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IN THIS ISSUE MAY 2017 - VOLUME 5, ISSUE 4 1 COVER 3 IN THIS ISSUE OUT ON LI: 6 LONG BEACH GETS READY FOR PRIDE ON THE BEACH 7 THE LGBT NETWORK HITS THE HAMPTONS 9 NIGHT OF NOISE GIVES YOUTH A VOICE FOLLOWING DAY OF SILENCE IN THE NEWS: 10 NATIONAL 12 INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR SPECIAL INSERT: 15 2017 LGBT
GALA JOURNAL BE SCENE: 47 NIGHT OF NOISE OUT FRONT: 48 KATHY GRIFFIN TO THE RESCUE OUT AND ABOUT: 54 Q-MUSIC: LGBT PRIDE PLAYLIST 2017 – BAND PRACTICE LIVING SMART: 59 HOROSCOPES: MAY 2017
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DAVID KILMNICK, PUBLISHER info@livingoutli.org LYNN MURPHY, EDITOR editor@livingoutli.org MICHAEL MURPHY, ART DIRECTOR ZACH GOLDSTEIN, ADVERTISING advertising@livingoutli.org CONTRIBUTORS LGBT Network, Gregg Shapiro, Chris Azzopardi, Psychicdeb
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long island life LGbt culture
june 2015
vol 3, issue 5
SPECIAL PRIDE GUIDE EDITION!
PRIDE 25
Long Island Pride Parade and PrideFest Celebrates 25th Anniversary on Saturday, June 13th
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OUT ON LI
Long Beach Gets Ready for Pride on the Beach For 2017, Long Island Pride is bigger and better than ever, with a three-day Pride on the Beach weekend in the City of Long Beach. Taking place June 9-11, Pride on the Beach is set to bring people together from communities across Long Island. Widely hailed as a popular LGBT tourism destination, Long Beach boasts diverse cultural facilities as well as a beautiful landscapes. It was recently named one of USA Today’s Top 10 beaches in the nation, and many residents are excited to have their city host an event that promotes diversity and inclusion.
community. Youth from across Long Island will come together for LIGALY’s popular OUTlet program, which will be moving to the Long Beach Teen Center for a special Pride Weekend themed event. In one of many “firsts” for LI Pride, Temple Emanu-El will host a Pride Shabbat service to honor the LGBT community and celebrate its achievements. Visitors can enjoy the rest of the evening at the official kick-off party taking place at Junction-Long Beach.
Long Beach City Manager Jack Schnirman said that he believes the city is the perfect destination for Long Island Pride. “This will show how wonderful a destination Long Beach is to live, work, play and, how much we have to do here,” Schnirman said. Pride on the Beach is offering the community an expanded roster of events for 2017, with diverse opportunities to celebrate pride with friends and family. On Friday night, the weekend of events will officially kick-off with a ceremonial raising of the Pride Flag in front of Long Beach City Hall, a significant display of support for the 6
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Saturday will feature even more “firsts” for 2017. The first Pride 5k Run and Family Fun Run will take place along the beautiful Long Beach Boardwalk, with its incredible views of
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OUT ON LI the Atlantic ocean. Following that, the beach will come alive with pride, as the first Pride Beach Party kicks off. After the beach party wraps up in the afternoon, guest can head over to the Inaugural LI Pride Boat Parade, being held in partnership with the Knickerbocker Sailing Association. Spectators will line the shore of Reynold’s Channel and watch as a fleet of sailboats and cruisers sail through the channel adorned in rainbow flags and sails. “The Knickerbocker Sailing Association is honored to be invited by the LGBT Network to bring our boats and be a part of Pride on the Beach, in support of Long Island's LGBT community, of which many
of us are a part,” said Floyd Feather, Vice Commodore of the Knickerbocker Sailing Association. In the evening, the first Pride Cabaret Night will be taking place at the Long Beach Public Library. Musical director Lydia Sybosto has assembled an all-star cast of Long Island’s best cabaret performers to entertain and delight. Sunday brings the main event: the 27th Annual LI Pride Parade. Join community groups, public
officials, local businesses, marching bands, and more to “Rise with Pride” for this important event that promotes visibility, inclusion, and community. Sunday is more than just the parade, however. The Pride Market Fair will take place on the Long Beach Boardwalk from 8am – 7pm, and will feature hundreds of exciting vendors, exhibitors and shops. Following the parade, the beachfront at Long Beach Blvd. will be transformed into a Concert on the Beach that will last till 7pm.
OUT ON LI
The LGBT Network Hits the Hamptons
With summer quickly approaching, the LGBT Network is working full force to welcome the summer Hamptons crowds at various events benefiting the LGBT Newtork's Hamptons Center, located in Sag Harbor. The first two events will take place Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 27th.
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Edie's Backyeard BBQ will again be hosted at the home of Edie Windsor, lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court of the United States case United States v. Windsor, which successfully overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act and was considered a significant legal victory for the same-sex marriage movement in the United States. This classic summer barbeque poolside is a long awaited afternoon outside after a New York winter. Edie’s Celebration will be 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Saturday May 27th. Early bird tickets available now through May 12th at www. lgbtnetwork.org/kickoffbbq.
pm to 8:00 pm for an evening of cocktails, light fare and socializing. The beautiful ocean views provide a perfect venue to kick-off into the summer season. Tickets for the Summer Kick-Off available now at lgbtnetwork.org/summerkickoff. For more information please call LGBT Newtork at 516-323-0011.
The Hamptons Summer Kick-Off event welcomes LGBT Network supporters to the Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club from 6:00 LIVING OUT
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OUT ON LI
Night of Noise Gives Youth a Voice following Day of Silence Each year, schools across the nation participate in the Day of Silence, a national campaign that brings visibility to the issue of heterosexism, and the efforts of individual Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. Students who participate take a vow of silence to show solidarity, and to raise awareness of how LGBT people feel silenced by heterosexist and transphobic comments and bullying. The negative impact of such treatment of LGBT youth cannot be overstated. Schools nationwide can be hostile environments for a distressing number of LGBT students, the overwhelming majority of whom routinely hear anti-LGBT language and experience victimization and discrimination at school. As a result, many LGBT students avoid school activities or miss school entirely. For over 10 years, Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth and the LGBT Network has been helping students and faculty in Long Island schools organize, prepare for, and successfully implement the National Day of Silence in their schools. As the day comes to a close, the Night of Noise roars to life, as students gather at the LGBT Network Center at Bay Shore to gain a voice and express what the Day of Silence meant to them. Night of Noise was created by Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth and the LGBT Network several years ago to let students break their silence and empower them to stand up to the barriers that LGBT youth face every day. Dante, 15, a LIGALY youth from Lindenhurst, said “you get to be gathered around so many people from your community and so many people that really get you to your inner
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spirit and core, and you can just be yourself, be who you want to be, and feel like you won’t be judged. It’s a great place for people to come together to show we’re strong and unified.” In one of the more powerful activities during Night of Noise, youth paint a cinderblock “Wall of Hate” with words that have been used to bully them or others in school. All in attendance then come together to smash the wall of hate to pieces, symbolically standing up to the bullying they have faced, and demolishing hatred. Oliver, 18, a LIGALY youth from Islip said “the wall of hate is significant. You write the words that have hurt you, and then you get a chance to tear it down and show that you can stand up against it; that you can break it, and it doesn’t have to break you.” This year’s event was attended by hundreds of LGBT and allied youth representing dozens of local Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. If you would like more information about Night of Noise, or how your Gay-Straight Alliance club can get more involved in future events, please call Mauro Gomez at 631.665.2300. LIVING OUT
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IN THE NEWS
national News
By LGBT Network
NCAA returns to North Carolina after transgender bathroom law repeal REUTERS The National Collegiate Athletic Association on Tuesday formally reversed course and scheduled championship games in North Carolina, returning to the state after previously stripping it of events to protest a law on transgender use of public bathrooms. Transgender advocates immediately criticized the decision, saying although the bathroom law was repealed last month, North Carolina still discriminated against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and did not deserve to be rewarded. The controversy started with the March 2016 approval of House Bill 2, which required transgender people to use bathrooms matching the sex on their birth certificate rather than their gender identity. In response, the NCAA disqualified North Carolina from hosting neutralsite championship events for the 2016-17 academic year. Similar boycotts by other sports organizations, companies and entertainers cost North Carolina hundreds of millions of dollars worth
LGBT advocates seek to label opponents as U.S. hate groups REUTERS A liberal coalition on Thursday started a campaign to label socially conservative organizations that oppose transgender rights as hate groups, ratcheting up the antagonism between opposing sides on one of America's most contentious debates. The Eliminate Hate Campaign seeks to draw attention to groups it sees as extreme and hateful against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, accusing them of hiding behind ostensibly Christian or family values. Alarmed by a surge in reported hate crimes tied to the 2016 presidential campaign, the campaign will pressure the media to use the hate-group designation for about 50 organizations in the United States, based on designations already made by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long monitored extremist groups. It also will encourage the public to oppose extremism and seek to diminish the prestige of groups it believes spread fear and lies about LGBT people. Conservatives have promised to dig in for a long fight in the debate over whether transgender people deserve legal protection against discrimination and the right to use the public bathrooms of their choice. "ADF doesn't have time to respond to organizations who do nothing more than call names, create division and incite violence across the country in order to raise money," spokesman Greg Scott , spokesman for Alliance Defending Freedom. "We believe that it's really not possible for a person to change their sex, that biological sex at birth is essentially immutable," - Peter Sprigg , spokesman for the Family Research Council. 10
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of business. In a basketball-crazed state, losing events such as the NBA allstar game and big NCAA tournament games was also a blow to residents' pride. Seeking to win back business, state lawmakers repealed the law on March 30, but they also approved a new measure banning cities from passing their own anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people until 2020, drawing outrage from civil rights advocates. Rights groups criticized the NCAA for returning to North Carolina while its cities were still banned from passing anti-discrimination laws. The American Civil Liberties Union called the decision a "shame" and the anti-discrimination group Athlete Ally said it was "deeply concerning."
