JUNE 2013 - The Rainbow Times

2 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Pride: Is it really still necessary?OPINIONSBy: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT ColumnistReligious leaders, especially those opposedto LGBTQ civil and human rights,narrowly define relativism as pop culture’sattempt to impose or project its values onGod, thus undermining society. Accordingto them, relativism is enabling political correctnessto compromise sacred, timelesstruths.Evidently, it is possible to force the Makerof the Universe, the Giver of Life, the BigKahuna who started the Big Bang, to acceptsocial and societalwhimsy. Just imagine,Paris Hilton and KimKardashian can bossGod around!It is a flawed, illogicalpremise worth understandingbecause itcontributes to the bigotryand prejudice injectedinto religion bymen and women.Note, I wrote men andwomen. Do not confusereligion, humankind’stool toAs long as there ishatred ... those rainbowflags should alwaysbe blowing inthe wind on PrideDay and every otherday of the year.By: Nicole Lashomb*/TRT Editor-in-ChiefPride. Is it really still necessary?This type of question has oftensurfaced during discussionsaround my diningroom table. In liberalstates—orcommonwealthslike Massachusetts—andparticularlyin citieslike Boston,Provincetown andN o r t h a m p t o nwhere the gay communityis often found wellintegrated into society,one may think that Prideisn’t imperative anymore.I cannot think of amore flawed perspective.According to theSouthern Poverty Law Center (www.splcenter.org),Massachusetts alone has 6 active anddocumented hate groups. Of these groups, atleast 2 of them are LGBT-specific, not tomention the rest which tend to generalize hatreddirected toward LGBT, racial and ethnicpopulations. Perhaps you’ve heard of someof them such as Mass Resistance or ScottLively’s Abiding Truth Ministries. These hategroups are not concentrated in rural, underpopulated areas. They are in our own backyard,from the West to the East.It is undeniable that New Englanders tendto have it better sometimes—more than manyother areas of the country—but Pride is notonly about having it “better.” It is about eradicatinghomophobia, transphobia, sexism,racism and all other of the many -isms thatapply to our community. It is about makingit impossible for hate groups to terrorize othersby dismountingtheir physical and financialsupport, whichcurrently enables themto spread their vile bigotry.It is about beingvisible and proud, providinghope for thosewho may be strugglingwith their own sexualityor whose family hasabandoned them due towho they are. It is abouteducating those aroundus about what it meansto be LGBT. It is aboutmentoring youth andsupporting their decisionsto come out and providing health careoptions for those who may be HIV+ or whomay need other services as well. It is aboutbeing a whole, vibrant and thriving communitythat is united in moving forward, together.As long as there is hatred in thiscountry and people’s lives are being taken,spiritually or physically, as a result of theirgender identity or sexual orientation, thoserainbow flags should always be blowing inthe wind on Pride Day and every other day ofthe year.*Nicole Lashomb holds an MBA from MarylhurstUniversity & a Bachelor’s from SUNYPotsdam. Contact her directly at her TRT e-mail: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.Faith, family, and God: Thinking about relativism& keeping a clear LGBTQ perspectiveBecause a churchteaching has beenaround for 1,000 ormore years, written bymen, does not meansomeone knew the willof God or correctly interpretedthe Bible.enhance spirituality,with God. Incidentally,as is always meant inthese columns, God is without gender, male,female, or a combination. Otherwise, God islimited.Spiritual LGBTQ folks, especially Christians,also may findthis brief, inadequatediscussion of relativismpersonally usefulin wrestling withnagging, often subconsciousangst. In mytravels, I encountermany LGBTQ peopleof faith who still wonderif living their personaltruth might in some small way offendGod. The answer is no.Several LGBTQCatholics have suggestedto me theymight be living in sin,but God forgives andstill loves them. This isspiritual self-abuse andunhealthy. You are notliving a sin. Because achurch teaching hasbeen around for 1,000or more years, writtenby men, does not meansomeone knew the willof God or correctly interpretedthe Bible.The Big Bang occurredover 13 billion yearsago. Keep time and human history in perspective.Truth does not change, understandingdoes.See Relativism on page 23Paying attention to marginalized LGBTQsBy: Jason Lydon*/TRT ColumnistIhad the pleasure of attendingYouth Pride asan adult ally on May18th. I was overcome withjoy watching youth walkaround holding hands, carryingsigns for free hugsand kisses. Some of the attendeeswere shirtlessand covered insparkles, others werein meticulous Gothoutfits. There wereyoung people dancing,picking up resources,flirting, gettingHIV/STI testing andcreating a space to celebratetheir queerness.It is incredible towatch how things havechanged since I attendedmy first youthpride in 1997, or in1999 when my Momand I spoke togetheron the steps of theState House. I willnever forget being introduced to the LGBTQmovement as a teenager. I was trying to surviveviolent bullying at school. I was blessedto be supported by adults and lifted intoleadership positions. I learned that my voicemattered even as many others were trying tosilence me.While much has changed, there are still somany things left undone. LGBTQ youngpeople are still taking their lives at alarmingrates, harming their bodies, being pushedinto the streets, forced to bring weapons toschool to defend themselves and losing servicesthrough cuts on state and federal levels.Yet there is still so much to find pride in.Letters to the EditorDear Editor,Thank you for the great article(STONEWALL Veterans’ AssociationCommemorates 44th Anniversary).The Stonewall Rebellion was the RosaParks moment for the LGBT community.Any struggle for human rights and dignityshould never be forgotten. I applaud you forgetting the true story of the Stonewall Rebellionfrom the veterans who were thereand who continue to this day the fight forequality.— Bob Isadore, InternetDear Editor,This is far too sad [Adult Film Star CommitsSuicide After Husband’s Death].The Sick people who push religion downeveryones throat….also have a mjor effecton politics…so people are still dying becauseof the idiots on both the “church” andthe statehouses”They didnt have to kill each other..but ifthe fear of separation of the one you love isso great, it can effect yourmental stability,your brain chemical inbalance ... and thenwhen one of them kills them self…the otherone, cannot live alone ..and the anguish iffar to great.— Maury Lubman, InternetI take pride in a historythat prioritizes the experiencesof criminalizedLGBTQ people, queerpeople of color, transgenderpeople, poorqueers and those whowill remind us that assimilationwill neverequal liberation.LGBTQ youth are resilient, powerful andfierce. Queer youth of color are organizingballs to celebrate each other even whilethrowing shade. Homeless youth are usingart and storytelling to force people to pay attentionin Harvard Square. Youth in Springfieldare organizing Know-Your-Rightstrainings and informing other youth how tonavigate the realities of policing. Youthacross Massachusettsare starting and maintainingGay/Straight Alliances,educating theirpeers and challengingthe adult dominance ofLGBTQ communitywork. LGBTQ youthare also getting crushes,going on dates, makingout, exploring sex andbreaking each others’hearts. Adults have theresponsibility to support,nurture and encourageyouthleadership while steppingback and offeringcomfort when it isneeded.The Rainbow TimesThe Freshest LGBT Newspaperin New England - Boston BasedTheRainbowTimesMass.comeditor@therainbowtimesmass.comsales@therainbowtimesmass.comPhone: 617.444.9618 / 413.282.8881Fax: 928.437.9618PublisherGricel M. OcasioEditor-In-ChiefNicole LashombAssistant EditorEmily ScagelSales AssociatesChris GilmoreLiz JohnsonLead PhotographerGlenn KoetznerBoston PhotographerSean SullivanDesignPrizm DesignsSee Liberation on Page 23WebmasterJarred JohnsonColumnistsLorelei ErisisDeja N. GreenlawPaul P. JesepJason LydonWilfred LabiosaJohn VerlindenKeegan O’BrienReportersChuck ColbertClara LeftonAshley MarkBrook RosiniLauren WalleserThe Rainbow Times is published monthly by The RainbowTimes, LLC. TRT is affiliated with the NationalLesbian & Gay Journalists Association, NLGJA, NationalGay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce,NGLCC, The Connecticut Alliance for Business Opportunity,CABO,and QSyndicate. The articles writtenby the writers, columnists, and correspondents solelyexpress their opinion, and do not represent the endorsementor opinion of The Rainbow Times, LLC or its owners.Send letters to the editor with your name, addressand phone number to: The Rainbow Times (addressshown above), or e-mail any comment/s to the editorat: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com. All submissionswill be edited according to space constraints. The RainbowTimes, LLC reserves the right not to print any orall content, or advertisements for any reason at all. TRTis not responsible for advertising content. To receiveThe Rainbow Times at your home via regular mail, orthrough electronic delivery, please visit its website. Thewhole content and graphics (photos, etc.) are the soleproperty of The Rainbow Times, LLC and they cannotbe reproduced at all without TRT’s written consent.

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 3State vs. federal marriage laws: Where does Gabriel Gomez stand?Some concerns are raised over candidate’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender stancesBy: Lauren Walleser/TRT ReporterIn a special election to replaceSenator John Kerry following hisresignation to become U.S. Secretaryof State, Representative EdMarkey (Democrat) and formerNavy SEAL Gabriel Gomez (Republican)will vie to fill the position onJune 25. As the election approaches,questions have been raised regardingGomez’s stances on LGBT issues,particularly when it comes to the roleof states versus the federal governmentin deciding marriage laws.Ned Flaherty—Projects Managerat Marriage Equality USA who managesthe National Marriage Map—said he attempted to contactGomez’s campaign four times to gethis stances on the Defense of MarriageAct (DOMA), equal immigrationrights for LGBT citizens, theDomestic Partnership Benefits & ObligationsAct, the Tax Parity for Health PlanBeneficiaries Act, the Respect for MarriageAct and the Employment Non-DiscriminationAct (ENDA). He said his inquiries werenever returned. In the Republican primarydebates, Gomez stated that he supports therepeal of DOMA on the federal level, but believesstates must also be left with the powerto decide how to interpret marriage laws.IN THE LIMELIGHTGabriel GomezPHOTO: FB CAMPAIGN“Gabriel Gomezclaims to oppose alldiscrimination, yet healso wants every stateto be able to discriminateagainst all of itsown same-gendercouples, and also discriminateagainst allsame-gender couplesfrom other states,”Flaherty said. “Hisclaims are contradictory. Gomez wants the29 states that already banned same-gendercivil marriage via law, or constitution, orboth to continue doing that.”Gomez’s campaign website states that heopposes discrimination of any kind and supportssame-sex marriage. Will Ritter, presssecretary for Gabriel Gomez for Senate explainedwhat informs the candidate’s position.“Particularly, he was touched by a personalfriend of his who is gay who waskicked out of the Naval Academy althoughhe was one of the top recruits,” Ritter said.Ritter said he does not think Gomez’sstance is contradictory, confirming thatGomez supports repealing DOMA, butstands by the position to allow states to enacttheir own laws.“There’s kind of three levels here, andwhile he wants to repeal DOMA, he stillthinks that a state should be able to effectuatetheir own marriage laws and vote or decideon the state court level how they wantto interpret marriage,” Ritter said. “And thenyou get your classic 10th amendment argumentthat if you don’t like the way that yourstate has put the laws together or interpretsthat law, then you can vote with your feetand you can leave.”Ritter went on to clarify the candidate’sposition.“When it comes to laws and legislation onthe federal level, which is the office he’s runningfor, he believes that DOMA, which isa federal law, should be repealed, and that’sall he wants to do on a federal level,” saidRitter. “So as far as the states, obviously hehopes that what is happening now that we’reseeing almost monthly, states deciding to legalizegay marriage,he hopes that continues.But it’s sort of aquestion of how fardo you want the federalgovernment to goin making that happen.”Flaherty claims thatas a Republican,Gomez supports theRepublican PartyRep. Ed MarkeyPHOTO: FB CAMPAIGNplatform, which hesaid contains 12specific plans tooppress LGBT citizens.“Gomez’ partyadopted a series ofanti-LGBT resolutionson 12 April,including prohibitionsagainst samegendercivilNed FlahertyPHOTO: TED GRACEmarriage nationwidein both state and federal law,” Flahertysaid. “Gomez’ party declared mixed-gendermarriages as ‘holy’ which makes same-gendermarriages ‘un-holy’ and is a clear violationof the separation of church and state.”Flaherty noted that Gomez’ party vowedto block all immigration reform if anyclauses for LGBT fairness are added. However,Ritter said Gomez supports equal immigrationrights for LGBT citizens. As forthe Domestic Partnership Benefits & ObligationsAct, Ritter said Gomez’ stance isconsistent.“He does not believe that there should beany difference between a homosexual couple’sbenefits and a heterosexual couple’sbenefits if they’re married,” Ritter said.See Gomez on Page 20

