State, Nation & Wor d

Postponement of AIDS Wa k puts Fl orida nonprofits in tough spot

Jason Parsley of South Florida Gay News

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Local nonprofits are starting to feel the impacts of the coronavirus and are asking for financial support from the community following The Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival’s postponement.

The event is South Florida’s largest fundraisers. Proceeds raised benefit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Aqua Foundation for Women, Equality Florida Institute, Latinos Salud, The Poverello Center, The Pride Center at Equality Park, SAVE Foundation, SunServe, The Urban League of Broward County and the World AIDS Museum and Education Center (WAM).

“We’re certainly busier than ever, and in need of financial donations,” Poverello Center Tom Pietrogallo shared. “We have never made enough through grant programming to fully fund all the food we give away, we’ve always depended upon donations to the thrift store, financial donations and thrift store sales to make our system work.”

The AIDS Walk was originally scheduled to take place on Fort Lauderdale beach March 21 and fundraising is still in full swing. AHF hopes to reschedule the event and will continue to match donations through April 30. WAM also anticipates an upcoming cash crunch and is worried about its long term survival. “The COVID-19 crisis is touching everyone’s lives, and presents significant financial challenges,” a statement to supporters after the postponement read. “If we can raise the remaining $53,000 of our goal, the World AIDS Museum will be able to survive this crisis. If we don’t meet our goal, the future of the Museum will have some serious challenges.” According to WAM, the Florida AIDS Walk is an essential fundraising tool for the organization. “[This crisis] interrupts our most important fundraising season – The Florida AIDS Walk,” the statement read. “If you’re already registered as a walker – we need you to start asking your friends to support the Museum through your walk page.” “We know our staff and volunteers are looking forward to participating in the AIDS Walk when it is rescheduled, but remain grateful for the opportunity for supporters of Equality Florida to have their donations matched by AIDS Healthcare Foundation,” Equality Florida Media Relations Manager Brandon Wolf shared. “Our community is resilient and we thank AHF for helping us ensure the fight for full equality goes on.” As of press time, Equality Florida had raised 51% of their goal. Latinos Salud had raised 88%.

For information about the Florida AIDS Walk and donating to its beneficiaries, visit FloridaAIDSWalk.org.

Trans ega group re eases CO VID -19 guide

Michelle Siegel of the Washington Blade, Courtesy of the National LGBT Media Association

The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF ) has prepared a free online guide, available in both English and Spanish, for transgender and nonbinary individuals attempting to navigate life during the coronavirus pandemic.

“A Know Your Rights Guide for Transgender People Navigating COVID-19,” which contains information that was accurate as of March 22, explores both trans-specific concerns and equity concerns that disproportionately impact trans and non-binary individuals, such as issues involving employment, housing and health care. It also features a national appendix of health and advocacy resources.

The guide stresses the existence of a pandemic does not void the fact that trans and nonbinary individuals are entitled to receive care and access to services. As TLDEF interprets federal law within this guide, medical providers must address individuals by the names and pronouns that they use and provide individuals access to facilities consistent with their identities.

The guide encourages trans and nonbinary individuals to self-advocate by knowing their rights and, if feeling ill, contacting a medical provider or a state health department hotline. According to the guide, the “extraordinary public health crisis” may lead trans and nonbinary individuals to experience delays in receiving transition-related services, including operations

that hospitals have classified as “non-emergency surgeries” and business that courts and government agencies has deemed “non-essential,” which may or may not entail changing one’s legal name and gender marker. If a trans or nonbinary individual feels that they are being subject to discrimination; the guide advises that the individual report each incident to the appropriate staff, take notes, obtain names, save copies of any documents and file a complaint. TLDEF describes itself as “a nonprofit whose mission is to end discrimination and achieve equality for transgender people, particularly those in our most vulnerable communities.”

As of March 30, there were more than 140,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., with more than 2,400 deaths.

Ne s Briefs

Miam i Party attendee dies A 40-year-old gay man from North Miami Beach died March 26 of complications from the coronavirus. Israel Carrera tested positive for COVID-19 March 21. His boyfriend Franco Conquista told his local NBC affiliate station Carrera had no major underlying issues. “Israel was just a lovable man,” he shared. He advised Carrera got sick after attending the week-long Miami celebration of beach parties and nightclub dancing March 4-10, which serves as a fundraiser for the National LGBT Task Force. According to organizers, the official number of attendees at the event was 5,500 people and there have been additional reports of other attendees also testing positive.

DC ’s Capital Pride po stpo ned The Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes D.C.’s annual Pride parade and festival, announced March 30 that it has postponed all of its Pride related events scheduled for May and June, including the parade and festival, due to the escalating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Capital Pride announced the postponement would include its affiliated Pride events, including Capital Trans Pride, Asian Pacific Islander Pride, Youth Pride, Silver Pride and DC Latinx Pride. New dates for the events will be announced in the coming weeks. In a separate announcement, the Center for Black Equity, which organizes D.C.’s annual Black Pride events on Memorial Day weekend, said it has cancelled all D.C. Black Pride events for 2020 as well.

Man convicted in killings of 2 gay m en, trans wom an Devon Kareem Robinson, 19, was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, assault with intent to murder and felony firearm March 17 for the 2019 killings of 21-year-old Alunte Davis, and 20-year-olds Timothy Blancher and Paris Cameron. Prosecutors said Davis and Blancher were gay men and Cameron was a transgender woman and they and police believe the victims were targeted for their sexual orientation and gender identity. The three victims were slain in the living room of a Detroit home following a party attended by about 15 people. Robinson could face life behind bars without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced April 13 for the May 2019 killings.

Irish track champ com es out Denis Finnegan, a 10-time national track-and-field title winner in Ireland, came out as gay on the “Five Rings To Rule Them All” podcast March 23. Finnegan said he has been “drifting” toward coming out in recent years even though being gay is only a small part of who he is “as a person, and an even smaller part as an athlete,” in order to help other LGBTQ people in sports feel less alone. Finnegan, who won his 10 championships in triple jump, said that he eventually gravitated toward track and field – as opposed to team sports like basketball and Gaelic football, which he played in his younger years – because he found the atmosphere more welcoming.