Texas ordered to pay $600,000 to same-sex couples who defeated state ban REUTERS A federal appeals court ordered Texas on Wednesday to pay about $600,000 to cover the legal fees for two samesex couples who defeated the state's ban on samesex marriage in a protracted court battle. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit awarded $585,470 in attorneys’ fees and about $20,000 in costs arising from the challenge to the plaintiffs in the case, Cleopatra DeLeon, Nicole Dimetman, Victor Holmes and Mark Phariss. "We're thrilled. Our lawyers did an outstanding job," Phariss said in an interview. "It's frankly a waste of taxpayer money to have fought the ability of two people who love each other to marry," he said. Marc Rylander, a spokesman for the Texas attorney general's office, said in a statement: “We are disappointed in the ruling and are considering our next steps.” The case, which wound its way through the U.S. court system, was pending in the Fifth Circuit when the U.S. Supreme Court made its landmark decision in June 2015, in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, that made gay marriage legal in the United States. About a week later, the U.S. appeals court ruled in favor of the two couples in the Texas case.
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IN THE NEWS
national News
By LGBT Network
U.S. court rules 1964 civil rights law protects LGBT workers from bias REUTERS A U.S. appeals court, for the first time ever, on Tuesday ruled that federal civil rights law protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination in the workplace. The ruling from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago represents a major legal victory for the gay rights movement. In its 8-3 decision, the court bucked decades of rulings that gay people are not protected by the milestone civil rights law, because they are not specifically mentioned in it. "For many years, the courts of appeals of this country understood the prohibition against sex discrimination to exclude discrimination on the basis of a person's sexual orientation," Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote for the majority. "We conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination." The ruling also allows a lawsuit to go forward in Indiana, where plaintiff Kimberly Hively said she lost her community college teaching job because she is lesbian. "I have been saying all this time that what happened to me wasn't right and was illegal," Hively said in a statement released by the gay rights legal organization Lambda Legal, which represents her. In its decision to reinstate Hively's 2014 lawsuit, which was thrown out at the local level in Indiana, the Court of Appeals ruled that protections against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protect people from job discrimination based on their sexual orientation. In so doing, the full appeals court overruled a decision by a smaller panel of its judges to uphold the district court's decision in the college's favor. To reach its conclusion, the court examined 20 years of rulings by the
U.S. Supreme Court on issues related to gay rights, including the high court's 2015 ruling that same-sex couples have a right to marry, Wood wrote. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the question of whether the Civil Rights Act protects gays and lesbians, she wrote. The three dissenting judges said the majority had inappropriately used its own power to change the civil rights law, which does not explicitly protect people on the basis of sexual orientation, and which for decades has been interpreted as excluding that protection. "Today the court jettisons the prevailing interpretation and installs the polar opposite," Judge Diane Sykes wrote in dissent. In her lawsuit, Hively said that Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend passed her over for a permanent position and refused to renew her contract as an adjunct professor after school administrators learned she is a lesbian. On Tuesday, Ivy Tech spokesman Jeff Fanter said the college had not done that. "Ivy Tech Community College rejects discrimination of all types," Fanter said in a statement emailed to Reuters. "Sexual orientation discrimination is specifically barred by our policies." The college would not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision, Fanter said, but instead would argue in District Court that it had not discriminated against Hively as the lawsuit goes forward.
Federal judge rules fair housing law protects Colorado LGBT couple REUTERS A U.S. district judge ruled on Wednesday that a Colorado landlord’s refusal to rent a townhouse to a lesbian couple, one of whom is transgender, violates federal housing law, marking the second legal victory for LGBT people in as many days. The ruling by Denver federal Judge Raymond Moore is the first in which a court has extended protections to people based on
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their sexual orientation or gender identity under the federal Fair Housing Act, lawyers for the couple said. The act bars housing discrimination because of race, religion and sex, among other factors. The decision followed the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Tuesday that the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in the workplace. The Colorado case stems from a 2016 lawsuit against property owner Deepika Avanti by Rachel and Tonya Smith, a same-sex married couple who sought to rent a house in a small town about 20 miles northwest of Denver. The couple has two young children, and Rachel Smith is transgender. After meeting with the couple, Avanti emailed the Smiths to say she would not rent to them over concerns about noise from their children.
In a subsequent email, Avanti said she and her husband wanted to keep a “low profile,” and feared that the Smiths’ “unique relationship” would attract unwanted attention, the judge’s ruling said. “Such stereotypical norms are no different from other stereotypes associated with women, such as the way she should dress or act (e.g., that a woman should not be overly aggressive, or should not act macho), and are products of sex stereotyping,” Moore wrote in his 12-page ruling. The back-to-back decisions marked “tremendous” victories for the LGBT community, said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a gay-rights organization that represented the plaintiffs in both cases. “It sends a strong message: discrimination against LGBT Americans in housing and employment is illegal and will not be tolerated,” he said in a statement. LIVING OUT
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IN THE NEWS
national News
By LGBT Network
More gay, bi men with HIV receiving care, disparities remain REUTERS Gay and bisexual men in the United States who are diagnosed with HIV are promptly receiving the necessary treatments more often than in the past, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Still, black gay and bisexual men are less likely than their white counterparts to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) to keep the human immunodeficiency virus in check, the researchers found. They write in the Journal of Infectious Diseases that one goal of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy was to get 85 percent of people to a healthcare facility within three months of being diagnosed with HIV by 2015. By 2020, the goal is to get 85 percent of people diagnosed with HIV to care within one month. Altogether, 1,144 men provided data in 2008, 1,338 in 2011 and 1,716 in 2014. The proportion of white men taking the survey fell 14 percentage points between 2008 and 2014, but the proportion of black men participating increased by 13 percentage points during the same period. The average age of the men dropped over the study period, too. Insurance coverage increased from 75 percent in 2008 to 86 percent in 2014, which was the first year of coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act. In 2008, 79 percent of the men were seen at a healthcare facility within three months of their diagnosis. That measure - known as linkage to care - increased to 87 percent by 2014. With the 2020 goal in mind, the researchers analyzed how many men were seen at a healthcare facility within one month of their HIV diagnosis. In 2014, 78 percent of men were linked to care within one month, which the researchers say suggests the 2020 goal is feasible. When the researchers looked at how many of the men were receiving ART, they found the rate increased from 69 percent in 2008 to 88 percent in 2014. People with insurance or with higher levels of education or income were more likely to be linked to care within a short amount of time and be on ART.
IN THE NEWS
INTernational News
In all years, a higher percentage of ARV treatment was observed among whites, according to the researchers - and this disparity persisted in 2014. The proportion of white men on ART were 9 percentage points higher than the proportion of black men. "We’re moving in the right direction, but the fact that the disparities are persisting in 2014 when we’ve had access to antiretroviral therapy for so long is troubling," said Jennifer Kates, who is vice president and director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C. The findings suggest black men are being linked to care at roughly the same rate as white men, but they're not getting equal access to ART, said Kates, who wasn't involved in the new study. "There are some systemic issues on the healthcare system side – from providers to insurance – that this study wasn’t designed to look at," she told Reuters Health. For example, it could be that doctors are writing the prescriptions for ART, but lack of insurance or other social services is creating a barrier. In an editorial accompanying the new study, Sten Vermund of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, writes that many organizations are working to find better and more effective outreach methods for HIV testing and care. "Still, jurisdictions struggle with only limited success to solve their blackHispanic-white disparities in HIV risk and access to care," Vermund writes. For example, it could be that doctors are writing the prescriptions for ART, but lack of insurance or other social services is creating a barrier. In an editorial accompanying the new study, Sten Vermund of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, writes that many organizations are working to find better and more effective outreach methods for HIV testing and care. "Still, jurisdictions struggle with only limited success to solve their blackHispanic-white disparities in HIV risk and access to care," Vermund writes.
