Indholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2017 i The Advocate

In our 50th anniversary June/ July issue, we used a viral photo of a young trans girl in an article called, “These Trans Revolutionaries Are Unforgettable” (Read it at Bit.ly/ TransEldrs). The photo credit should have gone to her mom (and staunch ally), who writes the excellent blog, I am totally *that* mom, where this photo first appeared. (Facebook.com/ iamtotallythatmom and iamtotallythatmom.blogspot.com) Bruesehoff snapped this amazing picture of her daughter Rebekah E. Bruesehoff at a march earlier this year. We left out her last name, referring to her in print as Rebekah Eleanor, her middle name, instead—something other outlets did as well. Turns out, we all accidentally closeted the young activist by doing so. Rebekah is out and proud! While all media should be super cautious about LGBT kids’s privacy…

This year, Texas lawmakers went crazy with anti-abortion efforts (even introducing Senate Bill 8, the fetal funeral bill, which would require all fetal remains—even material related to abortions or miscarriages—to be buried or cremated, according to Out). It’s part of what Amanda Allen of the Center for Reproductive Rights called, “The most sweeping piece of anti-abortion legislation this session,” according to Buzzfeed. Not to be outdone, Texas lawmakers also targeted the LGBT community with around two dozen new bills—activists say more than at any other time in state history—with the impact on trans youth especially potent. Here are some of the worst: TRANS BATHROOM BILL: A bill pushed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick would ban transgender people from using bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing facilities that match their gender identity.…

It’s easy to see how Cat Staggs and Amanda Deibert fell for each other: We ended up nerd-crushing hard on the adorkable couple the minute we sat down to talk about their work as one of the creative teams behind DC’s new Wonder Woman series—Wonder Woman ‘77. As self-proclaimed super fans of the 1970s Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter, Staggs and Deibert jumped at the chance to work with Marc Andreyko on the new print and digital series based on the iconic show. “It helps that my wife knew every scene and every episode,” jokes Staggs, a longtime illustrator for DC. “I remember telling my editors at DC, if you guys ever touch Wonder Woman ‘77, I want to be a part of that process!” Deibert, a successful…

BY OCTOBER OF 1991, I was 14, and permanently living with my father. He was on a mission to convert me to full-blown manhood. In Washington State, my mother encouraged me to be my unconventional self, so when I arrived in Philadelphia, I had long, curly hair that I’d attempted to dye blonde, but had ended up a strange orange color. Quickly, my father took me to the barber shop and cut off all my hair. I held back crying in the chair while he stared, ready to rage if a single tear dropped. I was very effeminate, and he was dedicated to purging the femme out of me. Whenever I made an effeminate movement or sound, he snapped his fingers, like a master training his dog. “Every time I…

After publishing our anniversary issue, we were flooded with emails, texts, and old-fashioned phone calls as readers who recognized their friends from past decades in our pages shared some nostalgia. One such caller was Gary Hatle, who piqued our interest by leaving a voice mail that said he “slept with” Pat Rocco, a photographer, filmmaker, and gay rights activist who made The Advocate’s 50th anniversary Hall of Fame for his activism. We called him back. As it turns out he really meant slept in the literal term, together in the same bed. Hatle at the time was the musical director for the popular show, Girl Crazy, in which Rocco was performing. It was Los Angeles in the 1960s at the Ivar Theater. (At one point Hatle was among the most…

EARLIER THIS YEAR, cartoonist Sophie Labelle’s Assigned Male comic, about a young trans girl, suddenly disappeared from Facebook. It was replaced by a page of vile, racist, neo-Nazi propaganda. Labelle posted in May that her web comic was down “because it got hacked.” “After receiving several thousands of death threats in the past few days for making my art, my address was also posted on several forums,” she added. The 28-year-old Canadian comic creator tells The Advocate there was a coordinated attack on her Facebook page, which made it crash. That forced her to remove it, and someone used the opportunity to create a fake page posting neo-Nazi hate speech, including suggesting Labelle should be sent to a concentration camp or gas chamber. “This is what you get for being…

Trystan Cotten, the transgender founder of indie publisher, Transgress Press, is spending the summer pedaling 4,200 miles across America to raise awareness of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. He’s raising funds for Stand Up Placer, a Northern California organization that helps turn victims into survivors. “I teach about gender-based violence as a professor,” Cotten says about why he felt compelled to take action for the cause. “It’s a part of my work. But last year I became sickened and disgusted by the news reports of rape and sexual assault exemplified by the allegations against Bill Cosby, the outcome of the Stanford rape conviction, and the election of a president who openly brags of assaulting women.” Feeling “saturated by misogyny,” Cotten says he was “spurred to do something…

The Last Place You Look is by Kristen Lepionka, the editor of Betty Fedora,the semi-annual journal of feminist crime fiction. The mystery features Roxanne, a smart but troubled bisexual private eye in Columbus, Ohio, coming to terms with her cop father’s death while she attempts to exonerate a black man on death row. Roxanne is battling her own demons: depression, grief, a drinking problem, and failing relationships. This is more than a potboiler mystery, though there’s some resemblance to the classic page-turner nail-biters that populated dime stores in the 1940s and ‘50s. But here’s where Lepionka, an out bisexual author veers: Her bi character is straightforward rather than filled with shame, overly sexualized, closeted, or struggling to choose a side (more typical options in fiction). And Lepionka (think Raymond Chandler…