4 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Boston Pride: “Moving Forward…Proud, Strong, United”Organization’s committee expects record-breaking crowds for week-long eventsBy: Lauren Walleser/TRT ReporterBoston Pride Week 2013 will be held fromMay 31-June 9 in various locations throughoutthe city, bringing together more organizationsand record-breaking crowds than everbefore. The 2013 theme, “Moving Forward…Proud, Strong, United,” was created by theBoston Pride Committee to acknowledge theaccomplishments the lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender (LGBT) community hasachieved while acknowledging that there ismore work to be done.“In my view, Boston’s LGBT communityhas witnessed much adversity throughout thefight for equality over the past few decades,”said Boston Pride President Linda DeMarco.“In working together, the community has becomea leader in the fight for LGBT rights.Pride Week this year will celebrate the importanceof continuing to lead this nation in thefight for equality as a united front.”The annual Flag Raising will kick offBoston Pride Week on May 31 in City HallPlaza and is hosted by Mayor ThomasMenino. Elected officials and others whosupport the LGBT community will attend.Menino was also chosen as the 2013 ParadeGrand Marshall through an online vote opento the entire community.“Mayor Menino is a true friend of theBoston Pride Committee, and all of the residentsand visitors of our great city,” said RobZuromski, board member for Boston Pride.“I feel it is a great tribute to our longtimemayor, long time pride participant, and longtimeadvocate of the LGBTQ [community] tohave him as our Grand Marshall.”Other events featured early in the week includePride Day at Faneuil Hall, the LGBTSenior Pride Tea Dance, and the Royal Pageant.Boston Pride’s Human Rights and EducationCommittee will present “Out InSports: Moving Forward – A Panel Discussionon LGBT People in Sports” Wednesday,June 5 at the Boston Public Library. Thepanel will be moderated by Patrick Burke ofthe You Can Play Foundation. Panelists includeSteve Buckley, Boston Herald sportscolumnist; Caitlin Cahow, 2x medalist,Olympic U.S. Women’s Hockey Team,Boston Blades; Nevin Caple, Division 1 basketballplayer at Fairleigh Dickinson Universityand Founder of Loveathlete; KeelinGodsey, track and field coach at WilliamsCollege; Pat Griffin, professor emerita at Universityof Massachusetts Amherst, founder ofChanging the Game and author of StrongWomen, Deep Closets; Steve Harrington, GayGames athlete; and James Nutter of GO! Athletes.Jason Collins, the former Boston Celticwho recently came out as gay, will also marchin the parade.According to Zuromski, in 2012, BostonPride was the first Pride in the nation to haveits own app that helped connect the communitywith the festivities. New to Boston Pridethis year is the first "Pride Night at FenwayPark" to be held June 6. According to SylvainBruni, board member for Boston Pride,Boston Pride has partnered with the Red Soxto bring the LGBT community to FenwayPark to cheer for Pride and for the Red Soxin their game against the Texas Rangers.“This is the first time ever that an MLBteam put together an official LGBT event,“This year, we recognizethat our name, BostonPride, symbolizes thespirit, courage and convictionof everyone connectedto the City of Boston, especiallyin the aftermath ofthe tragic bombings at theBoston Marathon.”— Boston Pride Board PresidentLinda DeMarcoand we are so very proud it is happening inBoston,” said Bruni. “The Red Sox havedemonstrated a strong commitment to diversity.This will be big!”The Boston Pride Festival will be held Saturday,June 8 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at CityHall Plaza as the last stop for the BostonPride Parade, which will kick off at noon inCopley Square. The Festival is the last stopon the parade route and will include entertainment,such as The Family Zones, the MainStage Lounge, Artisan Avenue, and over 100vendors. This year’s headliner for the entertainmentportion of the festival will be awardwinningmusical duo Karmin, chosen by theBoston Pride Entertainment Committee.“They are a local band who became aYouTube sensation and exploded on the nationalscene over the last year,” said Bruni.“They are a very LGBT-friendly band with alarge gay following.”Other events include the Boston PrideBlock Party: JP Edition, Boston Pride BlockParty: Back Bay Edition, and the BostonPride Youth Dance.Bruni and Zuromski acknowledged that thetheme for Boston Pride this year was chosenprior to the tragedy that occurred at the 2013Boston Marathon. However, they also notedthe theme has taken on a deeper meaningsince the event.“This year, we recognize that our name,Boston Pride, symbolizes the spirit, courageand conviction of everyone connected to theCity of Boston, especially in the aftermath ofthe tragic bombings at the Boston Marathon,”said De Marco. “The outpouring of supportand interest in participation in the Parade andother Pride events has been tremendous as welook forward to a fantastic week to celebratethe LGBT community.”For more information visit Boston Pride at:www.bostonpride.org/prideweek/.

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 5

6 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Thinking Out Loud: Proud of Cuba! First-Ever LGBTQ History WalkingTour of Northampton, June 16thBy: Abby Dees*/Special for TRTIn the informationpacket for my recenttrip to Cuba, I immediatelynoticed this smallcaveat: “While Cuba is becomingmore and moreopen-minded with regardto cultural diversity, samesexpartners may not feelas open to express themselves. Havana isquite cosmopolitan in this regard, but smallervillages are not as accustomed to open expressionor affection by LGBT communitymembers.” It must have taken some poorsoul hours to craft this in a way that didn’tsound like this: “Don’t act too gay in Cuba.”Imagine my surprise when I met our guidefor the day in the town of Remedios, fourhours from Havana. With his purse and eyeliner,Marco practically floated along as hepointed out the sights. Though we weren’ton an LGBT-themed tour, Marco had noproblem stopping regularly to admire themale eye-candy (lots of that in Cuba), andanswering our questions about LGBT rightsas comfortably as he described the lovelycolonial architecture. I was struck that thetourist office had no problem sending someoneso—shall we say—fabulous to lead arandom group of Americans around. I couldn’tsee this happening back home. Thingshave changed a lot in Cuba.Despite the supposed social equality thatCuba’s government has espoused since the1959 communist revolution, until only recently,LGBT people have been outright persecuted.It’s ironic that just as McCarthywas rooting out gays and lesbians for being(of course) communist sympathizers in theU.S., Castro considered homosexuality adecadent product of capitalism. You reallycouldn’t win. We Americans mellowed outaround the pinko/gay thing somewhat, butthe Cuban Communist party was calling homosexuality“incompatible with the revolution”well into the ‘70s and sending peopleto labor camps for it. Many who fled the islandwere LGBT people escaping brutalityand imprisonment.Only in the 1980s did the official governmentline begin to change. Even Castro haspublically apologized for his homophobia,though he stopped short of starting a PFLAGchapter. You might have heard that MarielaCastro—Fidel’s niece and the daughter ofcurrent president, Raul—is a leading LGBTactivist, and fiercely challenging her father’sown policies (she’s traveling the U.S. speakingon LGBT rights as I write). One wondersif, kind of like Republican Senator Rob Portman,Fidel and Raul’s political positionssoftened when a family member told them toget over it. Sometimes when it comes to family,human nature trumps political ideology.Marco, our lovely guide, tells me over coffeethat he feels very free to sashay throughRemedios. He is famous there, by the way,for designing the elaborate costumes used inthe town’s famous annual festival, Las Parrandas,and no one is under any illusions thathe just hasn’t found the right girl. But he alsoadmitted that Remedios is an artsy place, andlike all artsy places, there’s some permissionto be a bit queer, so to speak.I asked if he felt he was treated as an equalin Cuba, and he proudly replied, “¡Sí!” Andsame-sex marriage? I got a terse, “No.”However, in five years, “es possible.”Same here, I thought, even though I’venow lost count of how many states got samesexmarriage this year alone. Full equalityisn’t quite around the corner for either of us,but it’s in sight. As I sipped my cafe conleche in that very different country, talkingwith Marco, I pondered how so many differentpaths can take you to the same place.Later during my trip another local said tome, “The successes of the revolution”—andthere were some, despite great failures—“had little to do with communism and everythingto do with the Cuban people.” That isa bigger statement than he likely meant inthe moment. It made me think about our ownLGBT revolution—hopefully a more peacefuland —and how it has nothing to do withpolitics or even national identities. Instead,it has everything to do with each of us beinghonest about who we really are, doing it withcourage, and standing together. Happy Pride,everyone, whether you’re in Cuba, the U.S.or anywhere else.*Abby is a civil rights attorney-turned-authorwho has been in the LGBT rightstrenches for 25+ years. She can be reachedat: queerquestionsstraighttalk.com."Journey through Lesbian Mecca" will recall key organizations & locationsNORTHAMPTON, Mass.—The first-ever through Northampton or lived here at somewalking tour to reveal the untold history of point in time.”Northampton’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,and queer community will take histories will be visited and discussed, suchPast and present locations with LGBTQplace on Sunday, June 16 at 2:00 p.m. and as The Egg, The Common Womon Club,everyone is welcome. Offered by the Sexual Greasy Gorgon Garage, Ye Rose Tree Inn,Minorities Archives as a benefit for the nonprofitSexual Minorities Educational Foun-Park, Gala Bar, the Grotto, Dyke Dorms,Hover House, Womonfyre Books, Pulaskidation (SMEF), Inc., the 2-hour walking and more. Even sites of lesbian graffiti in thetour, Journey Through Lesbian Mecca, willinclude more than 40 stops concentrated ina three-mile area in and around downtownNorthampton. Many of the locations on the ‘Northampton istour were sites of organizations and businessesin the 1970s through the 2000s thathelped shape the LGBTQ community’ssomething of aemergence in the area and the city to establishits national reputation as a welcoming lesbian Mecca,place for LGBTQs. The tour will also coversites as old in history as 1899, and spacesowned or operated by LGBTQs today. to which allTo develop the tour, research was conductedby volunteers at the Sexual MinoritiesArchives, a national collection ofdykes must makeLGBTQ literature, history, and art locatedin Northampton; and at the Sophia Smith at least one pilgrimageduringCollection at Smith College. Elizabeth Kent,M.A., Brandeis University and Smith Collegealumna, and Bet Power, Executive Directorof SMEF, Inc. and Curator of theSexual Minorities Archives, will guide the their lives.’walking tour.“The current climate of inclusion ofLGBTQs in Northampton didn’t begin city will be covered, and the tour will swingtoday and it didn’t come from nowhere,” through locations on the Smith Collegesaid Bet Power. “National attention began campus, too.for Northampton’s lesbian community in the Registration is limited to 30 people. The1980s due to the extensive underground of requested donation is $20 general and $10groups and businesses they built here in the for seniors ages 60+, students, and low-incomeindividuals. To reserve your place or1970s. By 1995, author Michael Lowenthalsaid ‘Northampton is something of a lesbian for more information, email: sexualminorities.archives@yahoo.comor call 413-584-Mecca, to which all dykes must make atleast one pilgrimage during their lives.’ 7616. Tour-goers may pay in advance or onToday there are scarce few lesbians, gay the day of the tour. You may also visit themen, trans people, bisexuals, and queers livingin the U.S. who have never passed http://tiny.cc/i7vpxw to learnSexual Minorities Archives on Facebook atmore.