By LGBT Network
Gilbert Baker, Creator of Iconic Gay Pride Rainbow Flag, Has Died at 65
PEOPLE The man who tie-dyed and hand-stitched the rainbow flag that has become the worldwide symbol for gay pride and the LGBTQ community has died. He was 65. 12
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Gilbert Baker, who described himself as a “gay Betsy Ross,” was found dead on Friday in his New York City home, the New York Times reports. “Gilbert Baker was a pioneer in the gay rights movement,” LGBT Network CEO Dr. David Kilmnick said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “It is a great loss to the LGBT community and all Americans and he will be greatly missed, but leaves us with a symbol of unity and pride that will carry on forever.” Cleve Jones, a gay rights activist and friend of Baker, told the Times that Baker had a stroke many years ago but had not been sick recently. Baker created the flag in 1978. That year, Harvey
Milk, a San Francisco politician and gay rights leader, asked Baker to create an emblem for the movement (Milk was assassinated that year). Along with volunteers, Baker tie-dyed and pieced together the first gay pride flags at a gay community center, unveiling them in a June gay pride parade, the Times reports. “We stood there and watched and saw the flags, and their faces lit up,” Jones told the publication. “It needed no explanation. People knew immediately that it was our flag.” Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for the 2008 film Milk, posted a moving Twitter tribute to Baker
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IN THE NEWS
INTernational News
By LGBT Network
Chechen police 'kidnap and torture gay men' - LGBT activists BBC news Gay men are fleeing brutal persecution in Chechnya, where police are holding more than 100 people and torturing some of them in an anti-gay crackdown, Russian activists say. Natalia Poplevskaya of the Russian LGBT Network said "we are working to evacuate people". A government spokesman called the reports "lies" and said homosexual people "simply don't exist in the republic". Homophobia is widespread in Chechnya. The mainly Muslim region is run by Ramzan Kadyrov, an authoritarian leader with a
notorious private militia, fiercely loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ms Poplevskaya told the BBC that victims either gay or just perceived as gay - are being held at a detention centre near Argun, 20km (13 miles) from the city of Grozny. She said the LGBT Network, based in St Petersburg, was aware of "an organised campaign to detain gay men" in Chechnya. "Torture is going on with electric shocks, beatings with cables. All the people arrested are homosexual men or perceived as being gay," she said. Three deaths have been reported. More than 30 people were crammed into one
Dutch men hold hands in protest against anti-gay violence
Nigeria 'gay wedding' bust leads to charges BBC news Prosecutors in the northern Nigeria state of Kaduna have charged a group of 53 people with conspiring to celebrate a gay wedding. The accused, arrested last Saturday, have denied the allegations, with their lawyers saying they were illegally detained. The court released the group on bail and the case was remanded to 8 May. Homosexual acts are banned in socially conservative Nigeria and are punishable by up to 14 years in jail. During a court appearance in ChediyaZaria, the group pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, unlawful assembly and belonging to an unlawful society. Defence lawyer Yunusa Umar said most of the accused were students and had been illegally detained for more than 24 hours, the local Premium Times newspaper reported. Gay rights campaigners who have been in touch with people involved in the case told the BBC's Stephanie Hegarty in Lagos the accused were arrested at a birthday party, not a wedding. Nigeria has an influential Christian evangelical movement in the south and strong support for Islamic law in the north, both of which oppose
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cell, she added. Despite appeals to the Russian authorities to stop the abuses, no action has been taken, she complained. Kadyrov spokesman Alvi Karimov denied the alleged persecution. "You can't detain and repress people who simply don't exist in the republic," he said.
homosexuality. In January 2014, the Hisbah, or Islamic police, in Bauchi state raided several locations and arrested about a dozen men accused of sodomy acts. Some of the men later appeared before a Sharia court for a bail hearing and an angry crowd gathered outside, demanding swift and severe punishment. Stones were thrown at the court and the hearing was halted. Police had to shoot in the air to disperse the mob and get the suspects back to prison safely, though there they are also vulnerable. The ban on homosexuality, brought into effect in 2014, is used by some police officers and members of the public to legitimise abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). "Extortion, mob violence, arbitrary arrest, torture in detention, and physical and sexual violence" are common against people suspected of homosexual activities, HRW said in a 2016 report.
REUTERS LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Dutch men around the world are holding hands to campaign against homophobic violence, days after a married gay couple was beaten up in the Netherlands for walking together hand-inhand. Using the Twitter hashtag #allmenhandinhand, Dutch men from Britain, Cuba and Australia posted photos and videos of themselves on social media holding hands with other men to condemn violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Dutch politicians Alexander Pechtold of the D66 party and colleague Wouter Koolmees were the first public figures to show their support, holding hands outside parliament in The Hague on Monday. "In the Netherlands we think it is very normal to express who you are," Pechtold told reporters. Local media said the gay couple were beaten up as they walked through the town of Arnhem early on Sunday. Media reported that one of the victims lost four teeth and suffered a split lip and that four teenage boys had handed themselves into police over the attack. LIVING OUT
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SHOW YOUR PRIDE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS LGBT Network‘Copacabana’ Gala Wednesday, May 3rd, 6 -10 p.m. Crest Hollow Country Club, 8325 Jericho Tpke., Woodbury Join us to pay tribute to our 2017 honoree, Robert Zimmerman at The LGBT Network’s “Copacabana” Gala at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Proceeds raised will support the LGBT Network’s programs to support establishing and growing Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Clubs to create safe spaces for LGBT youth and allies in our schools. Tickets available at www.lgbtnetwork.org
Pride Volunteer Open House Monday, May 1st, 6:30 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore Saturday, May 6th, 11:00 a.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
Volunteer for Long Island Pride ! Attend an open house to learn how to be part of BIGGEST PRIDE event on Long Island! Apply to volunteer at: www.lipride.org/volunteer
Family Get Together Saturday, May 6th 12-3 p.m. Hecksher State Park 1 Heckscher Spur Dr, East Islip
The Center's Family Project will be hosting a FAMILY GET-TOGETHER to celebrate the arrival of Spring! Meet us in the picnic area at Hecksher State Park for some family fun, food, and hopefully SUN! *** We will be providing hamburgers, hotdogs, and black bean burgers. Feel free to bring a dish to share. *** All families are invited. Children of all ages are welcome.
Potluck & Presentation from Suffolk DSS Monday, May 8th, 11a.m. - 1p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Brian Kennedy of Suffolk County DSS will present on the opportunities older adults in Suffolk County have to make a difference in vulnerable children’s lives by becoming foster grandparents. Please bring an open mind and your questions! We will also have a potluck. Please bring a dish of your favorite food, baked good, or beverage to share. For those who wish to eat but do not bring food or a beverage, a $5 fee is requested. There are talented youth across Long Island who do not get a chance to show off their skills! L.G.B.T. is a great opportunity for students to gain valuable performance experience in front of a live audience and be recognized for their exceptional talents. Plus, there are cash prizes for the competition's winners!
Potluck & Game Day Tuesday, May 9th, 11a.m. - 1p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
Please bring a dish of your favorite food, baked good, or beverage to share. For those who eat but do not bring food or a beverage, a $5 fee is requested. We will also have a game day! Board games will be provided but please bring your own! There will also be a table set up for those who wish to chat instead of playing games.
Yoga with Jordan Hope Miller Monday, May 15th, 12-10 p.m Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
SAGE-LI After Hours: Wine & Cheese Social Wednesday, May 17th, 7-9 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
Friday Night OUT 4th Fridays, 7-9 p.m. East End: The Hamptons LGBT Center, 44 Union St., Sag Harbor
It’s time to spice things up! Join us for a night of wine & cheese tastings, casual conversation, music, and great company. Non-alcoholic beverages will also be available.
Friday Night OUT is the place to be for East End LGBT youth and their allies on the Fourth Friday of every month at the Hamptons LGBT Center. Dance, play games, and have fun! www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.899.4950
OUTdoors Trip: Sagamore Hill Tuesday, May 23rd, 11a.m. Sagamore Hill National Historic Site 20 Sagamore Hill Rd, Oyster Bay
Hampton Bays Mingle 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 3-5 p.m. Hampton Bays Senior Center, 25 Ponquogue Ave., Hampton Bays
Join us as we explore the grounds and the small hiking trail of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay at 11 am. Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes, a bottle of water, as well as money for lunch, as we will eat at Canterbury Ale’s Oyster Bar and Grill (46 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771) for a post-hike lunch at 1 pm.
Edie’s Backyard BBQ Saturday, May 27th, 2-6:00p.m. Private Residence, Southampton, NY
Gather for this annual time-honored tradition kicking-off the summer season at the home of LGBT civil rights trailblazer Edie Windsor benefiting the LGBT Network, a non-profit organization serving Long Island's LGBT community since 1993. Classic BBQ. Proceeds support the LGBT Network's Hamptons LGBT Center in Sag Harbor that provides services and a safe space for LGBT youth, adults, older adults, and LGBT-headed families of the East End throughout the year. Tickets available at: www.lgbtnetwork.org/kickoffbbq
Suffolk DSS Saturday, May 27th, 6-8:00p.m. Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club 231 Midocean Dr, Bridgehampton, NY 11932 The LGBT Network will once again welcome the Hamptons LGBT community and supporters to kick-off Summer 2017 at the Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club to raise money for the LGBT Network serving the Long Island LGBT community since 1993. All proceeds from the event are earmarked for the LGBT Network’s Hamptons Center in Sag Harbor. Tickets available at: www.lgbtnetwork.org
David Bohnett CyberCenter Monday-Thursdays, 4-8 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
The David Bohnett CyberCenter at LIGALY offers hands on experience and classes in various software environments from productivity to creative design on the PC and Mac platforms. The classes range from introductory, intermediate, and advance levels. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
Drop-In HIV/STD Testing: Wednesdays, 5-8 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore Thursdays, 5-8 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury By Appointment. East End: The Hamptons LGBT Center, 44 Union St., Sag Harbor
Join us at the Center for a beginner’s yoga course taught by community member Jordan Hope Free and confidential testing for HIV, Syphilis, Miller. Be ready for an exploration of mind, body, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Hepatitis C. and spirit as we dive into the ancient science of www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300 yoga. Jordan incorporates knowledge of the human body, meditation techniques, live music, and yoga asana to meet his students halfway so that he may serve them to the best of his abilities. PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL This class will be a gentle and light-hearted BE NO PROGRAMS AT ANY experience for beginners, whether you are new OF THE LGBT NETWORK or revisiting your practice all are encouraged to attend. Bring a mat, chair, blanket, or cushion COMMUNITY CENTERS and an open mind!
