Indholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2018 i The Advocate

PUTTING TOGETHER a magazine focused on LGBT-plus politicians during the middle of Pride offers a great time to reflect on how a constant infusion of new faces and ideas is needed to move progressive ideas forward (or resist it from going too far backwards), but supporting our old allies remains critical as well. Those middle-aged politicians riding in convertibles in our Pride parades waving like crazy are allies we still need. Every year, the next generation of LGBT politicos is on the sidelines—watching, waiting, and thinking, What if? or Someday… One of my favorite snaps this summer was of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (left) running through the Pride parade in Boston wrapped in a rainbow feather boa. Though her Native heritage may be farther removed than mine (my relatives are…

1. Rock Out to Impending Doom Everyone Knows the Disaster Is Coming, the new album by New York-based band Occurrence, is a throbbing journey through self-hatred, sexual exploration, and political outrage. (OccurrenceMusic.com) 2. Star Power, Worthy Cause The Trevor Project’s New York Gala honored Lena Waithe and Greg Berlanti, while raising over $2 million (including a record-breaking $1 million donation from AT&T). Activist Sam Brinton, in a gorgeous flamenco-style red frock, stole the red carpet. 3. Notorious R.B.G. We always knew Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would make a great action figure! The creative team at FCTRY (fctry.com) and Seattle-based pop artist Mike Leavit does her justice. One dollar from every purchase sold via Kickstarter goes to the National Women’s Law Center. 4. Go Postal on Trump Birthed from their…

We used to think the premarital blood tests that were once mandatory in every state were a way to ensure each person’s blood type was compatible—and to make sure you two weren’t related. Apparently, neither was true. Actually, the blood test was about public health, usually to monitor for rubella (German measles) and syphilis. Several states also screened for gonorrhea and tuberculosis, and previously ordered HIV tests, for those getting married. Today, Montana is the only state to still demand a blood test (for women only, to test for rubella). A few states —Texas, Missouri, Illinois, and Louisiana—required HIV tests for all folks getting a marriage license in the 1980s or ‘90s; but all determined pre-marital blood testing is an extremely ineffective way of reaching those at risk for HIV.…

According to The Trevor Project, lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. (Trans youth have it even worse.) In today’s Trumpish social climate, they need more help than ever, and a new interactive role-playing software may be the answer. Developed by health simulation company Kognito, Step In, Speak Up! has been adopted by state agencies and school districts nationally. It’s since proven to be a cost-effective solution in training faculty how to understand the unique experiences LGBT youth face on a daily basis. It works by giving the user various scenarios so they can make mistakes without the ramifications of doing so in real-life situations. According to Jennifer Spiegler, senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Kognito, queer youth who…

One of the longest running LGBT film festivals has changed names for its 31st birthday. The Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival is now officially the All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival. Festival director Jim Brunzell says this year is the perfect time to address issues of inclusion and intersection the queer community has faced all year. And judging by the festival’s lineup (see aGLIFF.org) it’s totally walking its talk. In addition to screenings and panel discussions, aGLIFF has added legacy awards to its programing this year. The legacy awards aim to celebrate filmmakers and artists who have made significant achievements in queer cinema that have profoundly impacted the LGBT community. The first honorees include Austin filmmaker Yen Tan, whose films 1985, Pit Stop, and Ciao have been…

The big-screen adaptation of Emily M. Danforth’s beloved 2012 young adult novel, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, takes place circa early ‘90s, evidenced by the titular character’s attachment to The Breeders’ Last Splash on cassette. But the insidious programming that the hoodie and jean jacket-sporting Cameron endures at a conversion therapy camp called God’s Promise is as prescient as ever, considering Mike Pence’s affinity for the dangerous practice. Bisexual Iranian-American director of the lively 2014 festival smash Appropriate Behavior, Desiree Akhavan, helms the adaptation—which stars Chloë Grace Moretz as the teenaged lesbian whose evangelical aunt caretaker (in the wake of Cameron’s parents’ death) ships her off to conversion therapy after her male prom date finds her in flagrante delicto with another girl. Fans of the novel are sure to note…

