Community vol 4 issue 1 (jan feb 2016)

A PUBLICATION OF THE

JAN/FEB 2016

VOL 4 ISSUE 1 | IN THIS ISSUE:

A QUICK GUIDE TO:INTERSECTIONALITY | TRANS VIEW commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016 | ENSURE WE'RE NOT PERPETUATING THE SAME PAIN

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commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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CONTENTS

JAN/FEB 2016 VOL 4 ISSUE 1

Features

Columns

News, information, and updates

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17 Ask the Lawyer

6 L etters from the Publisher and Editor

2015 Event Highlights

10 We Asked...

11 A Quick Guide to: Intersectionality

BY GERI POMERANTZ

19 To Be a Blessing

20 Trans View

BY MOONHAWK RIVER STONE

25 Ask Mark Your Tax Questions

BY MARK WITECKI

13 B arrier Methods Condoms, Lube and Safer Sex, Oh My! 14 Building the New Through Radical Fellowship, Self-Care, and Stability

by Angelica Clark 22 Ensure We're Not Perpetuating the Same Pain by Alyssa Hackett

8 Community Intros

BY DEREK HEALEY

27 Out in the Garden

BY JUDITH FETTERLEY

28 The Fashionable and the Frivolous

BY ALAN BENNET ILAGAN

29 Here’s Guffman

BY PATRICK WHITE

33 Michael Cooks and You Can Too

BY MICHAEL MEAD

34 Weekly Events Calendar 35 Affiliates Calendar 36 Special Events Calendar 37 CommUNITY Calendar 37 Advertisers Index

PHOTO CREDITS Cover: © Oliver Peters

ABOUT COMMUNITY MAGAZINE CommUNITY Magazine is published bi-monthly by the Pride Center of the Capital Region, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany NY 12210. Telephone (518) 462-6138.

Entire contents © 2016 Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Council d/b/a Pride Center of the Capital Region. Reproductions in whole or in part without express permission of the publisher are strictly prohibited.

CommUNITY Magazine welcomes submissions of articles & artwork of interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the Capital Region. Editorial and advertising deadline is the 5th of each month. Written work should be submitted electronically with author’s name and phone number to mweidrich@capitalpridecenter.org Opinions expressed in CommUNITY Magazine are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Pride Center of the Capital Region, its Board, Staff or Volunteers.

“ Welcome to a new chapter for the Pride Center and the new look for CommUNITY Magazine! Expect amazing articles, insightful dialogue, and education with more intention every other month as we move to a bi-monthly publication schedule” — MICHAEL WEIDRICH 4 |

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Letters to the Publisher may be sent to Michael Weidrich at mweidrich@capitalpridecenter.org. Letters must be 100 words or less and must include contact information (name, phone, email). To receive home delivery of CommUNITY please send your address to sminchin@capitalpridecenter.org or mail your request to 332 Hudson Ave, Albany, NY 12210

PRIDE CENTER

2015 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Clockwise from upper left: Capital PRIDE Parade photo © Dawn Sylvester Sail Along the Hudson with Vintage Pride Pride Kick-off photo © Pilar Arthur-Snead / Photographic Expressions Bell's Roar at the Pride Center Gala photo © Jay Zhang The Gay Soiree photo © Jay Zhang commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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LETTER FROM THE publisher BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Patricia K. Wood, PRESIDENT Joseph Kerwin, VICE PRESIDENT Paul Patel, 2ND VICE PRESIDENT Jeffrey Dyber, TREASURER Gretchel Hathaway, Ph.D, SECRETARY Joseph Bailey Timothy Beebe John Daniels Vincent Lanzone Linda Richardson, Ph.D IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:

Kenneth P. Mortensen, Jr. PRIDE CENTER STAFF:

Lyndon Cudlitz

TRAINING AND EDUCATION MANAGER

Deidre Dumpson

STREET OUTREACH WORKER

Alyssa Hackett PROGRAMS SUPERVISOR

Jeremy Hollon

PROGRAM ASSISTANT AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Luke Lavera

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Steven Minchin

COMMUNICATIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS SUPERVISOR

Oliver Peters

Happy New Year!!! As I sit to write this column, I have marked my first 100 days in office as your Executive Director. It has been such an exciting time, leading this organization that I have been a part of for a decade and being able to start advancing it towards an amazing vision. The first step was re-staffing some crucial positions at the Pride Center, without whom our super programs, services and special events would not happen. We had many great candidates apply that wanted to bring their passion and talent to the Center and it was indeed a challenge to select the best people for our team. I am thrilled, though, to announce our 4 new additions: Alyssa Hackett & Lauren Simone will both serve as our Programs Supervisors, Mark Vogel managing Development & Marketing, and last but not least, Luke Lavera will be my new Executive Assistant. Each of them are bringing tremendous experience and knowledge to the Center and are elevating our team to a whole new level.

With the team in place, we are now busy putting together all of our plans for 2016.

On the eve of my 100th day, we passed our budget for 2016 with an ambitious fundraising plan that will require your support throughout the year. I promise, we have many new and exciting events planned for 2016 and some great enhancements for our existing ones. And with our new programs staff, we are looking at all of our programs, evaluating them and hearing what our participants and supporters want. We are in the process of rolling out a rebranding of our Men’s Group and Women’s Group, which will be called Men’s Pride and Women’s Pride, much like our Trans Pride program and Vintage Pride Program. We will be looking to add more opportunities under each of our program areas to meet not just the needs, but the wants of the community.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “What does the Center do?” to which I reply “The Pride Center empowers the LGBTQ community and promote s the well-being of all people”. This has essentially been the mission of the Center for 46 years, only the method and means of the delivery has changed. Once upon a time, the Rainbow Café was a vital program because there was nowhere else to go. Now, we can go meet folks anywhere. We will always have a space and place for people just coming out but now we can provide more social opportunities throughout the Capital Region, free of fear and discrimination. We can all live in the light and be our best selves!

Be well and be empowered!

OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

James Shultis

YOUTH PROGRAM MANAGER

Lauren Simone PROGRAMS SUPERVISOR

Mark Vogel

Michael Weidrich Executive Director & CEO

LETTER FROM THE co-editor It has been an immense year for the Pride Center and I couldn’t be more proud to have joined the team. In the last CommUNITY issue, Executive Director, Michael Weidrich stated: “sometimes, actually often times, the path life takes us is not a straight line or the expected route”. We should all hang on to those words; integrate them into our lives. From my point of view, I’ve learned to grow with the curves living entails.

DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING

Michael Weidrich EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

INTERNS:

Paola Sposito, Yi Zhou OUR MISSION

The mission of the Pride Center of the Capital Region is to promote the wellbeing of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identified people and those affected by discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

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Historically, this publication has been focused on providing its readers with informational content relevant to the LGBTQ individuals residing in the Capital Region. Now, we are paving an even broader, more direct path to that relevant information. In each issue we will provide content that aligns with our intention to dissect the concept of intersectionality and what it means to our community. We encourage you to metabolize the information presented within, and outside of, the societal walls constructed around us.

As a team, we have embraced our evolution and are zealously looking forward to the future. Despite recent news, there is still so very much work to be done in the public policy sphere on behalf of the LGBTQ community and united we will bend and not break around those curves. Being in the Capital of New York State is a privilege we should all rally and revel around. I had the opportunity to experience the legislative process professionally, and it isn’t simple. But, united, we possess immense knowledge, unique expertise, and enough drive to make change happen.

Mark Vogel

PRIDE CENTER

2015 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Clockwise from upper left: 45th Anniversary Kickoff photo © Jay Zhang Capital PRIDE Festival photo © Dawn Sylvester Youth in Power Camp Pride Center Scholarship Awards and Youth Celebration Pride Kick-off photo © Pilar Arthur-Snead / Photographic Expressions commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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Community Intros The Pride Center of the Capital Region is pleased to announce the addition of 3 new staff members to our team. Please join us in welcoming Alyssa Hackett and Lauren Simone, our new Programs Supervisors, and Mark Vogel, who joins us as our new Development and Marketing Supervisor. We look forward to all three of these talent individuals' contributions to community and the amazing work they will be doing to help us continue to fulfill our mission.

5 Lauren Facts

5 Mark Facts

1. Her passion is cinema and media literacy.

I adore classic film but it reflected a small world view.

We need more diverse storytelling in film and television- by and for women, people of color, and LGBTQ people! Representation is vital, especially when you analyze media impact on societal views and how it can be a tool for positive change. Also, media is a lot of fun!

1. he and his sister are often confused for twins.

We are fortunate to have beautiful parents, both inside and out. We grew up in the woods of East Greenbush.

2.

Graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a Bachelor’s degree in History and a concentration in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

I enjoyed organizing for social justice as a member and then President of the Women’s Student Union.

Surrounding myself with a team of motivated women to create a feminist space at our meetings, we actively confronted rape culture on campus.

3. spent time in a maximum security prison for women.

Working with community-based organizations to bring treatment programming into the institution for the inmates was a life altering experience.

3.

Enjoys travel, most recently going to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

One highlight was when my mother and I took a cooking class at a 19th century villa in Sorrento, which was surrounded by acres of lemon groves. It was such a beautiful, unique evening, though I have to admit, I rarely cook at home!

2. just relocated back to the Capital Region.

After almost five years, living in the Philadelphia area, I came home to Albany.

4. has backpacked several countries in Central America.

I’ve also visited some of the most awesome cities the States have to offer; but there are many places around the world that I still plan to explore.

5. National Public Radio junkie.

I’m constantly listening to NPR in my car, apartment, and office. If not that, then strictly my handcrafted music selection that spans all genres and generations.

4.

Was a Community Educator with Planned Parenthood.

I was a peer educator throughout high school and returned after college to do education and outreach in Saratoga County. So much of my professional and personal growth came from the experiences I had and the friends I made working for that organization, inspiring my deep commitment to reproductive justice and sexual health education.

5. Is a proud Rescue Mom. My dog Ringo is a Corgi/Australian Cattle dog mix, whom I adopted after he was brought here from a kill shelter in Tennessee. He’s rambunctious, very affectionate, and tries to herd a friend’s llamas. I think he’s the most adorable dog ever, but I suppose I’m a little biased.

Read Lauren's bio online: www.capitalpridecenter.org/about-us/staff/lauren-simone

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Read Mark's bio online: www.capitalpridecenter.org/about-us/staff/mark-vogel

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5 Alyssa Facts 1. Once had a very cool vest and whistle.

When I was in high school I was a skate guard at a roller-skating rink. I thought I was really cool because I had a vest, a whistle, and could dance on roller-skates; in case you’re worried, I do not consider my teen years to be my glory days.

2. in the navy.

A month after 9/11, I joined the Navy because I was bored, wanted to travel, and had no money. For anyone who isn’t aware, there are zero comparisons between naval aircraft carriers and Carnival Cruises.

3. She's surrounded by siblings.

I have siblings who are 13 years older

than me and 9 years younger than me because my mother thought it would be a great idea to have children in the early 70s, 80s, and 90s.