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 7PHOTO : CHRIS VIVEIROSStaff from the LGBT Aging Project, Fenway Health and The Fenway Institute at the May 15,2013 announcement that the Aging Project is joining Fenway Health. (L-t-R): Bob Linscott,Assistant Director of the LGBT Aging Project; Dale Mitchell, Chair of the LGBT Aging Project’sBoard of Directors; Dr. Stephen L. Boswell, President & CEO of Fenway Health; LisaKrinsky, Director of the LGBT Aging Project; and Aimee VanWagenen, Interim Director ofAdministration and Operations at The Fenway Institute.LGBT Aging Project Joins Fenway HealthBOSTON, Mass.—The LGBT Aging Project,New England’s premier organization forcultural competency training, programs andadvocacy for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender) older adults, will become anaffiliate of Fenway Health effective July 1,2013. The LGBT Aging Project will becomepart of Fenway’s research, education and policydivision, The Fenway Institute. This newaffiliation will reinforce the commitment ofboth the LGBT Aging Project and FenwayHealth to the growing LGBT older adult community.“The LGBT Aging Project will maintain itsmission, identity and staff with the FenwayInstitute as our new home, “said Lisa Krinsky,Director of the LGBT Aging Project. “We areexcited to join the Fenway family, and togrow our programs to positively impact thelives of larger numbers of LGBT older adultsand caregivers. We are equally excited to helpFenway expand their work in LGBT aging.”This affiliation will tightly integrate community-basedservices, training and advocacyfor LGBT older adults with research relevantto the aging LGBT population and access tohealth care. The resulting synergy will increasevisibility for LGBT older adults andtheir unique social service and health careneeds. As part of The Fenway Institute, theLGBT Aging Project will continue to buildupon its successes in providing training, capacity-building,and community-based servicesand collaborate with Fenway faculty andstaff to conduct critical research on the LGBTolder adult community. This will help sharpentraining, outreach and educational efforts atboth organizations.“Fenway is extremely excited by this partnership.As more members of our communityreach their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, care andservices for LGBT older adults are going tobe increasingly important,” said Stephen L.Boswell, MD, Fenway Health President andCEO. “We look forward to working with thestaff of the LGBT Aging Project on growingtheir programs and tapping into their expertiseto help Fenway better serve our elders.”Founded in 2001 by a group of advocatesfrom both the aging service network and theLGBT community, the LGBT Aging Projectis dedicated to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender older adults haveequal access to the life-prolonging benefits,protections, services and institutions that theirheterosexual neighbors take for granted.To read the rest of this story visit:http://tiny.cc/trt_lgbtagingfenway

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 9Hennepin: The quiet revolution for LGBT equalityBy:Lisa Keen/Keen News ServiceNearly every LGBT person knows about“Stonewall”—the spontaneous resistance topolice intimidation of LGBT patrons at theStonewall bar in New York City in June1969.Relatively few know about Hennepin inMay 1970.Events in both places became powerfulcatalysts for change in the way mainstreamsociety treats LGBT people.Stonewall took the form of hundreds ofLGBT people using riots and defiance in amajor city, refusing to obey laws that werehate-motivated and discriminatory on theirface. Hennepin was one gay male couple,wearing suits and ties, walking into a countyclerk’s office in the Midwest and applyingfor a marriage license.Stonewall inspired the creation of thousandsof LGBT organizations, newspapers,and communities that grew enough politicalstrength to win elections, change laws, andinsist the world understand that gay peopleare here —“Get Used to It.”Hennepin garnered a relative lightningflash of media attention—a story in Lookmagazine, appearances on two nationallytelevised talk shows, and a summarily dismissedappeal of their lawsuit by the U.S.Supreme Court. Its specific goal—to allowsame-sex couples to obtain marriage licensesthe same as male-female couples—appeared to fail.Now, 43 years to the month after JackBaker and Mike McConnell walked into theHennepin County clerk’s office and filledout an application for a marriage license,their quiet revolutionary act stands as a monumentto perseverance and success.To say Richard John (Jack) Baker andJames Michael McConnell were ahead oftheir time is an understatement.They are considered the first same-sexcouple to walk into any municipal clerk’s officein the United States and apply for a marriagelicense. They were the first to sue thelocal clerk when their application was refused,and the first to take their lawsuit tothe U.S. Supreme Court.They are also likely the first same-sex coupleever to obtain a marriage license, albeitthrough a sleight of name-change. Accordingto a variety of news reports, Baker andMcConnell were joined in marriage by apastor in September 1971 after they obtaineda marriage license from Mankato,Minnesota. An un-bylined “special” articlein the January 7, 1973, New York Times reportedthat, in addition to their initial lawsuitover the rejected marriage application, Mc-Connell adopted Baker in August 1971“with the goal of securing tax and inheritanceadvantages.”“At that time, Mr. Baker legally assumedthe name Pat Lynn McConnell, while continuingto use the name Baker in his dailyaffairs.” Then Baker, using his newlyadopted name, filled out a marriage licenseapplication with McConnell in Mankato, asmall city west of Minneapolis.“On Aug. 16, 1971, Blue Earth County issuedthe license, and, on Sept. 3, Mr. Bakerand Mr. McConnell were married in a privateceremony in Minneapolis by the Rev.Roger Lynn of the United MethodistChurch,” noted the Times article. Althoughthe Blue Earth County Attorney challengedthe legitimacy of the license, a HennepinCounty grand jury “found the question notworth pursuing,” and thus, left the license intact.Baker and McConnell’s actions garneredother publicity in the early 1970s—publicitythat took some courage on their part, giventhe volatility of the time. They appeared onthe Phil Donahue Show and the DavidSusskind Show, nationally televised talkshows. They were profiled briefly in Lookmagazine’s cover story on “The AmericanFamily.” Their willingness to identify themselvesas gay touched many individual gaysaround the country.After reading about Baker and McConnellin Look magazine’s cover story, a Birmingham,Alabama, man called the telephoneSee Hennepin on page 23

PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN10 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013On moving forward: Exploring Boston Pride’s 2013 strong theme; its significanceBy: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT ColumnistThe BostonP r i d etheme for2013 is “Movingforward … Proud,Strong, United!”This signifies thestruggle thatLGBT people havefaced and howthey are moving together to makethings better. I find that this is a wonderfuland true message--every wordof it. Congrats and thank you to theperson/people who came up with thisyear’s theme!When I read what this year’s themewas, I knew exactly what my June columnwas going to be. I was so taken by its message,and I wanted to break this great themeinto sections and explore what I believe ismeant by each.As the first section states, yes, we have tomove forward. We cannot sit back or stopand rest, because there are those who willtry to take away any gains that we have previouslymade. It’s sad and, frankly, quite irritatingthat there are others who want tolimit our rights. In this land there is to beequal rights for all and an opportunity foreveryone to each enjoy their life, liberty andpursuit of happiness. How straightforward isTRANS NEWSthat? How wonderful that statement is! Whatis it that these people who look to limit usdo not understand?These “limiters” usually operate under theguise of religion, claiming that their way isGod’s way and the only way, period. Theyquote verses from various religious books,which are aimed at us and our rights. Theywill tell you that these verses are the wordsof God, but no one can prove that these arereally God’s words. The reason is that theseverses are not the words of God, but men,and might I add, not women, but men, writtenthousands of years ago. Make no mistake,God didn’t write any of these verses,men did.Why did they write them? To try to controlus? Why do they want to control us? So thatwe will remain in the shadows and closetsBy: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT ColumnistThis time of yearmore or less denotesthe start ofthe season I like to thinkof as the “speaking andmarching season.” Duringthis season, I makethe rounds of variousPride Festivals throughthe summer months andthen, as the weather beginsto cool down and political passionsbegin to heat up, assorted rallies andmarches. All this lasts from roughly May toNovember. Once winter hits, at least in NewEngland, we all sort of hunker in again andthe season of planning and meetings begins.It’s a cycle I have come to know well. It’sthe activist cycle. I know the rhythms of itthrough close involvement. I have spoken,marched, chanted, led, followed, organized,canvassed, served on boards and generallygotten mixed up in any number of causes.All of this has happened on top of a lifelived adventurously, in which I have hadmuch occasion to meet people of all stripes,hear their stories and, most importantly,spend countless hours thinking about and discussingwhat makes them tick. There are anumber of things that I’ve learned, specificallyas it applies to activism, that I wouldlike to share with you my dear readers.Everything starts from grassroots.No matter the size of the movement, or theimportance of the cause, everything startswith just a few people deciding to do something,working together to fix a perceivedwrong or injustice and gathering more peopleto that work.Even the most unwieldy organization stillbreaks down to individual members doingthe work on the ground. Each link in an organizingchain is still comprised of individualpeople, with their own thoughts and motivations.Without all these people doing theirown small parts, it all falls apart.Ultimately, it’s all about human rights.While we may be working with individualswho have individual concerns and particularmotivations, most of the political causes andsocial movements I’ve encountered can beexpanded out to being ultimately about afight for human rights, and that’s importantto remember.You might be working to change one smallthing or to make life better for a specificgroup of people. If you ask yourself truly,“Why should this happen?” “Why must thiswrong be righted?” you will very likely cometo the answer that in a caring and responsiblesociety, all people, everywhere, deserve thesame basic rights as human beings.Cross-pollinate your work. Learn fromoutside sources.This is one that has helped me immensely.Of course I think it’s important to make a detailedstudy of the causes you are invested in.Often though, many of my biggest successeshave come from taking an idea or principle Ilearned elsewhere and applying it to thecause at hand.While a great deal of my activism and writingdeals with transgender issues and gender/sexuality,I make a point to keep myselfeducated on a wide range of topics. I have alwaysbeen a voracious reader and I havefor all time. It’s plain and simple bullying.It’s not very accepting, not very friendly, notvery fair and certainly not very American.Still they think that God is on their side andthey think that they are doing “God’s work”when they try to limit our rights. It’s theirWe need to be united to ward off this prejudice,this awful agenda that the limitershave. We must stick together and watcheach other’s backs, and be prepared to stepup for the good of all.agenda. We must never lose sight of thatfact. We must move forward.The second section is the word “proud.”Too many of us lived/still live in shame, fearand self-loathing, not because we are evil,are not human, or are abominations, but becauseof the disparaging public relationsagenda that is used against us. If you hear itenough times, you will believe these awfulthings, especially if you are an LGBT child.How many of us had stressful times growingup with the feeling that we were not normal?We grew up thinking that we were terribleoften found inspiration from authors as wideranging as Noam Chomsky, J.F.K., Sun Tzu,Fran Lebowitz and Robert Anton Wilson.Keeping my interests varied helps me avoidfalling into ruts, and often it allows me toprovide a spark of inspiration where a freshidea is needed.Get involved. Insert yourself.I hear people complaining all the timeabout how such-and-such organization doesnot have any members of their particular socialgroup or identification, and good onthem for identifying the deficiency. Bully Isay!Now what are you going to do about it?Whatever the reason, sometimes the onlyway to rectify it is if someone steps up andsays, “I’ll be that person who is missing.” Youmay not even want me here, but you need mehere. So here I am, whether you like it or not.Now, I know, this may not be pleasant. It’slikely not going to be a walk in the park, butif you really believe this integration needs tohappen, somebody is going to have to be thatfirst token. The starter culture, if you will.And why shouldn’t it be you?Make and cultivate friends outside youractivism.You are burnt out. Your legs hurt and if youhave to spend one more minute arguing aboutthe misogynistic class imperative of heteronormativesocial redistribution, you are goingpeople. Now we realize that it was all false,and for the first time in our lives we can actuallybe proud of who we are!The third section is “strong.” Yes, we mustbe strong. There will be opposition to us andsometimes it will not be pretty, but we mustbe strong. We LGBT people are still beingbullied, physically beaten and murdered becauseof who we are. We must not cower, wemust not hide, we must be strong. Too manypeople have taken/are still taking the hits ofprejudice against us, and we must stand upto this awful prejudice and be strong.The fourth and last section is “united.” Weneed to be united to ward off this prejudice,this awful agenda that the limiters have. Wemust stick together and watch each other’sbacks, and be prepared to step up for thegood of all. We cannot do it in factions, wemust be united. Our numbers are muchgreater when we are one, and we need all ofus working together to get it done.Putting all the four sections together givesus a roadmap, a blueprint and a missionstatement that was thoughtfully crafted andmade for this year’s 2013 Boston Pridetheme, “Moving forward … Proud, Strong,United!”*Deja Nicole Greenlaw is a localtranswoman who has 3 grown children andworks at 3M. She can be contacted via e-mail at: dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.Ask a Boston Transwoman: Activism; six rules for effective activism in human rightsThis time of year more or less denotesthe start of the season I like tothink of as the “speaking andmarching season.”to hit someone, despite your lifelong anddeeply held pacifism.Excuse yourself from the movement for afew minutes and go find some people whohave nothing at all to do with your grand andimportant work. Have a drink, watch “TheSimpsons,” chill with some friends who loveyou just because you’re nifty.If it weren’t for the friends I have outsideof my activism work, I would be a burnt-out,empty husk of an activist.When I have stepped away, remembered tolive the life I’m fighting for, for a few minutes,I always return refreshed! I amrecharged, freshly activated and ready tofight, so my friends don’t have to.Every crowd is an audience.This is a great example of taking ideasfrom one realm into another. It’s a realizationI came to early in my career as an activist,and one that seemed obvious to me havingcome from many previous years of performingand entertaining people.We may want to think that the people whoare listening to our impassioned speeches orencountering our deft protests are somethingdifferent than the audience for simple entertainment.Let me assure you, in all the waysthat matter, they are very much the same.They still have an expectation of being influenced,moved and, yes, entertained. Youhave to get their attention and keep it, if youwant to change their minds. You will have torouse their passions if you want them tomarch. They will remember better when youare funny or engaging, and will drift away ifthey grow bored.It’s okay to entertain while you enlighten.After all, entertainment is simply about movingpeople in some way, and isn’t that exactlywhat you’re trying to do? Slainte!*Lorelei Erisis is an activist, adventurerand pageant queen. Send your questionsabout trans issues, gender and sexuality toher at: loreleiersis@gmail.com.

PHOTO: DANNY CLINCHMay 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 11Dixie Chicks’ singer Natalie Maines gets real, talks lesbian hair, crush on MaddowBy: Chris Azzopardi*/Special to TRTTo quote a Dixie Chicks song, fearlessfrontwoman Natalie Maines has “been alongtime gone.”Seven years after one of the most successfulcountry music acts released Taking theLong Way, and its unapologetic single “NotReady to Make Nice” in response to thesinger’s political dig at then-PresidentGeorge W. Bush, Maines goes her own wayfor her first-ever solo album, Mother. Partingwith longstanding bandmates Emily Robisonand Martie Maguire for the album(don’t worry, she says there’s a “50/50”chance for a reunion LP), it’s also decidedlynot country.In our recent chat, Maines revealed whyshe went rock (country “seemed so fake”),how being disowned—and her new shorthair—made her feel closer to the gay communityand whether now, a decade after herBush outburst, she’s ready to make nice.Chris Azzopardi: You’re sporting thatpunkish ’do; before, with the DixieChicks, it was the long, blond locks.Natalie Maines: I know. Well, with theChicks, I definitely felt like I was playingdress up a bit – but I liked it!Q. Are you conscious of your look andhow it represents the music?A. With two kids, there’s not enough time inthe day to spend on what I look like; this isa much easier look. And it fits my personalitymore. I had short hair growing up, and italways felt right for me.Q. Has the short hair scored you more lesbiancred?Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, whose first-ever solo album, Mother, is out now.A. (Laughs) I barely leave my house. So I’ve got going on. I don’t mind. I lovemaybe. But the lesbians liked me already! Rachel Maddow. She would be my lesbianYeah, this is definitely a lesbianish haircut girl crush.Q. Why Rachel?A. She’s hot! And she’s smart and beautiful… and I like her hair.Q. I could see it working out between youtwo.A. Yeah, I think that would work. I don’tknow if my husband or her girlfriend wouldthink so. (Laughs)Q. You’ve always had a really loyal gayfan base, even before you publicly chastisedGeorge W. Bush. How do you explainyour connection with gay fans?A. We had some very costume-y, over-thetoplooks that the gays do appreciate.(Laughs) But after the controversy, I feellike there was even more of a connection,and that’s just because we both know how itfeels to be hated just for who we are – notfor doing anything, bothering anyone, murderinganyone or being arrested. Just forbeing us. Apparently, that’s not good insome people’s eyes. But also, too, to justcontinue being and let other people get usedto it—learning to be OK with yourself andjust putting it out there, and people can eitherlike you or not, but it’s really on them.Q. Were you noticing more support fromthe gay community at shows after the incident?A. Yeah. And we would get lots of emails,and a lot of the community would comeright up and say, “I love that you did this. Ididn’t listen to your music before, but afterthis, I went and bought every record.” Howeverit was that they showed their support...Read the rest of this story at:http://tiny.cc/7iupxw

