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3 Features August 2013 10 Justice Is Not “Just Us By Robin Tyler
12 Positive Reflections CON By Dian Katz, MS 14 Justice Scalia: Gay Marriage Is “Inevitable” By Carl Matthes TENTS 16 Out in the World By Heather Cassell 18 Theorhetorically Speaking Inside LN By Nikki McCauley 23 Living Out By Sally Sheklow 23 QUEERLY QUESTIONING 28 Transgender 24 LOLs By Chris Angel Murphy 26 MOVIES EYE C 38 Words That Make Sense 27 MUSIC By Toni Hart 28 LIFE COACH’S CORNER 29 BOOKS 38 Alcoholism, The Thinking Disease 34 HOT SPOTS By G-O Digillio 35 THE WEEKENDER 35 TRAVEL Lifestyles 36 POETRY 37 FEMASTROLOGY 9 Politically Speaking By Donna Wade
20 Marriage Equality Heroes, Lesbian Leaders, and Fun in the Sun – That’s Olivia! By Stephanie Papadakis and Wen Minkoff 22 Comic of the Month By Gladi Adams, PhD 32 Krissy Krissy By Michele Khordoc
8 Cover Story Three Trailblazer Who Changed Our Lives Cover Image:© Madartists | Dreamstime.com By Gladi Adams, PhD
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7 Three Trailblazers Who changed Our Lives | By Gladi Adams PhD
ris Perry and Sandy Belzer Stier were whether the progress our country has made will be DOMA & PROP 8 plaintiffs in the Prop 8 challenge before the reflected in our laws. KSupreme Court. In the case that overturned California’s same-sex marriage ban, One thing is clear; people’s views on marriage die Windsor, the plaintiff in the lawsuit the couple were the first to be married at San equality are changing because they believe LGBT against the U.S., and her attorney Roberta Francisco City Hall on Friday, June 28th.by family members, friends, and neighbors deserve to Kaplan celebrated the victory calling it E Attorney General Kamala Harris who officiated at be treated like everyone else in the United States. “Glorious”. All of us here at Lesbian News are the wedding ceremony. so proud of Edie and her dedication to this issue. Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions in Forever she will be thought of as the synonym for two historic cases that reflect the progress we have DOMA’s defeat. Indeed she is our heroine and we all witnessed across our country. This progress is also want to acknowledge Roberta Kaplan for her defined by the ideal that more and more Americans pro bono contribution to resolve this matter. want to leave to the next generation a country that is more equal, not less. “DOMA violated the fundamentally American The nation’s highest court reaffirmed our founding principles of fairness and equality,” said Windsor. belief that all Americans are created equal under “Because of today’s Supreme Court ruling, every child born today will be able to grow up in a world without DOMA - a world where the federal government won’t discriminate against their marriages no matter who they are. I know Thea would have been so happy and proud to see how State officials were ordered to stop far we have come in our fight to ensure that all gay enforcing Proposition 8 on Friday afternoon and lesbian couples are treated with the dignity and resume weddings for same-sex couples in and respect that they deserve.” California for the first time in 4 1/2 years. This happened after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a stay on an injunction.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that ProtectMarriage who were the sponsors of Proposition 8, lacked the authority to defend the measure in court. Harris called on the 9th Circuit that same day, to lift its hold on the ruling and same-sex couples wanting to schedule their ceremonies began to get licenses and schedule marriage ceremonies.
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s LGBT Americans are celebrating the Supreme Statement in Response to Court’s decision, but there are many unanswered Supreme Court Decisions on the law. The Court made a strong statement for questions, and 37 states still do not have marriage equality and freedom, overturning discrimination equality. Marriage Equality Cases against gay and lesbian American citizens simply because of who they love. When President Obama heard the news, he said, he debate over marriage equality is “When it comes to how the state treats people, about fairness – about whether gay and While this is a huge step forward for our country, how the law treats people, I believe that everybody lesbian Americans deserve to be treated “T the fight to make America more equal does not has to be treated equally.” just like their family members, their friends, and end with a Supreme Court decision. There is more their neighbors. It’s about opportunity – about work to be done to fulfill the promise of freedom whether every American gets to dream the same and equality for all – in which America becomes a dreams, chase the same ambitions, and have the KRIS PERRY and place where every family’s love and commitment same shot at success. And it’s about freedom – can be recognized and respected under the law.” SANDY STIER the freedom to love, the freedom to commit, the freedom to build a family. Most of all, it’s about
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com Politically speaking The Supremes Give With One Hand, Take With The Other | By Donna Wade
e d d i n g b e l l s again ring for us in California and DOMA Street hucksters and multi-national corporations just fine, 90% of the time. is rightfully in the ash pit of history, both major wins in our On another front, the revelations of NSA contractor Edward Snowden W community’s fight for full equality. Woo-hoo! Currently, 30- have blown out of the water any fantasy that citizens have a right to 40% of the U.S. population lives in state where marriage equality is law privacy or freedom from illegal search and seizure guaranteed under and the sky hasn’t fallen, straight marriages haven’t been destroyed by the the U.S. Constitution. Every day the NSA captures the “metadata” from honeymooning gay neighbors and the furor over our desire to marry the up to 3 billion phone calls, emails, video chats and other electronic person we love seems now to be much ado about nothing in the eyes of a communications from citizens not accused or suspected of any crime and majority of Americans. filing them in vast databases for future use. President Obama says “trust us,” they are not listening to our communications but the fact that they have Though the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court gave us the Prop 8 that ability means that someone down the line will use it, if they haven’t victory, I think they did it in a backhanded way, setting a precedent that already. I fail to see how a security apparatus that would be the envy of could return to bite Californians and citizens of any other state where voters any dictator can be considered benign, simply because it’s administered can enact a law through an initiative process. SCOTUS also dodged the by agencies of the US government and 3 million subcontractors with top larger constitutional question of whether the inalienable rights of American secret security clearances, none of whom could possibly have malevolent citizens can be denied or restricted through voter initiative. But a ruling that intentions, could they? stated that a right for one must be a right for all is where the court’s “states rights” conservatives will never go, so the narrowed the scope of their Speaking of malevolent intent, Monsanto, DuPont and 50 front groups for ruling made marriage legal only in California, forcing the continuation of bio-tech, food additive, multinational big Ag and chemical companies that our battles in the other states. generate billions of dollars in profits from annual food-related sales have formed a new PR group innocuously named the Alliance to Feed the Future. With one hand the Supremes gave us two victories, with the other they Its mission is to “balance the public dialogue”on modern agriculture and gutted the Voting Rights Act, one of the most successful pieces of legislation large-scale food production and technology and aims to become the “go ever enacted. The conservative majority overturned Section 4, under which to” source for “real information” about the pre-packaged “food” in this areas known for attempts to disenfranchise minority voters had to get country, 80% of which is banned in other countries. federal preclearance before enacting any changes to election law and voter requirements. In 2005, this law was reaffirmed by overwhelming majorities The rise in buying locally-produced, organic food from the people who in both houses of Congress, yet the conservative cabal overturned the law actually grew it is a threat to their profits, so local farmers and rising that mostly old white men have been trying to scuttle or circumvent since consumer awareness have become a burr under their saddles and must be LBJ signed it in 1965. How is that not the “judicial activism” the right so squashed! Since China recently destroyed shipments of Monsanto GMO often decries? corn from the United States and Japan is refusing shipments of our wheat without certification that it has no GMO content, they’re having trouble In response to the ruling, Texas has already moved forward with a selling it abroad, so Americans must buy it but it’s a trade secret, so we redistricting plan and voter requirements that would disproportionately can’t know what we’re eating. impact minority voters. Now southern states can go back to placing polling places in “whites only” country clubs and requiring multiple forms One Alliance member, The American Council for Fitness and Nutrition, of photo ID to vote. Will poll taxes and literacy tests be far behind? is a non-profit focused on your family’s wellbeing, right? Not so much. Here are a few of the nutrition ‘experts’ among their membership: Coca So we get to marry and have those marriages recognized by the Cola, Hershey’s, American Bakers Association, American Meat federal government but many people of color will lose their right to Institute, Biscuit & Cracker Manufacturers Association, Chocolate vote. Justice Scalia’s hypocrisy was laid bare as he voted to strike down the Manufacturers Association and the National Confectioners Association legally enacted and repeatedly reaffirmed Voting Rights Amendment, then excoriated the court majority the very next day in his DOMA dissent The Alliance to Feed the Future is just another front group peddling for doing precisely the same thing! poisons to further fatten their wallets. Don’t fall for it. Worse, as revealed in documents obtained by Food and Water Watch, is that our tax dollars help The Roberts court only makes sweeping rulings when it involves big spread these toxins to the world and solidify Monsanto’s stranglehold on business, the only “people” they really serve, adopting new rules of the global food production, which, in a saner world, would constitute a crime court that bend the arc of justice toward corporations and away from against humanity. those harmed by them. Most recently they upheld a corporation’s right to avoid litigation by forcing litigants into binding arbitration. Of course, the [email protected] arbitrators are paid by the corporations, so the fairness of such a system for the people harmed is questionable at best. But it works for Monsanto, Wall
9 JUSTICE IS NOT ‘JUST US’
| By Robin Tyler
n the anniversary of the first day of the Stonewall rebellion, Diane want to hear about marriage equality, just about Proposition 8. and I watched Freedom to Marry return to California from her Ohospital room and Cedars Sinai, where she was being treated for ‘Why are we hearing this case?’ one of the liberal justices asked. “Should it severe pneumonia. be dismissed as improvidently granted?”
Although I was very supportive of a federal lawsuit to strike down Prop. 8, I wondered the same thing. Despite AFER’s 4 year public relations campaign that this would be ‘THE CASE’ which could bring marriage equality to same- sex couples across the entire country, it wasn’t. AFER had raised millions of dollars to pay these high powered, high priced non-gay attorneys who had become the new ‘odd couple’ on top of the wedding cake. But liberal Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt decided it was only proper for him to strike down Proposition 8, not to strike down the marriage restrictions of other states.
President Obama’s Solicitor General, Donald Verrilli came to the same conclusion. He advocated during the March 26, 2013 oral arguments that a rejection of Proposition 8 should only mean that marriage would return to California and explained that the Administration was not pressing in that case for all States to accept marriage equality.
Some of the most notable LGBT attorneys and activists were sitting in that courtroom-from Evan Wolfson, visionary and founder of Freedom to Marry, to brilliant attorneys Jon Davidson and Jenny Pizer, from Lambda Legal, here in LA, to NCLR’s Kate Kendall and Shannon Minter, to Gloria Allred, our non-gay attorney whose firm had taken our case pro bono, to attorneys from the ACLU, Gavin Newsome and numerous political activists. And yes, Chad Griffin, a former Hollywood publicist, Bill Clinton volunteer and WH We had attended the US Supreme Court hearings on Proposition 8 and DOMA press staffer, founder of AFER and now, the new ED of HRC, was front and and were very upset at the Proposition 8 hearing when the conservative center, where he loves to be. When the hearing was over, the majority on our justices claimed that ‘marriage equality was still an experiment, younger then side walked out in silence. We knew it did not go well. ‘Standing’ was the the ‘I phone.’ When AFER conservative, pro marriage attorney Ted Olson only issue SCOTUS was interested in. tried to talk about marriage equality, a justice cut him off saying that there were no definitive results about how children raised by same-sex couples I, however, could not contain my rage. How dare they call same-sex marriage would turn out. I expected Olson to answer that bogus statement, as there has ‘an experiment.’ I was walking by the media and turned around and shouted been study after study that show that children of same-sex couples turn out ‘we are not an experiment, we are a civil rights movement!’ http://lgbtpov. fine but he did not. He was too busy arguing in front of justices who did not frontiersla.com/2013/03/26/robin-tyler-angry-about-scotus-prop-8-hearing/,
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com Of course HRC who controlled all the media that day, spun it like just being No. This was misleading. We understood how important the DOMA decision ‘heard’ by the US Supreme Court meant we were on the verge of total victory. was for bi-national couples and same-sex couples in the military and the rest And I am sure the donations poured in. of the important rights that are now going to be extended to same-sex couples
The next day, DOMA, section 3 would be considered. And what a difference a day makes! The lesbian attorney, Roberta Kaplan was brilliant. Mary Bonauto, the GLAD attorney (also a lesbian) who was the first to win marriage rights in the USA with her case in MA had worked with Roberta. The ACLU had actually partnered with Roberta and her law firm team on this case. Edie Windsor sat in the courtroom beaming. This presentation of this case was brilliant and led by lesbians. The press was rightfully all over Edie and her attorneys when they walked out of the courtroom. She tore up her notes and said ‘I want to speak from my heart.’ And she did. Of course, HRC was right there helping with the press, as if it were their case. But, as Edie later said when she won the case, ‘Thank you to Roberta Kaplan who helped me when no organization would.’