4. Former fish monger on the hush.

There was a time in my life when I identified as a lesbian and worked at a fish market. I quickly learned I could not disclose both of these facts to strangers at the same time.

5. almost got corporate in kansas.

One time I took a drive across the U.S. and almost stayed in Kansas to join a harvesting crew because I wanted to better understand corporate farming.

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WE ASKED.....

We asked a group of Capital Region LGBTQ residents past and present what the concept of community meant to them.

.....WHAT

DOES

COMMUNITY MEAN TO YOU?

Community means to me that I've always got family nearby. I love you weirdos.

–AC Reilly 31, Troy, Genderqueer, Hipster Butch

My community is my family. United we stand, divided we fall.

–Jake, 35, Philadelphia, Transfag (Gay trans man)

Community for me means safety. It means that the people I am surrounded by love me for me, creating a safe space for us to continue the struggle for justice.

- Ariela, 25, Albany, queer latinx 10 |

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Community means being able to connect with new people and showing support and love without the issue of being judged.

–Tishawna, 20, Albany, she/her, Pansexual

To me a community is a partnership of loyalty, love, working together and acceptance between members in an area.

–Braelyn, 23, Schuylerville, Trans/Genderqueer Genderqueer, Hipster Butch

WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER? SHARE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE HASHTAG:

#MyCommunityAnswer

Community represents a group of liked minded individuals sharing one vision, with similar characteristics such as; respect, unity, perseverance and progression. As a community leader I strive to be an example of this everyday operating in honesty excellence and integrity.

–London, 29, Albany, Trans Female

The right to feel connected and supported by a larger group of people.

Community is where likeminded people push each other up.

–Chloe, 19, Manhattan, Trans Female

uide to:

SECTIONALITY

A QUICK GUIDE TO: INTERSECTIONALITY

“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because w e do not live single struggle lives.” . Audre Lorde

ALL OPPRESSION IS CONNECTED!

All Oppression Is Connect

is no logical order of importance for oppression. Through intersectionality we are able to look at people for all A LOOK AT that they are because there is INTERSECTIONALITY a recognition of that all ofplay their an individual carries, you blind yourself from the other identities intersecting identities.

If you look very closely at Intersectionality provides us one identity an individual with the basis that all of our carries, you blind yourself from olor from a low socioeconomic status. If you should find yourself, like most identities overlap with one the other identities that play another and work in unison u can see or what you definitively significant roles in their life as know then it becomes harder for you to to develop the privileges well. acing. By only giving attention to her Racial Identity youand forfeit a complete disadvantages we face in life. she mayFor be instance, facing. So, Marilyn Frye explains if you focus on that one takelike a Queer

and intentionality.

Always always ALWAYS be conscious of what identities a person may have. Some identities may not be comfortable for a person to talk about so do not rely on someone telling you and do not rely on your assumptions. Be MINDFUL! Take what you know and look at the bigger picture, that way you can truly gauge someone’s living experiences.

A LOOK AT INTERSECTIONA

of Color a low ficult toWoman grasp why thatfrom person does not just escape from the of Adapted from limitations Marilyn Frye’s Birdcage Theory

socioeconomic status. If you should find yourself, like most LETS GET others will, simply focusing on INTERSECTIONAL! what see orpicture, what youor definitively ake a look at you thecan larger the complete birdcage. Once you take that WHY & HOW know then it becomes harder for you to ll of the identities that compensate for who they are and what oppressions grasp the oppression that she may be WHY? nderstanding can’ttosimply escape from an identity because facing. of Bywhy only someone giving attention her Racial Identity you forfeit of a complete There isstruggle a plethora and of reasons as to why o understand the complexity each individual’s to properly understanding of the other limitations we should utilize Intersectionality in our oundingshe your is Marilyn necessary all of the systematic maycommunity be facing. So,itlike Frye to recognize day to day lives as well as throughout our explains if you focus on that one identity, advocacy! First, intersectionality allows or wire of the birdcage, it is difficult to us to carry a lens that is incomparable grasp why that person does not just With an intersectional lens ance of what Intersectionality looks like, let’sto goothers. back and define it. escape from the limitations of that one we are able to be more understanding to identity, or fly out of the cage. people you come across because you are

e is no logical order of importance for oppression.

Throughthere intersectionality able to recognize is a larger picture.

Instead, it is up to us to step back and

Without intersectionality it is hard to they are because there is a recognition take a look at the larger picture, or theof all of their intersecting identities.

BE INTENTIONAL! Too many times when being an advocate we get caught up in focusing on one identity at a time.

So when doing your work, highlight the intersectional aspects of the community you are supporting. BE TRANSPARENT, share with the world who you are, when you feel okay to. Let everyone know all that makes you who you are because that is our greatest strength. We have to show that it is OKAY and BEAUTIFUL to be different and unique and that no one is alone in their struggle. So go forth and be a new INTERSECTIONAL game changer!

CHALLENGE: Start by introducing yourself, anywhere, and go beyond your name and pronouns and share some identities that are important to you.

understand someone’s limitations so

birdcage.

Onceoverlap you takewith that one another and work in unison to asis thatcomplete all of our identities those from the outside looking in will

s we

- Deidre Dumpson, Black, Queer, Woman step it allows you to see a person for all of Color, Able-Bodied, Middle Class, not be able to accommodate or properly Adapted from Marilyn Frye’s Birdcag face in life. of the identities that compensate for who First Generation, and College Educated assist an individual because we are not they are and what oppressions they may able to access their predicament in “It Is not our differences that divide us; face. You begin to grasp an understanding any way. Next, it allows us to properly it is our inability to recognize, celebrate of why someone can’t simply escape from represent people we are trying to serve. and accept them.” . Audre Lorde an identity because you cannot simply This extends from being intentional focus on just one.

To understand the WHY? with representation in our staff, to complexity of each individual’s struggle recognizing the unique experiences of and to properly advocate for all people different intersecting There is a plethora of reasons as to why we should communities. utilize Intersectionality in our day to day lives as well as throughou within and surrounding your community We now have staff our community advocacy! intersectionality allows us to carry a lens that is incomparable to others. With an intersectional lens w it is necessary to recognizeFirst, all of the members can relate to, or we are systematic barriers in place. able to be more understanding to people come because you are able to recognize there is a larger picture. W providing a safeyou space foracross individuals intersectionality it is hard to limitations to understand be and valuesomeone’s their authentic selves. so those from the outside looking in will not be able to So, now that we have had a glance of accommodate or properly assist an individual because we are not able to access their predicament in any way. Next, it what Intersectionality looks like, let’s go HOW? back and define it.us to properly represent people we are trying to serve. This extends from being intentional with representation in our

TERSECTIONAL!

recognizing the unique experiences of different communities.

We now have staff our community members Being intersectional is intersecting nothing trivial.

It Intersectionality is recognizing that there requires two major things, consciousness relate to, or we are providing a safe space for individuals to be and value their authentic selves. commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016 | 11

HOW?

For issue released in December/January

Looking for a Welcoming Community?

First United Presbyterian Church

A congregation dedicated to inclusiveness & social justice for the LGBTQ+ Community

1915 Fifth Ave., Troy 12180, 272-2771 10 AM Sunday Service

Website: www.unitedprestroy.org

Rainbow flags in the sanctuary & outside

INTERSECTIONALITY RESOURCES Celebrate and discover different identities/ experiences within the LGBTQ Community: Books, Articles, and More Articles: Caging Deviance: Prison as Queer Spaces www.blackandpink.org/wp-content/upLoads/Caging-Deviance.pdf Appropriation vs Appreciation http://interruptmag.com/article/appropriation-vsappreciation Queers for Economic Justice Closes Its Doors Thanks to Lack of Economic Justice www.autostraddle.com/queers-for-economicjustice-closes-its-doors-thanks-to-lack-of-economic-justice-224520/ Books: My New Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein For Today I Am a Boy by Kim Fu (fiction) Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal (fiction) Sex, Sexuality, and the Autism Spectrum by Wendy Lawson Blog Post: Conflicting Loyalties: Challenging white orientalism and homophobia in diasporic communities http://mellowyellow-aotearoa.blogspot.com. au/2013/05/conflicting-loyalties-challengingwhite.html Speech about queerness and disability: www.disabilityhistory.org/dwa/queer/paper_clare. html

Films and Videos

Lifestyle Photography is... Your Everyday, Your Important Moments, Your Once In A Lifetimes, Your Loved Ones.

Lifestyle Photography for a Lifetime of Moments

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Movie: Mosquita Y Mari (2012) Director: Aurora Guerrero Spoken Word Poem: All Oppression is Connected by Staceyann Chin Find different recordings on YouTube Lecture: With My Mind Set on Freedom: Black Feminism, Intersectionality, and Social Justice Patricia Hill Collins www.brandeis.edu/gittlerprize/videos/collinslecture.html

commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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Building the New Through Radical Fellowship, Self-Care and Stability

by Angelica

Clarke

The Social Justice Center of Albany has been a part of the Capital Region community since 1981. The Center has offered space and resources to radical activist and service organizations throughout its entire tenure. In the past year, I have become the Executive Director at the Social Justice Center, succeeding poet and organizer, Victorio Reyes, who was director for over a decade. Before that, I was on the Board of Directors. The Center has supported my organizing since I came to the Albany area; it has also nourished much of the activism in this region for the past three decades. I was introduced to the space through organizing on SUNY Albany’s campus against the 2010 program cuts.

The room reservations for Save Our SUNY were being cancelled on campus, and the Social Justice Center was happy to welcome us into their space and offer mentorship when we needed it.

Organizers from Save Our SUNY ended up going on to found New York Students Rising, which is currently a member organization of the Social Justice Center.

Our mission is to create and support the work that will bring about an end to all the systems that perpetuate war and violence on the bodies of marginalized people. We are a community of artists, healers, dreamers, strategists, organizers, builders, and above all that, we are revolutionaries seeking system change. Our policies ensure a Board of Directors that is majority People of Color, Women, and Queer-identified people. We are an organization that values multi-generational collaboration because elders can remind us to stay the course, and young people can ensure we forge an innovative road forward to the world we want.

The Center has supported and created projects to help end racism, war, imperialism, food insecurity, environmental degradation, and all forms of state violence, while supporting 14 |

pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

cultural expression and making space for creativity within all of that work.

We have created a space that can serve a broad set of needs in our community.

The Center offers affordable monthly memberships to a wide variety of groups, along with office space and assistance with organizational development to help new projects flourish. Our success is based on our dedication to partnerships, coalition building and maintaining a long view on how to best meet the needs of our community. One of the main ways we support work in our community is simply by offering an ethically run, affordable place to help organizations navigate the world of grants, nontraditional fundraising, and maintaining a rigorous politic without having to jump through the hoops of becoming their own freestanding organization. We are both an umbrella and an incubator for building new activism.