ON MONDAY, MAY 28TH.
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SAGE-LI’s bi-monthly social for LGBT seniors 50+ on the East End. Dinner is served on the 4th Thursday of the month. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
LIFE in Nassau 2nd Thursday, 7-9 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
LIFE in Nassau meets every second Thursday. Open to adults of all genders and orientations with an interest in BDSM topics.
LIGALY Advisory Board Mondays, 6-8 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Youth help plan new programs and events at LIGALY. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
LITE Social and Discussion Group 1st & 3rd Mondays, 7:30-9 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
All Nassau County meetings are closed for transgender individuals only.
Wednesdays, 7:30-9 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Senior Advocate First Monday, 11a.m.-1 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
POZ Experience 1st Monday, 2 - 3 p.m. 3rd Monday, 6:30- 7:30 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
A Senior Advocate from Suffolk County Office for the Aging is on-site each month to offer SAGE-LI members benefits and entitlement counseling. From Social Security to Food Stamps to Medicare Part D and everything in between, the Senior Advocate will be available during the Mingle to answer your questions and point you in the right direction. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 516.323.0011
POZ Experience is a support group for all people living with HIV/AIDS. Facilitated by an experienced social worker, this group is designed to offer support, listen and share stories of our experience, whether individuals are newly diagnosed or have been living with HIV/AIDS for years. This group is intended to foster peer support, in an LGBT affirming space, that promotes living one’s life to the fullest and healthiest For more information, call 631.665.2300 or email poz@lgbtnetwork.org
Senior Focus Discussion Group Last Monday, 12pm-1 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Q Center Senior Advisory Board 2nd Thurday, 12-1p.m. Q Center : 58-20 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck, NY
Part of a monthly series of coed peer-led, issuefocused discussion groups. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 516.323.0011
TRUE Calling Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
This group provides feedback on current Q Center Senior Programming and offers ideas for future programming. All are welcome! Contact lsmith@lgbtnetwork.org www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
LIGALY is offering a great opportunity for LGBT youth and their friends to show off their skills! Sing, act, dance, or perform. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 516.323.0011
Q Center Senior Mingle Thursdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Q Center - 58-20 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck, NY
Pack a lunch and join other LGBT older adults for great conversation over coffee. Contact lsmith@lgbtnetwork.org www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
W2W is dedicated to providing a safe and supportive space for lesbians age 40+.
Safe Schools Team Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
You Gotta Believe Mondays, 6-9 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Youth leadership program for young people committed to creating safer schools on Long Island. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
The Long Island LGBT Community Center has partnered with You Gotta Believe, a non-profit organization that places teenagers into permanent adoptive homes, to provide Adoptive Parent Preparation Classes! If you are interested in participating, please call 631.665.2300. www.lgbtnetwork.org
SAGE-LI Evening Mingle 3rd Wednesday, 7-9 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
1st, 3rd, and 5th meetings are closed for transgender individuals only. 2nd and 4th meetings are for transgender individuals and partners, family, friends, or loved ones.
If you workand/or have engagements during the day that limit you from attending the fabulous SAGE-LI daytime programming, this is the program for you. All are welcome! www.lgbtnetwork.org, 516.323.0011
2nd & 4th Thursdays, 6:30-8 p.m. East End: The Hamptons LGBT Center, 44 Union St., Sag Harbor
SAGE-LI Monday Mingle Mondays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
All East End meetings are closed for transgender individuals only. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
OUTlet Fridays, 8 p.m.-Midnight Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Friday night social program for LGBT youth and their friends ages 13-21. $2 admission, transportation available. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
Parent Support Group 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 6-7 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore 1st & 3rd Mondays, 6-7 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
If you workand/or have engage Discussion group for parents of LGBT children. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
PEP Teams – Suffolk Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
Interactive leadership program promoting sexual health for LGBT young people. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
Women 2 Women Tuesdays, 7:15-8:45 p.m. Suffolk: Center at Bay Shore, 34 Park Ave., Bay Shore
All East End youth should come check out this new hot LGBT spot. Every Tuesday is a fun interactive youth group: hang out with others in the lounge. You won’t want to miss it! www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.899.4950
SAGE-LI’s weekly social for LGBT seniors 50+ at The Center at Bay Shore. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
THE LGBT NETWORK WANTS YOU TO SAVE THE DATE!
SAGE-LI Nassau Mingle Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
PRIDE ON THE BEACH
SAGE-LI’s weekly social for LGBT seniors 50+ at The Center at Woodbury. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 516.323.0011
JUNE 9TH, 10TH & 11TH LONG BEACH, NY
SAGE-LI Nassau Mingle Potluck First Tuesday, 1 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
ANNUAL SUMMER-KICK OFF BRIDGEHAMPTON TENNIS & SURF CLUB SATURDAY, MAY 27TH
Bring your favorite dish and enjoy lunch over light refreshments and great conversation with friends. Please let us know if you plan on joining us and what you are going to bring to share . www.lgbtnetwork.org, 631.665.2300
SAGE-LI Women at Nassau Wednesdays, 7:30-8:45 p.m. Nassau: Center at Woodbury, 20 Crossways Park Dr. North, Suite 110, Woodbury
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BBQ AT THE HOME OF EDIE WINDSOR SATURDAY, MAY 27TH
(SWAN) A social and discussion group for lesbian, bisexual, & transgender women as well as women questioning their identity. www.lgbtnetwork.org, 516.323.0011
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Youth Squad Tuesdays, 5-7 p.m. East End: The Hamptons LGBT Center, 44 Union St., Sag Harbor
FOR A FULL LIST OF EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: LGBTNETWORK.ORG/CALENDAR
READ MORE AT LIVINGOUTLI.ORG
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Presented by
SHAKE-IT-U
for Safe Sch P ools
at the LGBT Network’s “C opacaban
a” Gala
JOURNAL
MISSION As a champion for LGBT people and their allies, the LGBT Network pioneers programs, builds supportive communities, and leads social change in suburban and underserved communities.
ABOUT The LGBT Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a home and voice for LGBT people, their families, and support systems of Long Island and Queens. The LGBT Network has a 24-year history of pioneering advocacy and change to promote safe spaces, not only within its programs, but also in schools, workplaces, organizations, and in the greater community. The LGBT Network’s direct services help more than 5,000 people annually through outreach, support, youth development, advocacy, counseling, and other services. Education and training services reach 10,000 people each year, while outreach campaigns engage over 100,000 people. The LGBT Network’s community centers in Woodbury, Bay Shore, Sag Harbor, Little Neck and the upcoming flagship center in Patchogue help LGBT people to be themselves, connect with others, get healthy, and be empowered. The LGBT Network is known for its “firsts” – the first LGBT prom in America’s suburbs, the first LGBT center on Long Island, the first LGBT parent-teacher-student association (PTSA) in the nation, and the first LGBT-friendly affordable senior housing complex in the NY Tri-State area. In 2016, the LGBT Network also hosted the first Pride Night of any major NY sports teams in partnership with the NY Mets. Additionally, the LGBT Network has plans for even more “firsts,” including Long Island’s first LGBT health center located within its new Patchogue center so that LGBT people can feel safe accessing health care. The new health services will also fill a gap in services for the transgender community, who currently must travel into NYC to access a full range of health services; now those services will be available right here on Long Island. These achievements reflect the overarching purpose and goals of the LGBT Network: developing a better, more inclusive, and more supportive world for LGBT people and their families and friends. Please visit www.lgbtnetwork. org to learn more.
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MAY 3RD MAY |4TH CREST | CREST HOLLOW HOLLOW COUNTRY COUNTRY CLUBCLUB >>WEDNESDAY, >> WEDNESDAY,
LGBT NETWORK STAFF David Kilmnick, PhD, MSW Chief Executive Officer Amy Angelone SAGE-LI Program Coordinator
Chandra Grant Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer
Mike Murphy Assistant Director of Communications
Robert Balzarano Program Manager, Counseling & Support Services
William Henning HIV/STD Mobile Outreach & Testing Specialist
Kerrie O’Neill Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships
Andrey Bashlyk Chief Finance Officer
Ernesto Morales Hernandez Early Intervention Specialist
Christopher Polistena Health Promotion Coordinator
Aaron Braun Community Educator
Melissa Holly Linkage to Care Coordinator
Bryan Pollack Special Events Manager
Stephanie Buxbaum Assistant Program Manager, Leadership & Education Services
Maritess Jacela Staff Accountant
Rebecca Panarello HIV/STD Outreach & Testing Specialist
Lawrence Kelly Director of Human Resources
Elizabeth Rodriguez HIV Outreach Specialist / Health Educator
Sonia Kershaw HIV/STD Prep Coordinator
Paul Sanders Pride Events Manager
Andrea Mandarino Social Media & Graphic Design Assistant
Chris Scarpati Director of Development
Alissa Marti Director of Special Events
Lyndsay Smith Q Center Program Manager
Jacqueline Massé Community Program Coordinator
Robert Vitelli Chief Operating Officer
Daniel Matos Director of Programs
Christina Wilk HIV/STD Program Manager
Sean Collins Public Affairs & Communications Assistant Lisa Dempsey Staff Accountant Danny Fred HIV Outreach Specialist / Health Educator Zach Goldstein Development Coordinator Mauro Gomez Program Manager, Leadership & Education Services Matt Grady Assistant Program Manager, HIV/STD Services
board of directors Rony Nehme, Chairman Managing Director, Greater Long Island Financial Group, Prudential Financial
Resi Cooper, Secretary President, CooperHill LLC
Christopher Long President, Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc.