So before the Day of Decision, we knew we had some work to do. The HRC and AFER publicity machines had raised hopes (and a lot of money) nationally. We needed to explain to activists across the country to get ready to demand equal marriage rights in their states, because the Proposition 8 case was really just about Proposition 8 in California and the DOMA case was just about Section 3 of DOMA, which is about federal benefits and rights, and not Section 2, which is about whether States have to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples done in other States. who are married or will marry in the States and countries that allow it due to the more than 1,000 provisions in federal law that depend on one’s marital And 10 years to the day of the great ruling in the Lambda Legal case, status. We understood that Kennedy’s DOMA decision was based on equality Lawrence v Texas, which struck down all the remaining sodomy laws in our under the law and that he ruled that the principal purpose and the necessary country and paved the way (as Justice Scalia predicted in his angry Lawrence effect of this law are to demean those persons who are legally married to dissent) for same-sex couples to marry, the Day of Decision came. their same-sex spouse. So if the only reason that the Federal government passed DOMA was to disenfranchise, disrespect and disassociate itself from gay and lesbian citizens, then what about the States who will not allow them their equal liberty to marry the person they love? The major figures in the mid-20th-century African-American civil rights movement, our feminist political powerhouses and other equal justice leaders all have firmly rejected that notion of “states’ rights” when it means a right of state governments to discriminate. They knew all too well that enshrining states’ rights over civil rights would break the Constitution’s promise that each of us is equal under law.
But, not to worry. Chad Griffin, the new ED of HRC, The Pied Piper of Prop 8, has declared that they (HE) will guarantee that marriage equality will become the law in the entire country within 5 years! Really? Who appointed Chad the Marriage Czar? Chad.
Meanwhile, Lambda Legal (who is suing in Nevada, Illinois and New Jersey), Freedom to Marry (who helped organize the 4 States that successfully defeated anti-marriage propositions last year), NCLR, the ACLU, GLAD, and activists across the country will continue to do the work they have done for decades. And now, more than ever, we need to keep fighting, not just for the freedom to marry nationally but for the freedom to work, housing, culturally competent health care, safe schools and a comprehensive national Proposition 8 was punted back to California, because the initiative civil rights bill that protects our entire community. Because Justice is not proponents (anti-gay groups] lacked ‘standing,,’ meaning they had no about ‘Just Us’. right to file appeals. Yes, Judge Vaughn Walker’s 2010 ruling declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional was the substantive ruling that stood. And Robin Tyler and her wife, Diane Olson were the first lesbian plaintiffs to here in California, after a decade-long struggle, the freedom to marry was file a lawsuit through Allred, Maroko and Goldberg) challenging the right returning because the US Supreme Court would not deal with the issue. to marry in the case that brought marriage equality to California. That case was joined by other plaintiffs represented by the leading LGBT legal And, in the Windsor case, DOMA, section 3 was struck down. The media organizations, the ACLU and the City of San Francisco. Because of this, the reported it as ‘DOMA STRUCK DOWN,’ so we were confused. Was all of county of LA allowed them to be the first to marry In LA County. They have DOMA struck down? been legally married for 5 years, and together for 20.
11 Positive Reflections Who Will Speak For These Women? They Have No Voice... | By Dian Katz, MS
ay marriage has been full speed in why? Why are some so hateful of us? Why an opportunity, to explore and become more California over the past few months. does bullying, and gay bashing still happen in open and accepting of their own orientation, G Ever since The Supreme Court today’s world? What makes these people so thus rewiring their old beliefs. dismissed Prop 8 as unconstitutional and intolerant of us? eliminated The Defense of Marriage Act As adults it is so important to take the time also known as DOMA, lesbians and gays are Ask any prejudiced person about his/her to explore the belief systems and values having weddings like no tomorrow. Finally, we hatred toward a particular race, religion, instilled in us as children. This way, whether say! Finally, we have a little breathing room. sexual orientation. You will discover he/ straight or gay, we can make decisions based The lgbt civil rights movement has stepped she has never spent time and really gotten to on what’s right because “we” know in our up and fought like never before. We are tired know someone who is different. If prejudiced hearts it’s right and not just because someone of feeling like second class citizens. We are individuals could take time to spend it with told us it is. We aren’t taught in school to tired of not having all the rights that straight a person they hate, they would discover question what our parents taught us. We people do. Enough is enough. However, now this person is not really any different from aren’t taught to question what our clergy and that we have made tremendous headway, the them. It’s that fear factor that often produces society taught us. So somehow, hopefully, other side is experiencing frustration. For all prejudice. It’s the fear where they feel these we find our way and take the time to do of those who are severely disappointed by “different” folks are going to somehow take so. the decisions, welcome to our world. Oh, and something away from them or hurt them in multiply that feeling by about a zillion times. . some way. Of course this typically isn’t the Not everyone who grows up in families case but rather an irrational fear that is totally where gay acceptance is absent turns to The freer we become, the more intolerant the ingrained. It’s hard to change their minds. And intolerance. Sometimes, people who cannot opposition becomes. We are hearing things we all know, the likelihood of them spending accept gay rights become angrier and fight such as how the government isn’t standing by time with a person they hate is about zero. harder to stop us. Still.... strides in equality the will of its people. In other words, popular Still, what helped to ingrain this deep seated are taking place. The whole fight for equality vote should be the determining factor in the dislike, distrust or hatred of people with is normalizing the idea of gays being part of case of gay rights in California. Really? This differences? society to those who were neutral. is ludicrous. Yes, we live in a country where So many variables shape our society. Religions democracy is the rule. Yes, we believe in the shapes it, politics shapes it, media shapes it Their views have dramatically changed. power of a country’s people. However, folks and so on. As adults we become educated and These folks have shifted their views to can’t just vote away other’s rights simply learn to think as individuals. We no longer accept gays and gay marriages. Why the because they don’t like a particular group or have to believe and think in the same manner change for them? Familiarity helps to change don’t want them to exist in the world. The as our caretakers. We can decide what is viewpoints. As they see more and more gays popular vote also supported Hitler and the important to us and what makes sense to us. come forward, come out, speak, they realize massive round-up of the Jews... The popular However, when we have been brought up in that we are similar. They aren’t threatened vote also supported slavery and sitting in the a particular manner, certain mores and values by our differences and want to embrace back of the bus because of one’s skin color... are wired into our brains and nervous system humanity and equality. In other words, they The popular vote also kept women from making it much harder to change the wiring. simply “get it!” In short, public opinion has voting or holding any property for that matter. This is why parents, caretakers, teachers and risen to accepting gay rights. Is the popular vote right just because hordes those who spend a lot of time with youth are of people say it is? so important. A child’s brain and mind was So let’s not give up the fight. We are making not prejudice at birth. Hatred is taught. For progress and changing hearts and minds It seems like the harder we fight, the more example, if a gay child is told over and over into seeing that being gay is not a curse. our opponents want to fight. Their reasoning again by his family that he is evil, mentally It is something we are born with and have seems so absurd to us. Why can’t they just let sick and the spawn of the devil because embraced. This isn’t so much about equal us be. Why can’t they just give us the same he is gay, it will probably be an extremely rights as it is about humanity. To those who rights they have. That’s all we really want. difficult challenge for him to accept his sexual hear us, help us. It is the right thing to do... We are not asking for any special privileges. orientation. He most likely will have a lot of Why, why, why? It’s because they just can’t self hatred. We already know the suicide rate [email protected] see us in any other light. They have made up for gay teens is high. As gay visibility and gay their minds about the gay community and rights are on the rise, adult children who were are determined to stand their ground. Again, taught to hate themselves, are given a chance,
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com 13 JUSTICE SCALIA: GAY MARRIAGE IS “INEVITABLE”
| By Carl Matthes
n his dissent to the overturning of the Defense 38 states where gay marriage is not sanctioned. announced have started a drive to reverse the of Marriage Act (DOMA), Supreme Court Equal Marriage Arizona, co-chaired by libertarian state’s marriage ban by putting an amendment vote I Justice Antonin Scalia laid bare the animus blogger and business owner Warren Meyer and on the 2014 ballot. Equality Florida has a website behind DOMA’s 1996 genesis, “The real rationale Arizona Log Cabin Republican caucus chair called “Imengaged.org” to recruit gay and lesbian of today’s opinion, is that DOMA is motivated Erin Ogletree Simpson, says the initative will couples to go to court to sue the state over its ban by a ‘bare...desire to harm’ couples in same- redefine marriage as “a union of two persons.” It on gay marriages. sex marriages.“ And then, with a real sense of also acknowledges that religious organizations or foreboding, Scalia prophesied, “How easy it individuals cannot be required to officiate a same- Hawaii: In 1996, fear that the Aloha is, indeed how inevitable, to reach the same sex marriage. State would be the first to allow gay conclusion with regards to state laws denying marriage, Republicans wrote the same-sex couples marital status.” Arkansas: A group of 11 same-sex Defense of Marriage Act. Now, same-sex marriage couples in Arkansas asked a judge in Hawaii seems inevitable! More than half the Scalia’s gauntlet throw-down was immediately to overturn the state’s ban on gay public supports it, as does Gov. Neil Abercrombie taken by Chad Griffin, president of the Human marriage. “Gays and lesbians are a distinct group, (D). A Hawaii case, two women suing for the right Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest singled out due to their sexual orientation to be to marry rather than enter into a civil union, is LGBT advocate, who pledged to “bring marriage denied rights enjoyed by all other adult groups,” pending at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Last equality to all 50 states within five years.” exclaims a lawsuit filed by attorney Cheryl Maples. year a federal district judge ruled that Hawaii’s The lawsuit seeks to strike down the constitutional lack of same-sex marriage rights violated the US Chad also found an even stronger legal ground on amendment that defines marriage as between a Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection. which to make good his pledge after Chief Justice man and a woman as well as barring recognition In January 2013, legislators introduced bills Roberts explained his Prop 8 opinion: “We have same-sex marriages from other states. At least establishing gay marriage rights but a procedural never before upheld the standing of a private party 78,133 signatures from registered voters must be hurdle blocked action. Freedom to Marry’s website to defend the constitutionality of a state statute obtained to get the measure on the ballot in 2014. says, “...as the bills remain ‘alive’ through 2014, when state officials have chosen not to. We decline In 2011, the state Supreme Court struck down state advocates...are now working to encourage to do so for the first time here.” an initiated act approved by voters that banned supportive legislators to take affirmative steps to unmarried couples living together from adopting move marriage forward.” Chad observed that the decisions “created the or fostering children. “I think that enough change foundation to remove dozens of state marriage has taken place in the last 10 years that it’s time Illinois: Gay marriage passed the state bans. We can’t tolerate the persistence of two for this to be heard,” Maples said. Senate in February, with the support Americas when it comes to equality.” of Gov. Pat Quinn (D). But on May Colorado: Gay rights advocates are 31, the bill was pulled from the Illinois House Joining Chad, was Evan Wolfson, founder of eager to overturn the state’s 2006 of Representatives in the face of opposition from Freedom to Marry, a pro-gay-marriage group, who constitutional ban on gay marriage Roman Catholic and African-American church outlined, “The answer is to win more states, win a but Speaker of the state House Mark Ferrandino, groups. Advocates say the next try may come critical mass of states and a critical mass of public who is openly gay, suggests not moving too fast. in October, during a special short session. A six support, which creates a climate that encourages Polls taken in April 2013 found 53 percent of month-old Crain/Ipsos poll shows 50% of Illinois the court to do its job.” Coloradans support gay marriage. Civil unions, residents support gay marriage versus 29 percent no substitute for full marriage equality, have now who oppose it. “It’s one thing to be against the With the power of both grassroot and institutional been sanctioned. Voters in Colorado appear ready marriage bill ideologically,” Randy Hannig, support, same-sex couples across the nation are to upgrade from civil unions; among voters under director of public policy at Equality Illinois, told mounting numerous challenges to this state-rights 30 that support is at an amazing 74 percent. NBC News. “It’s another thing to stand in the approach to marriage equality. way of people receiving benefits.” Florida: In 2008, a constitutional Arizona: Activists are collecting amendment was passed that excluded Michigan: U.S. District Judge Bernard signatures to put gay marriage on the same-sex couples from marriage as Friedman, citing the Supreme Court 2014 ballot. They have until July 2014 well as prohibiting any form of legal family DOMA ruling, is allowing a challenge to collect the almost 260,000 signatures needed to status. 75% of voters in Florida now say they to the state’s marriage ban, which included a overturn Arizona’s 2008 constitutional amendment support either marriage or civil union for same- prohibition on same-sex couples jointly adopting banning same-sex marriage. Arizona is among sex couples. Equal Marriage Florida and others children, to move ahead. “The plaintiffs are entitled