Create and support the work that will bring about an end to all the systems that perpetuate war and violence on the bodies of marginalized people The Social Justice Center has long been living in a space where queer, Black feminist revolutionary leadership guides our work. We have the honor of being in a community where queer, Black women’s voices are the voices of leadership. This year, we have been proud to partner with Holding Our Own, Inc. on an evolving project that seeks to bridge the gap between the social movements to end Mass Incarceration and GenderBased Violence. The project has dared to ask uncomfortable questions about private and public healing, community restoration, social transformation and justice that the current systems and institutions in place cannot answer. This work has revealed that these questions are often overlapping and circuitous. In

early 2015, we helped send a delegation of Women of Color, including myself, to the Incite Color of Violence 4 conference in Chicago. That delegation brought back invaluable knowledge, resources and support to our region, as well as revealing the expertise already present here by elevating the often unheard issues faced

by Women of Color.

That is one example among many of the ways we build coalitions that help move our community closer to our vision of a future where people across identities can engage in radical fellowship and support each other, both materially and emotionally. At our annual potluck supper, many folks in attendance talked about the most impressive work that has happened in the Center this year for each of them.

The overwhelming response was that personal liberation and emotional growth were the priorities for the year and that our community has helped to facilitate that growth. I gave the same response: fellowship with Women of Color through the organizing work and building we have been doing have changed how I address my work and allowed me to prioritize self-care while being a leader in the local movement against Police Brutality and Mass Incarceration. We have spent the year aspiring to embody the Audre Lorde quote, “Caring for myself is not selfindulgence. It is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.”

Only multi-generational, multi-racial collaboration guided by the Social Justice Center got us there; ending our year by reflecting on self-love, even as we prepare for the work ahead.

This year we have decided to embark on a fundraising campaign that will support The Social Justice Center into the future, ensuring we can support each new wave of activism while nourishing existing organizations and bringing about the activism in this community that will make the changes we need to live

We are a community of artists, healers, dreamers, strategists, organizers, builders, and above all that, we are revolutionaries seeking system change safely and happily, meeting the needs of marginalized communities. The Center is going to raise $30,000 by May 19: the birthday of Malcolm X (and one of our board members). We want to renovate to make our space more useful for the long-term work ahead: from installing a new boiler to creating a backyard garden; from redoing the floors to adding staff time. In order to focus our attention on building the new, we must have facilities that support growth and staff available to meet the needs of our growing base of support.

We have spent three decades working towards a loving praxis, combining our political analysis with our organizing and development work. The Social Justice Center still strives daily to be a space that supports the community through play and political organizing. You should stop in some time for a dance class, healing and organizing workshop, poetry night or meeting to help end mass incarceration and police brutality. We’d be happy to have you.

Our contact links: www.AlbanySJC.org www.facebook.com/AlbanySJC www.twitter.com/SJCAlbanyNY Angelica Clarke is the Executive Director at the Albany Social Justice Center. She currently organizes against state violence with Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration and Black Lives Matter.

She has a background in campus activism: organizing with Save Our SUNY, New York Students Rising, and the Graduate Student Employees Union.

Trans Pride Trans Pride

The Trans Pride program is dedicated to empowering trans* and gender non-conforming people and their allies through social opportunities, community building, resource sharing, and advocacy.

The Trans Pride program is dedicated to empowering trans* and gender Discussion Group & Greet non-conforming people and Meet their allies A discussion group An informal social evening through social opportunities, community focusing on issues for trans* people to building, resource sharing, and advocacy. important to trans* people and community.

1st Tuesdays, 7-9PM

connect and build community.

3rd Tuesdays, 7-9PM

The Discussion Group and Meet & Greet are open to all trans* people and those questioning their gender, ages 18+.

Trans* denotes a wide range of people including those who identify as transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, genderqueer, gender-non-conforming, questioning their gender, and more. We use the asterisk to help us remember that trans* identities and experiences are diverse, while still sharing a common thread.

All meetings take place at the Pride Center, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany

P: 518.462.6138 PROGRAMS@CAPITALPRIDECENTER.ORG www.capitalpridecenter.org

Discussion Group - A discussion group focusing on issues important to trans* people and community.

1st Tuesdays, 7-9PM Meet & Greet - An informal social evening for trans* people to connect and build community.

3rd Tuesdays, 7-9PM

The Discussion Group and Meet & Greet are open to all trans* people and those questioning their gender, ages 18+.

Trans* denotes a wide range of people including those who identify as transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, genderqueer, gender-non-conforming, questioning their gender, and more.

We use the asterisk to help us remember that trans* identities and experiences are diverse, while still sharing a common thread.

All meetings take place at the Pride Center, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany P: 518.462.6138 PROGRAMS@CAPITALPRIDECENTER.ORG

www.capitalpridecenter.org commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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Ask the Lawyer BY GERI POMERANTZ By the time you are reading this article, the Appellate Division may have issued a decision in the case of Gifford v. Erwin.

The case involves discrimination based on sexual orientation by Liberty Ridge Farm, a Schagiticoke farm. The Rensselaer County business, owned by Robert and Cynthia Gifford, grows and sells produce. It also rents out its facilities to the public for weddings and other events and offers other catering and wedding related services. However, this business will serve straight couples only.

In 2012, a lesbian couple, Melissa and Jenny McCarthy wanted to rent Liberty Ridge for their wedding. Liberty Ridge denied the couple that opportunity solely because they are a same sex couple. The couple, who married elsewhere, filed a complaint with the NYS Division of Human Rights.

In 2014, the New York State Division of Human Rights determined that Liberty Ridge is a place of public accommodation, subject to the antidiscrimination requirements of the New York State Human Rights Law. A public accommodation is a business that deals with goods of any kind or provides services to the public, such as Liberty Ridge renting out their venue for weddings and events and offering event planning services to the general public. It was clear that Liberty Ridge refused to extend its business to the couple based on their sexual orientation. A business or public accommodation can not permissibly refuse to offer services on an equal basis to same sex and different sex couples, or based on any other protected classification such as race or gender.

The Division of Human Rights fined the Giffords for discrimination, ordered the Giffords to stop discriminating, and required them to train their employees about discrimination.

Liberty Ridge challenged the determination of the Division of Human Rights in court. They are represented by the anti-gay and anti-abortion right wing Alliance Defending Freedom and local attorney James Trainor of Cutler, Trainor and Trainor of Malta. They seek to justify unlawful discrimination based on their proffered religious beliefs.

At first glance, one might question why any LGBTQ couple, or any progressive couple, would want to have their

wedding at a homophobic venue. In the capital district and beyond, there are lovely venues and business owners who welcome and celebrate marriage equality and diversity. However, there are extremely critical legal and societal principals at issue here.

Attempting to cloak unlawful discrimination in the guise of religious practice or belief is as old as, well, as unlawful discrimination. Consider the situation where the restaurant owner refused to serve African Americans based on the owners’ proffered religious beliefs that compelled him to oppose any integration of the races, or a religiously affiliated university that refused to admit a student who dated outside his race. [see the aptly named case, Newman v Piggie Park Enters., Inc., 390 US 400 (1968)], Indeed, I do believe the bible was invoked to justify slavery. A person can hold any beliefs he or she wants.

But proffered religious beliefs can not permissibly excuse discrimination or other unlawful acts.

Attempting to cloak unlawful discrimination in the guise of religious practice or belief is as old as, well, as unlawful discrimination Some state laws, like New York’s, prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, along with discrimination based on race, gender, religion and other protected categories.

Nonetheless, around the country, certain business owners try to claim that their religious beliefs exempt them from the law and allow them to deny services, such as providing contraceptive coverage to employees, firing women employees who get pregnant outside of marriage, or pharmacies refusing to fill birth control prescriptions for women. Or wedding planners, bakeries, caterers, and wedding venues, refusing to provide wedding services to same sex couples.

The requirement that public accommodations can not discriminate

is fundamental to the operation of a just society. I recall Isabell Wilkerson’s description of the horrifying experience of African Americans travelling across this country and denied a room at a hotel or motel, in The Warmth of Other Suns – the Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. While the denial of a wedding venue certainly can not be compared to being forced to sleep in a car, or the attending level of humiliation, frustration and safety concerns, it is nonetheless the same legal principle. Moreover, the victim of such discrimination is being told the same message – you are not an acceptable member of the public.

Although there has been a drastic improvement in the administration of public accommodations since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, substantial work remains to be done, including aggressive enforcement of civil rights laws by those governmental entities charged with that responsibility.

As I write this article, I am hopeful that our Appellate Division will reject Liberty Ridges’ bogus claims that they should be allowed to discriminate based on the constitutional guarantees of freedom to exercise religious beliefs, or the prohibition of the establishment of religion by government. Anything to the contrary would severely inhibit the State’s ability to enforce the Human Rights Law, and would allow rampant discrimination by commercial entities alleging a proffered religious belief.

Gifford v. Erwin was argued before the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, in Albany on November 23, 2015. A written decision is anticipated shortly after the new year.

The legal rights of LGBTQ families are an everchanging landscape, to be addressed monthly in this column. The material in this article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to give legal advice, and should not substitute for the independent advice of counsel.

Readers are urged to consult an attorney for legal advice. The views expressed in this column are solely those of Ms. Pomerantz and do not reflect the opinion of the Pride Center.

Geri Pomerantz is an attorney in the capital district with a practice focused on family and matrimonial law, specifically including LGBTQ families.

Geri conducts continuing legal education training for other lawyers, and conducts community education, on issues of importance to the LGBTQ community. She can be reached at GPEsq@pomerantzlaw.org.

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To Be a Blessing BY DEREK HEALEY

Breaking Boundaries for Peace

In every generation there are those who reach out beyond the cultural and religious boundaries of their time, and even beyond the limits of their own thinking. Searching for answers for life’s deepest mysteries, we call these people seekers, innovators, rebels, and sometimes even heretics. These seekers look to find connection in a seemingly disconnected world, bridging hearts and hands together, creating unity and understanding on the principle of basic human respect.

Often, I am asked why I, a college student, engage in interfaith diplomacy, and to explain its importance. I say that I do this work because peace, and reconciliation will never be created in a divided and corrupt society. I do what I do because I hope. I do what I do, even though my efforts seem almost pointless some days, because I believe in myself.

Because hate and bigotry feed off of religious intolerance.

Warfare and fundamentalism exists in every religion, it is just that we have grown accustomed to view certain things in a certain shadowy light. And this is directly a result of hopelessness and despair. Prejudice, my friends, only exists because humans are found to be in desperate situations, a succinct product of ignorance. This is why I do what I do, because someone has to be the voice of reason in an insane world run by leaders bent on promoting seeds of dysfunction, fear, and destruction.

This is why we do what we do: we attempt to remind all peoples of the world about the Golden Rule that exists in every spiritual path. We do this because we respect each of our sisters

and brothers, even when we don’t always agree. We do this because love means you must consistently make some effort to understand one another. When we attempt to understand, we not only build a bridge, but we re-associate ourselves with compassion and disassociate with aggression and immature violence.

