank you very much. As for the bigger picture, quite frankly, Democracy is blindfolded, on the brink of execution, in front of a fascist firing squad cheered on by racist mobs. We must rescue it, or start learning Russian.

Nicholas Snow, Producer/Host PromoHomo.TV

Although every election is important to me because I value my right to voice my opinion, this year is more important than ever because there is a chance to vote for kindness. Our freedoms and liberties are being taken from us right before our very eyes. We need to elect leaders that exhibit good moral character, treat all people as equals, and lead by example and not with hate and bigotry.

Mark Anton, Executive Director, AAP/Food Samaritans

Voting in this election is so important to me because I care about the well being and health of people, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, ending gun violence, ending white supremacy, reproductive rights, and the environment. Everything, I mean everything is at stake.

Willie Rhine Restaurateur

All elections are important, and not only the ‘top of the ticket.’ Of course this is an extraordinary year, and the Presidential race is critical, perhaps more than ever because in recent months we’ve seen very clearly what happens when the wrong person with no ability to lead is elected. The damage that the current administration is hell-bent on doing to our democracy is plain to see. We must change course for the future of our nation.

All elections are important. It is our chance to have a voice. 2020 is critical because our liberties as a woman and as a straight ally are being destroyed. Our right to expression is being questioned and our status of greatest country in the world is being questioned.

Lynn Hammond, CEO, Lynn Hammond Catering

Tim O’Bayley, C.E.O. & Creative Director, O’Bayley Communications

I started voting at 18. So excited... made me feel like a grown up. I have voted every election and have never missed one.

In all of these years, I have never felt voting was a do or die situation. This year, I do.

Melanie Jones, Artist

This is one of the most consequential presidential elections in our lifetime. There are so many intertwined crises’ bubbling to the surface that it is imperative that we make a plan for voting and implement it. Donate money to candidates up and down the Democratic tickets in Governor, Senatorial and Congressional seats in the most crucial swing states across the Midwest and South.

Jeff Hocker, Executive Producer Owner, Hocker Productions

OCTOBER 2020 15

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OCTOBER 2020 17

BOOK REVIEW I

ALWAYS OVERBOOKED

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Please and Thank You. Those were The Magic Words you learned at your mother’s knee, the ones that opened doors and gained favors. That was also when you learned something important, as you’ll see in “My Own Words” by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams): letters, when properly collected, can move mountains.

Born in working-class Brooklyn in 1933, Joan Ruth Bader was her parents’ second daughter; sadly, their eldest died of meningitis just fourteen months later.

Theirs was a close-knit neighborhood, and the family had many of the luxuries of the day. Bader attended public school a block from her home; there, because of other girls in her class who shared her first name, she started using her middle name “for more official purposes.” She was raised to be independent and was an avid reader, a notably talented storyteller, and she loved gymnastics but “was not… especially fond of math.” And since she grew up in the shadow of World War II and was Jewish, she was fully aware of anti-Semitism.

Even as a child, in fact, young Bader chafed at inequality and “hypocritical rules.” She was also eloquent in her writing and was first published (in a Jewish Center newsletter) at age 13. Her leadership skills apparent, she entered Cornell University the fall after graduation from high school; there, she was greatly influenced by two teachers, novelist and European lit professor Vladimir Nabokov, and constitutional scholar Robert E. Cushman. The latter man “encouraged Ruth to go to law school.”

In mid-2003, co-authors Williams and Hartnett approached Bader Ginsburg and pointed out that it was time for her to tell her story, before someone else did. She had known both Williams and Hartnett for years through mutual interests and similar work, so “Without hesitation, I said yes to their proposal.”

In her preface, author and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says that “My Own Words” was meant to be written after a planned biography but her co-authors “thought it best” to wait on the biography until her “Court years neared completion.” They “flipped the projected publication order…”

You might wish they hadn’t.

You’ll hang onto every word of Ginsburg’s life story. It’s everything you’d expect from her, and it surely won’t disappoint readers. What will, though, is that “My Own Words” aren’t always her own words. Yes, you’ll read transcripts of speeches by Ginsburg, legal briefs, bench announcements, introductions, and wisdom inside

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law review articles. Yes, you’ll see her fierce strength in that which she firmly believed. But a good amount of this book consists of various-length essays, speeches, and articles written by others about Ginsburg, including things written by her co-authors. That could be a disappointment; the written speeches and judgments are okay, but a biography...? Wait for it.

This Is. Not. A bad book. It’s just not what you might expect, so be warned. If you want more biography, fewer essays, be patient; it’s likely to be coming. In the meantime, “My Own Words” will please you.

“My Own Words” by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams c.2016, Simon & Schuster $30.00 / $39.99 Canada 374 pages

BOOK REVIEW II

ALWAYS OVERBOOKED

BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

It starts early-on.

At first, it seems spontaneous: parents who enjoy their interests naturally display those passions to small children who are dragged along for the ride. The child observes and absorbs until one day, parental interest becomes child’s obsession. And in “The Truths We Hold” by Kamala Harris, that’s how a politician is made.

Supporters can almost see the trajectory in the history: Kamala Harris’s parents, both highly educated immigrants, instilled a sense of independence in their daughter and both remained supportive of her choices, even as they divorced. Harris’s mother, especially, gave Harris lessons in strength and activism through an upper-middle-class childhood with ballet and piano lessons alongside marches and protests.

Says Harris of her mother, a breast cancer researcher, “... she was determined to make sure we [Harris and her sister] would grow into confident, proud black women.”

Harris describes her community – the women and men who helped raise and educate her – with obvious affection, saying that “the seed was planted very early on,” and she knew that she wanted to be a lawyer and to make a difference in the lives of others.

“When activists came marching and banging on the doors,” she says, “I wanted to be on the other side to let them in.”

By the time Harris had finished law school, her sights were set on working “for the people.” She focused on the prosecution of child molesters, sexual predators, and rapists. On her way up the career ladder, she continued to advocate for the poor, for women and children, and for the rights of LGBTQ people and immigrants.

She worked for the reduction of recidivism, for Americans in need of health care, and for consumers and homeowners.

Says Harris, “In the years to come with all the challenges to come, we cannot lose sight of who we are and who we can be.”

As biographies by famous people go, “The Truths We Hold” is a refreshing surprise, in that there’s very little look-at-me namedropping. Author and assumed Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris mentions people because of work or family ties, not to impress.

Remarkably, she also writes of her friendship with Beau Biden.

The other interesting thing about this memoir is that readers will not see laid-out plans for the future: remember, this book was likely written at least two years ago and Harris presumably had no crystal ball. Instead of plainly-stated plans, what she offers “is a collection of ideas and viewpoints and stories...” Readers are left to

see passions between the lines, and can draw their own conclusions.

Aside from this, there’s plenty of biography which, again, is not filled with esoteric names-and-dates but with things that are relevant to the story of who Harris is and how she sees this country. That makes “The Truths We Hold” easy to read, if not a bit long in the achievement department, but not uninteresting. If you’d like to know more about the woman who may sit in the Vice President’s chair next January, read it now, while it’s early-on.

“The Truths We Hold: An American Journey” by Kamala Harris c.2020, Penguin Books $18.00 paperback 336 pages

OCTOBER 2020 19

Tim O’Bayley • Bob Bogard • Clinton Meyer

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FEATURE

15 ANNIVERSARY OF LGBT HISTORY MONTH TH

The month of October we commemorate LGBT History Month which celebrates the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Icons.