Sammy Chu, Vice-Chairman Chief Innovation Officer, Edgewise Energy
Dave Mejias, Treasurer Partner, Mejias, Milgrim & Alvarado, PC
Stuart H. Schoenfeld Partner, Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld LLP
Laurie Scheinman Whit & Whim
WEDNESDAY, MAY MAY 4TH 3RD | CREST | CREST HOLLOW HOLLOW COUNTRY COUNTRY CLUB CLUB >> >>WEDNESDAY,
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thank you to our 2017 sponsors Presenting Sponsor Bethpage Federal Credit Union Platinum Sponsor MSC Industrial Supply Co. Marty & Laurie Scheinman Nash Builders Titanium Sponsor Frances Reid & Gary Bixhorn Timber Lake Foundation Northwell Health Edgewise Energy Mejias, Milgrim & Alvarado Capell, Barnett, Matalon, & Schoenfeld, LLP Hofstra University The Benjamin Companies Todd Shapiro & Associates
Floyd Feather Crest Hollow Country Club YMCA of Long Island Americana Manhasset - Fifth Avenue of LI Realty Associates Lee R. Seaman People’s United Bank Gifford Miller Jerry Weiss Yoswein New York, Inc.
Gold Sponsor TD Bank Robert Half International Newsday PSEG Long Island N.Cheng Financial FREE Zimmerman/Edelson, Inc. Tricounty Jewelry Exchange Wells Fargo Advisors First Equity Steve Bellone Alan Sheriff
Bronze Sponsor Duralee Fabrics National Center, Suburban Studies at Hofstra Brad Shwartz Mrs. Roni Robbins & Dr. Charles Robbins Alure Home Improvements HRHCare Community Health Hotel Indigo East End Big Idea Advertising Steven Ostrer & Sally Zito Carole Mundy Daralyn & Darcy Ferrier Avalon Bay Communities Local 338 Regina Calcaterra Krista Stella Judi Bosworth Lynn Sherr Bank of America John & Ellen Zimmerman & Family
Silver Sponsor Resi Cooper Verizon Patricia McCormick
Promotional Partners Long Island Pulse Newsday K-98.3 FM
host committee Linda Armyn Committee Chair, Bethpage Federal Credit Union
Sammy Chu Edgewise Energy
Frances B. Reid
Resi Cooper
Laurie Scheinman wit & whim
Gary D. Bixhorn
Paul Fleishman Newsday
Samantha Chillemi Zimmerman/Edelson, INC.
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Dave Mejias Mejias Milgrim & Alvarado PC
Dave Widmer Altice Media Solutions/ News 12
MAY 3RD MAY |4TH CREST | CREST HOLLOW HOLLOW COUNTRY COUNTRY CLUBCLUB >>WEDNESDAY, >> WEDNESDAY,
LETTER FROM THE CEO DAVID KILMNICK Thank you for joining us tonight at the Copacabana Gala to support the LGBT Network and pay tribute to our honoree, Robert Zimmerman. In his life and career, Robert Zimmerman has been a strong national advocate for equality and the LGBT community. As a Democratic National Committeeman, Robert has advocated tirelessly for an agenda that protects LGBT people and promotes issues of critical importance to the community. As Co-Founder and Partner of Zimmerman/Edelson, Inc., Robert has extensive experience in national and international media relations, branding, communications, and crisis management. He has used these skills to advance equality and social justice causes as a political commentator on CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox News. I would also like to extend thanks to our Gala Event Committee, led by the incredible Linda Armyn, who also represents the LGBT Network’s largest corporate supporter, and tonight’s Presenting Sponsor – Bethpage Federal Credit Union. The LGBT Network is the only human services organization on Long Island whose mission and services are solely dedicated to serving the LGBT community, and our LGBT Centers in Bay Shore, Woodbury, Sag Harbor, Little Neck, Long Beach, and soon Patchogue, are the only LGBT Centers in the Long Island region. With the support of people like Robert, Linda and our event committee, and business partners like Bethpage Federal Credit Union, the LGBT Network has been able to make great strides on behalf of the entire Long Island community. We have continued to grow services and programs and ensure that they are accessible to all. As our country is now experiencing a sharp shift in celebrating diversity and inclusion, your support has become ever-more critical as our nation’s changing political climate threatens the hard-fought rights we have won over the last decade. Just in the past few months under the direction of the Trump administration, we have seen the right to be protected in our schools stripped away from our transgender youth and LGBT people being erased completely from being counted in the next US Census. Federal contractors can now openly discriminate against LGBT people in the workplace and Washington DC has been eerily silent while gay men are detained, tortured and murdered in Chechnya. This is not a time to be silent. It is a time to be vigilant and resist. We must fight to protect the dignity, civil rights and safety of all our communities, particularly our LGBT youth who face bullying in schools at staggering rates. We must stand up and fight back against any and all injustices. We must speak up and give a voice to those who would be silenced otherwise. This is why we need your support tonight and throughout the year. We need your support to stand up against any and all efforts that attempt to take us back even one inch. We need your support to continue to create safer schools where our youth can grow and thrive. We need your support to help grow local Gay-Straight Alliance clubs, which build leadership and empower our youth to be their true, authentic selves. We need your support to move forward and achieve a world in which everyone can live and love openly and freely. Thank you again for your support and being a part of this evening as we honor and pay tribute to Robert Zimmerman. Sincerely,
David Kilmnick, PhD, MSW Founder & Chief Executive Officer
WEDNESDAY, MAY MAY 4TH 3RD | CREST | CREST HOLLOW HOLLOW COUNTRY COUNTRY CLUB CLUB >> >>WEDNESDAY,
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ABOUT OUR HONOREE ROBERT ZIMMERMAN Although Robert Zimmerman is well known in the Long Island business community as Founder and Co-President of Zimmerman/Edelson, Inc. and for his government and community service, we recognize him for being a strong national advocate for equal rights and the LGBT community. Robert has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, Fox News Channel, and Fox Business News advocating for our agenda and taking on some of our leading critics in the nation. He has also compiled an extensive background in government and community service. Most recently, Robert was nominated by President Barrack Obama to serve as a member of the National Council on the Humanities. He was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to the New York State SAGE Commission, charged with the most extensive restructuring of state government since the 1920’s. He serves as a member of the Board of the American Museum of Natural History
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representing New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for an Urban Future located in New York City. In 1995, Robert was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Presidential Commission on the Arts. He held that position through June of 2001. Robert presently serves as a Democratic
National Committeeman from New York. Robert Zimmerman’s extensive experience in national and international media relations, branding communications and crisis management earned him the 2013 lifetime achievement award by the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island.
MAY MAY 3RD 3RD | CREST | CREST HOLLOW HOLLOW COUNTRY COUNTRY CLUB CLUB >>WEDNESDAY, >>WEDNESDAY,
GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE (GSA) ORGANIZING Part of LGBT Network’s Safe Schools Initiative
Building youth leadership to stop bullying ter-school GSA clubs are af s? b u cl SA G e BT What ar ace and help LG sp fe sa a e id ov pr programs that ership and be iends build lead fr r ei th d an h s that yout school program ze ni ga or to empowered BT youth. e bullying of LG th s es dr ad d an prevent lping onal leader in he gi re a is k or w and The LGBT Net ols in Long Island ho sc of aff st d students an ht alliance velop gay-straig de d an t ar st to Queens first (GSA) clubs. helped start the k or w et N T B • The LG has helped nd in 1998, and la Is ng Lo on GSA nce. 100 GSA clubs si start more than ainings 61 leadership tr ed er liv de e w , • In 2016 s. t 6 new GSA club and helped star
We also hold other community events, like GSA Mixers and our annual conference, that bring together youth leaders from different schools and train youth to be agents of change.
WEDNESDAY, MAY MAY 3RD 3RD | CREST | CREST HOLLOW HOLLOW COUNTRY COUNTRY CLUB CLUB >> >>WEDNESDAY,
How does the LGBT Network he lp? • Starting GSA Clubs. The LGBT Network provides technical assistance, res ources, and expertise to help students and sta ff to get their GSA club off the ground. • Developing GSA Clubs. We pro vide training sessions to GSA clubs at their sch ools and in the community to build their lea dership to confront bullying. Workshops inc lude: • Upstander Training that empow ers and trains youth to stand-up to bul lying when they see it. • Days of Action Training: The LGB T Network trains youth leaders how to plan and hold annual “days of act ion” that build awareness of the bullyin g of LGBT youth, including the “Da y of Silence” (April) and the LGBT Net work’s own awareness campaign – the “National Coming Out Day Campai gn.” • Night of Noise: An annual eve nt at the LGBT Network’s community cen ter in Bay Shore bringing together mo re than 100 youth from throughout the region to celebrate their school advoca cy from “Day of Silence.” • Other trainings that help you th leaders strengthen and grow their clubs.