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com to their day in court and they shall have it,” said county clerks have not issued marriage licenses same rights and benefits as married couples. “It’s Friedman. Michigan voters passed a constitutional to same-sex couples and the fight for marriage not full equality,” said Oregon House Speaker Tina ban on gay marriage, but by November 2012, 56 equality continues. In March, 2013, Santa Fe Kotek (D), who is openly gay. “Full equality is the percent of the state’s residents said they supported Mayor David Coss and City Councilor Patti ability to marry.” Kotek is the first openly lesbian gay marriage. Meanwhile, Democrats have Bushee announced that they would sponsor speaker in the country. introduced pro-gay marriage legislation in the a resolution calling on county clerks across state legislature aimed at setting up a referendum. the state to begin issuing marriage licenses to Pennsylvania, The ACLU and a Georgetown University law professor Marty same-sex couples. Attorney General Gary King private law firm have filed a federal suit Lederman wrote that a separate case in Michigan announced that he could not definitively say that on behalf of 10 same-sex Pennsylvania also “might cast a large shadow over a state law gay couples could marry. The National Center couples, some of whom are already legally married limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.” for Lesbian Rights and the ACLU have asked in other states, seeking the freedom to marry. New Mexico’s supreme court to allow same- James Esseks of the ACLU told The Washington Mississippi: The Campaign for sex couples to marry. Gov. Susana Martinez (R) Post, “Pennsylvania recognizes straight people’s Southern Equality (CSE) is focusing opposes gay marriage. marriages from Maine and New York but it doesn’t on Mississippi, a state with the recognize gay people’s marriages from Maine and highest percentage of same-sex couples raising North Carolina: Last month, the New York. The question is, why?” Pennsylvania children. (26% of same-sex couples in the state ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on has a state statute which defines marriage as have children.) CSE will take action in five cities behalf of six North Carolina same- between one man and one woman but is one of only by having couples apply for marriage licenses to sex couples seeking second-parent adoption in a handful of states that does not allow same-sex provoke denials. The organization’s Executive North Carolina. On July 9, 2013, the case was marriage or has a state constitutional amendment Director, Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, says, amended to seek the freedom to marry for these prohibiting it. Proponents have introduced a bill to “Sometimes, when you’re looking at bigotry and couples. The ACLU explained, “In light of the make same-sex marriage legal in Pennsylvania. discrimination, you have to scratch at the surface Supreme Court’s focus...on how children are a little bit and shine some light on it...LGBT folks harmed by the exclusion of same-sex couples Virginia: The ACLU of Virginia live literally in every town across the South. And from federal recognition of their parents’ announced that it will challenge the solution to the discrimination we face is not for marriages, it’s clear that the harms at the center in federal court Virginia’s 2006 us to move. ... What happens when real people say, of our North Carolina case will resonate with the constitutional amendment banning same-sex ‘Enough’? ‘I’m not leaving. But I will stand up.’” Court.” marriage. “Thousands of Virginia couples are already living the deep commitment associated Nevada: On May 23, 2013, the Ohio: In 2004, Ohio voters approved with marriage, without legal recognition of their Nevada Assembly voted in favor of a constitutional ban on gay marriage relationships. They and their children deserve the a legislative measure that begins the with 62 percent of the vote. Today, a legal protections that come with state-recognized multi-year process of repealing Nevada’s anti-gay- slight majority of Ohioans support gay marriage. marriage,” said ACLU Executive Director Claire marriage constitutional amendment. The earliest FreedomOhio is collecting the 385,245 valid G. Gastanaga. State advocacy groups are working gay marriage can get on the ballot is November signatures needed by July 2014 to get on the toward fairness for all of Virginia’s families by 2016. A Nevada same-sex marriage case is pending ballot in November. They hope to repeal the overturning a constitutional amendment that in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case constitutional ban. Some advocates want to prohibits relationship recognition for same-sex challenges Nevada’s ban on gay marriage that it wait for 2016, a presidential election year, when couples in the state. 56% of Virginians say they violates the 14th Amendment. turnout will be higher. Ian James, co-founder of support marriage for same-sex couples. FreedomOhio, a Columbus-based group bent New Jersey: In February 2012, with on overturning the ban on same-sex marriage, Wisconsin: In 2006, anti-gay polls showing a solid majority of says, “You can wait organically if you want. You forces in Wisconsin pushed through voters in favor, the legislature passed can wait and wait and wait and wait and wait,” a constitutional amendment that a freedom to marry bill. Governor Chris Christie James says, intoning Dr. Martin Luther King excludes same-sex couples from marriage and vetoed the bill and blasted the DOMA decision, Jr.’s famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” prohibits same-sex couples from attaining any while saying he’s fine with a ballot measure and in which he equated “wait” with “never.” other form of legal family status. In 2009, “Let’s let people decide.” The latest survey shows Governor Jim Doyle signed into law a domestic solid support for gay marriage in New Jersey. Oregon: Oregon’s constitution bans partnership allowance for same-sex couples. The Garden State Equality and Freedom to Marry, same-sex marriage but gay-rights domestic partnership law provides limited access arguing on behalf of seven gay couples, plan to advocates have submitted paperwork to some of the protections that the freedom to ask Judge Mary Jacobson to immediately allow for a referendum in November 2014. They need marry affords. Wisconsin is also seeing a shift on gay marriage in light of the DOMA ruling and 116,000 signatures to get on the ballot. If Oregon marriage perspectives. In a June 2011 survey from that New Jersey’s civil unions “don’t comply with overturns its constitutional gay marriage ban, in Public Policy Polling 42 percent of the public a 2006 state Supreme Court ruling that gay and place since 2004, it would be the first state to supported the freedom to marry. straight couples should have equal rights.” do so. “This has unfolded exactly as it should,” said Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic [email protected] New Mexico: In 2004, marriage Rights Oregon. Oregon, like many states, has licenses were issued to 64 same-sex a mixed record on how it treats same-gender
couples before the clerk was ordered couples. In 2007, the state Legislature approved Flag Images courtesy of: http://www.gotoquiz.com/web-coding/ to stop by the state attorney general. Since then, domestic partnerships that allow many of the
15 OUT IN THE WORLD Canada Marks 10 Years Of Marriage Equality Ruling | By Heather Cassell
merica’s neighbor to the north is marking the community leaders but the fact remains that many LGBT offices near Davis Street, the main drag of the city’s 10th anniversary of a court ruling allowing same- Canadians have enjoyed wedded bliss for 10 years gayborhood, for an interview last month to discuss the Asex marriage. without the world ending. progress Canada’s LGBT rights movement has made and what challenges the community still faces. It was June 10, 2003, when the Court of Appeal for In fact, Michael Leshner and Michael Stark, Canada’s Ontario ruled that the country’s marriage law violated the first gay couple to wed in Ontario are still happily At the top of their list is transgender rights. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by restricting married, reported Xtra Canada . marriage to only heterosexual couples. The dominoes fell Chandra-Herbert has twice proposed a bill to update the from there, the British Columbia Court of Appeal issued a Same-sex marriage was a “cultural tipping point” that Human Rights Code to include protecting transgender similar ruling on July 8 that same year; Quebec followed “normalized” LGBT people to mainstream culture, rights in the British Columbia legislature but it hasn’t said Dara Parker, executive director of gained traction in the conservative government. To Qmunity, Vancouver’s LGBT community date, it hasn’t reached the second round of debate and center. it doesn’t appear that it will. When Chandra-Herbert questioned the premier and the attorney general about Spencer Chandra-Herbert, 32, one of the status of the bill, the response was, “We have no British Columbia’s four openly gay plans on doing that,” he said. members of the legislative assembly who represents Vancouver’s gay district, “It’s not that they don’t have rights, but it’s not explicit agreed to a point. and not understood at all. That’s why I thought that legislation is important,” said Chandra-Herbert. “To “I think that it did help and normalize me trans rights are human rights. If one person is under in some way queer relationships,” said attack or vulnerable I think our whole community is.” Chandra-Herbert, adding that it did help break open the faults of the anti-same- Currently, Canadian transgender people are technically sex marriage opposition’s claims that the legally allowed to be discriminated against in housing, “sky would fall across Canada” and that employment, access to health care and sex reassignment “everyone would suddenly become gay” surgery, which the closest venue is in Montreal. They and chaos would erupt. also experience everyday discrimination simply walking down the street or when using a washroom, they both What ended up happening, from Chandra- said. Herbert’s perspective, was there were “more weddings and wedding planners, Federally, transgender rights appear to have a better happy families” and divorced families chance. A bill, C-279, sponsored by Member of too. Parliament Randall Garrison (New Democratic Party) that would include these protections for transgender “People said, ‘Oh, they are like us. They individuals is currently making its way through the find love and lose love,’” he continued. Canadian Senate. The bill would amend the federal Canadian Human Yet, Canadians don’t take marriage Rights Act and the hate crimes section of the criminal equality for granted, Chandra-Herbert code to include gender identity. and Parker said. On June 10, the bill was adopted unamended at a Senate “Things have gotten much better, there Committee on Human Rights meeting. are still those forces that try to push back progress equality is winning human rights The bill will now go to the third reading in the Senate. If on March 19, 2004; along with several other provinces is winning marriage is part of it,” said Chandra-Herbert, it passes the third reading, a royal assent will be required and territories. By July 20, 2005 Canada became the who married his partner, Romi Chandra, in March 2010 before C-279 becomes law. fourth country in the world to allow same-sex marriage. and honeymooned in San Francisco. Challenges remain The bill is anticipated to become law by the end of June, Canada’s divorce act was also ruled unconstitutional for reported Xtra Canada. its exclusion of same-sex couples. “Despite all of the progress that we’ve made there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Parker. Transgender Canadian people had another win on June The debate continues today as various camps threaten 13 when the Department of Health in Nova Scotia to overturn same-sex marriage in Canada, according to The Lesbian News visited Chandra-Herbert and Parker’s became the eighth province to pay for sex reassignment PHOTO CREDITS Geena Dabadghav PHOTO Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com surgery, reported the Chronicle Herald . nation wasn’t ready to decriminalize homosexuality RIGHTS AMONG OTHER CAUSES and that countries need to make their own decisions on Chelsea Clinton pledged to work for international health Other challenges that top Chandra-Herbert and complex issues in their own time, reported the AP. projects and LGBT rights as a part of taking more of a Parker’s lists are protecting LGBT seniors, addressing leadership role in the Clinton Foundation, founded by bullying among youth and anti-LGBT discrimination Obama responded to in general. Sall, “I want the African people just to hear what I “There still continues to be active homophobia in believe. People should be communities, not just amongst young people but in treated equally. That’s a senior homes,” said Chandra-Herbert, referring to principle that I think applies stories of LGBT seniors going back into the closet universally.” when they enter long-term care. Obama’s trip, which “There’s still much to do to get the system to catch up concluded earlier this week, with the law,” he said. included stops in South Africa and Tanzania. OBAMA STANDS UP FOR LGBT AFRICANS In spite of Sall’s statements President Barack Obama called upon African leaders that Senegal is tolerant of to extend rights to their LGBT citizens during a press LGBT individuals, arrests conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall at and imprisonment continue the grand presidential palace June 27. to happen.
Applauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Nearly 100 percent of Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 that same Senegalese oppose the acceptance of homosexuality, her father former President William “Bill” Clinton. day (June 26 in the U.S.), Obama said the court’s according to a recent survey. The government backed decision marked a “proud day for America.” the citizens’ anti-gay sentiment last year when it argued During an interview with The Associated Press at the against a ban on anti-gay discrimination at the U.N. Women Deliver Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Human Rights Council, according to media May 28, she told reporters that she was committed to reports. supporting gay rights, including marriage equality.