LGBT HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY LGBT History Month sends an important message to our nation’s teachers, school boards, community leaders, and youth about the vital importance of recognizing and exploring the role of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in American history.

BACKGROUND In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders.

They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur that month.

Gay and Lesbian History Month was endorsed by GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Education Association and other national organizations.

In 2006 Equality Forum assumed responsibility for providing content, promotion and resources for LGBT History Month.

CELEBRATE OUR HERITAGE The LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions.

LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community and makes the civil rights statement about our extraordinary national and international contributions.

ABOUT EQUALITY FORUM Equality Forum is a national and international LGBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum coordinates LGBT History Month, produces documentary films, undertakes highimpact initiatives and presents the largest annual national and international LGBT civil rights summit.

Visit our website, www.thestandardps.com everyday in the month of October and click on the LGBT History month icon to gain access to a new LGBT Icon each day. Featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources.

OCTOBER 2020 21

AMAZON TRAIL

NAH, WE AIN’T NO SISSIES

BY LEE LYNCH

I have been resting. A strange activity for me, but I had no choice. I was so worn out, I remember promising myself that I would never hurry again as long as I lived. The first two of six weeks I mostly slept, or lay unmoving beside my sweetheart. Awake, I read thrillers, and when those books didn’t ease my mental and emotional exhaustion, in desperation I read Ann Rule, the master of true crime.

So many people are afflicted or have died from what my sweetheart coined trump flu; so many people have died or lost their homes to the fires around us; so many people are suffering under the current administration; so many people are fighting the loss of democracy in the United States; so many people are victims of blatant and insidious racism—I feel like a sissy to have needed rest.

On July 31, I sent publisher Bold Strokes Books my new novel, Accidental Desperados. Four years in the writing, the Our Happy Hours anthology with Renee Bess tucked into those same years, and, monthly, “The Amazon Trail.” I used to be this productive and work full-time, but now?

Now I’ve lived three quarters of a century. It makes a difference.

When I mentioned this to dear indefatigable Arden Eversmeyer of the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project and Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, she said she’d never thought of her age that way. She concluded, however, that she’s lived nine tenths of a century. Which made me think, nah, we ain’t no sissies.

I was not in good shape. Just the thought of sitting in my writing

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chair made me nauseous with anxiety. I seriously talked with my sweetheart about ending “The Amazon Trail.” I’ve been writing it for over thirty-four years. But some people have told me it’s my best writing. Others, that they’d miss it.

I rested some more.

I’d told my publisher four years ago I was writing a quartet of books, a lesbian family saga. Accidental Desperados is only the second novel and after I complete the series, I want to write another Pacific Northwest book, like, but not like, Sweet Creek from 2006. I’m afraid I’ll run out of time. Or brain. Or, again, energy. At the stage of fatigue I landed in my memory was shot. I tripped over objects as familiar as my own Asics. Some days I could only lie on my back and breathe. How would I even survive the current political turmoil, much less write a book?

Then the wildfires came, and the smoke, air quality indexes over 500. A friend just south of us was at level three, the highest evacuation level, also known as GO! Another, recently widowed, friend had moved into her new home only a few days before she got the alert to evacuate. A third, whose health is compromised, called from the city to ask about the breathability of air on the coast. It was worse here. We won’t let King the cat out on his catio for fear of damaging his young lungs.

Like many others, I’ve pretty much been stuck inside since the advent of the trump flu and now smoke prevents me from walking my one to two miles a day. What a perfect time to write! I’ve slowly overcome my aversion to the office and writing chair by thinking of the lives lived by rural Afghans, by people of color who’ve become walking targets on the streets of America, of Native Americans slammed by the virus, of Arctic and rainforest animals displaced by profiteers. This is no time to idle.

I am privileged to be able to rest, much less write books instead of scratching a living from the land or scrambling to fill amazon. com orders ten hours a day. My long vacation has revived me. Once again I can balance on the lip of an empty canyon I’ll rush to fill with words that tell the story half-written in my mind. Six weeks ago, I might have shelved this third, standalone novel in the Rainbow Gap series. But a lot of people, with a lot more reasons to be tired, keep working. Heck, I’m nowhere near nine tenths of a century old.

OCTOBER 2020 23

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FEATURE

PALM SPRINGS PRIDE 2020

BY RON deHARTE EXIST. RESIST. PERSIST. Pride Week will look and feel very different in Palm Springs but we have many opportunities to celebrate and be engaged.

Our schedule of events will help you navigate what’s going on and connect in celebration.

We come together under the theme “Exist.

Resist. Persist.” to demonstrate our resilience, embrace our diversity and honor the past.

Sadly, there will be no Pride Parade with thousands of spectators or flying unicorns along Palm Canyon this year. State guidelines don’t allow for large events where groups of people will gather so this also means we will not be able to host our traditional Festival with entertainment and the vendor marketplace.

For months the Palm Springs Pride organization has been assessing opportunities to deliver residents and our business partners a reimagined, safe, socially distanced Pride Week celebration. We are focused on delivering a Safer Together, Greater Together message that everyone is welcome and respected for who they are in Palm Springs. We believe that all people deserve a diverse, inclusive, accepting, and welcoming safe space to celebrate Pride and our community. In lifting each other up even when it’s hard, even during a pandemic, we build allies, opportunities, and resources to live our best lives and help those around us do the same. This includes helping our business and non-profit partners through these challenging financial times.

Details for Pride Week activities can be found at pspride.org. Some of the programs included in this year’s Pride celebration include:

STARTING IN OCTOBER Prime Time Pride - Producer and Host of PromoHomo.TV Nicholas Snow will present the online series “Prime Time Pride” every Tuesday in October at 7:00 PM PDT (Oct. 6, 13, 20, and 27) and nightly Nov 2, 4, 5, and 6. All programs are free to watch and will be live-streamed on Facebook.

OCTOBER 13 – Everything you need to know about Pride 2020 This show will include guests from Front Runners and photographer Ron Williams, author “Desert Diversity” a photography showcase of our Pride Parade since 2008

OCTOBER 20 – An Arts and Culture show will feature power of lesbian visibility and Lesbo Expo and their movie “Exist, Persist, Resist, and Thrive.”

OCTOBER 27 – This show will focus on Youth on Pride, where they see themselves in the LGBTQ+ movement NOVEMBER 2 – Guests will share details of Light Up The Night and other programs of Pride week.

NOVEMBER 3 – Rally Against Racism get out the vote and election coverage NOVEMBER 4 – An Interfaith Pride Panel will explore spiritual approaches and responses to what’s going on in the world NOVEMBER 5 – Pride and Politics NOVEMBER 3 Rally Against Racism Join this virtual rally against Racism!

Your vote is needed to elect politicians who

OCTOBER 2020 25

FEATURE will tear down institutionalized racism and build institutions that promote life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Make sure you are registered to vote at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ Voter Registration deadline Oct 19 Ballots sent out first week of Oct Return ballot ASAP or well before Nov 3 Track your ballot at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov Location: A polling location near you 7:00 am – 8:00 pm NOVEMBER 6 Flag Raising presented by Gilead on Nov 6 - We’ll open up Pride with our traditional Flag Raising and even though we won’t be able to gather in person, we’ll be able to watch a live stream of our elected officials, and civic leaders speak about what Pride means to the City of Palm Springs.