12 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013

14 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Stephen Sondheim, Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Kline, Gay and the anti-GayBy: Romeo San Vicente*/Special for TRTInto The Woodscasting gets ensemble-ierStephen Sondheim’sInto TheWoods is a bigshow with a lot ofcharacters. And thefilm adaptation ofthis dark, musical fairy tale (to be directedby Chicago’s Rob Marshall), astory full of adult themes of loss, lonelinessand courage, well, it needs moreand more actors to flesh it out. We’vealready told you about the heavy hitters—Streepand Depp—taking thefirst roles as Witch and Wolf, respectively.And now negotiations roll onfor Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness)and Jake Gyllenhaal, soon to becast as the two princes. Meanwhile,you can add Emily Blunt to thosetalks, as she looks to be the choice toplay the wife of the Baker (Jams Corden,One Man, Two Guvnors). At thisrate this movie’s going to have morepeople singing at the same time thanLes Miserables , and this is only thebeginning. It could, conceivably, windup employing every living actor whocan carry one of Sondheim’s notoriouslydifficult-to-sing tunes. More detailsas they unfold…DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOODScarlett Johansson steps behind the cameraShe knows where she’s going, that ScarlettJohansson. Knowing that acting careerlongevity for almost any actress not namedMeryl Streep is a finite quantity, theAvengers star is diversifying her career opportunitiesby stepping into the role of featurefilm director for the very first time. Johanssonwill helm an adaptation of Truman Capote’sfirst novel, Summer Crossing, a work that wasthought to have been lost for more than 50years and only recently published for the veryfirst time thanks to Capote’s former editor.The story involves a 17 year-old girl whospends the summer alone in New York whenher parents leave for Paris; she then falls fora parking attendant (the perfect way to getback at Mom and Dad). And in case you thinkthis is just the whim of a dilettante movie star,you should also know that Johansson’s beenpreparing for this moment alongside theCapote estate for years now, working withscreenwriter Tristine Skylar on the adaptationand directing a short film, These VagabondShoes, starring Kevin Bacon, in the interim.Meanwhile, film history is on her side: nothingshe does will be as poorly received ascomic actress Nancy Walker’s first and lastfilm as a director: The Village People’s Can’tStop The Music.Kevin Kline’s downward slide to The Lastof Robin HoodThe legacy of Errol Flynn is a mix of gloryand shame. Film history is kind to him, rememberingthe star at his best as one of Hollywood’smost famous and handsome leadingmen of the 1930s and ’40s in classics like TheAdventures of Robin Hood. But his later life—he died at 50 of a heart attack—turned darkwith career trouble, substance abuse and sexualscandals (one biographer even erroneouslyreported that he’d been a Nazi). AndPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COMJonathan Groffit’s this troubled time that informs the newmovie from gay directing team RichardGlatzer and Wash Westmoreland (Quinceanera),The Last of Robin Hood. Kevin Klinewill star as the faded Flynn as he embarks ona Lolita-style relationship with a 15-year-oldgirl named Beverly Aadland (Dakota Fanning),one set up by the girl’s mother (to beplayed Susan Sarandon). Not the most wholesomeof storylines, to be sure, not to mentionone that didn’t end well for anyone, but sadlyfascinating all the same and in reputablehands thanks to Christine Vachon and PamKoffler’s Killer Films. The project is currentlyin production and should be ready tocause feelings of despair at this fall’s film festivals.Casting call: the gay and the anti-GayWe reported earlier about the in-developmentHBO “gay friends” sitcom/dramedyfrom filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend)and Michael Lannon (assistant director of Interior.Leather Bar. as well as I Want YourLove). Well, now it’s got a series order and acast: Jonathan Groff (Glee), Murray Bartlett(Guiding Light) and Frankie J. Alvarez (anewcomer whose only prior credit is as“Actor # 6” on Smash) will play a few of thegay San Francisco friends, with more to comeas the production gains traction. And in theother corner, Uma Thurman will step into theorange juice-and-religious-intolerance-filledrole of Anita Bryant in an upcoming biopic,the one from filmmakers Rob Epstein andJeffrey Friedman that chronicles the rise andfall of the former beauty queen, recordingartist and O.J. pitchwoman as she stormedthrough the 1970s as an anti-gay activist,making enemies of queer people from coastto coast and destroying her career in theprocess. It’s a film we’re fairly certain isn’tbeing created with the still-living anti-gayicon’s blessing. But that’s history, isn’t it? Younever know how it’s going to judge you whenyou decide to make it. Go Uma!*Romeo San Vicente prefers a Gwyneth Paltrow-endorsedkale smoothie to orange juice.He can be reached care of this publication orat DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Por: Wilfred W. Labiosa*/Columnista de TRTDu r a n t eeste mesde Junio,celebramos nuestroorgullo de ser loque somos, personasLGBT diversasllenas de unespíritu y personalidadesdiversas. Acabo de regresar dela Jornada En Contra de la Homofobiaen Cuba. ¡Esta campaña nacionalnos enseña que las actividades debenser tan diversas como nosotros/assomos! Les traigo muchos saludos atodos/as mis lectores desde esta Jornaday sus participantes (vean lapágina de internet de este periódico enYouTube—http://tiny.cc/5kvpxw— y la deBoston Pride para un mensaje especial desdeCuba).Esta Jornada Cubana en Contra de la Homofobiaes una centrada en la fecha deMayo 17, el día Internacional en Contra dela Homofobia, y a través de todo el país. LaJornada incluye paneles científicos, gala,tertulias, espectáculos, conciertos,conga/parada, y muchas otras actividades através de todo un mes en muchas de lasprovincias del país y en la capital. La líderde esta Jornada y el movimiento GLBT enCuba es una aliada al movimiento, MarielaCastro-Espín. Ella no sólo es la directora delCentro Nacional de la Sexualidad (CENE-SEX), sino que también es la hija del presidentede Cuba. Como aliada ella reúne avarios lideres LGBT de todas las provinciaspara planificar las actividades durante el mesde Mayo. He escrito sobre ella en el pasadoy puedo decir que la conozco por variosaños. Ella es una persona centrada en la ideade que todos/as debemos ser respetados porigual sin importar nuestro género, orientaciónsexual. Nada se debe anteponer ala igualdad, y equidad social. Con lemastales como la diversidad es natural, dosiguales tambiénhacenpareja, yconvivir enarmonía escomo estaJornada promuevelosvalores eideas queella construyeconlíderes de lacomunidadLGBT enCuba. Pors u p u e s t oque ella esuna figurap o l é m i c apero a la vezes una personaquenos defiende y aboga por la igualdad.El lema principal de la Jornada de este añolo fue “Hogar es Amor, Respeto e Inclusiónpor una Familia Libre de Homofobia yTransfobia”. Aunque en Cuba no existe elderecho al matrimonio entre parejas delmismo sexo, ni hay derechos a la adopcióntampoco, esto no implica que ellos no tienenal tanto la igualdad. Tanto es así que hantenido, por los pasados 11+ años, igualdadpara las personas transgéneros y desde 1973ninguna ley en Cuba es anti-sodomía. Caberecalcar que desde el 1988 no hay menciónalguna de que los homosexuales en las leyesy no pueden ser procesados/as por ser homosexuales,solo hay tal ley en Puerto Ricodesde el 15 de mayo de 2013. Hay una grandiferencia entre países y leyes pero en unpaís comunista y socialista en el Caribe esun avance increíble (y modelo) de que lasleyes hayan cambiado desde 1973. No estoydiciendo que Cuba es perfecta, por supuestoque no y que este país no tuvo etapas en contrade la comunidad homosexual y dePor: Scott Schoettes/Director del Proyecto deVIH para Lambda LegalP: Estaba leyendo acercade unas personas quefueron procesados penalmentepor tener relacionessexuales y no revelar a susparejas el hecho que teníanel VIH. ¿Cuales son las realidadesen cuanto a lasleyes y la revelación de tuestatus del VIH ?R: Lambda Legal lucha por abolir leyes decriminalización del VIH, aun así, hemos vistocon frecuencia comentarios en blogs y hastaen nuestros artículos en la internet de personasque creen que aquellos viviendo con el VIHdeberían ser obligados a revelar su estatusseropositivos antes de tener relaciones sexuales,y de no hacerlo deberían ir a la cárcel.Quizás estas personas que dicen "por qué norevelas" no se dan cuenta de las dificultades—y a veces, el peligro—que tiene el revelar esteestatus. Sabemos por experiencia que aun ycuando alguien revela su estatus del VIH, lasautoridades pueden presentar cargos criminalesy condenar a las personas bajo estasleyes. La responsabilidad le cae exclusivamentea la persona seropositiva para comprobarque él/ella reveló su estatus—y la resoluciónde cada una de estas situaciones dependede a quién le creas.Lo que deberíamos hacer es crear un ambienteen el cual las personas viviendo con elVIH se sientan seguras de revelar esta informaciónde forma voluntaria a sus parejas sexuales.Las leyes de la criminalización del VIHno ayudan en lo absoluto a promover este tipode ambiente—y de hecho contribuyen a la desconfianzade no revelar. Si las personas queviven con el VIH serán expuestas a condenascriminales que normalmente son reservadaspara ofensas mucho más atroces; entoncesesto puede crear un ambiente de incertidumbrey llevar a que estas personas, por miedo aser condenadas tan severamente, eviten o nose esfuercen por revelar su estatus. Todavíahay mucho por hacer antes que logremos reducirel estigma y la discriminación asociadacon el VIH a un nivel en el cual las personasse sientan cómodas en revelar o ser abiertosacerca de su estatus.Mientras tanto, todos debemos reconocerque el hecho de tener relaciones sexuales traeconsigo ciertos riesgos, y que todos controlamoseste riesgo y nuestro nivel de confianza.Si tu tolerancia para este riesgo es de cero, entoncestu no deberías tener relaciones sexualescon nadie,¡y punto! Si tu tolerancia para esteesos/as quevivieron conVIH/SIDA.Lo que síquiero hacerhincapié esque ahorapor los pasadosseisaños hay unmovimientoen contra dela homofobiay por talse estáh a b l a n d odel temamás abiertamente.Hayhomofobiaentre la sociedady lacomunidadya que es una sociedad establecida en elmachismo, marianismo, y la religión perohay un diálogo que está germinando al respectoentre la sociedad y comunidadCubana. El diálogo del tema LGBT sepercibe entre sacerdotes y miembros de lacomunidad, entre esos jugando dóminos enla calle y estilistas, entre esos en la industriadel turismo y aquellos/as viviendo en lasciudades urbanas como Ciego de Ávila,Sancti Spiritus, Santiago, Havana, Cienfuegos,y Trinidad, entre otras.Cuba es una isla llena de dicotomías ypolítica que muchos/as no entienden y envésse basan en la historia hablada; ¡si uno sebasa en la historia hablada nunca habría progreso!Si uno no aprende del pasado nopuede progresar en el futuro. Si uno no leede la historia y sólo se basa en lo que unoescucha, nunca es culto/a y no aprende delos factores que se deben asociar a tal historia.Entre la comunidad LGBT en Cuba sepalpa el cambio, por supuesto que hay algunos/asen la comunidad LGBT que seriesgo está un poco por encima de eso, entoncestú solamente deberías de tener sexo seguro,dentro de una relación comprometidadonde los dos se hayan hecho la prueba delVIH y hayan compartido los resultados. Ysegún tu tolerancia de riesgo puedes seguirsubiendo esa escala de interacción sexual. Elintentar de mantenerte a salvo del VIH dependiendosólo en que tu parejasexual revele su estatus esun plan diseñado para fracasar.Desde una perspectiva desalud pública, el sistema actualde leyes y procesoscriminales no funciona—nopromueve la conducta quedeseamos ni condena laconducta indeseada. Deberíamosde abandonar laidea que los únicos responsablesde prevenir la transmisióndel VIH son laspersonas seropositivas.Ahora que sabemos cómotratar el VIH y cómo prevenirla transmisión, deberíamosde concentrar losesfuerzos en crear un ambienteen el cual las personasTheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 15¿Orgullo en la comunidad Cubana sin homofobia? ¡Claro que sí!LATIN VISIONPHOTO: ERIC HESSMariela Castro (con el sombrero), hija del presidente de CubaRaúl Castro, apoya las actividades de la Jornada en Contrade la Homofobia en Cuba.PHOTO: WILFRED LABIOSAquieren ir del país y no pueden, pero la mayoríaestán viviendo unos cambios increíblesque ni aquí ni en otros países se pueden palpar.Un ejemplo del cambio se ve en el Centrollamado El Mejunje en Santa Clara. EsteCentro es uno diverso ya que no sólo tieneuna cafetería, sino que también un teatro,galería de arte, taberna, y centro nocturno debaile y conciertos – ¿qué sitio hay así aquíen Massachusetts? ¿En Nueva Inglaterra?No lo hay. El manejador de tal espacio esun hombre gay llamado “El Papa delmovimiento LGBT en Cuba”. La gente teconoce en este lugar y muchos otros lugaressimilares y quieren compartir contigo – noexiste el “click” que existe entre nuestra comunidadLGBT. Hay gente transgénero,gay, lesbianas y bisexuales viviendo vidasdiversas tal como la vivimos aquí, un pocomás complicada por la situación económica,pero sin “clicks”, ¡llenos de vida, alegría,amistad, hermandad, y espíritu LGBT!Durante este mes de Orgullo, espero quetodos/as tomen un momento para aprenderde nuestra historia LGBT. Lean, vean, ycompartan con otros/as en nuestra comunidadLGBT ya que hay diversidad de lacual todos/as podemos aprender. Exhorto aque salgan de sus “clicks” y compartan conotros/as. ¡Mantengan las mentes abiertas!Cuba nos puede enseñar al respecto – nocrean todo lo que se habla de Cuba, vean consus propios ojos y hablen compartan conotros/as, como yo, ¡que he ido y vivido la diversidadLGBT en Cuba y de la Jornada!¡Les deseo a todo/as un feliz mes de OrgulloLGBT! Qué todos/as lo pasen bien, y si vana beber, por favor ¡háganlo con precaucióny con límites! ¡Les deseo caminos segurosLGBT y todo lo mejor durante este mes y através de todo el año! ¡Que vivan conOrgullo LGBT y Latin@! Happy Pride!*Escrito por Wilfred Labiosa, psicólogo yactivista. Para conectarsevisite su sitio enFB: www.facebook.com/wlabiosa.Pregúntale a Lambda Legal: Revelando tu estatus del síndrome VIHno se sientan avergonzadas o atacadas basadoen su estatus, y eso es lo que las leyes de criminalizacióndel VIH hacen.Si vives con el VIH y buscas recursos en tuestado, por favor llama a nuestra Línea deAyuda al 1-866-542-8336 o visita a:www.lambdalegal.org/es/linea-de-ayuda.