When we attempt to understand, the division between self and other disappears, and all that remains is an open heart. Compassion is love made visible, it is the heartfelt desire to relieve the suffering of all beings. It arises naturally, like a breath, when we realize our inherent unity rather than focusing on what separates us.

Compassion is love made visible, it is the heartfelt desire to relieve the suffering of all beings. It arises naturally, like a breath, when we realize our inherent unity rather than focusing on what separates us And this is why the Interfaith Movement is so important and pertinent to the future. Because without this urge to connect with and understand others that are different from us the world will not get better. The Interfaith movement can put an end to fear and hate. We know this by example. At the UAlbany Interfaith Center, Protestants work along the side of Catholics; Muslims pray in a Jewish Sanctuary; Hindus and Buddhists meditate with everybody, even the Atheists. The interfaith movement is not about conformity or assimilation; to the contrary, it is our differences that show the beautiful rainbow of god’s creation.

Our student coalition is an example of how people of all backgrounds and socioeconomic status can be our contemporaries because we want each other to succeed; we want each other to live, to love, and to grow. We see opportunities in seeing each other as equals regardless of age, gender expression, sexual orientation, native language, or the arbitrary concentration of melanin in our skin cells. We are an example because we each have tasted when the words and actions of others have been flavored with hate. We have seen it, we have lived it, and yes, continue to live it; yet we see it as our job to show others how to do as we have done. I do not have to be Muslim to find the images beautiful, or its poetry moving. I do not have to be Jewish to find the prayers of Shabbat as majestic as an opera. I do not have to be Hindu to find the movements of yoga life changing. Because we do not have to be Buddhist in order to beat a drum and chant for peace.

Perhaps one day, we can choose to talk to someone different, whether it is on the bus, at the grocery store, or at the next PTA meeting. Perhaps that day may be even today. Perhaps today we can invite our neighbors over for tea and whisper together silent prayers for a better world.

This article is one of a series provided by Advocates for Welcoming Congregations, a Capital Region group that encourages the welcoming of LGBT persons into the full life and leadership of communities of faith. The group also works to make visible for members of the LGBT community opportunities for practicing their faith traditions.

Derek is the President of the UAlbany Interfaith Coalition.

He is a dual Major in Anthropology and Religious Studies.

Originally from Chateaugay, NY. Derek grew up Roman Catholic and now sees himself as a Spiritual Humanist, proud to be an LGBT* person who is spiritual and walking the talk.

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T R A N S V I E W BY MOONHAWK RIVER STONE

And Now For Something Completely Different In 1971 Monty Python’s inaugural movie, “And Now For Something Completely Different” the anthology film introduced disparate sketches from their first two television seasons. Between the sketches, John Cleese appeared and said the now famous line: “And now for something completely different.” This month here at Trans View, it is time for Something Completely Different.

I am writing for the first time from my perspective as not only a transgender man, but as an Interfaith minister. These past weeks working up to the new year have been filled with divisive hate filled rhetoric and fascist-like grandstanding against Muslim people. Bias violence against Muslim people has increased not only here in America, but around the world. Not since the demented mass psychosis of the McCarthy era have we been so at risk of losing our way as a nation embracing a willingness to violate our own Constitution. We are experiencing an unprecedented frenzy of fear.

Years and years of increasingly loosening our hold on respect and politeness have created an entitlement in America to be verbally abusive to whomever we disagree. Name calling and put downs have become a way of life in America, despite the rise of anti bullying awareness and the passage of such legislation as the Dignity for All Student Act. Donald Trump merely embodies the pinnacle of what has been festering and growing for decades, punctuated by 9/11, decades of anti LGBT bias and more recent mass shooting events. America has always been at risk of the kind of right wing fear based belief and behavior we are now witnessing. This is not the Something Completely Different.

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But this is Something Completely Different--where are the voices of LGBT people in all of this? Afraid these right wing bigots will turn their vitriolic rhetoric back on us again? I have news for you-if you’re Trans*, it never left, and it’s getting worse, much worse. Trans* has the big bulls eye these days. What are we as LGBT people afraid of if we engage in the national discussion of racism and police violence? What are we afraid of if we stand clear as allies to young black men who die--even in our own community-in questionable circumstances with a law enforcement that is largely white.

Where are we if we stand silent outside the room?

What are we afraid of with our Muslim friends and neighbors and shop keepers, and colleagues? With Islamophobia on the rise from what happened in Paris and San Bernardino, inflamed by the nonstop anti-Muslim rhetoric of Trump, we are being bombarded with fear based hatred and shoved into becoming a frenzy of ill thought out actions. Do not, we as LGBT folk, recognize this place? This experience? Have we not been here--are still here? What I don’t get is why we are so silent. Why we have made no effort that I can see to reach out to Muslim Americans and comfort them, to embrace them, to stand with them as allies letting the country know such hatred is not the American way. Nothing but silence.

Our fear and our differences with Muslim people can cause us to hesitate--to prevent us from connection--from extending hands and hearts to folks living in terror of being attacked by the next person who feels threatened by people seeking only to have the same opportunity of the American Dream that we have had. Have we LGBT folks not been here?

Years ago when I was a child, my activist life began in elementary school with John F. Kennedy’s campaign for the presidency. I was 12 years old, 55, almost 56 years ago. Prior to that I had in my own childlike way challenged my parents and my neighbors when they didn’t want a black family to move into the neighbor-

hood. I’ve never stopped. I’ve moved in and out, among and between social justice movements for all that time.

Two decades ago when I began to do serious Transgender movement work, I was part of a small, but very outspoken group of people who wrote then a very famous Letter to Rikki Ann Wilchins founder of the then new GenderPAC calling upon her to end the divisiveness they were creating within the newly strengthening transgender community and to be inclusive of its diversity and plurality. At the time this was so serious, that we became known as The 26. For years people would approach me and say, ”You’re one of the signatories on the letter, right?”

I was. Those years of knocking on the door of the L/G movement for inclusion were brutal, but knocking down the doors of our own community even more so, and still in places that transphobia exists within the transgender community.

It was our speaking out relentlessly that got us our place at the table, both within the L/G community and the transgender community.

Consider moving out of your comfort zone to comfort others Being silent has no reward but that of allowing the oppressor to continue on blithely bigoted and unaccountable.

All along the way with Trans* politics, I’ve been an outside voice agitating for change, speaking the truth when it needed to be said, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for others. After The 26 Letter, I made a commitment and a vow to myself, that no matter what, whoever came behind me in this broader movement for social justice that I would extend my hand. I have for several years now done so with my Muslim brothers and sisters, be they LGBT or not. Years ago I met Faisal Alam , founder of AlFatiha, an organization dedicated to LGBT Muslims which existed from 1997 to 2011, and stood with him as an ally.

T R A N S V I E W #139©

We are being bombarded with fear based hatred and shoved into becoming a frenzy of ill thought out actions.

Do not, we as LGBT folk, recognize this place?

Yes, it is a complex allyship with Islam.

Just so as it is with fundamentalist Christians. As an Interfaith Minister the vows I took are to embrace all, be compassionate and merciful toward all no matter what. To be loving and affirming toward all no matter what. So that means standing up and saying as a transgender man, as an psychologist, as an activist, as an Interfaith Minister, I refuse to be silent when my Muslim brothers and sisters are living in fear of their own countrymen. It is my sacred obligation to reach out a hand in peace and love. I would ask readers what you might consider doing to make a difference? As we do in the LGBT community--could you shop in a Muslim owned business? Reach out and have a conversation with Muslim neighbors? Send a note to the local mosque expressing love and solidarity, welcoming and affirming? I offer it is time for us to pay forward what has been given to us by LGBT allies. To stand up and not be silent--not engage the angry ranting, but engage in peace. For true Islam like all faiths has at its core peace and love.

What a great way to begin the new year...

And Now For Something Completely Different...by the time you read this it will be old news that the Empire State Pride Agenda is closing its doors with the announcement that its work is done. Huh? If your transgender, or a Trans* ally, nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m wondering what is really going on with them--really going on, the deeper, real story--the one we may never know.

I am grateful for the work the Pride Agenda did in securing the regulation for the Trans* community, but thanks, where’s GENDA?! Libby Post, one of the founders of the Pride Agenda has a photo on

her office wall of the fireworks the Pride Agenda put on over the Hudson River the night of the passage of SONDA. I often say to her, we want fireworks, too, when GENDA is passed. Well, no fireworks for us, no GENDA either. But I have a feeling the fireworks over the closing of the Pride Agenda will be solidly ramping up by publication time.

Speaking up once again: “Pride Agenda, you closed your doors just when the work got tough: no GENDA yet, what about prisoners who are LGB, especially T, what about older LGBT New Yorkers, what about immigration and LGBT immigrants among our midst? What about LGBT New Yorkers who are not white and middle class, who are in dire need of our assistance because homophobia and transphobia and poverty are still major causes of distress for our community?

What about Pride Agenda, cutting out in the middle of the movie--and just walking away--the work undone!”

In closing, please consider, really consider moving out of your comfort zone to comfort others in need and reach out to our Muslim friends, neighbor and colleagues, reach out to the African-American community and law enforcement to make the next 50 years more peaceful, less violent. Silence only gives permission for the problems and oppression to persist. We, LGBT people should know that.

Until next time...T

Show Your Pride Online

Being silent has no reward but that of allowing the oppressor to continue on blithely bigoted and unaccountable Rev. Moonhawk River Stone of Riverstone Consulting is an Interfaith Minister, transgender activist, writer, educator, consultant, keynote speaker and psychotherapist in private practice for over 25 years with experience and extensive expertise in all aspects of transgender policy and health.

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Ensure We’re Not Perpetuating the Same Pain

by Alyssa Hackett It is not okay for any human being to be on the receiving end of bigotry and hate – to have to question whether or not it’s safe to pee, or pray For the moment, we queers can breathe a sigh of relief. Not because we’ve gained the right to marry, or because our LGB identifying folks can join the military, or any of the other “we’re just like everyone else campaigns” we’ve successfully embarked on. We queers are able to breathe because a good majority of those who choose to hate us because of our sexual orientation or gender identity are currently preoccupied trying to run Muslims out of the country.

That may sound like a harsh statement.

Maybe some of you reading this don’t necessarily want to run Muslims out of the country, but you’re scared and seeking solutions. I hate to disappoint, but I don’t have all the answers. Instead, I’d love for this to be the start of many conversations.

Allow me to back up for a minute and introduce myself. My name is Alyssa and I’ve just come on board as one of the two new Programs Supervisors here at the Pride Center. I could use the next few paragraphs to take you on a journey of my life’s experiences and accomplishments, but I’d rather use this space to put a call out to our community to stand up and fight against Islamophobia.

Maybe you’re wondering what Islamophobia has to do with you and your life (probably not the case if you happen to be Islamic and/or identify somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum). Or you could be thinking how you could ever find the energy to stand up to such a force when you barely have the ability to safely make it through your day.

For those of us who are visibly queer, or visibly appear to be something other than Caucasian, or have a visible disability, we 22 |

pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

know what it feels like to be gawked at.