If Kim Coco Iwamoto is elected as lieutenant governor in Hawaii, not only will she become the highest ranking out transgender elected official in the nation, she’ll also make history as the first out trans person to serve as a lieutenant governor. The Kauai-born Iwamoto announced her candidacy last November, just days before LGBT candidates like Danica Roem and Andrea Jenkins won historic victories into public offices across the U.S. Iwamoto took a minute from the campaign to discuss her potentially history-making election, how being a foster parent first inspired her to run for office, and her early work with Transexual Menace, one of the original direct action groups for trans rights. You were a member of the Hawaii State Board of Education in 2006, which made you the first…

TEXAS LUPE VALDEZ became the first out lesbian gubernatorial nominee of any major party in the Texas primary. As the Democratic nominee for governor, if elected, she’d become the first out LGBT person of color and the first Latina to serve as governor of Texas. “Times are changing and many folks who identify as LGBTQ have been elected because voters see us as people qualified for public office, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender identity,” Valdez tells The Advocate. “I plan to become the first openly LGBTQ governor of Texas, but I’m running so that I won’t be the last.” Joining Valdez are other queer Texans running for U.S. Congress: If elected, Gina Ortiz Jones would become Congress’s first out LGBT woman of color and first out LGBT Asian-American…

Retirement savings has never been a hot topic among LGBTs, in part because much of the community (trans women, gay and bi men) have historically died prematurely thanks to violence, cancer, and AIDS-related conditions. Many battle economic disparities, such as the lowered earning potential of two-women households faced by lesbian and bi women, or the high unemployment rates trans men experience. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for reitrement planning. The LGBT world “definitely faces some challenges in retirement,” says financial blogger, David Rae (DavidRaeFP.com). “Many don’t have children who can help care for them as they get older. Some are also disconnected from their families and cannot count on support from siblings or other relatives.” That’s why need to save. Rae answers two common questions about saving: Say…

The Advocate has taken a serious turn alright, but a turn for the worse. It has become entirely too lesbian, trans, and black, clearly at the expense of your mostly male gay audience.Your dopey editorial director wants the magazine to be a feminist work. If so, start another 'zine for the bitches, but please get The Advocate back on track. I and lots of my LBGTQ friends miss columns by authors like Christopher Rice, Michelangelo Signorile, Andrew Holleran, etc. I also miss good solid political reporting on the nefarious actions of the Trump administration, especially that homophobic douchebag Pence. I sincerely hope this note reaches you and that you do some serious rethinking on the path the magazine is headed. Thank you in advance. Tom [Last Name Withheld] Las Vegas,…

IT’S THAT MOMENT every self-identified Southern sissy dreams of: the day you marry the man of your dreams. After learning to date as a newly HIVpositive young man, and then burning a trail through the dating scene in multiple cities, I finally met my handsome beau at 30 years old. After two dogs, two houses, and a move to another city, I figured it was time to make an honest woman of myself and propose. Since marriage is a relatively new right for a Texas boy like myself, I didn’t know what to expect in the process of planning a wedding. As the first gay person in my family to get married, there were certainly no expectations on me. Thus began the wobbly journey down the path to figure out…

Five years after the Human Rights Campaign named Trenton the least gay-friendly city in New Jersey, Democratic Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (right) was elected as the first out mayor of the state capital. As New Jersey’s first out legislator, Gusciora was a key player in establishing civil unions and marriage equality in the state. Gusciora won the mayoral race despite an incendiary campaign video posted to Facebook by his opponent Paul Perez. Gusciora bested Perez by 355 votes this June…

Jenny Durkan was elected mayor of Seattle last November, making her the city’s first out lesbian mayor and its first woman mayor since the 1920s. From 2009 to 2014, she served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, becoming the first out gay U.S. Attorney in the nation’s history. Mayor Ed Murray, a gay man, resigned in 2017 after being accused of sexually abusing younger men, allegations he has denied. City Council member Tim Burgess became interim mayor, and Durkan took over from him. Durkan was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and Victory Fund. “We are thrilled Jenny will become the first lesbian mayor of Seattle—and just the second woman elected to the position,” said (now former) Victory Fund president Aisha C. Moodie-Mills at the time.…

So in the Democratic primary on September 13, your name will be on the ballot as a candidate for governor of New York. Yes—because we are petitioning to get it there. Fifteen-thousand-plus signatures. Let’s talk about marriage equality. Many LGBT people see Andrew Cuomo as a champion of it, since he helped pass the Marriage Equality Act before Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were proponents. What do you say to people who are loyal to Cuomo for this reason? I think we need to give Andrew Cuomo credit for that. I think he stuck his neck out on that, but I think that the real credit for passing marriage equality in New York state was the LGBT community itself, and the advocates who had fought for it for so many…