Last week, Amnesty International cited 38 Malaysia, a Muslim country, is widely known to be anti- African countries that criminalize homosexuality gay often lashing out with homophobic policies. and violence against LGBT individuals. Like her mother, former Secretary of State Hillary PEACE CORPS ACCEPTS LGBT COUPLES Clinton, Chelsea Clinton has been a longtime supporter of LGBT rights often tweeting and speaking out on The Peace Corps opened up its application behalf of LGBT issues. process to same-sex couples in June. Speaking about marriage equality she told the AP, “It Married couples have been serving together just seems so fundamental to me. I’m able to marry the in the Peace Corps since the founding of the person I wanted to marry.” organization in 1961. Today, an estimated 7 percent of overseas assignments are filled by “Those of us who have been lucky enough should expand married volunteers serving together, according to these rights to others,” she continued. the Peace Corps news release May 21. Her work with the foundation will focus on health “Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining projects, including HIV/AIDS and vaccines for children leadership experience for Americans who want to and lowering drug costs, along with other foundation make a difference around the world,” said Carrie initiatives. Hessler-Radelet, deputy director of the Peace Corps, May 21. “I am proud that the agency is During her visit to Southeast Asia, Chelsea Clinton taking this important step forward to allow same- toured Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar. In Cambodia sex domestic partners to serve overseas together.” she launched an effort to slash HIV-related infections and deaths. In Myanmar she started an initiative to provide The change in the Peace Corps policies toward water purification packets to areas with unsafe water married or legally registered civil unions or supplies and medicine and health products, including domestic partnered same-sex couples will vaccines and HIV drugs, reported AP. diversify the pool of applicants who want to help improve the quality of education, health care and “My goal is always to do as much as I can in whatever Pointing to the U.S., Obama said, “When it comes to economic development in host countries around the area I’m working in,” she said. how the state treats people, how the law treats people, world, said Hessler-Radelet. I believe that everybody has to be treated equally.” To learn more about applying, visit www.peacecorps. Chelsea Clinton said she hopes to return to Southeast gov/learn/howvol/couplesquestions Asia, specifically Myanmar, where the foundation is Sall immediately pushed back on Obama, assuring that working on several initiatives with the government. Senegal is “very tolerant,” but that the West African CHELSEA CLINTON STEPS UP FOR GAY [email protected] PHOTO CREDITS Geena Dabadghav PHOTO International Amnesty of Muller/Courtesy CREDITS © Pete PHOTO 17 Theorhetically Speaking Atom’s Eve | By Nikki McCauley
ission Splits atom in two’s – plus or minus points - cataclysmic occurrence Forgetting balance keeps it cool - F Potential catastrophic events Leaving empty spaces- rage races – testing the integrity of Of new places- The shifting shapes… radioactive interface- the changing of states Two joined by fusion heat the pressure unit- bonding the sphere that should Gentleness, overridden by the subconscious auto engage- wired to attracting the same Never be – into a circular coin- So, instant repulsion- unstable – now belief is I am not safe! Independence, loss cause... no safe way to end this -all could be lost Same hearing different trial – words are replayed Trapped in confusion- imbalance with every decision- points of fault I know you – I lived the case- you are guilty- you should be in a cage Fact is wanting to accommodate- stills you into indecision- when the situation relies on movement But here I am naked- kissing lips of a rapists- searching for bliss
The fusion cancels out In a violation of safety- feature a virus of hatred- a contagion slipped in
Who will choose? Who will resist the entrance? Uphold the resistance? An imposter in a debate- a counterfeit deposit made – and worse I gave you change!
Some decisions tower the faculties of it members and the mind trust no matter- What is this intermingling? The bending and blending - trying to make two distinctly different beings And yet, will forfeit its life for lust- and thrusts itself, into another love session- passion burns Ignore there charge by applying extreme pressure and insane heat Moments of aching flow out - forming curves etched in the arches of monuments erected- Torso turns- Stagnate waters form - Stagnate waters flowing out weak stream l
Half faced, partially hidden- ashamed; as, desire blows limbs like winds of warm storms do Leading to pond of suspicion & containers of doubts debris- If only I can believe – I can breach my down fall The push/pull well defines the gravity but the pool is full Reconnecting to balance like night to day is both the infusion and absence of light And it’s a full moon- Time to choose and quit aging like I am not life Features fade, release or re-engage – Time to reflect upon reflection in the mirror of my eyes Time centers on the now - the past feels no pain- the future swears the same and as the they play Time to accept the transformation
Thoughts flutter awake- For I am risen- so, I rise
And the ascent of the dove- causes a shift in the oceans wave I am new in the dawning
Pouring down rivers of memories and remember me? So, I am a new day
The arrival of likeness - Tears of joy soon dry and the destroyer fill the room- left by likeness Thus, I am fission fusing in a stunning new way liking its self [email protected]
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com 19 Marriage Equality Heroes, Lesbian Leaders, and Fun in the Sun – That’s Olivia!
| By Stephanie Papadakis and Wen Minkoff
If you want to celebrate these historical moments while enjoying an all-lesbian Caribbean cruise, look no further than Olivia Travel. From selling over 1 million records by artists such as Meg Christian and Cris Williamson to taking over 200,000 women on cruise, resort, luxury and adventure vacations around the world, Olivia is celebrating her 40th anniversary this year. Olivia prides herself on building community, being the travel company for all lesbians and continuing the fight for LGBT rights. With two back-to-back celebratory cruise and resort vacations behind her, Olivia’s 40th anniversary concludes with one final all-lesbian celebration on board an intimate 300-passengers Virgin Isles New Year’s Eve Cruise (Dec. 28, 2013 – Jan. 4, 2014), and then kicks off 2014 with a 1,900-passengers ship filled with lesbians traveling to the Eastern Caribbean (February 1-8, 2014).
On board the early-February Eastern Caribbean Cruise, Olivia will honor Edie Windsor, who brought the fight to defeat DOMA all the way to the Supreme Court and won. She will be presented with the Olivia Ovation Award, making her only the fourth woman to receive this award; the other three recipients were Meg Christian, Billie Jean King and Col. Grethe Cammermeyer.
“Edie Windsor deserves our unending gratitude and an acknowledgment of all she has done to forward the rights of LGBT people in the United States” said Judy Dlugacz, Olivia’s President and Founder. “She has displayed extraordinary courage and commitment – it’s not easy to see a case all the way We defeated DOMA! California lifted its ban after still have a ways to go, it is a big moment for all of through the Supreme Court—and she did so with five long years and marriages finally resumed! What us, whether we are married or not, because we have steadfastness and grace. It is always a pleasure to a year 2013 has been for LGBT people…and it’s been fighting for equality for so long. Standing on have her join us on board; she is a warm, engaging, only August. We saw people all over the country the right side of history, it is now time to celebrate and eloquent spokeswoman for our movement, and celebrate these incredible victories with vigor and what we’ve won so far. a role model for all.” honor, but most importantly, with pride. Though we
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com Prop 8 plaintiffs Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier will For those who seek a more intimate, upscale cruise With the vacation taking place over the New Year, also be on board to celebrate their honeymoon and that will also honor special guest Edie Windsor Olivia has also planned a huge party on New join as Olivia’s special guests. Olivia will be adding as well as other lesbian luminaries, Olivia’s Year’s Eve. Complete with a champagne toast, other influential and groundbreaking women leaders 300-passengers Virgin Isles New Year’s Eve Cruise mouth-watering hors d’oeurves, decadent desserts, as part of their week-long Leadership Summit and (Dec. 28, 2013 – Jan. 4, 2014) is an excellent choice. incredible entertainment and dancing at midnight, celebration. Guests will also enjoy signature Olivia The festivities take place on board the luxurious, this will be the ultimate celebration of Olivia’s 40 programming including lesbian comedians Vickie 5-star Windstar Wind Surf, which is equipped years in existence. Shaw, Gina Yashere, and Judy Gold; a solos/singles with newly-refurbished staterooms and wide-open, program and optional snorkeling, kayaking and uncrowded teak decks. This intimate, five-star other fun excursions in port. cruise will visit the charming ports of Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; Falmouth Harbor, Antigua; Soper’s The Eastern Caribbean cruise departs from Ft. Hole, Tortola, B.V.I; Jost van Dyke Great Harbor, Lauderdale on board the Holland America ms B.V.I.; Virgin Gorda, Prickly Pear Beach, B.V.I.; and Westerdam, and will call on Grand Turk, Turks & Gustavia, St. Barthelemy. Caicos Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas/ St. John, U.S.V.I; and the private Bahamian island Half Moon Cay, which the Olivia guests will have all to themselves for the day. The cruise will also have two “at sea” days – perfect for the special leadership seminars, Q&As and other programming that will be a part of the Leadership Summit.
The celebration will honor several true sheroes of our movement and generation: Edie Windsor, human-rights leader Billie Jean King, Col. Grethe Cammermeyer, musician Cris Williamson, and out military officer General Tammy Smith. Olivia’s President and Founder, Judy Dlugacz, will also be “There will be the perfect combination of lesbian on board to discuss her own experience of working “We are excited about setting sail on this gorgeous leaders who will share their stories; a celebration in both the women’s and LGBT movements. These ship for a week of visiting ports that the larger cruise of marriage equality; gorgeous ports-of-call; and sheroes will speak to their experience as lesbian ships simply can’t get to. The amazing beaches, signature Olivia comedy and musical entertainment. activists in a small, relaxed environment where ideas gorgeous waters and the renowned special guests There really is something for everyone on board this can be shared and personal contacts and connections and entertainers we have on board means we will cruise.” said Tisha Floratos, Vice President of Travel can be made. There will be inspirational talks, finish our 40th Anniversary year in a very special and Business Operations. “This cruise is also perfect brainstorming sessions, Q&A gatherings, signings and meaningful way,” said Floratos. for those who wish to celebrate their honeymoon and time to interact with women who have impacted As on the Eastern Caribbean Cruise, not only will as we plan on hosting a special celebration for our our lives so significantly. guests hear the stories and share the company honeymooners on board.” of these incredible special guests, but they will “Marriage equality, sports, military, music, civil also bask in the Caribbean sun, swim in turquoise rights—there is almost no area of society that these waters and walk along pristine, white sand beaches. women have not impacted and changed for the better. This beautiful Olivia cruise provides rejuvenation, We owe them a collective debt of thanks. They care luxury and romance and guests will celebrate all deeply about the women’s community, and are such the wonderful steps we’ve made towards full incredible forces for social change,” said Jill Cruse, marriage equality. Olivia’s Vice President of Guest Experience. “It is especially fitting that they are on an Olivia trip, as Whether lesbian travelers choose Olivia’s larger our founder, Judy Dlugacz, has also been there all Eastern Caribbean Cruise, or her intimate Virgin along, fighting for a place at the table for women Isles one, guests will have the opportunity to be fully and for lesbians, first through Olivia Records and out, free, and surrounded by likeminded women all now through vacations that allow women to travel while meeting and connecting with some of the most in an out in a free manner and to give back to the pivotal people in our community today. “We always communities they visit. She is another strong woman charter the entire ship or buy out the resort property, who is shaping the future of LGBT rights globally.” and that makes a huge difference in the women’s experience – they can be out and free, mingle with Joining these renowned special guests will be an our entertainers and special guests, and really get impressive lineup of Olivia performers. Guests will to know each other,” remarks Cruse. Celebrating be entertained by the sultry poetry of CC Carter, the equality doesn’t get much better than that! southern humor of Vickie Shaw and Roxanna Ward will delight with her comedy and piano tunes.
21 COMIC OF THE MONTH Fortune Feimster | By Gladi Adams, PhD
h i s month’s comic is Fortune Feimster. You know today and to be honest I’ve made a lot of sacrifices in downstairs participating in it. At 4:15 we start looking her from her appearances at Club Skirts at the Dinah my personal life as well. I’m just grateful that the hard for clips for the next day’s monologue or we have a T working with Mariah Hanson. She is a full time writer work is finally paying off. meeting discussing sketch ideas. I leave work at 6pm. and performer on E! Networks popular “Chelsea Lately” I either make the good choice of going to the gym or I show. She also appears as a paid regular on the Comedy LN: Do you have any humanitarian causes that you make the bad choice of eating Chinese food for dinner. I Store and is a member of Groundlings Sunday Company. Her support? If so, why did you choose this particular go home to watch crappy television like the Bachelorette comedic star is quickly rising so catch a show and laugh a lot. cause? or the Real Housewives, and by 11:30 PM, I’m in bed.