Virtually cheer on and witness the unfurling the giant rainbow from the top of iconic buildings across the city. Rainbow flags, symbolic of both the unity and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community will fly throughout the city and remind the world that everyone is supported, embraced, and welcome in Palm Springs.

Interfaith Pride Kabbalat Shabbat a livestream event NOV 6 AT 6:30 PM Pride Parade Encore Presentation Nov 6 at 7:00 pm.

The Palm Springs Pride Parade is traditionally held on Sunday of Pride weekend and since this year’s parade has been rescheduled for 2021, we will celebrate with a virtual encore screening of the 2017 parade. This livestream will

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be simulcast on the PromoHomo.TV YouTube channel, the Nicholas Snow Facebook Page, and the Palm Springs Pride Facebook Page.

NOVEMBER 6 & 7 Light Up the Night presented by Gay Desert Guide on Nov 6 and Nov 7 Everyone is invited to host their own virtual lighting ceremony alongside thousands of other advocates for equality, equity, and diversity across Greater Palm Springs. Light Up the Night will also honor those impacted

by COVID-19, to remember loved ones lost, and to create a glowing show of community support and hope for a future free of the darkness coronavirus brings to our lives.

Pride Drive-in Movie Night presented

by Nissan on Nov 6 and Nov 7. Socially Responsible + Nostalgic Fun: The Palm Springs Cultural Center Drive-In Experience invites to step back in time under the starlit Palm Springs night and re-live the magic of yesteryear with a modern pop-up cinematic twist!

establishment viewed every gay and lesbian person as diseased and in need of a cure.

Business and government used the mentalillness classification to justify discrimination and bigotry. As long as lesbians and gay men were “sick,” progress toward equality was nearly impossible.

NOVEMBER 7 Palm Springs Pride DOUB”L”E FEATURE “Ahead Of The Curve” and “Exist, Persist, Resist, and Thrive.”

About this Event The Double Feature is brought to you by our presenting sponsor NISSAN in partnership with Lesbo Expo, the Palm Springs Cultural Center, and Greater Palm Springs Pride.

Join us and celebrate Greater Palm Springs Pride 2020 at the PS Cultural Center Drive-In. The film is brought to you by our presenting sponsor NISSAN and is a partnership between Greater Palm Springs Pride and the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

NOVEMBER 6 5:30 – 9:30 PM Greater Palm Springs Pride Drive-In Special Event: “Cured” Five years in the making, CURED illuminates a pivotal yet largely unknown chapter in the struggle for LGBTQ equality: the campaign that led the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses. Before this momentous 1973 decision, the medical

AHEAD OF THE CURVE/ EXIST, PERSIST, RESIST, AND THRIVE AHEAD OF THE CURVE is the story of one of the most influential women in lesbian history you’ve never heard of and the impact

her work continues to have today. Growing up, Franco never saw any representation of queer women–she didn’t even know it was possible for a woman to be gay. When she realized she was a lesbian, it changed the course of her life.

EXIST, PERSIST, RESIST, AND THRIVE 2020 Exist, Persist, Resist, and Thrive is a community film focusing on queer women/ lesbians. Produced by Lesbo Expo Presents, Directed by Shann Carr and Marnie Navarro the film strives to present visibility, creativity, and community for the Pride community and beyond. Featuring entertainers you love, commentary, funny stuff, and all the creativity the women’s community has to offer.

Camelot Theatres 2300 E Baristo Rd NOVEMBER 6-8 Front Runners Pride 5K run and walk (individual participation, no group activities) Although we cannot meet in person, we are not letting 2020 go by without our annual Pride Run & Walk and the opportunity to raise needed funds for our amazing beneficiary - the LGBT Community Center of the Desert.

With our virtual run, you choose your own 5K route and run or walk anytime on Pride Weekend: Nov 6th - 8th. And best of all - anyone around the globe can participate. That’s right - our Palm Springs Front Runners & Walkers friends and family around the globe can join the fun!

Register now, and also join the Facebook event and follow us on Instagram. Join the virtual celebration!

For details, visit our event website: https://www.palmspringspriderun.com NOVEMBER 7 Pride Parade Encore Presentation Nov 7 at 7:00 pm.

The Palm Springs Pride Parade is traditionally held on Sunday of Pride weekend and since this year’s parade has been rescheduled for 2021, we will celebrate with a virtual encore screening of the 2018 parade. This livestream will be simulcast on the PromoHomo.TV YouTube channel, the Nicholas Snow Facebook Page, and the Palm Springs Pride Facebook Page.

NOVEMBER 8 Pride Tea Dance presented by KGAY 106.5 Sunday, Nov 8 from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Enjoy your own private Tea Dance at home with DJ Galaxy and dance away to his unique set of today’s hits, throwback jams, and custom DJ Galaxy remixes.

Online via Twitch @ TWITCH.TV/KGAY1065 Pride month is usually a time to connect with friends, old and new, as we celebrate the progress we’ve made and recharge for the work ahead.

We know it’s difficult to think about celebrating as we are facing a global pandemic and fighting for racial justice.

However, it’s so important for us to stay connected as a community and take care of our mind and spirit at the same time.

OCTOBER 2020 27

FEATURE Join us on our virtual dance floor as we host our Virtual Pride Tea Dance!

NOVEMBER 8 Pride Parade Encore Presentation Nov 8 at 11:00 am.

The Palm Springs Pride Parade is traditionally held on Sunday of Pride weekend and since this year’s parade has been rescheduled for 2021, we will celebrate with a virtual encore screening of the 2019 parade. This brunchtime livestream will be simulcast on the PromoHomo.TV YouTube channel, the Nicholas Snow Facebook Page, and the Palm Springs Pride Facebook Page.

NOVEMBER 7 & 8 A land art installation in front of city hall - Community members are invited to participate in this socially distanced art + culture experience Nov 7 and 8. Those that support equality and social justice for all are invited to make placards, signs of hope, message posters, or statements of protest that will be used in this art installation.

Since there are no in-person events or large gatherings, this art project will call attention to and raise awareness of issues important to our community. Working with the Palm Springs Art Commission, the themed signs made by community members will be creatively displayed on the city hall lawn creating a community message of Pride and solidarity in Palm Springs.

Look for more details online at pspride.org HIGHLIGHT ACTIVITIES Desert Diversity Pride will be celebrated through photography. Palm Springs photographer, Ron Williams is publishing, a 200-page photo-book of Palm Springs Pride parades going back to 2008. “Desert Diversity” is

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an official publication of Palm Springs Pride.

Order on Amazon https://www.amazon. com/dp/B08H6M4S4N Virtual Food Court @ pspride.org - to support restaurants and promote take out and patio dining Palm Springs Pride Window Design and Display Contest Taking place November 2 through November 9. Businesses, including restaurants, hotels, retail and service businesses, are encouraged to create unique Pride related displays visible from the street.

Judging will take place via an online community poll November 2 through November 9, allowing for community members to view displays at their leisure without any crowds, and maintaining social distancing. Businesses are encouraged to post images of their displays on social media, allowing those who are sheltering in to participate in the judging and voting.