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
STATE OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 110 STATE STREET ALBANY, NY 12236
May 3, 2017 Dr. David Kilmnick, CEO The LGBT Network 20 Crossways Park Drive North, Suite 110 Woodbury, NY 11797 Dear Friends: Greetings to all those gathered this evening for the Annual Gala hosted by the LGBT Network. Since 2005, the Network has worked to meet the needs and voice the aspirations of Long Island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Special congratulations are due to this year’s honoree: Robert Zimmerman, partner, Zimmerman/Edelson, and renowned advocate for LGBT equality. His outstanding leadership, service and achievements are truly worthy of your recognition. Originally formed to centralize administration and fundraising and to coordinate efforts among some of the Island’s pre-eminent LGBT organizations, including LIGALY for youth, SAGE-LI for seniors and the LGBT Community Center, the LGBT Network and its constituent entities have continued to grow and develop innovative initiatives. The Network recently opened a fourth community center in Little Neck, Queens, to complement its existing centers in Woodbury, Bay Shore and Sag Harbor; each functions as a safe space and a hub of community activity, offering a variety of classes, workshops and programs as well as facilities for relaxing and socializing. Proceeds from this year’s gala will go to support the Network’s “Shake-It-Up for Safe Schools” initiative to prevent bullying and empower young people. The dedicated officers, board and staff of the LGBT Network are helping people in need, advancing human rights and building a brighter future for all. Best wishes for a joyful celebration and continued success. Sincerely,
Thomas P. DiNapoli State Comptroller
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Bethpage is proud to support the
LGBT Network and their work with LGBT youth in education, advocacy, and leadership development.
Congratulations to tonight’s honoree, Robert Zimmerman!
For more information, call 800-628-7070, or go to lovebethpage.com.
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
COMPASSIONATE TRUSTWORTHY CHARITAB LE
C A RIN G DE VOT E D
FAITH F UL
EMPATHETIC
LOYA L
WISE
D ED I CATED
SE L F - E F FAC IN G
F RIE N D
COM M IT M E N T
IN T E L L IG E N T
HUMBLE S EN S I TI V E
DRIV E N BY B EL I EF S
AN AL LY TO AL L
Quietly, steadfastly, Robert has helped fight for equal rights for all, and through his actions, helped diminish prejudice and ignorance towards the LGBT community. We are proud to honor our co-founder, mentor and standard-bearer.
The Zimmerman/Edelson, Inc. Family
>> WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
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LGBT Equality
Acceptance Leadership
Diversity Excellence Community
WE SALUTE THIS YEAR’S LGBT HONOREES AND ALL WHOSE TIRELESS EFFORTS HELP BUILD A STRONGER, SAFER AND MORE EQUITABLE COMMUNITY.
Top manufacturers trust MSC to deliver with more than 600,000 ready-to-ship items including top brands from 3,000+ suppliers and the industry’s best technical expertise. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
To Robert, A great friend. A wonderful advocate. A man of principle. The sky shines brighter When you stand with us. We are so proud of you. All our love, Sam Natapoff & Alexandra Stanton
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Robert Zimmerman,
Congratulations on the well deserved honor! You are a role model on every level! Love, Georgette 30
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
It is our absolute pleasure to honor our dear friend Robert Zimmerman…
In recognition of a lifetime of unwavering dedication, amazing work and contributions to ending bias, bigotry and hatred.
Diane and Adam Katz & Family >> WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
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Robert Zimmerman, a worthy honoree, you make us proud with everything you do for our community and our nation! Congratulations David, Robert and everyone at the LGBT Network who worked so hard to make the Copacabana night a huge success! Special thanks to Linda Armyn for her herculean efforts and especially for the rug and trees! Love, Laurie and Marty Scheinman
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
Know-how is supporting the communities where we live and work. PEOPLE’S UNITED BANK IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE
LGBT Network Gala
Visit our 67 locations, including full-service banking inside Stop & Shop, on Long Island and New York City Steven Santino
Senior Vice President Senior Growth Manager
631-416-3376 People’s United is a full-service bank, offering commercial, retail banking and wealth management for over 170 years. Visit your local branch and discover what our know-how can do.
Bryan Kelsey
First Vice President Growth Manager
631-416-3491
©2017 People’s United Bank, N.A. | Member FDIC
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We congratulate honoree
Robert Zimmerman
and commend the LGBT Network for their work as the home and voice for the LGBT community of Long Island
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Lawrence Levy, Executive Dean National Center for Suburban Studies
>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
WE PROUDLY SUPPORT THE LGBT NETWORK
Robert Zimmerman Partner Zimmerman/Edelson Inc.
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Congratulations Robert on this great honor. Love Mario and Stefan
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
We honor our friend Robert Zimmerman and his support of the LGBT Network Jay and Nancy Zises >> WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
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Anne and Jay McInerney salute our dear friend Robert for all his accomplishments.
Photograph by Patrick McMullan
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
We proudly salute the LGBT
Network
and join in honoring
Robert Zimmerman
Northwell Health proudly supports the
LGBT Network
Mark L. Claster Chairman, Board of Trustees Michael J. Dowling President & CEO
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Robert Zimmerman
“Thank You For Being a Friend” Frances B. Reid & Gary D. Bixhorn CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES TO CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES TO AND BEST WISHES TO CONGRATULATIONS ANDIsland’s BEST WISHES TO The LGBT Network for itsCONGRATULATIONS service to Long lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community The LGBT Network for its service to Long Island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community The LGBT Network for itsto service to Long Island’s and transgender community The LGBT Network for its service Long Island’s lesbian, lesbian, gay, and transgender community Andbisexual, to gay, bisexual, And to And to And to 2017 HONOREE 2017 HONOREE CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES TO 2017 HONOREE ROBERT ZIMMERMAN 2017 HONOREE The LGBT Network for its service to Long Island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community ROBERT ZIMMERMAN ROBERT ZIMMERMAN And to Howard Capell ROBERT ZIMMERMAN
Howard Capell Robert S. Barnett 2017 HONOREE Howard Robert S.Capell Barnett Howard Capell Gregory L. Matalon ROBERT ZIMMERMAN Robert S.L.Barnett Gregory Matalon Robert S. Barnett Stuart H. Schoenfeld Howard Capell Matalon Stuart H.L.Schoenfeld Gregory Gregory L. Matalon Robert S. BarnettMilano Joseph H. Schoenfeld Joseph Milano Stuart H.Stuart Schoenfeld Gregory L. Matalon Renato Matos Stuart H. Schoenfeld Joseph Milano Renato Matos Joseph Milano Peter S. Sanders Joseph Milano Renato Matos Peter Sanders Renato Matos RenatoS.Matos Yvonne Cort S.Sanders Sanders Peter S. Yvonne Cort Peter S. Peter Sanders Yvonne Cort Yvonne Cort Yvonne Cort
Counsel to Professionals, Businesses, Individuals and Not-for-Profit/Religious Corporations 100 Jericho Quadrangle, Suite 233, Jericho, New York 11753 Phone: 516/931-8100 Fax: 516/931-8101 Counsel to Professionals, Businesses, Not-for-Profit/Religious Corporations 225 West 35th Street, 16thIndividuals Floor, New York,and York 10001 Counsel to Professionals, Businesses, Individuals and New Not-for-Profit/Religious Corporations Phone: 212/661-1144 Fax: 212-661-1330
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to Professionals, Businesses, Individuals and Corporations Counsel Counsel to Professionals, Businesses, Individuals andSuite Not-for-Profit/Religious Corporations 100 Jericho Quadrangle, 233,Not-for-Profit/Religious Jericho, New York 11753 100 Jericho Quadrangle, Suite 233, Jericho, New York 11753 Phone: 516/931-8100 Fax: 516/931-8101 • 2017 LGBT NETWORK GALA 100 Jericho Quadrangle, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB >>WEDNESDAY, Suite 233, Jericho, New York 11753 Phone:thSuite 516/931-8100 Fax: 516/931-8101 100 Jericho Quadrangle, 233, Jericho, New York 11753 th 225 West 35 Street, 16 Floor, New York, New York 10001 th Phone: 516/931-8100 Fax: 225 West 35th Street, 16Fax: Floor, New516/931-8101 York, New York 10001 Phone: 516/931-8100 516/931-8101 Phone: 212/661-1144 Fax: 212-661-1330 th th th th212/661-1144 225 West 35 Street, 16 Floor, New York, New York 10001 Phone: Fax: 212-661-1330 225 West 35 Street, 16 Floor, New York, New York 10001
HRH17-2020-LGBT Network Ad-FINAL-031717.indd 1
3/17/17 12:38 PM
Congratulations to Robert Zimmerman from Edgewise Energy
Sammy Chu, Chief Innovation Officer Vice-Chairman, LGBT Network Board of Directors
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Jay Jacobs & Jay Jacobs Jacobs The Nassau County DemocraticJay Committee & & Honor Jay Jacobs The Nassau County Democratic JayNassau Jacobs The CountyCommittee Democratic Committee & Honor & Honor The LGBT Network The Nassau County Democratic Committee The Nassau County Democratic Committee Honor & HonorJay The LGBT Network Jay Jacobs Jacobs The LGBT Network
David Kilmnick, Chief Executive Officer & & & & The LGBT Network The LGBT Network The Nassau County The Nassau Democratic County Committee Democratic Committee David Kilmnick, Chief Executive Officer Officer David Kilmnick, Chief Executive & Honor & Honor Congratulations on another successful gala David Kilmnick, Chief Executive Officer David Kilmnick, Chief Executive Officer The LGBT The Network LGBT Network Congratulations anotherfor successful We thank you for you and your group’son advocacy the LGBTgala community here on Congratulations on another successful gala Long Island, New York State, and the country
&
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Congratulations on another successful gala 2017 LGBT NETWORK GALA you for you and your group’s advocacy for the>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW We thank LGBT community here on COUNTRY CLUB Congratulations onyou another successful We thank you for and your group’sgala advocacy for the LGBT community here on David Kilmnick, DavidLongKilmnick, Chief Executive Executive Officer Officer Island, New York Chief State, and the country Long Island, New York State, and the country
CONGRATULATIONS TO robert zimmerman for his outstanding work and support within the LGBT Community!