LN: Which famous comedienne inspired your career?
FF: I was a big fan of Carol Burnett growing up. My grandmother and I used to watch reruns of her show together. I loved it because she would do a monologue, which was in the vein of standup comedy, and then she would do all of these hilarious sketches. I’ve sort of gone down a similar path having started in sketch comedy and now doing standup. That’s why I love what I do now with Chelsea because it lets me really explore both of those mediums.
LN: Where and when did you get your start?
FF: I started doing improv at the Groundlings in 2005 and it gave me an incredible foundation as a comedian. It’s where I created most of my characters and learned how to get comfortable on stage. I then started standup at the Comedy Store back in 2007 and that’s where I learned how to get a thick skin, which is important because the last thing you want an audience to sense is fear.
LN: What is the toughest venue to work?
FF: Probably the Comedy Store. I used to have to wait FF: I support any cause that helps single mothers LN: Do you have any secret passions you could tell to go up on stage at 1:00 in the morning and there’d be because my two brothers and I were raised by a single us about? like five drunken people in the crowd. The last thing mom and I know how difficult that can be. Plus I feel they wanted to see was a big, lesbian so I’d have to find like they’re often overlooked so I try to help those FF: I’m actually a secret lover of tennis. Not many a way to connect with them and sometimes it would causes when I can. I also support anything that helps people would peg me for a tennis player but I’ve been work and a lot of times it wouldn’t. find a cure for cancer or offers support to the patients playing since I was seven and I also played in college. and families. My grandmother, who was a big influence I used to play in tournaments all the time when I first LN: What do you do about people who heckle you on me, died of cancer when I was 18 and it was moved to Los Angeles but my schedule got a little crazy. from the audience? incredibly difficult so that’s another one that is near and However, I’m still in a tennis league out here and I love dear to me. it. FF: I’ve learned you have to shut it down pretty quickly. If you let people continue to heckle you, it’s tougher to LN: Do you have a life partner? LN: If you weren’t a comic, what would you be get control of the audience back. But it’s not in my doing? nature to be mean so I usually make a joke and for the FF: I’m dating but I do not have a life partner. I’ve most part people then settle down. been so focused on work the last 8 years that I haven’t FF: I was always interested in academics and was quite put as much time into that as I should. the overachiever in school. Had I not been a comedian, LN: Complete this sentence “I am successful I probably would have been a lawyer or attempted to because” LN: What is a typical day like for you? run some sort of company. However, I don’t think I would have been great at either of those things so thank FF: I’ve worked really, really hard. I’ve dedicated FF: After I wake up, I’m at Chelsea Lately by 10AM. goodness this comedy thing is working out! my life to this for the last eight years where I’ve done We start our writer’s meeting at 10:15 and for the nothing but eat, breathe, and sleep comedy. So many next three hours we pick topics and write jokes. Then [email protected] people tell me I’m lucky, and while that is true, I’ve we film sketches or come up with ideas for the next definitely put in the time and effort to be where I am day. The show tapes around 3:30 so I watch that or am
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com QUEERLY QUESTIONING What Next? | By Juno Parrenas, PhD
e can all sigh with collective relief: DOMA gay will be free to love and get married as Thea and I did is raised, regardless of the sex or gender of those parents. is dead. Where were you when you found out but with the same federal benefits, protections and dignity W about the Supreme Court ruling on United as everyone else.” It is the idea of future generations that Another plaintiff in the Prop 8 case, Jeffrey Zarrillo, States v. Windsor? Fittingly, I was living gay domesticity: illustrates the significance of defeating DOMA: not the especially makes clear the ideological weight children and unpacking moving boxes with my partner, rearranging the fact of discrimination in property rights, estate taxes, or reproduction bear in this legal fight. He said, “Today, the kitchen together, the idea of equal court said that…our love is just like our parents’ and our all while our protection—an grandparents’ and that any children that we may have in the dog naps. Every idea thrown out future will be more secure.” By equating his relationship few minutes, we the window with to the relationships of his lineage, he places himself in a refreshed our the ruling about reproductive genealogy. Internet search the Voting feed for “gay Rights Act. All of these statements point to the queer scholar Lee marriage” on our Edelman’s idea of reproductive futurism: that the child iPhones. Later The ideology of represents the clean future and is a powerful symbol for that night, we valuable children both mainstream gay politics and conservative right-wing listened to our and their future Christian politics. favorite news was especially rife in plaintiffs involved in the Prop 8 case. podcast, Democracy Now and heard Edith Windsor’s press Perhaps it is because she is a mother of four, Kris Perry’s The defeat of DOMA and Prop 8 signals a page turned in the conference and responses from Kris Perry, Jeffrey Zamillo statement is focused on the value gay marriage has for history of LGBT politics. Now that the fight for marriage and Paul Katami, all of whom were affected by the Prop 8 children: “[we are] able to say to the children in California, is over, what politics can we now imagine? It is my hope ban on gay marriage. ‘No matter where you live, no matter who your parents are, that we no longer use the possibility of having children to no matter what family you’re in, you are equal, you are as justify the worth of our relationships and that our politics Underlying their statements was a concern about children, good as your friends’ parents and as your friends.’” This can return to civil liberties and alliances with other politic as if the value of gay marriage is solely in its legitimacy emphasis on children’s interests in the issue of who their movements: the right to vote, the right to privacy and the of two-person parenthood. Take Edith Windsor’s quote, as parents love seems to be at the expense of single parenthood. right for women to make decisions about their bodies. an instance: “Children born today will grow up in a world For underlying the idea of being as good as “friends’ parents” without DOMA and those same children who happen to be is the idea that two parents are the best way in which a child [email protected] PHOTO CREDITS Steven Damron via Creative Commons [SF Pride Parade 2010-2], Steve Bott via Creative Commons [if your marriage needs protecting] marriage [if your Commons via Creative Bott Steve 2010-2], Parade Pride [SF Commons via Creative Damron CREDITS Steven PHOTO Living Out Speak Up, Please | By Sally Sheklow f YOU were in charge of your daily newspaper’s Letters to the Editor section, would and so was still smiling, seemed utterly taken aback and completely clueless, like nobody you publish homophobic hate mail? No, of course not, you have a conscience. had ever mentioned anything like this to him before. Jeeze, had I stepped into a wayback I machine to the 1970s? I mean I KNOW I’m not the only one who has been providing free But Eugene’s Register-Guard finds it perfectly acceptable to run an anti-gay screed from feminism 101 education for what is it, more than four decades now. Somehow the “Don’t some bigot announcing that she’s sick of gay people. Call Me Girl!” movement totally passed him by.
The editors don’t care. What’s it to them? They don’t feel the gut-punch of getting gay- “I’m sorry,” he said, sincere, it seemed but more in that I-want-you-to-be-a-happy-customer bashed by their morning read. They don’t connect the dots between hate letters and hate kind of way than the Thank-you-for-reminding-me-to –respect-women way. I got the crimes. They take no responsibility for at-risk readers struggling to find their gay life worth impression he’d at least think twice before he did it again. living. Their editorial policy should prohibit that crap. If they weren’t cowards they would refuse to give prejudice a voice. I take inspiration from people like 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani school girl shot in the head by the Taliban for daring to pursue an education, who said in her recent Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for freedom of speech. I make it a point to exercise mine speech to the UN, “I speak not for myself but so those without voice can be heard. Those whenever the occasion calls. Why just yesterday when a scary warning light came on and who have fought for their rights; their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with I took my car to the shop, I felt compelled to free-speech the mechanic when he gave me dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.” the invoice and said, “The girls will take care of you.” If she can stand up to the Taliban, I can stand up to a rinky-dink daily that prints hate “Girls?” I haven’t heard a man refer to women as girls (to my face, anyway) in, like, mail. So, yes, I submitted my letter to the editor pointing out the hatefulness behind being forever. sick of gay people. Someone else wrote a letter the next day giving kudos to the hater and expressing outrage at the use of gay to mean anything other than what it did in his 1958 “Yes, the cashiers,” he replied, patiently, as if he were explaining a problem with the dictionary. These people need to get out more! solenoid. At the counter two 40-something women rang up other customers. And, in fact, so do we. We need to speak up whenever we encounter sexism or homophobia “You shouldn’t call grown women girls,” I told the mechanic in my friendliest teacher or any ignorance that fuels injustice. I just wish my daily newspaper felt the same need. tone. “It’s insulting.” [email protected] I swear this perfectly nice guy who obviously had been well-schooled in customer service
23 LESBIANS ON who’s LOCATION who? GCLS 2013 PHOTO CREDITS Nat Burns CREDITS Nat PHOTO
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com Bobby Staff ‘s Birthday
Outfest “All Girl Friday” PHOTO CREDITS LeReine PHOTO Gladi Adams’ Birthday
25 MOVIES EYE C Killer Business Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite and the Blackfish | By John Esther
ver the past decades millions of women, men and was clean; it looked like they were having fun so they must be documentary? children have come to see giant whales perform at having fun. I had two years of working on this documentary CG: I’m sure I have. I don’t know how vocal they have been. Ovarious water parks around the world. Weighing as a process of discovery and shock. But I get emails and normally they are from people who have several tons, these Orcas, AKA Killer Whales, are taken from not seen the movie and they think that I’m showing Dawn’s their natural habitat and put into close corners and trained to LN: How did you get the former trainers to appear on camera? death in the movie and deliberately trying to traumatize perform unnatural acts. Sometimes, the whales fight back. CG: A couple of them had become vocal after the death of people be regurgitating the death. I would never do that. And When they do, trainers like Dawn Brancheau lose their lives. Dawn Brancheau. They already didn’t believe that what the film doesn’t do that. I’m hoping that people will watch it was coming out SeaWorld could be the truth because they and come to their own conclusions. remembered working with Tilikum. They just couldn’t imagine it being Dawn’s fault.
LN: One of the startling facts that is raised in your documentary is that there are no cases of any orcas attacking humans outside of captivity. CG: Well, killing humans outside of captivity, yes. There is one case of a surfer having his leg grabbed so that constitutes as an attack. But yes, it’s true that there is no documentation of that.
LN: Hippos have done worse. CG: That’s right! That’s right exactly!
LN: I know that SeaWorld did not participate in your LN: Do you find yourself in the editing room coming across documentary but what was their official response when you ethical dilemmas about what kinds of graphic images to inquired about them participating? include? CG: They thought that there was likelihood that they would CG: There is tremendous pressure from people who just say, be willing to be interviewed. So I was really excited because “Your job as a documentarian is to entertain and educate, I thought this was a tremendous chance to get them to be a hopefully. But you are a filmmaker so you need to entertain.” voice in my film. Again, I was just being very honest and And there are other people saying, “Your job is to shoehorn telling them, “Look, I come from this as a person who went to every incendiary, hysterical animal right issue into the film SeaWorld and I want to hear what you have to say about your as well.” I just couldn’t listen to anybody because there is so parks and why it is that I went there.” Maybe I was naïve, much pressure from every side. I just let the fact and truthful or maybe they were entertaining the idea of participating but narrative guide me but I told a story. That’s all I think I was over the process of six months they finally declined. truly equipped to do and that’s what I think I did.