All participating as well as nonparticipating Palm Springs businesses are asked to make a donation to the prize package. Winners will be announced in three categories: restaurants, retail and other. The winner in each category will

receive the donated prizes. In addition, Main Street will award each winner $250 in cash to be donated to the Greater Palm Springs Pride Organization.

Additional donations by the public and businesses to Greater Palm Springs Pride to support their awareness, education, and outreach efforts are encourage.

“We are working with local business owners to come up with safe and sociallydistant programs where they can promote their businesses and offer something to the local community,” said Joy Brown Meredith, Main Street Board Chair and owner of Crystal Fantasy, a popular Palm Canyon retail store.

Pride Party Packs is a promotion to fund Palm Springs Pride’s year round civic engagement, events and programs. The Pride theme party packs will offer a variety of cocktails kits and a la carte food options for curb side pickup and will encourage same household Pride celebrations on Pride Weekend. The To Go kits are presented by Bud Light Seltzer, Effen Vodka, Hornitos, Jim Beam, Cruzan Light, and SQRRL. Pride Party Packs TO GO are available online at pspride.org and picked up at Trio on November 4, 5 & 6. Community Party Pack partners include Trio and Channel Q.

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OCTOBER 2020 29

INDESIGN

IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE…

BY DANN FOLEY

Wow, that is a loaded statement, is it not? You can apply that to any part of your life. When you consider this in a bigger context, extend it to the world around you, in this election year, it is almost overwhelming. That statement can also mean something more personal. It can apply to your home, your person, your relationship and your experience. This month is our very special VOTE edition and I am here to remind you that you can change your life and your perspective and the lives of millions of others by voting.

I often talk to you about change here within these pages. I push you to go deeper, look harder. Find who you are in your home and create your authentic experience. I have promised you that the work you do will not only beautify your world but it will enhance your life and your daily experience. And, all of that directly relates to how you share that life with others.

We are all going through tremendous changes. Covid 19, 4+ years of divisiveness, racism, misogyny, homophobia and sexism. It feels so overwhelming and those feelings creep into our homes. Our country feels like it is heading in the wrong direction and the western world seems to be falling for the same false narrative. Well guess what? You can make a change, you can make a difference. You can make the change in your life that you and your family need. Yes, that change can be as simple as fresh paint, a new coffee table, a sofa or a new comforter on your bed. I can go on ad nauseum, with the small examples of design choices that can change your perspective.

Today I am asking you to go even deeper and work harder.

If you have followed my stories here and if you have implemented

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any of the change’s I have offered you, then I know you are already aware of the power of small changes. Stepping into a voting booth may seem small but, it is actually monumental. Your vote matters.

The choice and the choices you make, matter.

Change your perspective and change your life… I speak those words on an almost daily basis in my work. In guiding people to find who they are in their homes and lives; I am simply offering them the opportunity to do their work. Finding who you are is a lifelong journey and your home and lifestyle is just one way of uncovering that joy. By using your ability to choose, you exercise the ability to make the right decisions for you. Because only you can say what is right for you. But sometimes those decisions have a greater effect on the world around you. What is right for you can be a choice for the greater good as well. We all can win. We can all live lives of beauty and be proud of who we are individuals, as a community and as a country. Beauty is so much more than a pretty home and lovely things. Beauty is first an outward expression.

I am grateful to have this opportunity to speak to as a designer and a fellow voter. Now more than ever, it is your responsibility to stand up and be counted. This election and this time is so much more than a choice between parties. It is fundamentally a choice between right and wrong. It is a choice between the greater good and selfishness. Choose what is right for you because I truly believe that if you are honest with yourself and make your decision, not from fear, but from honesty, you will make your life better. And along the way you will make life better for everyone you know and even those you don’t.

Choose that sofa, choose that chair, choose that wallpaper. Be bold, be fearless, be honest. Take a stand in your life and in your country. Vote!

This month as we prepare to cast our votes, I offer a few words of wisdom from men much wiser and more eloquent than I…

“Fascism is cured by reading. Racism is cured by travel.”

Miguel de Unamuno I wish you all health, happiness and hope. And as always, choose to Live Well!

Designer Dann

“Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism.”

Hubert Humphrey

Designer Dann:

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. www.foleystinnette.com

OCTOBER 2020 31

PSP FOCUS

>> MAIN STREET PALM SPRINGS PLANS PRIDE WINDOW CONTEST

BY BOB BOGARD

The unique, safe, socially distanced program promotes local businesses in support of Palm Springs Pride. Main Street Palm Springs, the Downtown and Uptown Business Association, announced a new program it has created that will help safely promote local businesses and increase community involvement. The new “Palm Springs Pride Window Design and Display Contest” will take place November 2 through November 9 and follows Main Street’s recent highly praised Street Art Bench project.

Businesses, including restaurants, hotels, retail, and service businesses, are encouraged to create unique Pride-related displays in their windows that will be visible from the street. While businesses can create their own displays, the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission has grants available for businesses to hire local artists for window designs and other art projects.

Business owners that would like to participate should sign up with Main Street by October 31 using the Contact link at palmcanyondrive. org or by visiting the Main Street Palm Springs Facebook page.

Judging will take place via an online community poll November 2 through November 9, allowing for community members to view all displays at their leisure without any crowds while maintaining social distancing. Businesses are encouraged to post images of their displays on social media, allowing those who are sheltering in place to participate in the judging and voting.

All participating as well as non-participating Palm Springs businesses are asked to make a donation to the prize package.

Winners will be announced in three categories: Restaurants, Retail,

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and Other. In addition, Main Street will award $250 in the winning business’s name to the Greater Palm Springs Pride Organization.

Members of the community may also make additional donations to Greater Palm Springs Pride to support their awareness, education and outreach efforts “We are working closely with local business owners to develop safe and socially distanced programs where they can promote their businesses and offer something to the local community,” said Joy Brown Meredith, Main Street Board Chair and owner of Crystal Fantasy, a popular Palm Canyon retail store. “The pandemic has prompted local governments to create strict guidelines to protect residents and visitors. Main Street is following these necessary health and safety guidelines as we plan fun and safe events for the community, which also support our local non-profits. The recent Street Art Bench Project demonstrated that even during these times, when we all come together for a community effort we can create a win-win.”

Jeffrey Bernstein, also a Main Street Board Member and owner of Destination PSP added, “During this pandemic, many of our local businesses and their employees have struggled financially.

Throughout the past six months we have seen the community rally around these businesses and we hope that this new Pride Window Contest will provide some needed recognition for these merchants and their employees.”

Details of all programs may be found at www.palmcanyondrive.org

PSP FOCUS

>> CVREP & CATHEDRAL CITY COLLABORATE TO OFFER OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT

BY ALEXANDRIA ROSALES

Theaters, production companies, dance companies and many other art organizations throughout the valley remain closed. Most art institutions remain uncertain as to when they may be allowed to reopen indoors; and, they remain cautious as to their capacity with social distancing.

During the pandemic, performing arts organizations shifted to the virtual world to continue presentations. According to Artistic Director Ron Celona, “It started out as an exciting opportunity to get creative. And, it’s still popular. It’s just not the same as live performances.” CVRep looked at ways to re-offer live performances amid coronavirus concerns, social distancing and most important, a safe and comfortable environment.