16 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Out of Town: Four seaside gay-friendly getaways not considered by manyBy: Andrew Collins*/Special to TRTFour Unconventional Gay Seaside GetawaysBeach vacations come in many forms, especiallyin the context of gay and lesbiantravel. Years ago, GLBT travelers seekingsummer fun at the shore tended to focus onseveral tried-and-true resort communities,primarily Provincetown, Ogunquit, Rehoboth,Fire Island, Laguna Beach, KeyWest, and Saugatuck. Although all of thesetowns are as are still justly popular, with theirlively gay beach bars and inviting accommodations,America has no shortage of quirky,scenic seaside communities with progressivebents and welcoming vibes.Here are four great little coastal towns—two on the West Coast and two on the EastCoast—you may not have thought muchabout, especially if you live outside the regionsthey’re in. Each has plenty going for it,from an abundance of romantic, gay-friendlyinns to urbane restaurants to memorable culturaland recreational assets.Camden and Rockland, MaineTo experience a less-developed, ruggedlyscenic part of New England, make the twohourdrive north of Portland, Maine to visitthe historic seaside communities along westernPenobscot Bay, including Rockland andCamden (www.mainesmidcoast.com).Maine's Mid-Coast is a place for quiet vacations,ideal if you're a hiker, photographer,fishing enthusiast, or sailor. Camden is hometo a fleet of Windjammer sailing ships, whichcan be booked not only on multiple-day excursionsthroughout the region but also for afternoonjaunts along Penobscot Bay.The craggy 1,000-foot peaks of CamdenHills State Park delight outdoors enthusiasts—you can scamper along more than 20 milesof rugged nature and hiking trails through thisunspoiled paradise—there’s also overnightcamping. The formerly workaday town ofRockland has come into its own in recentyears, with several outstanding restaurantsand cafes—don’t miss In Good Company(www.ingoodcompanymaine.com), a dapperPHOTO: ANDREW COLLINSView from Homer Spit of Kachemak Bay and Alaska's glacier-capped Kenai Mountainsneighborhood wine bar with creative Americancuisine, or Primo (primorestaurant.com),where James Beard award-winning chefMelissa Kelly turns out stunning farm-totableMediterranean-inspired fare. The keydraw in Rockland is one of the country’s bestsmall art museums, the Farnsworth, which focuseson noted regional artists of internationalacclaim, including Louise Nevelson, GeorgeBellows, and the Wyeth, who are celebratedwith their own wing.Among recommended accommodations,Camden is home to the GLBT-owned CamdenHarbour Inn (camdenharbourinn.com),which is situated across from a harbor andhas 18 warmly appointed rooms and suites,plus a terrific restaurant. In Rockland, thegay-owned LimeRock Inn (www.limerockinn.com)is a handsome painted-lady VictorianB&Bs whose rooms are outfitted with allthe perks you’d expect of a modern hotel. Alavish breakfast is included in the rates, anddowntown restaurants are within easy walkingdistance.Homer, AlaskaYou may not think of Alaska when you’replanning a beach vacation, but the offbeatfishing town of Homer (www.homeralaska.com)is an endearingly funky andgay-friendly coastal getaway popular bothwith residents and visitors to the Last Frontier.On the Kenai Peninsula and reachedfrom Anchorage either by a stunning 220-mile drive or an easy 40-minute flight, thetown is situated at the mouth of KachemakBay and affords dramatic views of the glacier-cappedKenai Mountains.You can stroll among the cool coffeehousesand seafood restaurants alongHomer Spit, which pokes out into the bay -good bets include Captain Patties FishHouse, which serves delicious crab cakesand a nice selection of Alaska microbrewbeers, and Coal Town Coffee & Tea. Amust-see here is the fascinating Alaska Islands& Oceans Visitor Center, but also noteRead the rest of this story at:http://tiny.cc/7qlpxw

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013By: Ashley Mark/TRT ReporterThe safety of students and creation of affirmingschool environments is a growingfocus among LGBTQ organizations. TheBoston chapter of Parents, Families andFriends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. recentlyheld a fundraising event to highlight theprevalent need for safer environments.Greater Boston PFLAG’s “Step Up! Stopthe Bullying Now” event focused on makingthe situation better now, not waiting forthings to better themselves through time.“Initiatives like the ‘It Gets Better’ campaignbring hope, but also ask bullying victimsto be patient because it gets bettereventually,” explained event co-chair JoanParker. “To me that is like having an openpainful wound, the pain of which one mustendure until the passage of time amelioratesit. This is passivity, versus the activist strategiessupported by the PFLAG campaign tostop the bullying now.”According to Greater Boston PFLAGpresident Deborah Peeples, the work of theorganization fosters dialogue, creates saferenvironments and promotes open minds.The “Step Up!” event furthers this work andcalls attention to creating positive change inthe lives of LGBTQ students and allies.“This event is important because it shinesa spotlight on family acceptance and thecontinuing need to create safe climates forLGBTQ students, and promote respect forhuman diversity,” Peeples added.The event was held at the Party in the ParkTent in the Back Bay Fens’ Kelleher RoseGarden, and was attended by over 600guests, according to a press release. Honoredguests included Rufus Gifford, NationalFinance Director for the Obama forAmerica Campaign.“As President Obama’s informal ambassadorto the LGBT community, Rufus representsa beacon of hope for LGBT youth,”Peeples was quoted in the release. “Rufushas shown us all that there are no limits onlife’s plans.”The night also featured a live auction anda presentation of the Elise Frank ScholarshipAwards, which highlighted the accomplishmentsof six high-school students whose actionshave fostered greater support ofLGBTQ students in their schools.“Step Up!” promoted PFLAG’s educationalwork, but was also a fundraising eventto support their important mission.“The goal in all of our fundraising is tocontinue our bullying prevention and educationprograms for faculty and students inmiddle and high schools, to ensure the safetyand respect of students who are targets ofdiscrimination and harassment,” Parker said.Greater Boston PFLAG executive directorPam Garramone confirmed that the proceedsfrom the event will be used to continue andTheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 17Boston organization steps up to address LGBTQ bullying and makes changesPHOTO: MARILYN HUMPHRIESGBPFLAG with Rufus Gifford, event honoree. L-to-R: Liz Page of Liz Page Associates; HollySafford, co-chair of event and Founder/President of The Catered Affair; Greater BostonPFLAG President Deborah Peeples; Honoree Rufus Gifford; co-chair Joan Parker; and PFLAGExecutive Director Pam Garramone at the 2013 Step Up! Make it Better NOW event benefitingGreater Boston PFLAG.enhance the organization’s initiatives.“We raised funds to deliver LGBT awarenessand anti-LGBTQ bullying training tomiddle and high schools statewide, and incolleges, community, corporate and religiousorganizations,” Garramone said.Garramone agreed that change needs tooccur now, through policies and practicesthat protect LGBTQ youth and help themfeel welcome and included.“We know that many of our LGBTQyouth are still at high risk for suicide, substanceabuse and skip school because theydon't feel safe,” Garramone said. “There isstill much work to be done to make it betternow, no one should have to wait.”According to Peeples, “the event was fabulous!We filled a tent with folks from allwalks of life, both LGBTQ and allies, whocame together to support each other and ourwork. Besides sharing stories of unconditionallove and acceptance, and highlightingpeople who change the world for LGBTQpeople and families, the money we raisegoes directly to supporting our Safe Schoolsanti-LGBTQ bullying programs.”“Step Up!” may be a one night a yearevent, but PFLAG’s work extends into everyday of the year.“Each year, Greater Boston PFLAG deliversover 200 educational programs acrossthe commonwealth, reaching over 12,000people,” Peeples explained. “Through ourwork we help change attitudes and build understandingso that LGBTQ family membersand friends can live in a world that issafe and inclusive.”For more information about GreaterBoston PFLAG, visit www.gbpflag.org.

18 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013First national Give OUT Day benefits nonprofits: 9 local LGBTQ organizations fundedBy: Lauren Walleser/TRT ReporterGive OUT Day—the first national initiativeto mobilize donors across the country to giveto lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender andqueer (LGBTQ) nonprofits—was held May9 as nine local nonprofits participated, earningmoney while raising awareness of theircauses.MassEquality, Fenway Health, The TheaterOffensive, The Network/La Red, Gay &Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD),Bisexual Resource Center (BRC), FamilyEquality Council, Hispanic Black Gay Coalition(HBGC), and North East Transwomen’sAlliance Inc. (NETA) took part in the event,which utilized social media and online givingfor a 24-hour donation challenge. More than400 organizations from all 50 states participatednationally. The day was organized byBolder Giving, in partnership with the KevinJ. Mossier Foundation and Forward Motion.Kara Suffredini, executive director ofMassEquality, said they were able to raiseabout $1,000 during the event.“From securing safe shelter for homelessLGBTQ youth, to ending discriminationagainst transgender youth, adults and families,to protecting LGBTQ adults as they age,freedom isn’t free,” Suffredini said. “GiveOUT Day provided an opportunity forMassEquality to engage our community andallies about the importance of ongoing supportfor the critical work that remains to ensurethat everyone in Massachusetts is equal,safe and free from cradle to grave.”GLAD Director of Development Marie A.Longo said their organization raised a littleover $2,600.“Give OUT Day gave us a fun way to engagewith people, and gave our supporters away to contribute that went beyond simplygiving money,” said Longo. “By sharing GiveOUT links and other information on socialmedia, they introduced GLAD and our messageto people in their circles who may nothave known us, and our whole communitybenefits from an increased understanding ofthe need to financially support LGBT nonprofits.”Brent Wright, director of programs at FamilyEquality Council, also said the eventhelped them reach new audiences.“For Family Equality Council, participatingin Give OUT this year wasless about the dollars raisedand more about guiding thosenew audiences to our website,where they learned about ourwork—the programs andservices we provide—andthen we hope many will signup for our emails, register forour events or join our advocacycampaigns,” saidWright.Executive Director and Co-PHOTO: MEGHAN REESECorey Yarbrough from the Hispanic Black GayCoalition.Founder of HBGC Corey Yarbrough also saidthe goal was to reach new donors and reengagepast donors. Next year, he said theyhope more LGBT organizations led by andfor people of color will participate. Theyraised $1,790.“Our ability to raise so much in a 24-hourtime period demonstrates that many are passionateabout responding to the needs ofBlack and Latino/a LGBTQ people and generatingmore opportunities and resources forour population,” said Yarbrough.The Theater Offensive Managing DirectorAdrian Budhu said the group raised $1,000and one-third of Give OUT Day donors werefirst time donors to the organization.“Yes, it’s a bit of a competition on the dayof, but the community ties built are priceless,”said Budhu. “We also had great success withour e-blast program, and look forward to furtherdeveloping our email and social mediaoutreach, as well as our lists, thanks to whatwe learned on Give OUT Day 2013.”NETA President Lillith Ponticelli said theevent was an overall success and is alreadyplanning to participate next year.“Give OUT Day helped NETA Inc. by exposureand cross platform network supportand collaboration with other organizationsproviding services to the LGBTIQ community,”Ponticelli said.Ellyn Ruthstrom, President of BRC, saidthey were happy to connect with new supportersand raised just over $500.“We didn’t use a fundraising team this timebut could try to use that component next yearto see if we could improve the results,” saidRuthstrom.Philip Finch, vice president of communicationsat Fenway Health, said they raised amodest amount of money and gained onenew member of their Young Leaders Council.For next time, he said they would need toboost their publicity efforts to raise more.“I think some of the organizations that wereable to raise a significantly higher amount ofmoney than we did had different strategiesthan we did,” said Finch. “I think we learneda lot from this and I think we can get a lotmore out of it in the future if they choose todo it again next year.”The Network/ La Red Executive DirectorBeth Leventhal said their organization raised$280.“It gave us national exposure and a lot of...Read the rest of this story at:http://tiny.cc/6bxpxw