LN: What has their response been since the release of the LN: What do you do when you are not making documentaries? documentary at Sundance? CG: [Laughs] I have twin seven-year olds and we try to get CG: We think that they were at Sundance and that they know to the mountains. A documentary long overdue, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s we exist. We haven’t really heard from them directly. Maybe excellent Blackfish takes a long, hard look at the business of they hope that we will go away or maybe they are preparing LN: What do they think about the movie? these majestic, massive mammals as entertainment for human for something. We have no idea. CG: I was worried that they would be scarred, but I really consumption. The result is pretty clear. wanted kids to be able to see this movie. I purposely kept some of the more traumatic visual elements out of it. They In this exclusive interview, we spoke to Cowperthwaite about weren’t scarred. They were saddened and they understand the her live-changing documentary. ethical implications much more easily than you or I might think they do. Lesbian News: Why did you want to make this particular documentary? LN: What do you think about these interviews where you Gabriela Cowperthwaite: I was really confused by what discuss your work? Do you think it serves the work or that the happened in February of 2010. How did a top female trainer work should just speak for itself? come to be killed by a killer whale? I just thought the killer CG: That’s a great question. Documentaries are supposed whales were our friends, that killer whales didn’t harm or kill to raise questions, so I’m glad you came out of it with some human beings and that something like that certainly would not questions. I want the audience to come out of the movie with a happen in a park like SeaWorld. So I thought I was trying to little bit of shock and anger perhaps? But I definitely want the understand a single incident and that it was an aberration. That audience to come out of it with a little hope. But the audience was kind of my portal of entering into the next two years of LN: Has making this film changed you as far as animal has to come out of the movie with questions or I haven’t done uncovering stuff I didn’t know was there. activism is concerned? my job. You cannot provide all the answers. Sometimes you CG: Yeah. My eyes are opened. I feel very strongly that have to just tip people off to something and ask them to do LN: Were you surprised by what you found during your sentient, intelligent animals should not be in captivity at all. I their own work in their lifetime. Or inspire them. Or hope research? also feel that animals for entertainment is just about the lowest that they will think a little more next time they are going to GC: Well, in a way I was shocked. I am a mother who took her rung on the ethical totem pole, with animals working for food. spend some money on a marine park or whatever. I want it to kids to SeaWorld. I don’t come from animal activism. I sadly I’m hoping that we can do better and that we can phase that be a continuing discussion and this is one way to make that and it is embarrassing to admit but I didn’t give the whales that out in our lifetime. If you don’t want to bring ethics into the happen. much thought. I would be saddened by primates oftentimes conversation, you don’t have to. I just simply think that it’s in news. You can see the emotions in their faces and you can not sustainable to keep these massively complex animals – think, “Oh, you deserve a better life.” But I always thought predators – in captivity. [email protected] that if I had to be an animal in captivity I would probably choose to be a killer whale at SeaWorld. I always thought it LN: Have you made any enemies from making this
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com Notes From Nat Diana Ross & Swing Out Sister | By Nat Burns
okyo and New York are blessed by the sultry tones of Corrine Drewery concert that preceded it, is available for the first time for home purchase. It is and Diana Ross. lengthy and satisfying, with more than twenty songs, one of them a Supremes T medley, filled with all the old favorites from her heyday. It also offers commentary It’s music DVD month here in Natty’s world and we have two great offerings from director Steve Binder. If you have the desire to enjoy Diana Ross in the for our late summer viewing pleasure. Thirty years ago, on July 21st and 22nd, innocence and beauty of a pre-9-11 world, I highly recommend this DVD. 1983, Diana Ross performed live in New York City’s Central Park. Anyone remember it? © 2012 Shout! Factory www.dianaross.de Well, whether you were there in person, saw the original worldwide broadcast on television, or missed it altogether, fear no more. Memory can be rekindled I enjoyed a second DVD, due to its or even created by the 2012 release of sheer strangeness. The Tokyo Stories Diana Ross —Live in Central Park. DVD by Swing Out Sister offers a fine view of the British jazzy-pop This DVD is a fabulous piece of group known worldwide for their work. Ross, known for her spectacular 1986 song “Breakout” which posted dramatic displays, wisely allowed on the UK singles chart then later on filming to continue during a torrential the Billboard Hot 100 in the states. thunderstorm. Standing there, her The Brit release has now come to the scarves blowing in the breeze, rain US in a special CD/DVD package flowing along her face, long hair which includes Tokyo Stories. and neon clothing, she appears as Private View, the CD, is a collection some ancient, beautiful rain goddess, of remixes from some of Corinne manifesting supreme power over the Drewery & Andy Connell’s recent raging elements of nature. tracks that were a special tour-only release. Tokyo Stories is the full length video showcasing one of Swing Out Sister’s main concerts in Japan. It also features She was in her element. great, surrealistic footage of Drewery and Connell exploring the huge megacity of Tokyo. And she came back the next day and performed the same show again, in There are a number of pleasant, cozy performances in a small club. The only its entirety, to the delight of her fans. problem I had was that Drewery’s jerky movements were somewhat distracting They sang along too, knowing the and her voice wasn’t always strong enough to carry the song she was singing— words by heart. Ross encouraged in my humble opinion…and it is all about me, now, isn’t it? Fans of S.O.S. will audience participation on all songs and cried copiously as she listened to the be delighted with this offering and it might even pull in a few more newbie fans. beautiful sound of the many voices raised in song. Her song. © 2013 Shanachie The DVD, which includes both the rained out performance and the second, drier www.swingoutsister.com event, estimated to be attended by one million people, is powerfully emotional and visually profound. This concert was never again shown on television and ‘Til next month, remained mostly unseen for thirty years. With the release of Diana Ross—Live Nat In Central Park by Shout! Factory, the entire final event, and the rain-shortened [email protected]
27 TRANSGENDER Life as a Spork: Breaking The Heart | By Chris Angel Murphy
ince 2005, I’ve received many scholarships school. These were the last chances my blood family shift occurred in my family. (and even some awards!) based on my had to participate. S volunteer work in the community. Some have I opened my heart up to them, even though it could celebrations in which donors can see the lives they You see, it’s easy for me to want to point the finger have been heart breaking. Because they chose to say are touching and the recipients are able to find out at my blood family for not being there or supporting “yes” instead of “no,” the shift happened. The magic about their peers and the work they are doing. I’ve me through my journey but I haven’t made it easy of the scholarship ceremony let them finally see me gone to almost all of them by myself, up until a few on them, either. Long ago, I would invite them and through the eyes of our beautiful community. They years ago when I started asking my dear friends, such there was always an excuse (as were many during my kept wondering what happened to the quiet and shy as Sabrina (Hi!), to come. It feels so, so good to have childhood for various reasons). I took this to heart and kid they knew long ago and it felt good to have them chosen family cheering me on. Part of me wishes I gave up asking. So, they could be more invested and start seeing me for who I am now. had done this sooner but better late than never! inquisitive but I could also make a change in myself (since it’s definitely not 2005 anymore) and Hearts are funny this way. You have to live with it In 2005 I was 17 and just graduated high school. My invite them. open and ready because you never know, even if you self-confidence was low, although slowly improving. think you do. If it hurts and the “no” comes, at least My relationship with my blood family was and always After dragging my feet, I finally asked them to come I tried. I can’t change them but I can change how I will be, somewhat complicated. Discussions usually to one of the ceremonies since these are the last ones. react and change my part in the story or cycle... and it ended up in fights, such as when I skipped my middle And you know what? They said yes! It was such a feels good to be on this new path with them. It really school culmination altogether over not wanting to treat and made up for all of the years they didn’t come. happened. I am so, so grateful. wear a dress. I found out, after the fact, that I had won many awards that day and had received special That day was mind-blowing because not only did my As long as people are still in this world, there’s still recognition. This brought me great sadness. dad and grandma attend a scholarship ceremony but the chance to change. How beautiful is that? my grandma made the three of us dinner which was Fast forward to this past June: I attended three followed by an impromptu game night. I drove to the [email protected] scholarship ceremonies. It was bittersweet because store right then and there to get games. We laughed this is it: I’m entering my final year of graduate and had fun and that’s when it dawned on me: a major LIFE COACH’S CORNER Some Questions to Contemplate, from Your Soul to You | By Kristi Pallino
f you were granted 3 wishes what would they be? If you had the chance to interrupt the old patterns that If you were not financially struggling, who would Awesome! This is the beginning of your goal list, do not serve who you are today, would you, will you? you be? Start living that life now—take baby steps. I or what I like to call your “Life Map”! Make it happen, you have the power in you to do it! If you are not happy in a relationship, ask yourself If someone said you were the most amazing woman “Am I a happy individual?” If you had limitless money to travel, where would in the world, would you receive it completely? If not, you go, and what excursions would you want to what would your doubt be? What measures can you If you are having trouble with more than 3 people, do experience? Sounds amazing! Would not this make take to rid the doubt? you think it’s time to look in the mirror? a great vision board? If you can see it, you can be it, and if you can be it, you can achieve it! If you loved yourself as much as you love others, If you had an opportunity in this moment to change would you be the same person? something about yourself, what would it be? What What do you want? What are you willing to say No action can you take each day to honor this? to, and Yes to? If your life depended on it, would you follow your dreams? Wait- your life does depend on it. What If you have done something you regret, what are you If I told you I have a huge gift for you, would you would your life be like if you were taking action? doing to make sure it never happens again? accept it? It is a gift of LOVE… Yes, I love you! And I am holding you accountable for shifting into your If you are not feeling connected to your true essence, If someone hurts you to your core, is your first true essence. You are here for a purpose, on purpose. how can you find your way? reaction to hurt them back? Or can you stand in the You are… You are... perspective that someone is just not healthy right If something feels wrong to you, are you willing now, therefore unhealthy choices are being made and [email protected] to trust this truth of intuition? How can you these hurt? Remember, when someone is healthy, strengthen this? they are more aware and tuned in to love, and love does not cause pain, it promotes Joy!
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com BOOKS Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class, and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics | By Teresa Decrescenzo
have trouble with this book on several fronts. Urvashi Vaid is a States v. Windsor was reached because of the courage of the gay citizens long-time queer activist with impeccable credentials. She is a trained who decided to stand up and fight, especially Edith Windsor. This I attorney, has held important leadership positions on the national octogenarian could have quietly lived out her remaining years in the stage, and is currently at Columbia University Law School’s Center for same relative obscurity she had enjoyed for years. Does she sound like Gender and Sexuality Law. No one would question her credentials or someone who has been coopted? Not to me she doesn’t. her application to the work of the LGBT movement. This is what I mean when I observe that, at least in this book, Vaid seems Yet, I’m troubled that stuck in the identity politics of an earlier era. She argues that we have Vaid seems to be in a invested heavily in making sure that the heterosexist world sees us as no stuck place politically, threat to its norms and traditions. That’s the position taken by many of somewhere in the those within the LGBT community who have argued against legalization much earlier days of same-sex marriage, as they lament the loss of our “differentness,” of our movement. our uniqueness, our status as outlaws, sexual and otherwise. Those She appears mired who make that argument deserve to be heard, but they obviously now in identity politics, represent a tiny minority in the LGBT community, with their numbers reiterating her dwindling as the numbers of straight Americans favoring legalization of bicultural identity, same-sex marriage have increased. the integration of her sexuality into her This is not to suggest that Vaid is wrong about the importance of our identity (something movement expanding and extending to do more in terms of gender those activists who are equality, class-based inequities, racial and ethnic oppression, as well as not focused on identity poverty, hunger, and a host of other challenges we face as the LGBT politics have been community and as a part of the global community. Of course, she’s right working toward for that we need to hold our leaders accountable for diversity, and of course years, the integration we need to move to embrace causes beyond the LGBT community. It’s of sexuality into part of the social change process that sociologist Joel Best calls “frame identity as one core amplification” where activist groups find ways to build bridges from part of identity, not as one cause to another, so that seemingly diverse groups can find common the sole identity), her ground and work together for the larger good, perhaps a realization of racial identity, original the “Rainbow Coalition” originally proposed by Black Panther leader immigrant status, and Fred Hampton in the 1970s and later adopted by Jesse Jackson during so on. There just isn’t his 1984 presidential campaign. anything fresh or new in this book. Despite my difficulties with the book, I recommend reading it, especially if you are a young – or at least new – activist. Urvashi Vaid has a wealth Perhaps the lack of freshness is due to the essays contained in “Irresistible of experience reflected in these essays/speeches, and has plenty to say Revolution” being speeches delivered by Vaid over the years. In that that’s worth listening to and learning from. It’s an engaging history sense, maybe if the title of the book were something else, or were more lesson. Readers will draw their own conclusions about whether she’s about offering an historical archive of her perspective viewed through the right or not in her analysis of where things stand, but it is a good read lens of history, one might experience the writing differently. I can’t help and an excellent discussion-starter. I sure haven’t stopped talking about feeling resentful when she describes “our cooptation” as a reason for our it since I read it. progress as a community. Wow. Tell that to all of the lesbians, gay men, and queers, who sat-in, stood up, protested, resisted, were arrested, and By Urvashi Vaid even gave up their lives for the cause of LGBT civil rights. John Milton, Magnus Books, New York, NY in an essay “On His Blindness,” said, “They also serve who only stand www.magnusbooks.com and wait.” Many of our community heroes didn’t get arrested, but they [email protected] served to move our civil rights forward nonetheless. New York Times essayist Jeffrey Toobin observed recently that the outcome of the United
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31 KRISSY KRISSY | By Michele Khordoc
raised as being a powerful vocal house, to help or do whatever it was that my parents were 23-year-old out singer, songwriter, musician, beaconing for. But, when my parents would yell PKrissy Krissy is keeping a busy schedule this my name twice “KRISSY KRISSY,” I knew it was summer joining the highly anticipated HUNTER something serious so I had to answer. It was sneaky VALENTINE/ GIRL IN A COMA tour, and but it saved me from doing a lot of dishes! Even now performing at a series of concert venues across the I still listen for the second Krissy. nation. LN: What was it like to grow up in a Pentecostal The talented Brooklyn soul singer has been making church? tremendous strides in a very short period of time. KK: It wasn’t my cup of tea!! At a young age, I She grew up in a Pentecostal church, was nicknamed related being Pentecostal with only wearing skirts “Frederica” for her musical influence spawning or dresses. I really hated it. I’m not a girly girl AT from the likes of Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, ALL!!! So to be forced to wear clothes like that all to Aretha Franklin; was kicked out of choir and the time was a struggle for me. I couldn’t fault my church at age 15 for kissing a girl; At 17 moved parents because It was the only way they knew. I out of her family-of-8’s crowded two-bedroom remember having a family meeting with my parents apartment where they would literally have to dodge and expressing how uncomfortable I felt and they bullets at night and walk en massed to the bodega understood and became a bit more lenient and for safety; was then discovered at a local karaoke allowed pants here and there. My parents ultimately bar in Brooklyn; and finally released her first EPK, realized that it’s not the way they wanted to raise us. “Above All”, last winter. They said God loves us how we are and that pants were included!! Lol. Their realization was freedom But wait! That’s not all … for me.