Discussions with the City of Cathedral City proved an exciting partnership – one in which live performances could be potentially offered – utilizing the nearly completed Cathedral City Community Amphitheater, a 109,335 square foot outdoor venue.

The Amphitheater was used for the City’s popular “Taste of Jalisco” event in February 2020, shortly before Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide Shelter in Place order.

Coachella Valley Repertory and the City of Cathedral City began meeting in August. A committee comprised of both organizations’ key personnel, Councilmember Rita Lamb, and Parks and Community Events Commissioner Stephen Vericker brainstormed about creating a performing arts series. During the City Council’s September meeting, Chris Parman, Communications & Events Manager, laid out the plan which CVRep’s Celona said would include jazz concerts, Latinx programs, a Shakespeare production and other exciting programming. The City Council unanimously voted in favor, clearing the way for live arts to return to the Valley if approved by State and County authorities.

“CVRep is one of our four entertainment anchors to the Downtown Arts and Entertainment District and we are committed to its success,” said Mayor John Aguilar. “The coronavirus pandemic has caused us to come up with creative solutions and the outdoor amphitheater space appears to be the answer in providing quality entertainment for the playhouse in a safe, socially-distanced manner.”

The venture is expected to kick off with a Holiday show on December 12, 2020. However, scheduling remains contingent on both State and County approval.

The upcoming events at the Amphitheater will see the ground marked out in “pods”, a circled area on the grass that will include a table and chairs for two or four persons. Doors will open at 4:30 pm, for Saturday performances, with shows beginning at 6:00 pm. During the 90-minute performances, patrons can enjoy a self- provided or concession food option for picnicking and the option to purchase wine, beer, and Pepsi products.

“We are looking to offer a full event experience in a safe environment using best practices for audience and entertainer safety,” said Celona.

The City and CVRep teams have been outlining safety protocols.

According to Board of Directors President Joe Giarrusso, events will have safety and wellness measures at the forefront. “Health and safety will be our top priority. We are creating a blueprint which ensures a safe environment for patrons, volunteers, staff and performers,” said Giarrusso. Among the safety requirements will be mandatory face coverings, social distancing and other measures that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) may recommend.

For info visit www.cvrep.org

OCTOBER 2020 33

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PSP FOCUS

>> AAP – FOOD SAMARITANS TO OBSERVE 13TH ANNIVERSARY WITH JEANNETTE ROCKEFELLER ANGEL PROGRAM

BY TIM O’BAYLEY

Food Samaritans (AAP) will celebrate its thirtieth year beginning with the launch of this season’s Jeannette Rockefeller Angel Program giving cycle. AAP- Food Samaritans usually holds an event in the fall to kick off the Angel Program for the season, but because of the current restrictions on public events that is not possible. Instead, Angel Program participants are asked to make contributions online to support AAP’s important nutrition program.

To commemorate AAP’s 30 years of service to the community, the organization has prepared a commemorative retrospective album that takes a warm look back at those individuals and organizations who have been so much a part of its story. The album honors those involved from its humble beginnings as AIDS Assistance Program (its original name), to the many talented and philanthropic individuals and organizations that AAP has recognized over the years.

The Angel Program honors the organization’s founding mothers – Jeannette Rockefeller, Gloria Greene, and Joanna Jakway – and supports its ongoing mission to help feed low income people with chronic illnesses. Since its inception, AAP has distributed more than $13 million in direct client service to more than 2,750 clients. AAP’s clients get by on an annual income of less than $18,735.

To find out more about the Jeannette Rockefeller Angel Program, visit aapfoodsamaritans.org and click on the link to the Angel Program. It holds information about how anyone can step up and support AAP and includes a link to the digital copy of the retrospective album.

There are many benefits that accompany each level of giving in the Jeannette Rockefeller Angel Program, including tickets to AAP’s iconic ‘Evening Under the Stars’ event. If AAP is able to hold ‘Evening Under the Stars’ in May 2021, members of the Angel Program last year who renew now will not only receive the tickets they were entitled to in 2020, but they will also receive the same amount of tickets for 2021. As a special benefit, AAP’s long-time supporter Lily Tomlin has offered to create a custom outgoing voicemail message for donors who contribute $5,000 or more and will be happy to do it using the voice of her iconic character ‘Earnestine.’

“2021 marks thirty years since our organization was created,” said Mark Anton, CEO and Executive Director of AAP – Food Samaritans. “With the expansion of our mission in 2015, we changed our name to better reflect the inclusion of low-income people living with other chronic illnesses in addition to HIV/AIDS. We know that being part of this community means helping those among us who are struggling, and we will continue to serve all who need us with the help of our dedicated community.”

For more information about AAP – Food Samaritans and the Jeannette Rockefeller Angel Program, call 760-325-8481 or visit aapfoodsamaritans.org

OCTOBER 2020 35

PERSPECTIVE

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

BY JILL LANGHAM

Hello my friends.

We’re about to enter one of the most dreaded and tumultuous elections in the history of U.S. elections. I am not looking forward to the next four weeks and I’ll bet you’re not either!

My good friend from Canada sent this to me and it’s just perfect:

happiness to be dictated by who is in the White House! Doesn’t that mean that he as won either way?”

I had to step back for a minute to take that in and found myself totally agreeing with him. I made mention of this a few months back when I commented how unbelievable it was that many of my friends had stopped talking to their families and friends 4 years ago after Trump won. Am I judging them? Absolutely not, but when politics overshadows our own happiness, elevates blood pressure and cortisol levels to dangerous heights, destroys families and long tern friendships, I have to ask if it’s all worth it.

I’m not suggesting that we turn a blind eye, stay off of all social media, become less informed or be ignorant but I think we have to come to some livable solution that perhaps makes us come together in a peaceful, productive way.

I’ll be honest with you, I have often thought as I do when it comes to keeping my condo organized and keep like things together that perhaps the U.S. should be the same way. If you want to carry guns, so be it, if you want to kill one another, so be it, but do it in a state that already has people who think that way. Perhaps we all make an agreement that we won’t tread on your territory and vice versa. I don’t need to see Appalachia, or visit Alabama or Texas so maybe they can live peacefully amongst themselves and we can do the same. And yes, I know this is a naïve suggestion but there are times that it feels right to me.

I think now is the time for us to decide exactly how we are going to feel about our “Biden/Kamala” win or our “Trump” loss. Will it be with more hatred and division of friends and family? Will we riot and take it to the streets? Will we forget about all the things that COVID-19 has taught us?

I am not convinced one way or the other about who will be the victor, nor can we after the Hillary fiasco, so we need to be prepared either way.

A young friend of mine made a very a astute statement the other day when he said, “How sad is it that people are allowing their

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We have not been able to control illegal gun purchases or even agree that we don’t want them in our country. We have police who may have started out with good intentions, but were coerced to the “dark side” once they had guns in their possessions. We are not united in much of anything and we have become the laughing stock of the world.

I don’t want to find another country to live in or move to one but we do not in anyway represent what our forefathers attempted to create almost 250 years ago. We have fallen off of our path and if we truly knew what was really going on behind the closed doors of the presidency I think we would be more shocked than we already are.