Deborah Benjamin, Denise Coyle and The Benjamin Companies
congratulates
Robert Zimmerman
a true business leader, community and government services advocate, and a leading national voice for LGBT equality 377 Oak Street, Garden City, NY 11530
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Congratulations & best wishes to our friend Robert Zimmerman
Since 1993, the LGBT Network has been a lifeline to Nassau and Suffolk Counties’ LGBT population, providing education, advocacy, and social support services to our members and their families. Network Circle members provide support for the organizations of the LGBT Network to serve more than 10,000 LGBT annually and operate Long Island’s 3 LGBT community centers and the Q Center: Queens LGBT Community Center, the LGBT Network’s first center in Queens.
Your Membership changes lives.
Susan & Alan Patricof
LGBT NETWORK
Throughout the year we provide a place for people of all ages to call home when they might not have a supportive family to turn to. Our much-needed educational programming, support services, inclusive social events, and welcoming community centers are some of the main ingredients to providing that safe, comfortable place many people do not find at home.
Your support is vital to our success.
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
BEST WISHES TO
Congratulations Robert Zimmerman A Champion of Equality
THE LGBT NETWORK AND OUR DEAR FRIEND
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN IN RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT OF YOUR DEDICATION TO OUR COMMUNITIES
William Bratton and Rikki Klieman PEGGY AND PAUL MAY MARY ELLEN AND ANDY MENDELSOHN
Thank you and best wishes to the remarkable Staff, Leadership, Board, and Volunteers of The LGBT Network! Congratulations Robert, on this tremendous honor!
Performance Consulting
Sue Fredericks, President 516-848-5050
We love you, Robert! Deborah and Earl Potter >> WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
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ALL PROCEEDS OF THE GALA BENEFIT THE LGBT NETWORk
Presented by
nassau: center at woodbury | 20 crossways park dr. n., suite 110, woodbury, ny 11797 | 516.323.0011 suffolk West: center at bay shore | 34 park avenue, bay shore, ny 11706 | 631.665.2300 Suffolk East: the hamptons lgbt center | 44 union street, sag harbor, ny 11963 | 631.899.4950 queens: center at little neck | 58-20 little neck pkwy., little Neck, ny 11362 | 516.323.0011
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>>WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD | CREST HOLLOW COUNTRY CLUB
be scene Night of noise
FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017, LGBT NETWORK CENTER AT BAY SHORE more than 200 youth attended the annual night of noise block party held by long island gay and lesbian youth (ligaly) at the center at bay shore. lgbt and allied youth took part in a macaroni and cheese eating contest, speakout, and bake sale. youth waited patiently on line to spray paint the wall of hate with words they have been bullied with and ended the night by breaking down the wall of hate with a sledgehammer.
TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM NIGHT OF NOISE, PLEASE VISIT FLICKR.COM/LIGLBTNETWORK
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OUT FRONT
Photos Courtesy of Kathy Griffin
Of course Kathy Griffin’s manager asks if our conversation is being recorded – have you heard her talk? Luckily, the celeb-skewering, gay-loving, Trump-hating comedienne’s filterless mouth moves at a meteoric pace, which is good news for anyone who wants to know her thoughts on basically everything: the practicality of celebrity activism, her idea for a My Life on the D-List spinoff and the surprising number of people she meets who say they’ve never encountered a gay person. I caught up with Griffin, who discussed all the above just days after being honored with the Vanguard Award by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on March 12 for her ardent and unwavering role as an ally in the LGBT rights movement. Read on for her insight into what the hell we do – and what she’s doing – now that Donald Trump is running this country. I hear you gave an incredible speech at the 11th annual Crescendo Gala in San Francisco, where you were presented with the Vanguard Award. I did give an impassioned speech. You know, we’re all very, very engaged right now, although the LGBT community is obviously used to being engaged, and now my call to action is to ask the LGBT community to help engage folks that have never been engaged before. Know your local representatives. It’s all about the downballot. You know, stay galvanized. Learn from the Republicans. They stick together no matter what. We can’t be divided. We gotta all stay together. This is it. This is the big one.
Kathy Griffin TO THE RESCUE Activism in Trump’s America, her ‘wet dream’ Kellyanne Conway... and a potential new reality show?! By Chris Azzopardi 48
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You have two Emmys and a Grammy. How would you describe the way those industry honors feel compared to something like the Vanguard Award? This award feels special, because when I found out about the (SF Gay Men’s Chorus) Lavender Pen Tour, I really thought that was a cool thing, as someone who is a touring animal like myself. I did 80 cities last year, and I’m doing 50 cities this year on my Kathy Griffin: Celebrity Run-In Tour to support my book, and what’s so cool is, when I heard that the chorus, which, by the way, is the oldest gay men’s chorus in the world – they have a lot of street cred – were gonna purposefully go to very Trump red states, I was like, “OK, I gotta get on board.” Because I go to those places on a regular basis! I said this in my speech, but I see the Confederate flags on people’s garages when I’m driving gig to gig. What they’re doing is kind of like what I do. I think it’s so great, and I believe in many, many forms of activism, and it’s such a brilliant idea for the chorus to go, “We’re taking this on the road and we’re just literally gonna be a road tour of gay men singing,” so if anybody approaches them or has a problem with them, they’re just gonna look like assholes. What does it mean to you to be an activist and a celebrity with the kind of platform you have in the Trump era? I think people that believe in any kind of nuanced thought, who can handle a thought, know that, yeah, a celebrity can actually provide a real service for a cause. Celebrities sort of apologize all the time, but we’re voting citizens like anybody else. I defend my right to speak about things as a celebrity or as an offensive comic or whatever you wanna call me. I’ve toured this country so many times, and I’ve also performed in Iraq and Afghanistan for the troops. I’ve performed in a prison. I’ve performed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. So, I kind of feel that’s what I bring to the table – that I’m really, really proud of. Every city has a different vibe. I can kind of tell in the first few minutes of the show what they’re gonna be into. But some audiences really want to hear a lot of Trump material, some wanna hear a lot about my
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mom, some wanna hear a lot about, you know, my new neighbors Kim Gloria Vanderbilt in the style to which she is accustomed for the rest of Kardashian and Kanye West (laughs), which is hilarious to all parties. her life, which means forever. Gloria Vanderbilt for president wouldn’t My material is definitely new, so if you’ve seen me five months ago, five be bad! years ago or 10 years ago, you’re definitely gonna see a new show. And even though I’m supporting the book, I’m not, like, just sitting there Gloria and Anderson: 2021? reading from the book. I’m doing all different stuff. I think that’s got a mass appeal that you tapped into and this could be Sometimes in my shows I’ll actually talk about the kind of activism that the new movement. I’m up to, and I’ll try to make it funny. Like, I had a one-day show in Mexico, where, by the way, I spent the whole day apologizing to the What did you think when you discovered that Kellyanne Conway was whole country; I just walked around stage saying, “Lo siento (for) Señor a former “comedian”? Cheeto.” But I bought a bunch of Mexican postcards and those, for Well, she was at, like, a corporate party and she had to get up and do example, are fun to mail to legislators that are maybe not helping the standup. Look, Kellyanne Conway is the perfect example of somebody who’s like a wet dream for me. I mean, first of all, everything about LGBT agenda. You can march, you can call, you can send letters, send her is made for comedy. Everything from the lies that get more insane postcards. every day to her denials, which are hilarious, to the inauguration outfit, The cool thing is, we’re no longer focusing just on Trump, and also, which still haunts me. My theory is maybe she got herself a vindictive I think we’ve written him off as just a crazy person. The other thing gay who just said, “When you go to Gucci, buy the is, elections are every year. We have to stop entire mannequin and wear the whole mannequin.” thinking, “Oh, I’m just gonna be depressed Although the You know how gay people can be. Don’t act till 2020” – no, no. I think if a celebrity says LGBT community innocent. It was a gay man with an agenda going, (something political), I love it. If Katy Perry can “I know how to make the real story here. We’re say, like, here’s a way you can help – these are is obviously used gonna put Kellyanne Conway in a crazy ass red grassroots (efforts) and very much in tune with to being engaged, hat like she’s in Devo. And then we’re gonna give how the LGBT has been rocking it forever. I’m her a Civil War jacket from Gucci that only fucking really tired of these people apologizing. tAnd and now my call Rihanna could have pulled off, and then give her what we’re gonna hear a lot of is, “Well, you to action is to a matching handbag. And don’t forget the gloves, guys are single-agenda” – no, we’re equality. because when she goes and hugs Steven Bannon Equality is for all. “Oh, a trans woman is gonna ask the LGBT you’ve gotta look at the red gloves and then the red molest my kid.” OK, hold back. The last thing a Jenny Boylan or even Caitlyn Jenner wants to community to help alleged meth marks on his face and see which one strikes you as being more patriotic.” do is go into a bathroom because they’re gonna engage folks that – I mean, I can’t even finish the sentence it’s Let me just say: That is one gay agenda I am so ridiculous. have never been behind. And