In National Geographic’s recent documentary Gender Revolution: A Journey With Katie Couric (now available through most major on-demand and streaming services), executive producer and host Couric explores what gender means today—personally, culturally, and scientifically—through conversations with transgender and intersex people from children to seniors, their parents and spouses, as well as scientists, doctors, activists, and authors. It was, she said, “for people who wanted to be educated, like me,” a reminder of Couric’s teachable moment with Laverne Cox in 2014. She probably didn’t get everything right, she said, but adds, “I hope people will be tolerant of the genuine care we took in trying to make this understandable and accessible.” The work is a companion to the January issue of National Geographic magazine, which took an in-depth look at gender…

SINCE 2009, LESBIAN photographer B. Proud has documented over six dozen long-term LGBT couples for her First Comes Love project. The ensuing book featured a foreword by Edith Windsor (whose Supreme Court case ended the Defense of Marriage Act). A gallery exhibition is touring the country now and the project has inspired a song, music video, and documentary. “I feel that it’s the transgender community that now needs the most attention,” say Proud, whose new project focuses on trans and genderqueer people in love. “I’m doing this with a purpose. For me, changing laws does not change people’s minds. It’s only through understanding that people learn to accept. The transgender community needs our understanding, protecting, and celebrating right now.” She hopes her photos capture “the beauty of the many configurations…

“The most magical thing about it has been no matter where you come from in the world, no matter who you’re sleeping with, or who you’re in love with, the last question I always ask is: ‘What is love?’ And for the most part, they all sound exactly the same.”—NICO TORTORELLA FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING in, Nico Tortorella doesn’t seem all that different from the straight cisgender character he plays on the sweetly addictive hit comedy Younger, which had its fourth season premiere in June. From Sex and the City creator Darren Starr, Younger began as a rom-com that follows a middle-aged woman (pretending to be a 20-something) who falls for a man in his 20s (Tortorella). TV Land has already renewed Younger for a fifth season, ensuring the show…

As cliché as it may be, the gay man’s experience can often resemble the one that is parodied so poorly in the movies. Whether it’s an endless series of drunken nights at the same bars or a movie montage of catty, champagne-fueled brunches, filled with gossip and sex talk; queer men can sometimes get stuck in a loop. After all, many gay men do not have life events such as parenthood or the pressure of marriage to take them out of the party game. So the party goes on and far too many of us get to live out what should have been our high school and college glory days, but with big fat bank accounts and a better wardrobe. At the age of 33, I still found myself in…

Kevin Carnell is more than just an Instagram star (with nearly 80,000 followers). The 25-year old is also an activist—seen biking at the 2015 and 2016 AIDS/LifeCycle wearing only a small, tight Speedo and a smile. Carnell ended up raising $10,000 for people with HIV while on the ride. Expect him again next year too. But don’t let his sexy snaps fool you. Carnell wasn’t always so confident. After dealing with low self esteem and poor body image all his life, Carnell finally came out five years ago, explaining to The Advocate that he wanted to find a way to love himself and embrace who he was without the sexual attention of others. “I would sleep with [guys], using my body with the hopes of being desired and kept—only to…

DITCH THE NAUSEA Do you dread road trips because you suffer from motion sickness? Are your meds making you queasy? Prego or seasick? A simple device worn on the wrist called the Reliefband may help. Studies show it’s is an effective, drug-free nausea treatment that works. (Reliefband.com) PROVEN STRESS RELIEF Spire, which you clip into your pants or bra, is the the world’s only mindfulness and activity tracker shown to decrease stress. It senses when you’re getting tense before you may even realize it, then sends you a notification to use breathing exercises so you can return to calm before tension has a chance to increase. Stanford University conducted a study that followed 225 LinkedIn employees wearing the Spire for 30 days. The results showed dramatic improvements in health and…

THIS IS OUR SPECIAL ISSUE on queer families and we shook things up by picking for our cover a couple that appears straight. Appearances, as any LGBT person should know, can be deceiving. What I love about younger folks today is that as they are becoming a label-free or a micro-label generation (some prefer no labels while others seek more specific labels), they are redefining all identities—including how they define “family.” Take our cover subjects, Younger actor Nico Tortorella (who prefers the terms demisexual, or pansexual, but also embraces bisexual) and fitness Instagram star Bethany Meyers, who identifies as gay (rather than lesbian, and despite her relationship with a man). The couple has been together as family for a decade. They’re still trying to figure out how to navigate a…

The attacks Sophie Labelle experienced are becoming all too common. Emily Waters, of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, explains, “LGBTQ communities have always used the Internet as a way to create and share community,” which makes us all particularly sensitive to such attacks. “As our lives and communities continue to move online, we must realize that online harassment has a real impact on [LGBTQ] lives.” Jaclyn Friedman, Renee Bracey Sherman, and Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency want to stop it from happening with Speak Up & Stay Safe(r): A Guide to Protecting Yourself from Online Harassment. “We wrote this guide in hopes of offering the support and tools we didn’t have when we experienced threats so that others can be better prepared,” Sherman says. “Dealing with online harassment can…