I know it’s easy to write words like mine because we all do it

TRADE YOUR

BOREDOM BLUES

for Beachside Bliss

everyday on social media and other platforms and I really wish that I had an answer to offer outside of going to the polls on November 3rd, but I don’t. But when I hear people over the years talk about F**k buddies and Friends with Benefits, I think we should also have a Voting Buddy as well. Maybe this way we can be proactive about getting to the polls (if we are allowed) or to make sure that we have mailed or carried our ballot to City Hall. Are you all willing to do that? I know I am!

I will pray for us all over the next the 34 days. I will pray for the next best thing to happen. I will pray that we can unite in a healthy way to get this country back on track. We may have started off as a nation that wanted to help the disadvantaged, the underdogs of the world to have a fighting chance but now are finding that racism has been there since before Day One. We have done for other countries what we could not and have not done for our own. Will January 2021 be any different with a new administration if we win? Or will we have to hear about how DT did this and that over and over again rather than pay him no mind and get on with the business at hand? That is what I wish and pray for most.

How this relates to our health may be pretty obvious by now. We have become a highly acidic nation. Where there is too much acid in our bodies outside of our digestive tract there is illness, darkness and eventually toxicity that lead to Cancer. Will we have to cut out a huge portion of America like a surgeon does? Or will we lead by our own personal example and become the change?

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OCTOBER 2020 37

VIEWPOINT

AIN’T THAT SOME BULLSHIT?

BY DR. STEPHAN SCOGGINS

I’d like for you to pause and give some thought to WHATEVER is truly important to you? Is it love? Money? Healthcare? Education?

I’m serious, think about it. Now, imagine if someone were to tell you that it will either be taken away from you or that you just won’t be allowed to have it? Oh wait, you don’t have to imagine it. That is EXACTLY what you are being told. It’s like going to a Blanca Del Rio show and she attacks EVERYONE without regard of race, gender, disability, etc. The difference is, her act is a comedy show and what we are currently experiencing in this country is far from comedy.

Ain’t that some bullshit?

Some people thrive on the class structure of America, the “haves and have-nots”. I suppose it works for them until someone with more haves tells them that they can have not. For many, many years one of the most influential political positions that ALL candidates are essentially “required” to address is, abortion. I always imagined how it felt for women to hear and see conversations and decisions being made about them as if they were not even in the room? Oh wait, it’s because they were not even in the room. Yet, they had to be like an audible street crossing light and, “Wait. Wait”, to find out what decisions would ultimately be decided FOR them. Ain’t that some bullshit?

38 THESTANDARDPS.COM

However, as a gay black man, I have lived and watched decisions be made ABOUT me that clearly never included me into the equation. The boomerang occurred when I discovered the power of my vote. It was then that I discovered it is not my blackness that is so intimidating; it is my brilliance. Ain’t that some real shit!

I make them feel as uncomfortable as they have made me feel.

Now, did you pick up on that? I never said white people; you thought it. I’m talking about ALL people who fuck with other people for the purposes of THEIR comfort. It’s not the color it’s the kind. I have had black people walk past me without even speaking. Are we supposed to blame that on white people? I have had black people reject me and defame me for being gay and in an interracial relationship. Are we supposed to blame that on white people? Ain’t that some bullshit?

In 2008, when the voting was trying to defeat same sex marriages, the political powers relied heavily on religious groups to wave the flag of indignation and abomination for the good of country. Of course, true to form, the black communities were hot and heavy to voice how same-sex marriages would ruin the world. This was my question, “How in the hell, can you go from being marginalized, segregated and separated, arrested, beaten and killed (not in 1958, but 2008) to wanting to be a voice of discrimination against gays? Ain’t that some bullshit?

Women, who STILL are not allowed to make choices regarding their own bodies, all of a sudden had time to fight against the gays.

Veterans, like me, who have to damn “audition” and “apply” for necessary medical benefits, had time to campaign against same-sex marriages, against some of the very soldiers who fought alongside them. Ain’t that some bullshit?

whatever “exposed” you to that arena. Ain’t that some bullshit?

Now, all of a sudden when the very people who were discriminating against “other” people now feel like they are being discriminated against, now they want change. Ain’t that some bullshit?

We currently have a president who is doing just that. From his OWN staff, not just party affiliation, but his own staff, to women, veterans, disabled persons, immigrants, he PUBLICLY is berating anyone who is not emphatically agreeing with him and who is not lifting him up as a messiah. We are living in the most dangerous and tumultuous political times. Ain’t that some bullshit?

In this voting climate, we need to learn that the president of the United States is not the ONLY office that we are electing. Voting starts way down at our local levels. We should participate and KNOW the views of the local elected officials. The office of presidency and quite often the behaviors of the president are supported by the behaviors and actions of the people who are under them.

Sadly, many people in democratic and republican parties are like religions, “once they’re in there is no changing”. And like with religions, many times you only “got in” because of your parents or whoever or

Are you saying that if you are Democrat or Republican and the leader of that affiliation got on national television and denounced EVERYTHING you stand for that you will still support them? Ain’t that some bullshit?

We MUST remove Donald J. Trump from office and become veraciously involved with our political process in the future, to include our school superintendants, city council members, state representatives, sheriffs and perhaps even our Wal-Mart greeters.

Vote November 3, 2020. We MUST vote Trump OUT of office.

OCTOBER 2020 39

WELLNESS

LOOKING TO RELIEVE STRESS FROM THE PANDEMIC? TRY NAKED YOGA

BY MARK DAWSON

Yogi Dan Carter Brings His Popular Washington, D.C. Yoga Class to Palm Springs This Fall. The last time the world faced a major virus outbreak of the current magnitude was the Spanish Flu of 1918. During that outbreak, Joseph Pilates was perfecting his method and teaching inmates at a British internment camp how to breathe and move.

While countless inmates at that camp lost their lives to the flu, every Pilates student survived. That is not to suggest that Yoga or Pilates can mitigate the contraction of COVID-19, but yoga teachers like Dan Carter do believe the practice can help the immune system fight off the virus and help keep people off the dreaded ventilator.

“One of the biggest benefits of Yoga and Pilates are that they are breath-based fitness modalities,” he explains. “In a boot camp (fitness) class or a game of pick-up soccer, the breath is secondary to the movement. Yoga and Pilates start with the breath and move from there.

Knowing how to breath efficiently helps boost your immune system.”

Carter is the owner of Danimal Yoga, a Washington, D.C.-based yoga center that hosts the area’s largest and most social nude yoga group. They have over 1,000 members. Additionally, Carter and his

40 THESTANDARDPS.COM

group hold quarterly retreats throughout the country, including the Self Renewal Naked Fitness Retreat, taking place November 19-23 at Inndulge, a gay men’s clothing optional resort in Palm Springs.

WHY DO YOGA NAKED? According to Carter, the removing of clothes allows for greater connection among participants in the group. “It’s a great equalizer and reminds us that we are all living creatures sharing a common bond.”

He says his classes often lead to life-long friendships, crossgenerational conversations and the occasional romantic relationship.

“Relationships of all kinds are important for our mental and physical health.”

Some of the weekend’s other highlights will include massages, nightly happy hours, a hike through the Palm Spring desert and lounging in the resort’s salt-water pool and Jacuzzi.

Due to the pandemic, INNdulge and the Danimal Fitness team have put safety precautions in place for the November retreat.

Classes will be kept to half-capacity, masks will be required while groups are congregating, mats will be socially distanced as will all exercise equipment and outside lounging areas.