Some of you had to endure a time when simply being who you are was breaking the law. We all still have to endure the possibility of our safety being in jeopardy because we are seen by many as being an abomination.

It is not okay for any human being to be on the receiving end of bigotry and hate – to have to question whether or not it’s safe to pee, or pray. I totally get that we, as a community are battle weary, but by standing with the Muslim community we have the opportunity to learn about other cultures, to share the variety of cultures found in our community, and to invite others in to our struggles for justice.

Simply put, there’s strength in numbers.

Try to think of a time when you saw fear in another’s eyes and you had serious doubts about your safety I believe Martin Luther King’s words when he said ““Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and when I’m told about stories of middle school student’s being harassed because their family is from the Middle East, I hear a call to action. When a local sheriff calls for citizens with gun permits to keep a weapon on them at all times, I want to plead with humanity to stop killing.

I can’t make humanity stop being violent, but I’m here to keep the dialog going if anyone else wants to speak back.

Being an ally takes commitment, and maybe you don’t have the time to invest: however, you’re still reading, so I’ll offer a suggestion on how you can help move the conversation forward: If you find yourself, even for a second, questioning your safety when you see someone who you assume to be Islamic, take a moment and ask yourself where that fear comes from. If you can, try to think of a time when you saw fear in another’s eyes and you had serious doubts about your

safety. If you’re able, extend the kind of support you wish you had when facing unnecessary scrutiny.

Fear is a real thing and can make us act in ways that are less than our ideal self. I often shy away from inspirational quotes, but in this, fear is redefined as “An opportunity for self-discovery and self-growth; a well of untapped personal power and strength; the gateway from wishing and wanting to doing and being.”

I really hope we can work through our fears, come together as a community, and fight back against the phobias that have too many of us fearing for our lives.

If you have thoughts or fears that you believe need to be heard, I want to listen. If you’re seeking opportunities or strategies to turn wishing and wanting into doing and being then reach out and let me know that need is there. We’ve been on the receiving end of homophobia and transphobia, so let’s work together to ensure we’re not perpetuating the same pain we’ve been victimized by.

We queers are able to breathe because a good majority of those who choose to hate us because of our sexual orientation or gender identity are currently preoccupied trying to run Muslims out of the country Alyssa Hackett is one of two Program’s Supervisors at the Pride Center in Albany. Alyssa has spent several years serving the LGBTQ community as an advocate, educator, and service provider. She is passionate about serving marginalized populations and incorporates a diverse set of skills and experiences when navigating complex situations and systems.”

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Ask Mark Your Tax Questions

Welcome to the DEAR MARK column where you can ask a tax question.

Of course some questions cannot be answered to due to the limited space in this column or warrant more facts due to specific circumstances of the taxpayer.

Answers that apply to specific taxpayers may not necessary apply to others. Changes in tax law and rules may affect answers given at any point. You can write Mark at Mark Witecki CPA CFP(R) CFE, 3701 State St, Schenectady, NY 12304 DEAR MARK

My mother wants to turn over a small apartment building to my sister and myself. What are the tax consequences?

Sign me, Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

BY MARK WITECKI

VTY, Wondering Dear Wondering, From the facts you list, it appear that you should have filed in Vermont. You most likely will be liable for penalties and interest on any monies you owe. If you did not include the income on your Federal return, those returns will need to be amended. If you did include that income in the New York State return, there is a resident credit available against the New York State taxes, so the New York State returns will also need to be amended to receive the credit If you did not report the Vermont income on your New York State return, that New York State return will also need to be amended for that reason, but a resident credit is still available. There may be other issues depending on the facts and circumstances.

client privilege and through the attorney you can retain an accountant if need be to deal with the accounting tax issues involved.

DEAR MARK,

I hired an employee but did not put him on the books I just wrote checks. I am a contractor. Am I in trouble?

Scared DEAR SCARED,

You have problems with payroll taxes, workers’ compensations, income tax issues, etc.

You need to get that resolved as quickly as possible.

Dear Don’t, The consequences are many, so many that this column cannot address them in this space. There are issues of gift tax, form of transfer (LLC, Corporation,, etc. reassessment of the real estate, transfer tax issues just to name a few. Please contact me for a detailed discussion.

DEAR MARK,

I have lived in New York State all my life but as of three years ago, I have done some free lance work in Vermont. I never filed any Vermont tax returns. Am I in trouble?

DEAR MARK,

I am being audited for 2012 and 2013 because I did not add in over 50k of consulting income. I got a notice from the IRS and it makes me nervous. What do you think?

Nervous DEAR NERVOUS,

Considering the amount of the omitted income you may wish to consult a criminal tax attorney in case the omission rises to a criminal offense. That way you have the protection of attorney

Answers that apply to specific taxpayers may not necessary apply to others. Changes in tax law and rules may affect answers given at any point.

You can write Mark at Mark Witecki CPA CFP(R) CFE, 3701 State St, Schenectady, NY 12304.

Mark D. Witecki specializes in small businesses and professional individuals. Mr. Witecki has a B. S. in Accounting from S. U. N. Y. Albany and an M. S. in Accounting from Syracuse University.

Mark D. Witecki is a Certified Public Accountant, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified College Planning Specialist and is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. Mark’s office is located at 3701 State Street, Schenectady, New York

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Copps DiPaola, PLLC is proud to announce that it will be collaborating with the Pride Center on its Legacy Program.

Planning that includes a legacy gift to the Pride Center reflects your commitment to an LGBTQ community in which individuals feel safe, secure and affirmed where they live, work, worship and play. Legacy gifts to the Pride Center are an important source of long term funding and sustainability.

Copps DiPaola, PLLC (formerly the Law Office of Anne Reynolds Copps) has long been dedicated to assisting clients in the LGBTQ community in all areas of law including estate planning, adoption, surrogacy, name changes, and civil union dissolutions. Our firm has further assisted the LGBTQ community by serving as pro bono counsel for the Pride Center for the last 20+ years.

Copps DiPaola, PLLC believes that the Pride Center is an invaluable resource in our community. To help ensure the continued funding and stability of the Pride Center, our firm will offer:

a $50 discount to any client who creates an estate plan with our firm and leaves a legacy gift to the Pride Center in any amount.

Every dollar you can donate counts!

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pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

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Out in the Garden BY JUDITH FETTERLEY

Playing in the Dirt Often, working in the garden, I become aware, suddenly, that I am wildly happy.

Other gardeners I know report similar experiences. It seems that gardening is an activity that makes you happy. Why? Here are some of my speculations :

• Gardeners get to be outside in the sun and we all know that being outside in the sun constitutes a natural anti-depressant.

• Gardening involves constant movement and movement, particularly when it is varied and interesting, is also a natural antidepressant.

• Caretaking in any form can make for happiness, but caretaking of plants provides instant positive feedback. The garden looks good, the plants thrive, and they don’t have issues with you.

• Gardening is a social activity often performed in the company of other gardeners who are also happy.

Positive interactions with like-minded happy people makes for happiness.

• Gardens are places of aesthetic beauty. How can one not respond positively to beauty?

• Gardens make palpable the life force. How can one not be happy in the presence of the “green fuse,” as Dylan Thomas has called the force that brings our plants up every year and makes them grow?

• As gardeners we honor the fact that without plants we would not exist. As gardeners we are connected to a profound reality, a profound truth. Quakers contend that, despite appearances to the contrary, what we all really seek is Truth. As gardeners, then, we have found what we seek and no wonder we are happy.

• We get to play in the dirt. We get dirt under our nails, we get dirt all over our clothes, we get dirt on our hands, we get dirt on our face. What adult doesn’t envy our apparent immunity from having to be proper?

I am not sure about the evidence, other than experiential, that supports most of these contentions. However, it now seems that “hard” science backs up the last of my reasons. “Many people talk about the restorative benefits of gardening and the reasons why it makes us feel good. . . . Some recent research has added another missing piece to the puzzle: It’s in the dirt. Or to be a little more specific, a strain of bacterium in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found to trigger the release of seratonin [sic], which in turn elevates mood and decreases anxiety.”

(Naomi Sachs, Horticulture website, 2011) According to researchers, when we garden we come in contact with these microbes and we either inhale them or dirt gets in cuts in our hands, and, voila, we are happy.

I am thrilled to learn that there may be serotonin stimulators in the soil, and that gardening may be a substitute for Prozac.

I have long preached the importance of paying attention to our dirt as it is the fundamental building block for creating a healthy garden or lawn. Now I can claim that good dirt is good for us, just like it is good for our plants.

I am not dirty now but I am still happy.

The last tool has been cleaned, sharpened, and hung up. The tea kettle’s whistling, I have a cheese scone from the co-op, and the latest book on Sissinghurst waits for me on the kitchen table. It is December in the garden and winter interest is abundant. I enjoy the garden from inside, especially because I don’t have to work in the dirt right now. I can actually take a nap! But by February these pleasures will have palled and depression will be creeping up on me. Then I think I will heed the findings of science. I will bundle up, go into the far back yard, take off my gloves and stick my hands deep into the pile of dirt I keep there. I’ll let you know if it makes me happy.

There may be serotonin stimulators in the soil... gardening may be a substitute for Prozac Judith Fetterley lives and gardens in Glenmont, New York. She also runs Perennial Wisdom, a garden design business for new and existing gardens.

Reach Judith at f etterleyj@gmail.com

commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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THE FASHIONABLE AND THE FRIVOLOUS Let’s begin the New Year by going back to basics. It appears that many people want to know the most rudimentary building blocks of a stellar outfit – those few essential pieces to a gentleman’s wardrobe that, once procured, form the basis of a classic, and always appropriate, combination of outfits. No list of this type can be completely fool-proof, and these items alone will not a wardrobe make, but it’s a powerhouse beginning, and you can’t go wrong with any of these pieces.

Navy blazer

– A cotton version will breeze through summer and hides all manner of sin (even shorts).

be both casual and elegant depending on its pairing.

Camel overcoat

– Another optional item (though winters in New York make coats absolutely necessary) this is a piece that should be able to go over your suit, or bring your casual Friday get-up into something classically appropriate.

Back

Black or charcoal suit

– An instant, and timeless, classic. You will use it forever – less formal weddings, fancy dinners, job interviews, and funerals. Invest in it – have it tailored, and take good care of it, as you should be able to utilize it for years to come. Even the most casual and laid back Generation Z hipster will find moments when a suit is a necessity.

Khakis

– Plain front, please, and if you’re not accustomed to anything other than pleats for the love of all things sacred just try out a plaint front style.

Even the slimmest gentleman can benefit from switching from pleats to plain.