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 19

RHODE ISLAND20 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013After two-decade-long campaign, RI becomes tenth state to legalize same-sex marriageBy: Clara Lefton/TRT ReporterDuring the first week of May,Rhode Island governor Lincoln D.Chafee signed a Marriage EqualityAct that will allow same-sex couplesto marry in the state. The Independentgovernor signed the act after theHouse of Representatives voted 56-15in favor of marriage equality."We were certainly thrilled by thevote totals in both chambers," saidRay Sullivan, the campaign director atMarriage Equality RI. "It's furtherproof that elections and grassroots organizingreally matter. In less thantwo years, we helped change not onlythe makeup of the General Assembly,by working to elect five new pro-marriagesenators and ten new representatives,but we successfully tried toopen the hearts and minds of incumbentmembers who had previously been opposedto marriage equality. "Beginning Aug. 1, 2013, the act will go intoeffect, allowing all Rhode Island same-sexcouples the long sought-after privilege ofmarriage. Started in July 2011, civil unionsbecame available to Rhode Islanders, butafter this August, these will no longer be offered.Same-sex couples currently in civilunions will have the option to swap their titlefor marriage as well."I still get a chill every time I think aboutit," said RI State Representative Edith Ajello."I am extraordinarily proud to have been asupporter and co-sponsor of the legislationfor many years."TOP 10 BEST SELLER VIDEOSCourtesy: WolfeVideo.comLESBIAN TOP 101. Mosquita & Mari2. Cloudburst3. Face 2 Face4. A Perfect Ending5. Strange Frame6. Kiss Me - Best LesbianMovie of 2012!7. Molly's Girl8. Young and Wild9. Shamim Sarif 2-Pack10. Jack & DianeGAY TOP 101. A Portrait of James Dean:Joshua Tree, 19512. White Frog3. Love Free or Die4. I Want Your Love5. Any Day Now6. Yossi7. Men To Kiss8. Broadway Damage9. Gayby10. James Dean DVD 2-pack+ free poster!Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee signs the Marriage Equality Act, which will allowsame-sex couples to marry in the state, into law.The recently signed act was first brought tolight on Jan. 3, 2013 by Senator Donna Nesselbushand Representative Arthur Handy, althoughHandy's influence extends further, ashe had been pushing the bill consecutivelyfor the last decade. Always a strong supporterof civil rights, the Representative neverdreamed he would have such an importantrole in history. Upon winning his initial electionhe was asked to be a sponsor of the causeSpringfield Mass. Pride, May 30-June 5www.springfieldmasspride.orgBoston Pride, May 31-June 9www.bostonpride.orgJersey Pride; June 2, www.jerseypride.orgBrooklyn Pride, June 8, www.brooklynpride.orgPhilly Pride, June 9, www.phillypride.orgGomez from page 3When asked about Gomez’s support ofENDA, Ritter could not give a definitive answer.“I’d have to take a look at that, but I can tellyou based on the principles of him thinkingthat heterosexuals and homosexuals should betreated in the same regard I can imagine thatPHOTO: GOVERNOR CHAFEE'S OFFICESOME UPCOMING PRIDE CELEBRATIONS 2013RI PrideFest, June 15, www.prideri.comSouthern Maine Pride, June 15www.southernmainepride.orgCentral New York Pride, June 15www.cnypride.orgNYC Pride, June 18-29, www.nycpride.orgPride Toronto, June 21-30,www.pridetoronto.comhe would support that as well, but we’d wantto look at the specific act to make sure weknew what we were signing up for,” Rittersaid.The Gomez campaign did not respond tofurther attempts to gain clarification regardinghis stance on ENDA.Ed Markey, his opponent, states under theLGBT section on his campaign website thathe “has co-sponsored sixbills to ban employmentdiscrimination, legislationto change the tax code toallow domestic partners toqualify for employer-providedinsurance, and supportedlegislation to provideand was more than happy to become aspokesperson in favor of the change."There were so many things that I thinkhappened to help make this work, but I amreally proud of my part … I'm also proud tobe part of this sort of group of folks in thestate that have worked hard to get it forward,"said Handy in an exclusive interview withThe Rainbow Times. "I think that's the rightpath. I don't know that there's the legal capacityto do [this on a federal level] today. So Ithink that states like Rhode Island and all theothers that are [allowing marriage equality]are helping to keep moving that forward."Before signing the act, Gov. Chafee tookthe time to write an opinion piece for TheNew York Times entitled "Why I Am SigningMarriage Equality Into Law," published May1 and read internationally."Much of the argument for and against gaymarriage has revolved around the morality ofthe issue," wrote Chaffee in The New YorkTimes. "Each side feels intensely that its positionis more righteous than the other side’s.I personally feel that Rhode Island is a betterstate, and America is a better country, whenwe are as inclusive as possible."Moving forward, organizations that hadbeen dedicated to marriage equality will beshifting their goals. For instance, Rhode IslandersUnited for Marriage will now beworking as a resource for those who havequestions about the process, timing and implementationof the marriage law on August1."I am in complete support of the RI decisionto pass same-sex marriage," said SamPeterson, a 20-year-old from Newport, RI."[Same-sex couples] should have equalstanding in society. Personally, I look forwardto when same-sex marriage is an integratedpart of society and no longer has to bea story that is when real progress will be evident."For more information about getting marriedin Rhode Island, visit www.riunited.org.North Shore Pride, June 29www.northshorepride.orgNH Pride Fest, www.nhpridefest.comWorcester Pride, Sept. 7,www.worcesterpride.orgPride Vermont, Sep. 15, www.pridevt.orgLatin@ Pride, Fall 2013www.bostonpride.org/latinopridespousal health care, retirement and other benefitsto all federal employees in same-sex domesticpartnerships.”Markey is also a co-sponsor of the Respectfor Marriage Act, which would repealDOMA, has a 100 percent rating from theHuman Rights Campaign and was endorsedby MassEquality. His campaign also did notrespond to questions asking him to clarify hisown positions and comment on those ofGomez.The election will be held June 25 in Massachusetts.To view the National MarriageMap, visit http://tiny.cc/gnhjxw. For more informationon Gomez, visit www.gomezforma.com/.For more on Markey, visitwww.edmarkey.com/.The Rainbow Times is a proudmedia sponsor of Boston Pride,Springfield Pride, RI PrideFest& North Shore Pride. Wishingeveryone a Safe and HappyPride 2013!

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 21

22 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013The OutField: A tale of two comingoutstories—One a huge success;the other, clouded by sexismBy: Dan Woog*/Special to TRTWhen Jason Collins came out last month,Helen Carroll was furious.The longtime sports project director at theNational Center for Lesbian Rights had nothingagainst the 7-foot basketball center, whobecame the first still-active male athlete in amajor American team sport to say “I’m gay.”But Carroll couldn’t help thinking aboutsomething that happened just a couple ofweeks earlier. Brittney Griner—the topwomen’s college basketball player of 2013,number one WNBA draft pick, and quite possiblythe best female hoops player of alltime—came out as a lesbian.Collins’ announcement was a major mediaevent. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated.He was on the network evening news. PresidentObama phoned with congratulations.Griner’s coming-out merited far less fanfare.There were few headlines. Talk showsignored the news. The president never called.A day later, Carroll had calmed down. Shewas glad for Collins, but felt badly Griner hadnot gotten a similar “day in the sun.”Carroll attributes the non-reaction to Grinerto “the reality of sexism in this country. Mencontrol everything.”Part of the difference in reactions may alsoarise from the polar-opposite stereotypes surroundingmen and women in sports. Foryears, it was “assumed” that many female athleteswere lesbians. At the same time, mostAmericans could not believe any male athletecould possibly be gay.According to Pat Griffin, a former coachand social justice professor at the Universityof Massachusetts who now directs Changingthe Game: The GLSEN Sports Project, thoseassumptions are not only wrong—they’redangerous.“The implication that it was somehow ‘easier’for Brittney to come out, because she’s inwomen’s sports, worries me,” Griffin says.“Yes, there are more women out as athletesand coaches. But there are still plenty who arenot. There’s still negative recruiting at the collegelevel. The relative silence around Brittney’scoming-out makes some peopleassume we’ve won the war. Well, we haven’t.”Still, Griffin salutes the way in whichGriner came out. “She just subtly said it.That’s a great model for future athletes. Ittook so much courage for her to do this at thebeginning of her professional career. I don’twant that courage to get lost.”Griffin agrees with Carroll that the disparityin coverage of the two events has roots inmale control. “The mainstream media hasnever really been interested in women’ssports,” Griffin says. “And when the conversationbegan about gay athletes, the mediawas fascinated by the ‘gay men in sports’story. The overall coverage of women’s sportsin general is abysmal. The assumption thatthere are lots of lesbians in sport is a doublewhammy.”But it is true that female athletes have beenout longer, and in more sports, than males.Mariah Burton Nelson came out in 1976, as aStanford University basketball player. Sheplayed professionally and has written sixbooks about gender and sports.Nearly four decades later, though, “beingout takes courage,” Nelson says. She commendsGriner for living courageously andbeing a role model.Nelson cites interviews with espnW, AssociatedPress and USA Today as evidence thatthe sports world is not ignoring Griner. In fact,Nelson says, “It would seem prurient if the“And when the conversation began aboutgay athletes, the media was fascinated bythe ‘gay men in sports’ story. The overallcoverage of women’s sports in general isabysmal.”Washington Post, for instance, after routinelyignoring women’s college basketball, suddenlyshouted Griner’s sexual orientationfrom the front page.”Griffin does not spare the gay media, andgay sports movement, from criticism. “I’veseen panels about gay sports, and it’s only gaymen talking about gay athletes,” she says.“Can the media focus on both gay men andlesbians? Probably not. But LGBT sportspeople can. We need to keep the spotlight onthis issue, from every angle.”In addition, Griffin would like to see thefocus move beyond professional sports. “Collegeand high school is where athletes—maleand female—are most vulnerable,” she says.“I would hate to see this conversation drivensolely by ‘the first male pro athlete to comeout.’”Nelson would like to see gay collegecoaches included in the conversation. “Whenthey start being openly ‘who they are,’ THATwill be newsworthy.”In the future, she adds, “who’s gay, who’sstraight, who’s bisexual or even transgenderedwill not be a big deal. That’s my goal, anyway:to create a world where human diversityis appreciated but not surprising.”Which brings us back to Helen Carroll, andher reaction in the hours after Jason Collinscame out.“The fact that the president and MichelleObama congratulated him—well, Brittneyhas been to the White House. She’s met PresidentObama. But she didn’t get a call. Thatinfuriated me.”A day later, she says, “I was feeling, well,every person should be celebrated for comingout. Brittney and Jason should both get theirday in the sun.”*Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccercoach and gay activist. His latest book is “WeKick Balls: True Stories from the Youth SoccerWars.” He can be reached care of this publicationor at OutField@qsyndicate.com.