And while the retreat is at a gay men’s clothing optional resort and some of the programming is geared towards gay men, Dan Carter says the weekend is open to bisexual and heterosexual men.

“The Self Renewal Naked Fitness Retreat is an opportunity for all men to learn about their bodies and create brotherhood in the process,” he says, adding, “We’re a very welcoming crew.”

INNDULGE PALM SPRINGS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS INNdulge, the leading gay men’s clothing optional resort in Palm Springs, celebrates 25 years this month. The luxury inn with its epic mountain views first opened on October 20, 1995 by founders John Williams and Jean-Guy Lachance. Previously, half the property had been a motor lodge, built in 1958, and the other half was a pair of triplexes built in 1972.

Jon Jackson and his partner purchased INNdulge ten years ago.

Since then, they have made significant improvements to the property, including refurnishing the entire property with all new furniture, linens, fixtures and bathrooms. They also added the large modern figure sculptures by artist Mavis McClure that line the walkways of the immaculately landscaped courtyard.

The one fixture that still remains from when the property was a motor lodge is the inn’s magnificent kidney-shaped pool, now the centerpiece of the courtyard. Jackson and his partner resurfaced the pool last year and this spring, during the COVID lockdown, they re-poured its concrete decking.

Next to the pool is a 24-hour, 10-man keyhole whirlpool spa that was founded in 1995.

“The courtyard at INNdulge is meant to foster friendships among guests,” Jackson explains. It has played host to significant events including weddings, birthdays, reunions and more. “There is nothing more fun than a spontaneous midnight pool party,” he says, noting how it is a frequent occurrence, especially during the summer months.

In their ten years as stewards of the hotel, Jackson and his partner have learned that hospitality is about offering people memories and a connection. “It is simply incredible to us the number of our guests

who remain life-long friends with other guests from around the world.

Also, the many guests that have ended up moving to Palm Springs!”

Since the 1920s, Palm Springs has been the desert playground for gay men. 50s-era stars like Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter made the town their second home because it allowed them to escape the hustle and bustle of Hollywood and enjoy sexual freedom without fear of being outed. It is that same sexual freedom that continues to be a popular draw for gay travelers today.

With its nearly 50% gay population, gay mayor and entirely gay city council, Palm Springs is the perfect destination for a gay traveler.

The vintage resort town is renowned for its midcentury-modern architecture that is more refined than Vegas, yet more reposeful than Los Angeles. Because of its low-density population and outdoor lifestyle, it has also been called one of the safest places to be during the pandemic.

There’s plenty to do, from the springs to the golf courses and spas.

Palm Springs is a hiker’s paradise with numerous hidden trails along the Coachella Valley and the shopping cannot be beat, with major retailers in Downtown Palm Springs and on El Paseo Drive in Palm Desert.

“We have a lot to be thankful for as we celebrate our 25th year in operation,” says Jackson. “The pandemic has taught us that it takes a village to get through tough times and we take our hats off to our employees, neighbors, fellow business community including the local restaurants, hairstylists, bar owners and more… and of course, our guests.

“Our regular guests have been incredibly supportive, not just of us as owners, but of Inndulge, as a place full of memories and magic.”

Jackson acknowledges that he counts himself among the fortunate. Resorts that feature outdoor entrances to guest rooms, as Inndulge does, have been deemed among the safest ways to travel, which has helped business. “We look forward to 25 more years.”

Visit http://inndulge.com Learn more at http://www.danimalyoga.com/retreat

OCTOBER 2020 41

DAPUPDATE

COVID CAN’T STOP DESERT AIDS WALK 2020

BY JACK BUNTING It’s that time of year again, and AIDS Walk 2020 is still an exciting opportunity for everyone who cares about ending AIDS to come together as a community. With a few modifications for everyone’s safety, this time-honored tradition is still going strong.

New HIV infections are continuing in the Coachella Valley, and years of DAP’s work to reverse this trend are in danger without support from people in the community.

Desert AIDS Walk 2020 will last for two days and will span cities across the Coachella Valley, October 23 & 24.

Festivities include an online wellness forum. This is an opportunity for entertainment and to learn more about DAP’s programs and services, dedicated community sponsors, and the extended work of its partners. Registration and more information is available at www.

DesertAIDSWalk.org.

Walk routes in surrounding desert cities are also offered, a new feature that lets everyone participate in Desert AIDS Walk 2020 while getting out and enjoying their own communities.

This year, the traditional Palm Springs route remains a favorite pathway, and it’s been mapped out and is available for download.

Capture and share your HOPE Along the way there are plenty of opportunities for walkers to safely take selfies, like at new art installations, or designated stops to say hello to local businesses—all with the intention of sharing messages of HOPE via social media.

In many ways, Desert AIDS Walk has always been virtual.

When it began thirty-four years ago, the first organizers say they did not know if the community would support it, but they knew the only way forward was together. Support from was instant, and their HOPE started to grow.

When walkers register, they will be given three clear reasons to walk in 2020: • Healthcare Access for All • HIV/AIDS Education, Prevention & Care • COVID-19 Triage Clinic The reason for the Walk has never really been about balloon arches or walker t-shirts. It’s always been about the collective power of community and our shared vision of a future where everyone has the comprehensive care that they need to live their best lives.

Desert AIDS Walk Paved Way for COVID Response Because of community support, DAP developed the services

42 THESTANDARDPS.COM

needed to respond to the AIDS epidemic while creating a patientcentered model of care that helps people with HIV. Thirty-four years of walking created the roadmap DAP used to quickly open a COVID-19 Triage Clinic, which has provided testing and respiratory treatment to almost 3,500 residents since the pandemic began. Together we are boldly applying lessons from our past to today’s crisis.

Desert AIDS Project CEO, David Brinkman explains: “By opening one of California’s first COVID clinics, DAP made a choice. We are survivors; fear cannot rule us; when crisis sets it, we step forward.”

• We have the ability to end epidemics, including HIV and COVID • We integrate Behavioral Health and Addiction Treatment

as critical components of Primary Care • We address Social Determinates of Health, including

racism and poverty, through our inclusive model

of healthcare.

With the ongoing courage and support of this community, our organization thrives.

The AIDS crisis left unhealed wounds and it’s understandable that we may resist leaving our comfort zone. But AIDS taught us a community response is the most effective response. It taught us that we cannot turn our backs when communities are in need and in fear, that we must remember our humanity and the gift of giving back and be there to help.

And as we’ve learned through our recent human rights and health equity movements, equality cannot be experienced by one until it is experienced by all.

You can find out more at www.DesertAIDSWalk.org.

Register Today!

Two-Day Virtual Event

PRESENTED BY

October 23 & 24 Register to Walk or Donate at DesertAIDSWalk.org

OUR COMMUNITY IN ACTION

OCTOBER 2020 43

MUSIC REBA MCENTIRE RE-RELEASES ‘RUMOR HAS IT’ ALBUM FOR 30TH ANNIVERSARY Country superstar Reba McEntire re-released her iconic RIAA tripleplatinum certified album Rumor Has It in honor of the record’s 30th Anniversary. Originally released in 1990, Rumor Has It features four Top 10 hits including the album title track, “You Lie”, “Fallin’ Out Of Love” and her signature hit, “Fancy.” In addition, the anniversary edition vinyl includes a bonus track, a live acoustic version of “Fancy” recorded at The Ryman, while the cd and digital versions will feature that bonus track as well as a new dance remix of “Fancy.”