Black or navy pea coat – This would be one of

the items I’d drop if you need to cut something out. That doesn’t dispel the versatile power of the piece, which can 28 |

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as soon as you walk in the room. Yet for a basic stripped-down wardrobe, having a magenta overcoat or a chartreuse pair of pants doesn’t make sense. Save those daring pieces for when you want to be noticed. Instead, accentuate with pops of color that are more affordable to change-up and switch-out when you get a little bored. If you have a small selection of fine, and finely tailored, pieces, your image will be crisp enough to afford a little playing around, allowing some wit and whimsy to accentuate with pops of color. You can’t do that without a formidable foundation.

s c i s a B o t

If you have a small selection of fine, and finely tailored, pieces, your image will be crisp enough to afford a little playing around, allowing some wit and whimsy to accentuate with pops of color

White shirt – It may seem

like a boring addition, but it’s a bastion upon which countless outfits can be built. The perfect blank canvass – for tie, or stick-pin, for jeans and a night at the movies - a good white shirt is also an investment piece. Have it tailored if need be, and splurge for the finer quality. This may take some experimenting, and once you find a good one that matches your style preference, price-point, and fabric inclinations, buy several.

BY ALAN BENNET ILAGAN

Black wingtip shoes – These can go from casual to dressy without so much as a change of socks. They elevate any pair of jeans to an acceptable dinner outfit, and keep a suit looking proper. As with your suit, take care of these and they will reward you with years of wear.

You may have noticed that in these selections I have omitted one major factor: color. I love color more than anyone else I know. No shade is too strong, no hue is too saturated, and no combination is too jarring for my eyes not to appreciate. Vibrant, shocking, bold color – the kind that makes a statement

Alan Bennett Ilagan is a freelance writer and amateur photographer who resides in upstate New York with his husband Andy. He created the website www.ALANILAGAN. com, which contains a repository of his work, as well as a daily blog; the website recently celebrated its tenth anniversary online. He was the manager of the Romaine Brooks Gallery from 2008 to 2012. His writing has appeared in Instinct, xy magazine, Capitalmen, Q Northeast, the Windy City Times, and the Boston Phoenix. Notable artistic collaborations have been created with the likes of Steven Underhill, Paul Richmond, Dennis Dean, and Michael Breyette.

HERE’S GUFFMAN

BY PATRICK WHITE

New Spaces One of the great things about the Capital Region not having an established theater industry is that the Capital Region does not have an established theater industry.

If you have an idea and a wish to perform or create theater, there’s really nothing holding you back. Without an entrenched hierarchy no one is going to block your way. Opportunities abound. If you’re not satisfied with the choices offered or your access to certain groups, start your own company…and maybe even score a grant to support a production. The Capital Region has over 40 groups that have posted audition announcements within the last few months from the e-mail blast capdist-auditions@dx.ayw.org, an invaluable e-mail to subscribe to if you’re interested in Capital Region theater at all.

Many groups have been formed with just that urge of “I want to do this play” or “I’d like to do public readings of Shakespeare.”

Where to put on your production becomes a bit of a problem if you’re looking for traditional theatres because there really aren’t any available for rent that are adequate. Even the established theatres all have some serious flaws.

If there was anyone in real estate who would like to fill a need, a theatre with lighting, a backstage and dressing rooms that has adequate seating, sight lines and

parking could do very well in rentals.

So, what to do? Make a space. Collar City Players has hosted 4 Shakespeare readings at Rare Form Brewing Company and “A Christmas Carol” at Finnbar’s Pub in Troy. Mostly Harmless uses a carved out portion of the stage at the School at Northeast. Creative License presented a trio of one-acts at the University Club on New Year’s Day. Creative Place International uses the Riggi Theater at the National Museum of Dance which couldn’t have been envisioned originally for theater. Confetti Stage performed their Christmas offering two nights at Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary on Wolf Road and a night at The Linda.

One of the great things about the Capital Region not having an established theater industry is that the Capital Region does not have an established theater industry.

There are a number of unconventional spaces looking for activities to draw people in. Bars would be thrilled with events that kept patrons in their establishments. The Madison Theatre has been booking a wide variety of events

LOCAL EVENTS THINGS TO DO CONTESTS Neighbors vow to battle plan seeking gas station with drive-through. B1

in its performance space. Libraries should be open to the prospect of readings and I would tap museum spaces for their real estate, organization and light fixtures.

Off-Broadway was formed in the coffee houses, bars and other found spaces for theater because its denizens weren’t getting work in the established traditional Broadway Houses. Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson and Edward Albee had their first works served up alongside the beer, wine and coffee available in Greenwich Village at the time. Same thing is happening now in Troy. May the New Year bring growing audiences to all interested in the theatrical arts in the Capital Region.

Patrick White is an actor, director and teacher who will be in “West Side Story” with C-R Kids 2/4 & 2/5 and “Glengarry Glen Ross” 2/19-3/9 at Curtain Call Theatre. He teaches an acting class Saturday morning at the Albany Masonic Hall welcoming all levels. white.patrick1963@ gmail.com

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Welcoming Congregations

Join Us In Exploring Your Spiritual Side At One Of The Welcoming Congregations Below: Community Congregational Church (UCC) 221 Columbia Tpke, Rensselaer www.clintonheightsucc.org

First Church in Albany 110 North Pearl Street, Albany www.firstchurchinalbany.org (518)463-4449

Community Reformed Church of Colonie 701 Sand Creek Road, Colonie www.coloniereformed.org (518)869-5589

First Congregational Church of Albany UCC & NACCC 405 Quail Street, Albany www.firstcongregationalalbany.org (518)482-4580

Congregation Agudat Achim (Conservative) 2117 Union Street, Schenectady www.agudatachim.org (518) 393-9211

First Lutheran Church 181 Western Avenue, Albany www.FirstLutheranAlbany.org (518)463-1326

Congregation B’nai Shalom (Reform) 420 Whitehall Road, Albany www.bnaishalom.albany.ny.us (518) 482-5283

First Presbyterian Church 362 State Street, Albany www.firstpresalbany.org (518)449-7332

Congregation Berith Sholom (Reform) 167 Third Street, Troy www.berithsholom.org (518)272-8872

First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street, Schenectady www.1streformed.com

Congregation Beth Emeth (Reform) 100 Academy Road, Albany www.bethemethalbany.org (518)436-9761

First Unitarian Society of Schenectady 1221 Wendell Avenue, Schenectady www.fussonline.org (518)374-4446

Congregation Gates of Heaven (Reform) 842 Ashmore Avenue, Schenectady www.cgoh.org (518)374-8173 Congregation Ohav Shalom (Conservative) 113 New Krumkill Road, Albany www.ohavshalom.org Congregation Temple Sinai (Reform) 509 Broadway, Saratoga Springs www.templesinai-saratogasprings.org (518) 584-8730 Delmar Presbyterian Church 585 Delaware Ave, Delmar www.delmarpres.org Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church 943 Palmer Avenue, Schenectady www.easternparkway.weebly.com (518)374-4306 St. George’s Episcopal Church 30 North Ferry St., Schenectady www.stgeorgesschenectady.org Emmanuel Baptist Church 275 State Street, Albany, NY www.emmanuelalbany.net (518)465-5161

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First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany 405 Washington Avenue, Albany www.albanyuu.org (518)463-7135 First United Methodist Church 603 State Street, Schenectady, www.gbgm-umc.org/schenectady (518)374-4403 First United Methodist Church, East Greenbush www.fumceg.org First United Presbyterian Church 1915 Fifth Avenue, Troy www.unitedprestroy.org (518)272-2771 Friends Meeting (Quaker) 727 Madison Avenue, Albany (518) 436-8812 Presbyterian New England Congregational Church, Saratoga http://pnecchurch.org/ Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 501 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville www.goodshepherdchurchloudonville.org (518)458-1562

Holy Trinity National Catholic Church 405 Washington Avenue, Albany www.NCCofA.org/holytrin.html (518)434-8861 Journey United Church of Christ 500 Kenwood Blvd, Delmar www.journeyucc.com Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church 175 Fifth Avenue, Saratoga Springs www.saratogaspringsumc.org (518)5843720 Saint Aelred’s Priory and Retreat House (National Catholic) 670 Bunker Hill Road, Northville staelredpriory@aol.com (518) 863-8086 / (518) 434-8861 St. Andrews Episcopal Church Main at Madison Avenue, Albany www.standrewsalbany.org (518)489-4747 St. John’s Lutheran Church 160 Central Avenue, Albany www.stjohnsalbany.org (518)465-7545 Temple Israel 600 New Scotland Avenue, Albany www.tialbany.org (518) 438-7858 Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga 624 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs www.saratoga-uu.org (518)584-1555 Unity Church in Albany 21 King Avenue, Albany www.unitychurchinalbany.org (518)4533603 Woodstock Jewish Congregation (Reconstructionist) 1682 Glasco Turnpike, Woodstock www.wjcshul.org (845)246-1671

Proud To Be Open!

Affirming!

Welcoming!

Joyous!

These Presbyterian Churches Welcome You Where you can find a place ~ come as you are!

Albany First Presbyterian State & Willett Streets www.firstpresalbany.org Sunday Worship 8:30 am & 10:45 am

Hudson First Presbyterian Church 369 Warren Street FirstPresHudson.org Sunday Worship 10:45 am

Spencertown St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church 5219 County Route 7 SaintPetersPC.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Albany Westminster Presbyterian 262 State Street www.WPCalbany.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Hudson Falls First Presbyterian Church 5 River Street www.fpchudsonfalls.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Stephentown Stephentown Federated Church 1513 Garfield Road StephentownFederatedChurch.org Sunday Worship 9:30 am

Amsterdam United Presbyterian Church 25 Church Street www.upchurch25.org Sunday Worship 9:30 am

Putnam Station Putnam United Presbyterian Church 365 County Route 2 518-547-8378 Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Stillwater Stillwater United Church 747 Hudson Avenue StillwaterUnitedChurch.org Sunday Worship 9:00 & 10:30 am

Colonie Roessleville Presbyterian Church Elmhurst and Central Avenue 518-459-2816 Sunday Worship 9:30 am

Rensselaer First Presbyterian Church 34 Broadway 518-463-0894 Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Troy (Lansingburgh) Cornerstone Community Church 570 3rd Avenue www.cornerstoneccl.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Delmar Delmar Presbyterian Church 585 Delaware Avenue www.delmarpres.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Rensselaerville Rensselaerville Presbyterian Church 1454 CR 351 rvillepres.org Sunday Worship 11:00 am (Summer Only)

Troy First United 1915 Fifth Avenue (downtown) www.UnitedPresTroy.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am

Glens Falls First Presbyterian Church 400 Glen Street

Saratoga Springs Presbyterian-New England Congregational 24 Circular Street www.pnecchurch.org Sunday Worship 10:45 am

Valatie First Presbyterian Church 3212 Church Street 518-758-9658 Sunday Worship 11:00 am

FPCgf.org

Sunday Worship 10:00 am Guilderland Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church 2291 Western Avenue

Scotia-Glenville Trinity Presbyterian Church 185 Swaggertown Rd. HamiltonUnionPresbyterianChurch.org www.ScotiaTrinity.org Sunday Worship 8:30 am & 10:00 am Sunday Worship 10:00 am

West Charlton West Charlton United Presbyterian 1331 Sacandaga Road www.westcharltonUPC.org Sunday Worship 10:30 am

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We are all God’s children ~ Come as you are!