May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013Hennepin from page 9operator in Minneapolis to see whether therewere phone numbers for Jack Baker andMichael McConnell. It’s not that he wantedto call them, it’s that he could hardly believethere were other men in the world like him—men who loved men.“I have secluded myself in an apartment inBirmingham where I live alone away fromparents and friends,” wrote the man, whosehand-written letter to Baker is part of anarchive at the University of Minnesota. “Youand Mr. McConnell have more guts than anyman I have ever met.” He asked them to sendhim information about their gay political organizationto “help make a new life for myself.”“At seventeen years of age, I have alreadyexperienced the deep hurt of loving one whocan never possibly love you,” wrote anotheryoung man, this one from a tiny rural town inMaine who said he had attempted suicide. Hecouldn’t even bring himself to spell out theword “homosexual” in his letter, and he cautionedthem not to include their return addresson the envelope because “I’m still unable tospeak at home.” But he asked the couple towrite “a hopeful clause” to him if they knewof any gay organization that might exist inMaine.It’s not clear whether Baker and McConnellwere able to help the many individual peoplewho wrote to them, but they continued theirwork of knocking on doors that had previouslybeen closed to gay people—doors thatmany believed could get them killed.The couple lived in a world rocked by violenceover racial integration, PresidentNixon’s invasion of Cambodia, the Kent Stateshootings, and the emergence of the moreraucous movement for equal protection of thelaw launched at Stonewall. In many states, includingMinnesota, laws back then wereheavily stacked against gay people and it wasstill illegal to engage in oral or anal sex.By: John Verlinden*/Special to TRTWhat’s upw i t ht h a t ?Why is this happening?A recent surveypublished bythe Centers for DiseaseControl, CDC,suggests that foodallergies amongchildren under age18 increased by over 50 percent in thelast decade, and may now affect morethan 5 percent of kids nationwide—that’s millions of kids. Offendingfoods include milk, soy, wheat,peanut, egg, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.There’s also evidence that peanutallergy has doubled in just the last fiveyears.These used to be very rare. Howmany kids with a food allergy did you knowgrowing up? Now, they’re commonplace –ask any school nurse. In nearly every classroom,one or more children have a food allergy,and because allergies are immunesystem disorders that can affect multiple bodysystems at once, they must be taken very seriously.Exposure to even small amounts cansend victims into shock and even result indeath, hence the bans on PB&J sandwichesin school lunchrooms and birthday party prohibitionsthat have lots of parents up in arms.While theories abound, researchers don’tknow what causes a food allergy or why they¡MUCHO GUSTO!To cook is to love: Food allergies up, especially for kidsPHOTO: RACHEL POWERare on the rise. Is itsomething in the environment?Doesheredity play a role?Maybe it’s a result ofchanges in our foodsupply – food additives,GMO foods,antibiotics and hormones?Could it justbe that hyper-vigilantparents are payingcloser attention to reactionsand seeking treatment? Or, is it acombination of these factors?One theory gaining traction is that we’re tooclean. Some scientists believe that exposureto germs and parasites in early childhood mayprevent the body from developing certain allergies.Could the legacy of our obsessionwith disinfectants and antibiotics, antibacterialsoaps, sprays and sanitizing gels in theU.S. be a generation of kids with underdevelopedimmune systems? Two findings in theCDC survey may bolster this theory—foodallergy rates were highest among the most affluentparticipants, and foreign-born childrenhad the lowest.What do you think is going on? I’d love tohear your thoughts about childhood food allergies.*Share your family’s experience, ask a questionor suggest a topic for a future article —contact me: john@muchogusto.com or visitwww.muchogusto.com and join our Latinfood forum. Until next time – ¡Mucho Gusto!,¡Muchas Gracias! y ¡Buen Provecho!For whatever reasons, these two men believedin the system. They believed that theyshould trust the system to treat them with thesame rights due to all American citizens. Butdespite the powerful burst forward providedby the Stonewall rebellion, many gay peopleat the time did not have the courage it tookfor Baker and McConnell to apply for thatmarriage license on May 18, 1970.“The fear then wasn’t that you’d be discriminatedagainst, that was a given,” said oneMinnesota activist of the 1970s, in an articleby the Associated Press last December “Youwere a lot more afraid that someone mightcome after you with a shotgun.”McConnell, in fact, lost his job at the Universityof Minnesota library because of thecouple’s activism. But still the men forgedonward.And not everyone in the gay communitysupported what Baker and McConnell weredoing. It’s not that they were opposed, butrather they felt the community’s focus and resourcesneeded to be concentrated on goalsthat were embraced by greater numbers in thecommunity – goals such as laws prohibitingdiscrimination based on sexual orientation inemployment and housing, and striking downsodomy laws.On the David Susskind Show in 1973,Baker said gay activists around the countryhad criticized him and McConnell, sayinggay couples didn’t need a marriage license.And in a 1993 oral history recording, MinnesotaState Senator Allan Spear spoke aboutBaker and McConnell’s efforts, saying marriage“wasn't the issue that most of the rest ofus saw as a front burner issue."Today, there is little doubt that marriage forsame-sex couples is a “front burner issue.”The U.S. Supreme Court will issue decisionsbefore the end of June on two cases involvingthe legal rights of same-sex couples. AndMinnesota passed a marriage equality lawMay 13, becoming the twelfth state plus theDistrict of Columbia to treat same-sex cou-TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 23ples the same as male-female couples in marriagelicensing.But in a response to a question via e-mailand hanging up.McConnell was on hand in the Senate by Minnesota Public Radio reporter Sashagallery for the final passage of Minnesota’s Aslanian, McConnell had this reaction to themarriage equality law, just days shy of the passage of the Minnesota marriage equality43rd anniversary of the date he and Baker bill: “Yesterday was a very powerful experiencefor me. I am so proud of this generation!first filled out the application for a marriagelicense in Hennepin County.I’m just so elated to have been alive to seeThough they have, from time to time, respondedto questions via email, McConnell cannot describe the feeling. When I saw alland experience this moment in time. Wordsand Baker, both in their early 70s now, have those thousands of young and older peopleeschewed interviews. Reached by phone this together celebrating the victory today, it wasweek, Baker summarily dismissed this reporter’srequest for an interview, saying “I © copyright 2013 by Keen News Service. Alloverwhelming.”don’t give interviews to reporters, thank you,” rights reserved.Relativism From page 2According to some church leaders, societyis changing the Creator’s laws handeddown by Moses, Abraham, the prophetsand Jesus. Catholic and Protestant leadershave huffed and puffed about relativism’sassault on faith, morals and religion. Theyblame falling attendance and church closingsnot on their leadership or inability tobalance logic, science and common sensewith faith, but to relativism encouraged, inpart, by LGBTQ activism. This is lessabout changing God’s laws and more abouttheir loss of control.Relativism has religious, philosophicaland anthropological underpinnings goingwell beyond this article. The point is not tolet the word stop you from challengingthose using it, and you can do it on theirterms, nor should you allow it to leave anydoubt in your mind about living your truth.Every day I wrestle with my faith. Isthere a personal God engaged with my specificproblems? Did God set life in motionwith the Big Bang and walk away? Whatis the proper way to pray? I never wasteLiberation from page 2I find it very appropriate that Youth Pridecomes before the June Pride festival. Myhope is that Youth Pride reminds us to payattention to the parts of our LGBTQ communitiesthat we too often ignore or speak for.Youth Pride is a reminder that youth have avoice of their own. We must lift up the voicesof youth and all those who Pride festivals arequick to leave out.While I spend many of my articles talkingabout the downfalls of many who claim leadershipin LGBTQ communities, I have immenselove for so much of who we are.When I get beyond the corporate marchers,I know I can find powerful and beautifulvoices that echo through the streets as peoplemarch during Pride. I also know that thereare many people present who may not getseen, honored, or celebrated for who theyare. Here are a few things, in no particularorder, I will be celebrating during Pride:• Chubby bears walking around withoutshirts. These guys are some of my favoritechallenges to the body fascism of gay maleculture.• The Hispanic/Black Gay Coalition's continuouslygrowing presence in Boston andtheir influence on community work.• The Network/La Red's outfits and attentiongetting to ending partner abuse in LGBTQ,polyamorous and BD/SM communities.• Dogs in bandanas and other doggie clothes.• People making out and ducking into alleywaysto play.• Sex workers, who are too often shamed,not often enough celebrated.• Sober queers.time on guilt.Stay focused on the larger picture. Youare part of creation. Your grouping is notflawed. You may have quirky personalityissues, as do we all, but your category ofcreation whether man, woman, Irish, Italian,Latino, gay, queer, lesbian, or transgenderis not the problem.I do not know the will of God and, by theway, neither does the Pope. I suspect, however,God is not losing sleep over anyone’ssense of guilt. There is a universe to runand you have a life to live. Get on with it.In the process, respectfully and confidentlychallenge religious leaders who too ofteninstill fear by throwing around words likerelativism. God is not changing. Instead,humanity is getting collectively smarterand more spiritually mature.*Paul is an author, attorney and a seminarytrained, ordained priest in greater Albany,NY. He does spiritual health andwellness counseling for LGBTQ persons offaith. Reach him through www.Corporate-Chaplaincy.biz.”• Leather! Lots of hot sweaty people inleather chaps/shorts/harnesses.• Queens who spend the entire day in enormousheels.• Newly out queers/trans folks who are celebratingin public for the first time.• Formerly incarcerated LGBTQ people gettingaccess to other LGBTQ people withoutthe same level of violence or surveillance.• Our history. I take some of my greatestpride in remembering that it was not longago that Charley Shively burned the Bible atPride in protest of violence by the churchagainst our communities. It was not long agothat Pride was a protest against the Vietnamwar. It was not long ago that Fag Rag andGay Community News marched in Pride. Itwas not long ago that Pride marched by a jailchanting along with the people inside. It wasnot long ago that nudity was a celebratedrather than censored part of Pride. I takepride in our history knowing that there arenew directions I want to see our movementgo. I take pride in a history that prioritizesthe experiences of criminalized LGBTQpeople, queer people of color, transgenderpeople, poor queers and those who will remindus that assimilation will never equalliberation.*Rev. Jason Lydon is a Unitarian Universalistminister in Boston. He is a long time antiprisonorganizer and founder of Black &Pink, an LGBTQ-focused effort working towardthe abolition of the prison industrialcomplex. Jason is also an avid lover of famouspeople and blockbuster action flicks.You can reach Jason at jason@blackandpink.org.

24 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com May 30, 2013 - July 3, 2013