From garnering a quarter million views in just two days for her debut single “Dreams,” (from her acclaimed debut extended play “Above All”), to a top record on I Heart Radio, to an MTV Buzzworthy Feature, to a #1 spot on MTVU “Freshman Pick of The Week, Krissy Krissy undoubtedly continues to break new ground. recording artist – a star in the making!
Meet Krissy Krissy:
LN: Is Krissy Krissy your real name or an alias? What is the meaning behind it?
KK: I get how one would think that Krissy Krissy is my real name with all these crazy names out there. i.e. North West but it is my alias. I am LN: At fifteen you were caught kissing a girl and the 5th born out of 6 kids were kicked out of church. Was that your official so there was definitely a coming out? How did you cope with this first lot of yelling in that little experience having to deal with homophobia? 2 bedroom Brooklyn apartment, and so when my parents would call my KK: Ohhh boy!! Lol. Yeah, I was caught “Katy The LN got an exclusive up-close and personal name, I would really not answer quickly because “Perrying” a girl. (Just for the record, my dad was interview with the buzz-heavy up-and-coming there would be one of my other siblings close by a pastor of a church but NOT this one. He was
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com becoming too ill to continue pastoring so he stopped KK: See, I got kicked out of the church because I before he died. I wrote it at the same time he was before we moved to NY) That wasn’t my “official contradicted everything they believed in. I wasn’t struggling to live. I ran to the hospital just so he can coming out”, it was just a BIG reality check to just a member of the congregation, I was the lead hear it. He couldn’t really move or speak and all he me and my family that I could be what they all singer, dancer, mime group, adult choir leader, youth could do was smile and once he heard it... he did. suspected me to be. I had to go to counseling and all choir leader, worship leader, a soloist in ensembles, That’s why I decided to dedicate it to him! a side singer, a vocal arranger, a traveling singer LN: How important do you think all Social with the head pastors. I Media platforms are nowadays as a promo & was very visible. To have distribution tools in securing the success of someone who was in an artist? everything and the face of everything be gay and lead KK: I believe it’s very important. Overwhelming others in a way where that but important. It allows everyone to stay up to date was “ok” was a shit load with all that I’m doing and going through. I’m able of wrong in their eyes. So to blast out info within seconds and reach millions. sitting me down from all that would be too obvious LN: Staying on the topic of modern technology: to the church. Having it how do you feel about file sharing and seem that I just left would downloading of music. be easier to explain to the church than fessing up to KK: File sharing... Downloading music...It’s all a telling everyone that they method to keep me in their ears. That’s something didn’t know what to do. that is always a plus. How people do it whether legally or illegally is totally up to the fan. My main LN: You were discovered goal is to make the music and throw it out there. that nonsense to see if they could pray the gay away at a Karaoke bar. What was that encounter like (as requested by the church and not by my family) and what happened as a result? LN: You’re embarking on a tour with Hunter but my family and all those close to me knew what Valentine and Girl in a the deal was and started the process of acceptance Coma, are you excited and showing love to me. It was when I was a bit to be playing live with older and accountable of my own actions that I these girls? What is it came out to my family. If they can accept it and love about being on stage me then I don’t need anything else. I never really that gives you that paid attention to negativity. People at the church adrenaline rush? gossiped and slandered my name but my family kept their head up and continued to be my backbone so it KK: Of course I’m really didn’t hurt me as much as I thought it would. excited. I’m excited to I would smile big and continue being me. I be touring period!! I’m never changed. excited to share stories and fun times with all LN: With the recent Supreme Court historic of them and my band as rulings ending DOMA and banning Prop 8, do well! Being on stage is you think you would still be kicked out of church what I was made to do! had that incident happen today? It’s scary when all those eyes are only on me but once that first song is played, then AWAY WE GO! I go through my life is KK: The encounter between me and a stranger song and bring the audience along! It’s an awesome by the name of Dennis (who is my manager now) feeling to leave it all on the stage and pack up and do was awesome. I went to a bar to get a couple of it all over again!! drinks because my live-in girlfriend that day left me and I needed to be away and sing my troubles LN: Is there anyone you’re interested in working out. Dennis was there having a drink with his friend with in the future? at the same bar too. I was singing, “Like the way I do” by Melissa Etheridge and getting the crowd KK: I’d love to work with PINK. Hopefully one day going and crying at the same time. (What a mess). open up for her or collab with her. He approached me and gave me his email and it has been history ever since. LN: Can you tell us anything about what’s next in store for Krissy Krissy? LN: Who would you say influenced this album? KK: I will be touring as we spoke about before and KK: Everyone in my life. Both good and bad. releasing my full-length album soon! I just want to continue grinding and climb my way to the top. LN: What’s your favorite song off the album? For more information go to: http://krissykrissy. KK: Above All. It was my last message to my dad com/
33 HOT SPOTS
| By Dian Katz, MS
ell I’ll be damned! It’s the last month of summer. Say it PRIDE is hosting their 38th annual celebration on August 17-18. isn’t so!! Fall is around the corner and I will be working my This fabulous celebration will be held in Discovery Meadow Park, in Wtail off once again. Ain’t nobody got time for that!!!! Well, downtown San Jose. You know, San Francisco gets a lot of attention I guess I will give summer one last hurrah! One last paddle out on for Pride Festivals in northern California. So y’all need to head over my purple dinosaur blow up before I have to deflate it for the season. to San Jose and get yer party on there!!! San Jose women need love I’m sure there are weddings going on all over California still and will too.. LMAO... My friends in San Jose are about to kick my arse as I continue for ages. Dontcha know??? Lesbian wedding crashers type this.. So put your pride panties on... For more information: www. and lesbian wedding singers are the rage!!! I’d love to tell you where sanjosepride.com. all the weddings are but.... they are not all telling me!!! Hey, I want to join the fun!! Come on!! Tell Dian where your weddings are!!! Now over in Orange County, California, Okay, I’ll just sit here floating around on my dinosaur wishing I were Orangecountians will be having their day. OC PRIDE is August celebrating with you... And now with DOMA being bye bye.. lesbian 10 on 4th Street & Broadway in Santa Ana. You used to think Orange marriages are creeping up everywhere like cheap underwear County was the Orange Curtain and no gays and lesbos resided there..
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com The Weekender TRAVEL Roller Coaster Adrenaline Dangerous Giraffes? Oh, Dear! Rush | By Barbara Horngren | By Barbara Horngren “Look! You’d think it was Giraffic Park!” That on its topless vehicles. We looked askance at merica’s first roller coaster made its debut was a friend commenting on a video of a giraffe our open Land Rovers as we piled in, not sure in 1884 at Coney Island. Back then, chasing tourists at a South African game reserve. to believe the guide telling us we would be safe. Ariders traveled at a rip-roaring 6 miles per The giraffe, with its long legs and rocking-chair But from that first drive on, we loved the fact hour. The new roller coaster at Six Flags Magic gait, was running down a dirt road, following that we easily could see all around us. Mountain, called Full Throttle, accelerates from a Land Rover filled with wildlife viewers and, zero to 70 miles-per-hour, to blast riders through ultimately, taking the starring role on what We were less than a mile from camp when we its first inversion, the inside of a world-record looked like their cell-phone cameras. saw our first wild animal – a female warthog. 160-foot-tall loop. Then in rapid succession came a wildebeest and e’d had a description of the scene a herd of waterbucks. In each case our guide, Six Flags Magic Mountain, in Valencia, CA, north on the evening news, after which who was doing the driving, stopped the Rover of Los Angeles, “firmly holds the coveted world W we looked it up on YouTube. The so we could take pictures. record of more coasters than any other theme park Giraffic Park line is pretty funny, since giraffes on the planet,” is how the park’s publicity states seem docile enough that there would be few It used to be that southern Africa’s big-game its position in the thrill-ride hierarchy. So, its new opportunities to compare them to the dastardly hunters brought rifles. The people who visit coaster, described as the world’s tallest and fastest dinosaurs depicted in the science-fiction film MalaMala and the nearby animal reserves these looping coaster, is in good company. “Jurassic Park.” days shoot with Nikons and Canons, even cell- phone cameras. While our shutters clicked our To begin their Full Throttle journey, riders are When I was on a game-viewing trip in South guide and a tracker, who sat at the back of the loaded onto sleek trains, sitting two abreast, and Africa, it was the elephants our guides thought vehicle, up high so he had good vantage, looked are suddenly accelerated through the first three might chase us. In fact, when the huge gray to see if any other beasts were lurking about. launches, experiencing their first inversion and the beasts were near, the guides would back our thrill of navigating that record-sized loop. Riders vehicles into the spaces where we’d sit to watch The guide also gave us insight into what we then enter into a high-banked curve to the right them, so we could get away fast if need be. were snapping pictures of: “The waterbuck is and then to the left as they approach the second one of the few antelopes with a shaggy coat,” inversion, a dive loop that drops them rapidly into But even though they respected the elephants’ he said. “That’s because he spends a lot of a special-effects tunnel. While in the tunnel, the power and speed, they didn’t really think we time around water. The coat keeps him from train is dramatically decelerated and stopped, only were at risk. According to our guides, we were getting cut by reeds.” The wildebeest, he added to be suddenly launched backward up to the high “perfectly safe.” Then, as they pointed out the with a laugh, “looks as if it’s been designed by point of the dive loop. After a momentary pause, elephant gun nestled at the windshield end of a committee and assembled with spare parts.” the train drops and is magnetically launched a third the hood when our Land Rovers were in the Even in the fading light of our first-night game time, racing out of the tunnel and through a high bush, they told us the weapon was needed more drive we could see that’s true. The one in front G-turn to the left. Riders then race up and over as a “security blanket” than for actual security. of us had a horselike mane and tail, hips a ballet a “top hat” that traces the outside of the 160-foot- “We can get ourselves out of trouble before we dancer would envy, and the shoulders of an NFL tall loop, where they experience significant air time get ourselves into it,” they added. fullback. and a view of the park before dropping back down, rapidly decelerating and taking a final 180-degree Animals in the wild seem magnetic, drawing MalaMala is in the region noted for supporting turn to the left as they return to the station. many people to view them. According to the the greatest diversification of mammals on the Whew! That’s where “riders can catch their National Wildlife Federation, an internet search African continent. And our forays into the bush breath,” according to a spokesperson for the for “wildlife tours” can yield over 650,000 – some in the early morning, others beginning park. results – and each one is an answer to some about 5 p.m. and with a spotlight extending long animal-viewing tourist’s vacation questions. after dark – revealed a virtual bestiary. Zebras, Full Throttle joins Six Flags Magic Mountain’s duiker, kudu and, of course, the “big five,” the other adrenaline-pumping coasters. As described The game reserve I chose was MalaMala, which animals that back in the days of gun-toting by the park’s publicity, Tatsu is the tallest, fastest has, among other things, a large wooden deck in tourism were the true trophies: lions, rhinos, and longest flying coaster in the world; X2 is the the shade of a Jackaberry tree. It’s an excellent leopards, elephants and Cape buffaloes all took world’s first and only 5th dimensional coaster; vantage to observe the steady flow of animals form through our viewfinders. Apocalypse is the next generation of wooden at the Sand River’s edge. Best of all, though, coasters; and Goliath is the “giant among giants” it offers game drives and walking safaris, even Oh, we saw giraffes, too. But we were perfectly mega coaster. a hot-air balloon safari. And, apart from the safe – after all, I’m alive to tell the tale. wildlife viewing prospects on MalaMala’s own For more information on Six Flags Magic land, it has unfenced access to Kruger National [email protected] Mountain’s roller coasters and other Park, since Kruger is right next door. rides and attractions, go to www.sixflags.com/ magicmountain. MalaMala (the name means sable antelope in the local language) prides itself on its unencumbered animal viewing and, especially,
35 POETRY | By Morag Hillsinger
Time-Share Girl
This blond. The one with white hot hair Stalkers follow.