A Pride Center of the Capital Region affiliate commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

| 31

For more Groups, Meetings and Events at the Pride Center and across our community see the calendars on pages 34-37 and online at www.capitalpridecenter.org

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pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

Michael Cooks and You Can Too

BY MICHAEL MEADE

Happy New Year Happy New Year! This month marks the fifteenth anniversary of this column.

Back in late 2000, I took a deep breath, quit my safe, respectable state job and followed my heart to cooking school.

Libby Post was the CDGLCC President back then and one of her great strengths was her ability to seize any new opportunity for the Council’s benefit.

When she heard about my career change, she immediately said “Great!

You can write a cooking column for CommUNITY!”

milk. By law, it must contain 33% milk fat and not more than 55% moisture.

Gum Arabic is sometimes added to increase firmness and extend shelf life.

Neufchatel is slightly lower in calories because of a lower milk fat content (about 23%). It also contains slightly more moisture and may have a slightly saltier, more delicate taste. The two can be used interchangeably.

Libby, if you’re reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Writing this column has been a great joy over the years. It has enabled me to tap into a wonderful community of readers and cooks. It’s made me a better writer, a better cook and possibly even a better person (although the jury’s still out on that one).

what can I use as a substitute?

This month, before we plunge into a new year of recipes and cooking lore, I thought we’d open up the mailbag and tackle a few questions that readers have sent in. I love hearing from you guys.

Question: In my supermarket dairy

case, they have blocks of Neufchatel cheese right next to the regular cream cheese. It looks the same and it’s the same price, so what’s the difference?

Answer:

Cream cheese is a soft, un-ripened cheese made from cow’s

Question: If I don’t have heavy cream, Answer: Unless you’re trying to make

whipped cream (in which case there is no good substitute), half-and-half, light cream and whipping cream are safe swaps for most recipes that call for heavy cream. These substitutes have less butterfat that real heavy cream (a/k/a heavy whipping cream), so the dish may not be as rich or have the creamy texture of the original recipe. If cutting fat is the main goal, and the recipe calls for heating or cooking the cream (cream soups, quiche) use evaporated milk.

For cold recipes, try regular or low-fat yogurt.

Question:

If a dish tastes too salty, how can I desalt it?

Answer:

Forget about the raw potato trick. Despite what countless cookbooks may tell you, potato does not absorb the salt in a dish. The simplest and most successful way to desalt a dish is to dilute it. If you’re making soup, add more water or stock. If you’re making a salad dressing, add more oil or vinegar. A pinch of sugar might balance the salt in a sauce or dish that’s blended or baked like a casserole.

Question: If you’re making a stew or

other meat dish in a slow cooker, is it necessary to brown the meat in a skillet first?

Answer:

Necessary? No. But if we’re talking about flavor and visual appeal, in my opinion, the answer is definitely yes! I realize that it’s an inconvenience.

It adds another step and dirties another pan, but the results will be well worth it.

So, what’s the big deal with browning?

In a slow cooker, you’re braising or stewing meat until it’s fall-apart tender, which can sap some of the meat’s characteristic flavor in the process.

Browning won’t make beef taste beefier; contrary to conventional kitchen wisdom, it doesn’t concentrate flavors or seal in juices. But the chemical process that takes place when meat is browned (the technical term is “Maillard reaction” if you want to get all Culinary Institute about it) seriously enriches the dish, giving it that warm hearty roast-like flavor. And instead of that unappealing gray color that meat gets in slow cooking, the Maillard reaction gives it that rich, dark shade of brown that we associate with tasty food. Browning also produces “fond”, the delicious crusty bits of browned meat and juice that collect in the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan by adding water, wine or broth and you’ve got even more good stuff to add to your slow cooker dish.

Michael Meade graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, worked at Jack’s Oyster House in Albany and is currently sous-chef at Thunder Mountain Curry in Troy. Questions & comments are welcome at Michaelmeade1215@ yahoo.com

commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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WEEKLY events SUNDAYS

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

EVERY SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

LGBTQ Alcoholics Anonymous†** 7:00–8:30 PM in the Garden Level

Saratoga LGBTQA Youth Group (ages 18 & under) 4:30–6:00 PM Saratoga Springs Library, Susman Room 49 Henry St., Saratoga Springs

Vintage Pride Sober Happy Hour 4:30–6:00 PM on the 1st Floor

Trans* Pride Discussion Group 7:00–9:00 PM on the 1st Floor

Women’s Group 6:00–7:00 PM: social hour 7:00–8:00 PM: discussion on the 1st Floor

SECOND SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

LGBTQ Support Group 3:00–4:30 PM Saratoga Springs Library, 49 Henry St., Saratoga Springs More info:Caroline Russell Smith 518.857.9361 Sponsored by Saratoga Pride and The Pride Center of the Capital Region

Game Night 6:00–9:00 PM in the Rainbow Cafe THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Vintage Pride Potluck Lunch 1:00–3:00 PM First Presbyterian Church, 362 State St., Albany

SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

T-Talk: Trans* & Gender Non-Confroming Youth Group (ages 18 & under) 6:00–8:00 PM on the 1st Floor Capital Region Support Group for Family & Friends of LGBTQ People** 7:00 PM First Unitarian Society of Schenectady 1221 Wendel Ave., Schenectady More info: Deborah Kenyon, deborahkenyon2@gmail.com 518-584-4774 (C), 518-695-4117 (H)

LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Supper Sunday 5:00–9:00 PM on the 1st Floor

MONDAYS EVERY MONDAY OF THE MONTH

Men’s Group 7:00–8:30 PM 1st, 3rd & 5th Mondays – Discussion 2nd & 4th Mondays – Social in the Garden Level

THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

Saratoga LGBTQA Youth Group (ages 18 & under) 4:30–6:00 PM Saratoga Springs Library, Susman Room 49 Henry St., Saratoga Springs Trans* Pride Meet & Greet 7:00–9:00 PM on the 1st Floor FOURTH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

T-Talk: Trans* & Gender Non-Confroming Youth Group (ages 18 & under) 6:00–8:00 PM on the 1st Floor

†Anonymous meetings held at the Pride Center are non-affiliated, independent groups **indicates an outside group that meets at the Pride Center

Except where noted all events take place at The Pride Center, 332 Hudson Ave, Albany, NY 12210 The Garden Level is wheelchair accessible. Enter from the street through the door beneath the front steps.

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SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

Live from the Livingroom Poetry Open Mic** 7:00 PM in the Garden Level FOURTH WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

Women’s Group 6:00–7:00 PM: social hour 7:00–8:00 PM: discussion on the 1st Floor

THURSDAYS EVERY THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

Schenectady LGBTQA Youth Group (ages 18 & under) 6:00–7:30 PM Proctor’s Theater, Underground Space 432 State St., Schenectady LGBTQ Narcotics Anonymous†** 7:30–8:30 PM in the Garden Level

FRIDAYS EVERY FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

Drop-in Rapid HIV Testing 10:00 AM–8:30 PM walk in Appointments also available by calling (518) 462-6138

AYO! Youth Drop in Space (ages 18 & under) 3:00–9:00 PM on 1st Floor & in the Garden Level (Garden Level only on 1st Fridays) Albany LGBTQA Youth Group (ages 18 & under) 7:00–8:30 PM in the Garden Level FIRST FRIDAY ALBANY

Special Artist Reception and Opening in the Romaine Brooks Gallery 5:00–9:00 PM on the 1st Floor Check out the artists at www.capitalpridecenter.org/RBG

SPECIAL events JANUARY FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

Pride MYXers Laser Tag 8:00–10:00 PM Zero Gravity: Laser Tag and Arcade, 1240 Central Ave, Albany, 12205 $20 (4 Games, $10 donated to the Pride Center).

The Pride MYXer's are a social group that has branched out of the Pride Center of the Capital Region's Leadership Development Council . Join us for 4 games of Laser Tag for just $20! Ten dollars will automatically be donated to the Pride Center of the Capital Region by Zero Gravity, so this is a great way to have fun AND make a difference for our local LGBTQ community!

Be sure to arrive by 8pm so that you can play the full four games.

You'll be greeted by a member for the Leadership Development Council when you arrive for instructions.

AFFILIATE events AGMC Rehearsals The Albany Gay Men’s Chorus' Spring rehearsals will be held on Wednesdays, 6:45-9:00 PM Please join them. at the First Lutheran Church of Albany (181 Western Ave, Albany, NY).

Movie Night Second Tuesday of Each Month We will begin at 5 PM at Harvey’s Pub, 14 Phila Street Saratoga Springs. From there, we can decide who wants to see what movies and leave accordingly for Bowtie Cinemas.

Lesbian Networking Breakfast

FEBURARY MONDAY, FEBURARY 1

PRIDE Series: Youth Movie Night: Milk 6:30-8:30 PM Guilderland Public Library, 2228 Western Ave., Guilderland 12084 Free Join the Pride Center of the Capital Region's Youth Program and the Youth Services Department at the Guilderland Public Library as we host our monthly PRIDE Series! All programming is FREE and open to youth ages 19 & under! FREE snacks & beverages!

Monthly programming includes: 1st Monday of the Month (Movie or Game Night) 3rd Monday of the Month (Pride Book Club) For more information, please contact the Pride Center at (518) 462-6138 x15 or email centeryouth@capitalpridecenter.org

WEDNESDAY, FEBURARY 10

Women's Social Network Gathering 5:30-8:00 PM Midtown Tap and Tea Room, 289 New Scotland Ave., Albany 12208 $10 Donation to offset costs appreciated

We meet on the third Thursday of each month, at the Country Corner Café on Church Street in the upstairs dining room at 7:30 AM. Latecomers are welcome.

Monthly GLBTQ Support Group Second Sunday of the Month 3–4:30 PM Fallstaff Building, Skidmore College Contact Caroline with questions: 518.857.9361

agmc

is an affiliate of

AGMC

AGMC islookingfornewmembers Albany Gay Men’s Chorus

SAVE THE DATE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

ANNUAL MEETING & DONOR RECEPTION Renaissance Albany SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

CAPITAL PRIDE 2016 PARADE & FESTIVAL Lark Street & Washington Park, Albany FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

2016 PRIDE CENTER GALA Hilton Albany

Rehearsals are Wednesdays 6:45 - 9:00 pm at the First Lutheran Church of Albany.

For more Information Website: www.albanygmc.org E-mail: albanygmc@yahoo.com Voice-mail: 518-459-7563 Join us on facebook... Albany Gay Men’s Chorus - agmc commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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CommUNITY calendar SPORTS/ FUN & GAMES Gay Skate An open skate for the LGBTQ Community!

Tuesdays, 7–9:30 PM Rollarama Skating Center, 2710 Hamburg St., Schenectady $9.50 w. Skate Rental/$6.50 w. your own skates.