Special cd, vinyl and autographed bundle packages will be available for fans featuring items such as a commemorative lithograph, limited edition t-shirt and more.

“I never imagined I’d get the chance to put out an album for a second time. It’s just so much fun to look back and remember where we were and what we were doing when they were originally released,” shares Reba. “This album in particular is very special to me because it was the first time I got to record with Tony Brown and he was the reason I finally got to record ‘Fancy.’ Now here we are 30 years later and I never end a show without singing that song.”

Reba recently re-launched her Reba: Live special exclusively on YouTube, reaching over 100,000 views in just the first three days.

Filmed in 1994 at the Omaha Civic Center, the recording showcases Reba’s extraordinary showmanship and includes plenty of iconic costume changes as well as her signature humor. The Oklahoma native’s distinctive talent truly comes to life in the hour-long special that includes twelve unique performances. Fans can watch clips of the special on Reba’s YouTube channel HERE. Additional information can be found at: www.reba.com

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BRAZILIAN POP SUPERSTAR ANITTA INVITES CARDI B & MYKE TOWERS TO JOIN HER ON NEW SINGLE “ME GUSTA”

BY RYAN TURRIN Today, Anitta drops “Me Gusta,” a star-studded anthem for the last days of summer featuring Cardi B and Myke Towers. The single builds on the warm, sultry sound that’s made Anitta one of Brazil’s biggest breakout pop superstars.

Paired with a stunning video, it’s a taste of her forthcoming album, which is executive produced by the award-winning Ryan Tedder.

On “Me Gusta” the trio spill simmering verses over a humid guitar riff, flipping effortlessly between English and Spanish. Anitta’s gorgeous vocals float like a cloud, Cardi’s bars are stinging and self-assured, and Towers’ indelible tonality, flow and force prove to be the perfect counterpart for these two female powerhouses. It’s a song that begs for sweaty clubs and crowded beach parties — but for now, dancing in our bedrooms will do.

Quarantine has been the story of 2020 for Anitta, but she hasn’t let it slow her down. She’s gone live on socials nearly every day from her home in Rio de Janeiro, keeping her fans up to date on her recording process. She’s also joined Miley Cyrus, J Balvin, Katy Perry, David Guetta, P. Diddy, and more for chats and performances.

Before the world slowed down, Anitta was set to take both the Coachella and Rock In Rio stages by storm in 2020.

“Me Gusta” is another impressive notch on Anitta’s belt. It follows the July release of her single “Tócame,” featuring Arcangel and De La Ghetto, which has amassed over 40 million cumulative streams. Earlier this summer, Anitta signed with Warner Records, the start of a fruitful partnership that has pushed her music even further.

Boasting 5 Latin GRAMMY® Award nominations, 6 MTV EMA wins, nearly 5 billion YouTube views, and 6.5 billion Spotify streams, Anitta is already a star, and “Me Gusta” has the power to intensify her global shine even more.

CYNDI LAUPER REUNITES WITH TRACY YOUNG FOR “HOPEFUL” REMIX

BY MARTHA TANG

With one month to go until the monumental high-stakes U.S. election, Cyndi Lauper has enlisted GRAMMY-winning producer/ remixer Tracy Young to create an amped up version of “Hope.”

“There is so much going on right now - from the Coronavirus, to the perpetual mistreatment of our Black and Brown brothers and sisters, to the abhorrent targeting of our LGBTQ community, to the divisiveness that’s happening in this country. No matter what side of the aisle you’re in - in the U.S. or around the globe - we’re all human beings and I believe we all want the same things - unity and peace,” said Lauper. “We have to remain hopeful that things will get better.

That’s why we march, we speak out, we fight for each other’s rights, and it’s why we vote.”

Tracy Young, who made history in January when she became the first woman to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Remixed Recording, created this thumping take on Lauper’s “Hope” single from 2019.

Lauper is performing “Time After Time” on the PBS Great Performances: Salute To Grammy Legends concert that will air October 16, and was recently a part of the TIME100 and their broadcast on ABC last week, honoring her friend and collaborator Billy Porter.

She also doubled down on her fervent advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community via her True Colors United organization in this Op-Ed for the LA Times. Co-authored with former Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and Shaun Donovan, the piece calls out the Trump administration’s transgender discrimination.

Lauper and Young have previously worked together, on this searing remix of “Shine.” The “Hopeful Remix” arrives with a video created by the talented young London-based animator Harifa, who has previously collaborated with Lauper, Ciara and more. The ultimate take-away? “Don’t give up.”

In addition, Lauper has been very active during the 2020 election season, performing at and participating a number of highprofile virtual events for #TeamBiden and Speaker Pelosi. She’s also enjoyed being a part of Richard Weitz’s pandemic Quarantunes parties, raising money for Broadway Cares and others.

“One of the things that I love about this project is that it really spans generations,” said Lauper. “You have three strong, creative women – me, Tracy, and Harifa – coming together to make magic.”

Lauper also has a key role in Rise Up: Songs of The Women’s Movement, a documentary that has been airing on PBS throughout the year. She did a virtual duet with Irma Thomas for CBS’s Grammy Salute to Unsung Heroes special tribute to healthcare workers in May, and continues to work on projects including the Working Girl musical coming to Broadway and a Netflix show with Jane Lynch and Carol Leifer. Her original song were featured in Apple TV’s animated musical comedy series Central Park, she appeared as a character in Nickelodeon’s Bubble Guppies, and has new music in the upcoming new SpongeBob movie.

Lauper continues to reinforce her status as a role model, advocate and icon. Tik Tok is collaborating with Lauper and True Colors United on the #ShowYourTrueColors campaign for “National Coming Out Day” (October 11). In addition, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings has commissioned a beautiful new lyric video for “Time After Time,” by Malikah Holder, also to premiere in time for National Coming Out Day.

OCTOBER 2020 45

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OCTOBER 2020 47

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EL MIRASOL 140 E Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.323.0721 www.elmirasolrestaurants.com

CHILL BAR 217 E. Arenas Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.327.1079

THAI SMILE PALM SPRINGS 100 South Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.5503 www.thaismilepalmsprings.com

RICK’S RESTAURANT 1973 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.416.0090 www.ricksrestaurant.biz

TRIO RESTAURANT 707 N Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.864.8746 www.triopalmsprings.com

PINOCCHIO IN THE DESERT 134 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.322.3776 www.pinocchiops.com

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REVEL PUBLIC HOUSE 140 S Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 760.325.9464 https://revelps.com LULU CALIFORNIA BISTRO 200 S Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.327.5858 www.lulupalmsprings.com

HUNTERS NIGHTCLUB 302 East Arenas Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.323.0700 www.huntersnightclubs.com TOUCAN’S TIKI LOUNGE 2100 North Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.416.7584 www.toucanstikilounge.com

STREETBAR 224 E. Arenas Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.1266 www.psstreetbar.com THE TOOL SHED 600 E. Sunny Dunes Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.320.3299 www.toolshed-ps.com EAGLE 501 BAR 301 E Arenas Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.327.0753 BLACKBOOK BAR 315 E Arenas Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.832.8497 www.blackbookbar.com QUADZ 200 S Indian Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 760.778.4326

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