Too tall for heels A bitch on wheels “Hey! Mahalo!”
Pensive smile And Camera Face Eye to lens And out of place I Feel so hollow.
Standing in my Comfort shoes Transparent, waiting For the news
This Leo babe Has looked my way I’m gone there’s Nothing else to say.
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com FEMASTROLOGY | By Victoria Bearden August Sun Sign Profile: Leo (July 23-August 22)
hen you ask someone what their Sign is you’ll Aries (March 21-April 19) You should Libra (September 23-October 22) get a variety of answers. Some will say they definitely put your best foot forward, Connect with your ambition and venture Wdon’t know. Some will say they don’t believe in it. Others will grimace and tell you they are a Virgo, particularly the first week of August, when forth! This is a great time to display your Scorpio, or Capricorn. But if you ask a Leo, they will the Sun in Leo will be a trine to Uranus in talents and let people know what you are almost always answer with a big smile on their faces! Yep, Aries. This energy will open up your creative capable of, both professionally, and socially. they are Leo and proud of it. This Fire Sign is known to channels and enhance just about everything Refine your goals and follow through on your be quite self-fascinated. When this trait is expressed in a positive way, the Leo native will put great effort into self- you do. If you are looking for love, this is a plans. This is a time of potential achievement, development and personal achievement. They truly wish great time to go on safari! Kick up your heels so work it! to be a person of significance, and are often genuinely and play a little. desirous of benefiting others. When the Leo Ego is Scorpio (October 23-Novemeber 21) immature or distorted, you will see the arrogant, overly showy, self-obsessed type. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Focus on Saturn in Scorpio is demanding that what is right in front of you. Take time to you stay realistic and responsible. If you’ve Strangely, even Leos who are “jerks” tend to have a way of connect with your personal life. Take a little been doing that, you’ll see some excellent making friends and influencing people. Most Leos aren’t break from your duties and recharge your opportunities in the professional arena now. jerks, of course, but often unwittingly antagonize more retiring personalities just by being their Big Bad Selves. batteries. Bring some creative energy into Watery and earthy energies enhance your Although Leos crave attention, they are less concerned with your personal space. strength and sense of well-being. Enjoy it! what others think of them than more self-critical signs. On their best days, Leo’s are magnanimous rulers who strive to Gemini (May 21-June 20) There is a Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) be their best and bring out the best in others. On their worst days, they can be insufferable tyrants, lording over others quickening occurring in your mind. Let Inspiration meets motivation this month. and misusing their dominance. people know what you are thinking. You Are you ready to put your money where could enlist allies at this time. There is good your mouth is? Get out there and take some People with strong Leo influences in the birth chart tend energy available for all kinds of financial chances. You could be quite lucky. This is also to make better bosses than employees. Many lions have affinity for sports, the arts, and working with kids. In matters. Focus on that and you’ll see some a good time for travel if you are so inclined. general, they do best when they have some kind of audience. results in short order! This can be family, friends, co-workers, employees, or the Capricorn (December 22-January 19) public. A Leo without an outlet for self-expression is one Cancer (June 21-July 21) This should Relationship energy is highlighted now. unhappy person! be a super time for you both emotionally Don’t be afraid to connect with people. Just In love with a Leo? Remember to let them be right a lot. and materially. Jupiter is in Cancer now, be discriminating about who to connect with. Compliments will get you everywhere. If you buy them urging you to expand your horizons and Others may offer assistance and resources something, don’t skimp. They need to be center stage, but giving you an abundance of opportunities to now. Take advantage of it. Single Capricorns if you are “theirs” they’ll want to make sure you shine, too. Don’t get mad if they seem to be flirting a lot out in public. express your creativity. Just do it! may get bitten by the love bug. They need to do that. But if they really love you, they will be as loyal as the day is long, provided they are lions of Leo (July 23-August 22) Things you’ve Aquarius (January 20-February 18) good character! Leos get along famously with fellow Fire been dreaming about may start to Relationships are highlighted now, so Signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, and Air Signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. They also seem strongly drawn to manifest in your reality now. Some of your meet, greet, connect, and respond! You also Cancers. hard work is beginning to pay off. Stick to need to make sure your daily routine is strong. your guns and keep moving forward. The Put a little extra energy into health and well- Femastrology Horoscopes for August 2013 best is yet to come. Patience is a virtue now. being. For all the Sun Signs: Good news people! Mercury went Things are opening up. direct a couple of weeks ago and we are now free to go Pisces (February 19-March 20) Creative about our business with less interference! Hooray! The Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your energy abounds, but you are required month starts off with super positive vibes from a Grand psychic energy may be very high right to keep your feet on the ground. Find ways Sextile in Water and Earth Signs! This rare and auspicious influence will bring lots of healing, helpful energy and now, so pay attention to any intuitive flashes to stay grounded and centered. If you over- help smooth out some of the roughness of tense planetary that come along. You will benefit from extend yourself, you may end up without aspects, like the on-going battle between Uranus and Pluto. helpful people this month, but may still feel much energy by month’s end. There’s a New Moon in Leo on August 6, 2013, and a Full you aren’t getting the recognition you seek in Moon in Aquarius on August 20, 2013. Astro-Opportunity Days: August 4, 8, 15, 16, 20, 22, 26, 27, 28. Use the good some areas. Don’t worry. This will improve in [email protected] vibes on these days to enhance activities that require a little months to come. extra “luck.”
37 Words That make sense People Who Need People | By Toni Hart
e may have beliefs that are different from themselves and those who don’t believe as they do. better, not tear it apart. There are so many causes to work our friends. However, we can still make on. A few important ones are: Wconnections by working toward tolerance It’s difficult to pick up a newspaper, tune in the and understanding. radio or check your email and not be shocked by yet 1. The Gay issue. Do we all have to be the same? Dress another angry gunman, shooting innocent children and the same, think the same, love the same. What a dull The other day I was listening to the beautiful recording bystanders. Why? Sometimes we will never know. world that would be. Live and let live....wouldn’t that be of “People Who Need People” by the incredible Barbra Other times, it may be due to an escalating argument a wonderful world! Streisand. As I was listening to this lovely song, I began or a grudge, jealousy, rage, disagreement or downright to think. Is this what the problem is all over the world? hatred. When did these brutal methods take the place of 2. The Rain Forests: We need these kept in good shape We no longer feel we need anyone...have we lost lawful procedures? to protect our land and wild animals. Tearing down trees connection with each other? for lumber may build more homes but it also brings forth I understand when some say that they are frustrated with mass destruction of forest creatures as well as floods and When you are connected with others, you understand lawful methods. However, taking things into your own other devastation. their joy and their pain. Not only have we lost touch, but hands never ends up in a peaceful conclusion. We are a we no longer care. “Who cares?” has become our mantra. democracy and we must follow lawful procedures or all 3. The Oceans: Over 80% of the world is covered by We have become a civilization of “me!” Not only are hell breaks loose and it becomes a battle of an eye for an water but we are constantly polluting it, making it people becoming ”me” centered but they feel what they eye and no one wins. difficult to produce the oxygen we need to breathe as believe in is what everyone else should believe as well. well destroying some of the great animals of the deep. If this is not true, explain to me what is happening in the We truly do need each other. We need to bond together world... for common causes. However, we must also be able So you see, we really do need each other in so many to see others’ opinions as well and take them into ways. This is home for all of us, not just a select few. Whole countries are trying to kill or exterminate anyone consideration before acting on principles. Bonding Let’s get together and make this a wonderful world. who does not worship as they do. When disbelievers together is important for other issues as well. As someone are discovered, they are hastily silenced. To prove their said a long time ago,”No man is an island.” We are all [email protected] faith, some zealots strap bombs to their bodies, killing together in this world and must work together to make it ALCOHOLISM, THE THINKING DISEASE An Honest Program | By G-O Digilio n one of the recovery groups, one of the new dress and be prepared for an honest answer Ask a number of different people and you may get mottoes is that the recovering person is to carry even if it is stated in tenderness. If they don’t like a broadband perspective that allows you to open Ithe message to alcoholics and to practice the the dress, they will usually tell you so. This is your eyes. You may get a number of differing principles of recovery in all of their affairs. They wonderful, as now you can begin to trust them. opinions but the process will force you to keep are to teach by example and not by preaching. an open mind and examine the other person’s They are to lead others into a better life and not For addicts, their lack of trust of the world has motives. Over the years I have seen many tragic force anyone. By demonstrating how much their been present most of their lives. This is one interactions in recovery and wish to spare anyone lives have improved, the hope is that another reason they drink and use. They will say that most that grief. A few people come into program ONLY person may want to follow that person’s guidance. people around them have lied to them, betrayed for a place to live; to weasel money out of the them, used and abused them. They trust no one. more affluent; to increase the prospects for sex; While this has worked for millions of alcoholics Yet when they come into recovery and hear that to find more opportunities to cheat on their mate; who have been led by wonderfully sincere people, it is an honest program, all their defenses melt to get jobs; to malign others; to get sympathy and there are always a few bad apples in the bunch. away. The need for honesty is so great; they go negative attention; and a myriad of other nefarious One of the basic principles is “This is an honest blind to any evidence of dishonesty. We become reasons. As you would do in society, do not open program.” Society teaches people to lie so that extremely naïve and childlike in our attitude with your heart, pocketbook, your house, car, or your we don’t hurt someone’s feelings. The question other recovering people. For the newcomer, this absolute trust to just anyone because they are in “Do you like my new dress?” would usually draw can be devastating as unfortunately there are still recovery. The healthy approach is to NOT trust a positive response from society even if they many people in recovery who are liars, cheats anyone until they prove that they are trustworthy. hated the dress. We are told not to hurt someone’s and thieves. The other person’s motives must be This way you can be happy, joyous and free. There feelings so we lie. In reality, the lie and lack of evaluated and if that person has been in recovery is hope. There is a better way. trust that is inherent is much more damaging. for a period of time, their reputation may very How can we live comfortably if we cannot trust well be known. Ask many people their opinion of [email protected] someone? Ask a recovering person about the someone, not just the clique they are currently in.
Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com Join us for our 17th season of Perpetual Excellence! 2013/2014 Songs of Wisdom Half the Sky: Hear Our Voices This Joint is Jumpin’ Saturday, November 16, 2013 Saturday, March 22, 2014 Saturday, June 21, 2014 8pm 8pm 8pm First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Zipper Concert Hall, Colburn School of Music Zipper Concert Hall, Colburn School of Music 540 S. Commonwealth Ave. 200 S. Grand Ave. 200 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90020 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Hear our voices as we feature a newly Vox will be joined by members of the Vox will welcome guest artist, Jennifer Leitham, commissioned work in this second installment Gay Mens Chorus of Los Angeles. Jazz bassist and vocalist. of the Half the Sky series.
Additional Performances Vox will be singing the National Anthem at the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks game on Thursday, Sept. 12th (7:20 PM). For more information on how you can attend that game visit www.voxfeminala.org or call (310) 922-0025 Join our email list to learn about the special events and opportunities Vox is offering this season. www.voxfeminala.org | 310-922-0025
Photo: kawaboriphotography.com
Media Sponsor The 2013/2014 season is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County This project is supported, in part, by a grant from the Arts Commission. Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. 39 Lesbian News Magazine | August 2013 | www.LesbianNews.com