You can get spousal benefits after you turn 62 and your partner is receiving retirement or disability benefits. If you claim these benefits (the amount is usually about half of your spouse’s full retirement benefit) before you turn 67, the amount you get is lower than if you wait it out. Take benefits by 70, because there’s no advantage to waiting after that. You can still claim spousal benefits even if you aren’t eligible for Social Security yourself (like if you were a stay-at-home parent or you worked for a company that didn’t pay into the SS system). If you claim spousal benefits, it doesn’t impact the dollar amount your spouse gets at retirement. If you have kids (either under 18 or full time K-12 students who are older and…

CREDIT SESAME Keeping an eye on your credit score is important and it can be difficult finding the right servicer to do so. Credit Sesame is a simple and free app that you can download onto your mobile device. It can help you keep an eye on your credit score and alert you when the score goes up or down, when a creditor reports something, and more. Credit Sesame is a great tool because you can check on the most important credit factors and your borrowing potential, while also getting your score free from TransUnion with monthly updates. The app (CreditSesame.com) also helps you determine if you are paying too much on credit cards and loans. The main benefit of an app like Credit Sesame is that it gets rid…

I celebrated L.A. Pride on the radio as part of KPFK’s all-day Pride programming. First, in conversation with the star of the Revry podcast, Shook With Ashlee Marie Preston, and our deputy editor Jacob Anderson-Mishall (pictured). Then with other queer media mavens, including Advocate.com’s executive editor Neal Broverman. LGBT-focused radio shows have always come and gone, and even stalwarts like San Francisco’s Out in the Bay (produced by Marilyn Pittman and Eric Jansen), which ended its nearly decade-long run in 2015, have given way to new ventures. Portland, Oregon’s KBOO was home to the long-running LGBT radio show Out Loud (which aired from 2002 to 2015), and our deputy editor’s own show about gender variance, Gender Blender. KBOO continues to air LGBT programming, though, including Preference (“a queer experiment in…

The American Horror Story star and his husband adopted 6-year-old Declanwho they had fostered since he was 2 weeks old—in 2014. The Queer Eyestar was 25 when he discovered he had a 9-year-old son. Brown got custody, and adopted a second son not long after. This happily married power couple welcomed their first child together in 2015. Gilbert has two other children with her ex, Alison Adler. The bi star of West world gave birth to a son in 2013. She keeps a close watch on her kiddo and steers him clear of media. TV producer Ryan Murphy and husband David Miller’s journey to fatherhood via surrogacy partly inspired Murphy’s former NBC sitcom The New Normal. Grammy-winning artist Melissa Etheridge is the proud mom of four: two kids with ex…

It took Chaz Bono (@ChazBono) nearly 30 years to find a spotlight not shaped by his famous parents, Cher and Sonny Bono. Now he’s becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after character actors, blazing a new trail and challenging the system in the process. Since his breakout role on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2016, the trans actor has had recurring roles in the comedy series Where the Bears Are, and the drama American Horror Story (starring in both Roanoke and Cult, the latter which earned acclaim for his portrayal of a fervent Trump supporter). Before his role on the daytime drama, Bono’s projects mainly consisted of documentaries and non-scripted shows, notably his 2011 Becoming Chaz, and groundbreaking stint as the first trans contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.…

In her 2017 debut video, “I Don’t Want It At All,” German-born trans pop sensation Kim Petras sings, “I want all my clothes designer, I want someone else to buy ‘em.” The video also features spoiled poster girl Paris Hilton. “It’s just a sugar-baby anthem,” Petras told fans on Genuis. “It’s very tongue-in-cheek... It’s a fantasy song about if my bratty side came out and had a ball.” It may sound like a tribute to rampant materialism, but the song is actually anything but superficial. Rather, it’s an ode to teenage girl fantasy—something Petras, now 25, missed out on back then. “I wanted to kill myself as a kid,” she candidly admits. “I wasn’t popular in school, I got bullied pretty hard… but I’m talented and I’m good at music…

Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man is Thomas Page McBee’s poetic exploration of (sometimes toxic) masculinity as he trained to become the first trans man to box in Madison Square Garden. Author of the award-winning memoir Man Alive, McBee expected men drawn to boxing were motivated by bloodlust. Instead, he discovers mentorship among men overcoming weaknesses. In finding the vulnerability guys hope to hide, McBee finds hope for all men to become good men. (Scribner) —Jacob Anderson-Minshall Never Anyone But You by David Bowie’s favorite author, Rupert Thompson, delves into the fascinating true affair between two female artists in the 1930s, Suzanne Malherbe and Lucie Schwob, who also were step-sisters. For fear of being discovered, the girls left their hometown for Paris and reinvented themselves as Claude…

After 60 years of fighting against corruption, racism, homophobia, and bigotry, activist David Mixner continues to shape D.C. politics and educate queer youth on the importance of remaining in the fight. Young people, Mixner says, have always been at the heart of change—from the early civil rights movement to modern day student-led gun reform protests. Mixner understands that youthful passion: By the time he was 23 (in the late-1960s), Mixner was already a prominent leader in the anti-war movement. He’d refused to serve after being drafted and faced five years in prison. Then he turned his attention to LGBT rights. In 1978, the activist helped defeat The Briggs Initiative in California, which would have made it illegal for gays and lesbians to be schoolteachers. It was a fight Mixner crusaded…

THE WORLD IS CHANGING. Whether we are facing climate change, artificial intelligence, nuclear threats, water shortages, or some combination of everything, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future—especially for LGBT people. As a child of the ‘90s, you can argue that Terminator films and Octavia Butler novels left too big an imprint on my psyche, but even the biggest skeptic should recognize that unless significant shifts happen, our incredibly volatile present will lead to an explosive future. Unlike the one-percenters, we can’t all buy million dollar escape plans for every doomsday scenario. For many of us, life is already becoming unbearable. We battle daily to survive and try to maintain our human dignity. How do we as LGBT people, particularly those of color, prepare ourselves for what may come?…

“Where I’ve seen the Democratic Party get better is when they were pushed there and pulled there by young people, by Black Lives Matter, by Latino Victory, by the Victory Fund, by HRC.” Last June, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a historic equal pay executive order demanding employers base salaries on job responsibilities and clearly explain pay ranges on job postings, as well as prohibiting companies from requiring applicants to provide salary histories. The new law is a huge step in the state toward ending the gender wage gap that can disadvantage women when buying homes, paying for college, and caring for their families. It was also an important moment for Democratic Rep. Brian Sims, a staunch pay-equality advocate and the first out gay legislator elected in Pennsylvania’s history. The…

In 2016, out lesbian Jackie Biskupski became mayor of Salt Lake City. While the Utah capital is home to the headquarters of the famously conservative Mormon Church, its local politics trend progressive. Her election was the second “first” for Biskupski; she also was the first LGBT person elected to the Utah legislature, winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 1998. She ended up serving seven terms. Earlier this year, two other out LGBT candidates—Amy Fowler and Chris Wharton—were sworn into the Salt Lake City council, and in 2017, Midvale voters elected Dustin Gettel and Ogden residents reelected city council member Marcia White. They join Biskupski and Jim Dabakis, an out gay state senator, in adding to the LGBT representation in the Beehive State.…

After Danica Roem’s historic win last year (becoming the first out trans person to win a statewide race and be seated)—and the wins of seven other transgender candidates elected across the U.S.—a record number of trans candidates threw their hats in the ring. “It’s become a cliché within our community, but it’s still fair to say that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” says Dana Beyer, a retired surgeon and longtime LGBT rights activist who ran for Maryland’s state Senate. “Getting any minority group finally into office is not the be-all and end-all, but...[things] slowly grow from there. The trans community is only getting started; remember, the first out trans legislative candidate was Amanda Simpson in 2004.” Beyer was the first trans person to run for…

Between the socialist millennials who want everything to be open access and free, to the affluent travelers who can pop off to Mykonos at the drop of a hat, and the spend-thrift seniors paying for nursing care with Medicaid, LGBT folks run the gamut when it comes to money, their access to it, and beliefs about it. A new survey from Experian offers some interesting insight. WE THINK WE SAVE MORE THAN WE DO Asked to characterize their habits on a zero to 10 scale, with zero denoting “spender” and 10 denoting “saver,” more than half (52 percent) of LGBTQ respondents placed themselves in the six-to-10 “saver” range. But responses to more detailed follow-up questions gave a decidedly different impression: 44 percent of LGBTQ respondents said they struggle to maintain…