For more info contact David at DB40@aol.com or (518) 573-3962

Geek and Gaymer Night Thursdays, 9 PM Rocks, 77 Central Ave., Albany (518) 472-3588 Capital Area Pride Bowlers Open to all. (resumes after holidays, contact Dimas for details) Sportsman Bowling Lanes 1652 Crane St., Schenectady.

More info: Dimas (518) 894-1083

Cards Against Humanity Mondays Come out and enjoy the hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity! Every single Monday we'll be shufflin' and dealin' this epic game! You can play as an individual or play as a team. Prizes for TOP THREE PLACES!.

Rocks, 77 Central Ave., Albany (518) 472-3588

KARAOKE Waterworks Pub Mondays, 10 PM–2 AM 76 Central Ave., Albany, (518) 465-9079 No Cover. (18+)

Oh Bar Thursdays, 10 PM–1 AM 304 Lark St., Albany, (518) 463-9004 No Cover. (21+)

Waterworks Pub Fridays, 10 PM 76 Central Ave., Albany, (518) 465-9079 18+ (w. cover)

ROCKS Fridays, 9 PM–12 AM 77 Central Ave., Albany, (518) 472-3588 Circus Cafe Saturdays, 10 PM–2 AM 36 |

pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

392 Broadway, Saratoga, (518) 5831106 (21+)

Center Square Pub Saturdays, 10 PM–2 AM 32 Dove St., Albany, (518) 729-2880 No Cover.

OPEN MIC/ LITERARY Live from the Livingroom Monthly poetry open mic.

Wednesday 1/12 The Pride Center, Garden Level 332 Hudson Ave, Albany, (518) 462-6138 Open Minded Mic & Talent Showcase (for all performers) Every 1st & 3rd Thursday Sign up 8:30 PM, Start 9:00 PM Rocks, 77 Central Ave., Albany (518) 472-3588 Variety Open Mic Sundays, 10:00 PM–12:00 AM Waterworks Pub, 76 Central Ave., Albany (518) 465-9079

SOCIAL/SUPPORT GROUPS Out of the Closet I Am (for women who have sex with women) 1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 6:30–8 PM In Our Own Voices, 245 Lark St., Albany, (518) 432-4188 Men’s Empowerment Group 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 6–7:30 PM In Our Own Voices, 245 Lark St., Albany, (518) 432-4188 Voices of Unity (for Transgender people of color) 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 6–7:30 PM In Our Own Voices, 245 Lark St., Albany, (518) 432-4188

Trans Partners Group: Provides support for people to discuss and explore their relationships with trans-identified or gender nonconforming individuals. Open to people currently in partnerships with transpeople or people exploring their gender identities. Contact Faith Hoffman at faith@choicesconsulting.com for more information.

Monthly on Tuesdays at 5 PM Choices Counseling and Consulting 523 Western Ave. Suite 2A, Albany, NY 12203-1617, (518) 438-2222

TRIVIA Live Trivia with FriedaTuesdays, 8–10 PM ROCKS, 77 Central Ave., Albany (518) 472-3588 Oh Bar Wednesdays, 9 PM–12 AM 304 Lark St., Albany, (518) 463-9004

SPECIAL COMMUNITY EVENTS Sarah Kilborn: The Lavender Blues A Showcase of Queer Music Before World War II

January 22 8 PM Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia St., Hudson, 12534 (518) 828-4800

Some of our most famous musical artists of the early 20th century were “in the life” – meaning gay, bisexual or transgender – and they sang about this life too, in a variety of genres such as blues, early jazz, ballads, and pop. Modern cabaret performer Sarah Kilborne introduces us to a little-known, yet revolutionary moment in music history when pioneering artists sang boldly about sexual and gender fluidity, something daring even for today – and as deliciously fun and inspiring as

YouthPride!

A student led meeting that centers around helping LGBTQ students and allied students discuss matters in our community, schools, and in their Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) that they have in their schools.

Youth-Pride provides leadership development and an opportunity to help plan activities around GLSEN’s Days of Action and Days of Support.

1st Friday of the month, 6–9 PM Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary 217 Wolf Rd., Colonie

Send the details of your event and a brief description to sminchin@ capitalpridecenter.org at least 6 weeks before your event. *event listings may be edited for space and content.

advertiser INDEX ever.

Kilborne’s “Lavender Blues” has been praised as “a fantastic way to tell history” and “the best kept secret that needs to be public.”

A portion of this evening’s proceeds will benefit the Hudson Pride Foundation Scholarship Fund. Visit: sarahkilborne.com Ticket Price: $15 in advance $20 day of show / 21 & Over Only / General Admission Standing Room /Please call the Club To make Reservations For Tables Order tickets: http://clubhelsinki.shop.ticketstoday.com Bowling for PAWS 2016 Sunday, Feburary 21 11 AM Playdium Bowling Center, 363 Ontario St., Albany (518) 438-0300 A FUN-Raiser for PAWS!! Bowl as an individual or form a team of 5 people and join us on at 11 AM on Sunday, February 21 at the Playdium Bowling Center in Albany!

Fabulous prizes and fun - all to help Pets Are Wonderful Support - A Program of The Albany Damien Center that helps keep people living with HIV/AIDS and their pets together, when they need each other the most!

Partipants are encouraged to help fund raise for PAWS by using Causevox . Teams or individuals who raise more than the $25 individual registration fee or the $125 team registration fee will be given free admittance to the event!

For more information and to sign up visit www. albanydamiencenter.org/bowling-for-paws-2016.html or contact the Albany Damien Center at (518) 449-7119.

Jocks for PAWS Feburary 26-28 multiple times Rocks, 77 Central Ave., Albany (518) 472-3588 The 2nd annual Jocks for PAWS! We had a great year last year and hope to make it even better. We have another great jock auction with local favorites as well as porn stars, leather men, and many more as well as many raffle items.

PAWS (Pets are Wonderful Support) provides task, financial, and informational assistance to pet owners living with HIV/AIDS to ensure that they are not separated from their animal companions when they need each other the most. For more information please visit their website www. albanydamiencenter.org/paws.html Highlights include Foreplay Friday with no cover charge, Special guests from CT Cruisers, an afternoon Open Forum Fetish Education Session, and more. Cover charge for some events. For more details, including hotel information visit ROCKS on facebook: www.facebook.com/rocksalbany

Albany Gay Men’s Chorus..................................................35 Albany.com.......................................................................... 29 Buenau’s Opticians............................................................. 26 Canterbury Animal Hospital...............................................18 Choices Counseling & Consulting.....................................18 Corey Jamison Consulting.................................................24 Drue Sanders Custom Jewelers........................................16 First United Presbyterian Church......................................12 HomoRadio.........................................................................24 In Our Own Voices............................................................. 32 Interim Healthcare.................................................................9 Jay Zhang Photography.....................................................12 Jaye McBride,k Comedian..................................................24 Joseph Roche, Accountant................................................30 Law Office of Geri Pomerantz..........................................24 Mark Witecki, CPA, CFP.................................................... 25 Nico’s Rooftop Tavern....................................................... 29 Northeast Acura................................................................. 16 Presbyterian Rainbow........................................................31 Queer Engineer................................................................... 31 Realty USA-The Capital Team.............................................9 Riverstone Consulting........................................................12 Ronnie Mangione, Financial Advisor.................................18 Saratoga Pride.................................................................... 31 Security Supply/Bath Expressions Showroom................12 Skylands Services............................................................... 18 Spectrum 8 Theatre............................................................ 16 Thomas J. Walling, CFP/Cetera Advisor Networks.........24 Tri City Rentals...................................................................40 Warner & Warner Attorneys at Law.................................26 Welcoming Congregations................................................30 Wells Fargo......................................................................... 26

In 2014, 20,000 copies of CommUNITY Magazine were distributed to public locations throughout the region and 60,000 copies were delivered directly to our subscribers

For more information contact Steven @ (518) 462-6138 or sminchin@capitalpridecenter.org commUNITY JAN-FEB 2016

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pride center PROGRAMS Center Youth

Trans Pride

Support, outreach & advocacy for LGBTQA youth ages 18 and under.

Programs include regional groups, Albany Youth Organizing! (AYO!) Drop in Space, HIV testing, the Center Youth Action Team, opportunities with legislators, and annual events.

We support schools in 11 counties by providing training for staff and students on how to support LGBTQA youth.

Promoting the wellbeing of transgender and gender non-conforming communities in a safe, empowering space through social opportunities, community building, peer support, resource sharing and advocacy.

Training & Education Services

Your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Community Center since 1970

Creating safer spaces and services for LGBTQ people in the Capital Region by offering comprehensive, high quality, individualized trainings for mental health and medical providers, colleges, businesses, organizations, and any entity seeking to improve services for LGBTQ individuals and communities.

Center Families Helping LGBTQ headed families in the Capital Region achieve their goals of building and sustaining happy and healthy families through providing ongoing social and community building opportunities.

Center Support Offering low-cost counseling, and peer support groups such as Men’s Group, Women’s Group, and Family and Friends of LGBTQ people. Also providing comprehensive and culturally specific referrals for LGBTQ individuals.

Rainbow Café has been open since 1971 and is an open community space for recurring events such as Game Nights & Supper Sunday.

Vintage Pride Connecting LGBTQ older adults to each other and to the broader community with monthly social gatherings, special events, educational and leadership opportunities, and celebrating their resilience and community contributions.

Business Alliance Business Alliance members gain exclusive visibility, ways to leverage customer allegiance & access to a dedicated consumer base. Monthly Mixers to meet up with friends, distribute business cards, and make important business contacts.

Capital PRIDE As the producer of the largest annual Capital Pride celebration in Upstate NY, the Pride Center brings a record breaking 30,000 festival and parade attendees, and 35,000 people celebrating throughout PRIDE week each year.

CommUNITY Magazine The Pride Center’s bi-monthly publication highlights & informs the larger Capital Region on local LGBTQ news and events as well as supports other LGBTQ organizations. We reach over 3,000 avid readers per month.

Center Arts

BUILDING pride

ENGAGING community EMPOWERING lives

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pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

Our Romaine Brooks Gallery is a creative space and outlet for LGBTQ artists and themed work. LGBTQ Book Club also meets monthly to discuss works written

by LGBTQ authors.

THE PRIDE CENTER’S SERVICE AREA

Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Columbia, Greene, Fulton, and Montgomery counties

Get Excited the Biggest Events of 2016!

This year promises to be a great one for the Pride Center with our biggest and best events yet.

Plan ahead and start getting excited to celebrate our community at Capital PRIDE and the annual Pride Center Gala.

Save the Date

CAPITAL PRIDE - SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2016

Save the Date

PRIDE CENTER GALA - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 commUNITY

JAN-FEB 2016 | 39

NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT #798 ALBANY, NY

332 Hudson Avenue Albany, NY 12210

BUILDING pride

ENGAGING community EMPOWERING lives

Distinguished Living...Successful Living...Gay Living Tri City Rentals is a Proud Supporter of the LGBT Community

Visit one of our 24 Fine Capital District Apartment Communities

www.TriCityRentals.com 40 |

pridecenter OF THE CAPITAL REGION

518.862.6600