THE SELFIE KING IS BACK Kidrobot, the ultimate adult toy company, and the Andy Warhol Foundation, launched this awesome Andy Warhol Polaroid Series, 12 reproductions of Warhol in drag and his iconic imagery are a great way to introduce people under 50 to Warhol’s exploration of gender, identity and vulnerability. Bonus: Profits go to the Warhol Foundation, which has given $275 million to artists. POP CATHARSIS On rotation all summer long was singer and activist MILCK’s song, “Quiet,” which became a viral anthem after her performance at the Women’s March in D.C. MILCK sang alongside a group of 25 other female singers of all different backgrounds and ages in an a cappella “flash mob” choral performance. It started the #ICANTKEEPQUIET movement. In a summer with mass shootings, at least one…

Since legendary British vocalist Alison Moyet burst onto the scene with her cropped red hair, silver eye makeup, and unmistakable contralto as the voice of the ‘80s synth-pop duo Yaz, she’s defied easy categorization. A force of nature with inimitable vocals and a presence that has tended to transcend gender and sexuality—as with other androgynous acts of the era, such as Annie Lennox of Eurythmics and Boy George of Culture Club—Moyet has long been an icon to queer fans. From pulsating hits like “Don’t Go” and “Situation” that she and Vince Clarke released as Yaz, which became staples at gay clubs, to her soul-searching solo work on Alf (1984), Essex (1994), and more recently, The Minutes (2013), Moyet helped provide the soundtrack to many a queer kid’s coming of age.…

The queer graphic memoirist behind Invincible Summer and Calling Dr. Laura, Nicole Georges, has a new autobiographical graphic novel, Fetch: How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home, which centers around her relationship with Beija, a temperamental corgi mix that growls and attacks people when crossed. “Beija was definitely a member of my family,” Georges says, “If not… part of my body. I would call her my shadow, my familiar.” “I got Beija Georges when I was 16,” the author recalls. “I was, no offense to humans, Beija’s parent! It was like I had a baby in high school, but with the stigma of [her] being covered in dog hair and [me] holding back a lunging corgi mix.” Georges says she tried “dog-training library books, dog psychics, dog-whispering, and controlling the…

Being an artist requires you to have a vision. Sure, you need talent, but in order to achieve that vision, you really need courage. Fortunately, Cory Wade has vision and courage in spades. Still, his journey to the top has been anything but smooth. After starting in the theater, he moved into the drag scene, which quickly transitioned into a successful modeling career—and led him to become the first out gay male contestant on America’s Next Top Model (on Cycle 20, billed as Cory Wade Hindorff). Although he was criticized for being too effeminate, his androgyny and gender fluidity set him apart from the other male models on the competition, and led to gigs modeling both men’s and women’s fashions after the series ended. He took advantage of the Top…

BISEXUAL MUSICIANS DANIELLE LoPresti, 48, and Alicia Champion, 35, (who identifies as non-binary) became a couple the same year they launched San Diego’s IndieFest, a popular music festival that brings together LGBT and mainstream artists and fans. Since 2004, IndieFest has grown from a small gathering to one of San Diego’s premier events. While falling in love and putting on an annual festival, Champion and LoPresti were also dreaming of building a family. But it wouldn’t be until 2011 that their dreams began coming true. The couple, who married in 2014 and who are now working on adopting a second child, share their story—and how it almost became a tragedy. LOPRESTI: Once Alicia and I created IndieFest in 2004 and began the 10-year process of growing it, I felt like…

“We’ve always tried to have a conscious partnership. It’s also helped that we both come from anti-oppression activism.” THE 15-YEAR RELATIONSHIP between Shawna Virago, a folk-punk singer-songwriter with a cult following, and Sean Dorsey, a critically-acclaimed dancer and choreographer, has fueled their own creative, cultural, and political accomplishments—and helped elevate the work of dozens of other trans artists. Dorsey established the Sean Dorsey Dance company and then (in 2002) launched the Fresh Meat Festival of queer and trans performance art. The next year, Virago took over as the artistic director of San Francisco’s Transgender Film Fest (November 9-12), an annual event the couple now produces together. The two firebrands met at a trans performance event in 2001. “Shawna strode onstage in an ankle-length, skin-tight black stretchy dress and big boots…

Earlier this year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation teamed up with Intarcia Therapeutics, to invest $140 million in a yearly pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the transmission of HIV. Intarcia is at a critical phase in developing the new technology, which could reach far beyond HIV prevention. The company hopes to expand the treatment to other diseases, like auto-immune disorders and type 2 diabetes—the latter usage is awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Speaking at Fortune’s Brainstorm Health conference, Intarcia CEO Kurt Graves argued that administering medicine via pills and injections works for short-term illnesses, but those with chronic conditions often forget, or tire of, taking their medication so an implant could be the perfect solution. The Intarcia device is essentially a pump, slowly dispensing a person’s medicine…