Ron Stone, a Los Angeles CPA whose firm, LGBT.tax, focuses exclusively on taxes and other financial issues for the LGBT community, told Nerd Wallet thata benefit of being married is not getting hit with the gift tax. If you give someone more than $14,000 a year and you aren’t married, that money will be taxed. So, if you and your bae don’t have a wedding license but do have, say, a joint checking account and you put in more than $14,000 last year, the money could be considered a gift. “If the IRS audits and decides they want to look at things a certain way, they could argue it’s a gift and you could be subject to a tax,” Stone says.…

QUEER MONEY Finally, a show that focuses on the specific financial nuances of LGBT folks. Queer Money—a podcast started by gay couple and personal finance bloggers, authors, and speakers known as the “Debt Free Guys,” David Auten and John Schneider—was actually inspired by their own money problems. Despite being financial experts in their careers, Auten and Schneider fell victim to many of the same everyday money mistakes we all make, and at one point found themselves overwhelmingly in debt. Together, as life and business partners, they managed to climb their way out of the hole (and stayed out) by developing a plan of four basic principles: 1) Use Cash, 2) Live Below Your Means, 3) Have a Financial Plan, and 4) Be Money Conscious. Their story was recently published by…

IF YOU THOUGHT fancy perks like helicopter flights to wine country, a private state-of-the art screening room, and exclusive in-room Spago dining (the only place in country to offer that) are amenities only enjoyed by millionaires and moguls, think again. All this is actually part of every guest’s experience at AKA Beverly Hills, but don’t mistake this prestine property (located near Rodeo Drive and in the Golden Triangle area) for a “hotel.” Requiring a one-week minimum stay, the AKA Beverly Hills offers very high-end, full-service residences—a hybrid where guests get the finest hotel-like amenities, but at the same time giving them the space, privacy, and personalization of a private home. Though AKA is geared to accommodate those working in the entertainment industry, any guest will feel like a movie star…

As a kid, I was as inspired as anyone by the famous 1978 cycling film Breaking Away, but these days, motivation to exercise is harder to find. A small business owner, I spend 12 hours a day on a laptop. Being on wheels has given way to more mundane free- time activities (like sleeping). I’ve long considered getting an exercise bike, imagining I could pop on while I work. What kept me from taking the plunge? I hate to admit it, but I’m a little overwhelmed by the complexity of today’s technical marvels, which meld pedals to a high def TV screen with the computing power of NASA. Another reason? I never figured out where we’d fit a black plastic monstrosity in our quirky little mid-century home. All that changed…

likely to know about or have access to PrEP. There needs to be more outreach and better messaging to reach our community’s most vulnerable. Building on the success of last year’s “Fuck Without Fear” HIV prevention campaign, the Los Angeles LGBT Center (LAlgbtCenter.org) teamed with Christopher to launch its new “PrEP’d AF” (PrepHere.org) outreach campaign. The main goal is to raise awareness that PrEP prevents HIV without impacting people’s ability to have an active, and fun sex lives. Christopher recently spoke with The Advocate about HIV, the L.A. LGBT Center’s work, and how people of color can get PrEP’d AF. Rapper and Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star Milan Christopher has teamed up with the Los Angeles LGBT Center to spread the message that gay and bi men of color…

Evenings at Fascination (FascinationBoston.com) may be wonderful, but the world’s largest leather event is hands down San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair (FolsomStreetEvents.org). Happening Sunday, September 30, the not-to-miss leather/kink/BDSM celebration brings together a quarter million fetish enthusiasts, taking over 13 city blocks with games, dancing, twisted performances, and about 200 vendors with wares. Don’t miss the photo booth and the clothes check (yep, you can be totally nude, clothed, and anywhere in between).…

LESBIAN COMEDIAN Dana Goldberg knows she’s pissing people off. She just doesn’t care. “If I’m making everyone happy in the world, I don’t think I’m doing my job,” she argues. On the other hand, Goldberg also believes it’s her job “to bring people joy, but it’s also to help people be seen when they don’t feel like they’re being seen.” Goldberg, who started in comedy in Albuquerque, N.M., 15 years ago, has seen her star rise each year since. Today, her social media following continues to grow (thanks, in part, to her role in the resistance against the current administration). A weekly guest on The Stephanie Miller Show on SiriusXM, Goldberg hosts her own webseries, Out in Left Field With Dana Goldberg on Advocate.com, and has performed in 40 states…