also, by the way, there’s a lot of comedy engaged before in that. There’s a lot of comedy in how some of (Laughs) And I am too, dammit! the Trump voters are kind of coming around a little bit, like not a lot, but some of them. I put a lot of thought into it when Similar to what you’ve done as a touring act, and now what the SF Gay Men’s Chorus is also doing, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is returning I do my messages or calls to action. I don’t want to hit them over the and going to red-state cities that need help. head with it, but if you do it with humor – I still say the greatest protest I mean, look, that’s really the best thing we can all do right now, because sign I’ve ever seen is when my mom was in her wheelchair marching we’ve all decided to live in these weird bubbles, and this administration with me for the repeal of DOMA and her sign was, “Gay marriage – I’ll obviously has a different world or America or whatever they’re doing. drink to that.” So, you know, we could use humor. But the cool thing is, we’re all here doing our thing, and that’s what I love. The Gay Men’s Chorus is going, “OK, this is our reaction; we’re We need humor! gonna go on the road and we’re going to frickin’ Trumpland.” And I We need humor, I think you’re absolutely right. The thing that I hear love that Queer Eye is like, “We’re coming back, but we’re not just now as opposed to a year ago and certainly opposed to five years ago coming back to Manhattan; we’re going to the real America.” It’s gonna is overwhelmingly people saying, “Oh my god, I needed this laugh so be amazing how many people are probably gonna look at them and go, bad,” or, “I’ve been in a ball since the election,” or, “I’m scared that my “You’re the first gay person I’ve ever met.” And I love that to this day I’ll cousin is gonna be deported and I needed a night of laughs.” hear that. I do meet-and-greets, say, at the casino, and to this day I’ll If Trump can get into office, anyone can, apparently. And now Oprah have someone after a show say, “You know, I don’t think I ever met a wants to run. If you could replace Trump with any celebrity in the world, gay person before, but there seems to be a bunch of gay people at your who would you put in the White House? show.” And I always say, “You never met a gay person?” And they’ll go, If I could replace Trump with any celebrity, I would replace him with a “Nope.” And I’ll go, “Well, do you go to church?” And then usually it’s lady named Hillary Rodham Clinton! Because she fucking won. And it’s a little bit of a conversation ender, but I’m just saying, I’m out there in hers. And she’s a celebrity! Well, I mean the obvious joke is, I would the real America, and I’m telling you, there are many, many people in put my dog Larry in the Oval and have a lot more confidence in (him), the real America who think that they’ve never even laid eyes on a gay person. But we’re all gonna get together and go, “Here we are. We’re even though all he does is fart and eat and sleep. here, we’re queer, don’t fucking be scared of us.” Larry for president… and Anderson Cooper for VP? Do you think it’s time D-List makes a comeback too? Yes! I actually think that works for both parties, because you don’t want to make Anderson president because then that’s gonna cut down on Well, I sort of would love to do something similar. I mean, the challenge his modeling. And I want him to be able to take care of the wonderful is, would anyone really let me do a reality show? Because D-List really
“
”
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long island pulse magazine
THE IRONY of
AUGUST 2009: Art and Design Issue
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was unscripted, and now they’re all scripted and you can see them reading a teleprompter in the interviews and stuff. I’d love to do, like, D-List to Legend, where I’m trying to become a legend and I’m trying to surround myself with, I don’t know, Sidney Poitier, Mick Jagger and Cher. Like, all right, maybe I’m not A-list, maybe I’m B, but it’s time for me to become a legend. I think there could be some comedy there. If nobody wants to do it, I’ll just have to be a living legend in my mind and rock my 50-city tour and my bestseller, which Anderson Cooper told me he just read his section and then closed it.
It’s “ important
that the LGBT community keep standing strong.
If you do another reality show, can all your confessionals be like Mariah Carey’s in Mariah’s World with the best lighting and on a settee? Oh my god. I love it. There’s an example of a show that clearly had an agenda to be about her engagement to Packer and then she starts banging the young, hot dancer – Tanaka or whatever his government name is – and then the show becomes about that, and then there’s just a lot of scenes with a lot of airbrush, filters and lighting where Mariah is dancing on her private jet.
”
Speaking of divas, you’re already besties with Cher. Who’s another gay icon you wish you were chummy with? I’ve kind of met most of them by now. Cher is definitely the diva that I’m closest with, but I’m pretty close with Bette, and Bette is super cool, super hardworking and will say anything and yet she has a very classy side. Streisand is definitely a tough cookie and hard to have a conversation with, but being a gay boy, I just love her anyway. Liza is just a dream because she’s just so Liza. But yeah, I love anything that brings divas together. I hosted Divas Live one time on VH1 and that was fantastic. It was like, I’d be in a van going to set – me, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj and, you know, Sugarland. Who do you plan on inviting to your Fire Island viewing party? Well, first of all, the gay mafia is real. I’m a product of it and it exists. So, actually, on the Twitter, I just got a tweet from Jai Rodriguez, the original Queer Eye, saying “overdue for a Kathy Griffin mafia night at her house,” so it’ll be Jai Rodriguez, Chris Colfer from Glee, Lance Bass and their plus-ones, and they’ll all come over to my new house and we’ll sit in my fabulous screening room – and then we’ll watch Feud. But that’s just a typical night for me. Feud is so your show. You must be eating that up. Oh yeah. I’m eating it up almost as much as Jessica (Lange) and Susan (Sarandon) are eating up the scenery. Actually, we all have indigestion from how much eating of the scenery we’re all doing. Ha, I believe it! Well, great to talk to you again, Kathy. Thanks for your time and for being on the frontlines of the gay movement. I feel we’re all kind of reenergized. Our work is not done. But I couldn’t feel like I was in better hands with the LGBT community. I always say this community knows how to litigate and get shit done and get moving and galvanized and get together when the rubber hits the road, and the rubber has hit the road, my friend. So, I’ll see you at the next act of resistance… or we’ll be sharing a jail cell. One or the other. With a TV to watch Feud. (Laughs) That’s all I ask.
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OUT AND ABOUT
Q-Music
by gregg shapiro
LGBT
Pride Playlist
2017
Band Practice When someone asks you who your favorite gay band is, what do you usually answer? Culture Club? Indigo Girls? Queen (led by gay Freddie Mercury)? Fanny? Judas Priest (led by gay leather-clad Rob Halford)? R.E.M. (led by gay Michael Stipe?) The B-52’s? Smokey? Husker Du? Pet Shop Boys? The Murmurs? The Runaways? Erasure? These names only scratch the surface of musical groups featuring all (or mostly) out members. The following are a few more current LGBTQ bands well worth your time and attention.
Led by the brilliant Stephin Merritt, a cross between Stephen Sondheim and David Sedaris, The Magnetic Fields have been making music as a band (in various formations) since the early 1990s. Merritt, who has talent to burn, also has other bands, including Future Bible Heroes, The Gothic Archies and The Sixths, has released solo recordings and has composed film and theater scores. The triple-disc set 69 Love Songs, released in 1999, was one of The Magnetic Fields’ most ambitious and well-received projects. Merritt describes the equally impressive new five-disc set 50 Song Memoir (Nonesuch) as his “autobiography in 50 songs,” one for each year of his life. Disc one covers `66 through `75, disc two covers `76 through `85, and 54
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so on through `15. As delightfully gay as ever, songs such as “Judy Garland” (disc 1), “Why I Am Not a Teenager” (disc 2), “Me and Fred and Dave and Ted” (disc 3), “Lovers’ Lies” (disc 4) and “You Can Never Go Back To New York” (disc 5), are just a few of the welcome additions to The Magnetic Fields’s massive songbook.
At first, when you hear the amazing song “Living in the City,” the second track on The Navigator (ATO) by Hurray for the Riff Raff, you might think you were listening to a new Michelle Shocked album (minus the religious fanaticism and homophobia). But you’d be wrong. Like The Magnetic Fields, Hurray For the Riff Raff is the creation of one person – in this case, Alynda Segarra – working with several guest artists, including Yva Las Vegas. A folk/punk concept album masterpiece, it’s Woody Guthrie meets David Bowie, as pop as it is political. Thrilling and theatrical (“Pa’lante” sounds like an homage to Hedwig’s “Midnight Radio”), international and inspirational (“Rican Beach” and “Finale”) and undeniably powerful (“Hungry Ghost” and “Life to Save),” The Navigator will leave you cheering.
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on the Bathroom Floor”, “End of Desire”, “Around U”, “I Know a Place” and “Loudspeaker”. Songs such as “So Special” and “Promise” sound like 21st century updates of underrated queer Canadian band The Parachute Club (of “Rise Up” fame).
Returning with its first album since 2013’s Tales of Us, Goldfrapp, featuring queer lead vocalist Alison Goldfrapp, delivers the shiny Silver Tree (Mute). The ten tracks effortlessly incorporate the band’s musical styles and directions. Goldfrapp’s dance-club heartbeat pulses throughout “Anymore”, “Everything Is Never Enough”, “Become The One”, and, to a lesser degree “Systemagic”. The synth experimentation for which Goldfrapp is known can be felt on “Moon in Your Mouth”, “Ocean” and “Tigerman”. The band’s warm chill-out side is represented by “Beast That Never Was” and “Faux Suede Drifter”.
Born in the L.A.’s “queer punk underground”, French Vanilla is a feminist punk band that makes the best use of a saxophone and bassline since Romeo Void (of “Never Say Never” fame). The band’s self-titled Danger Collective Records debut channels the `80s through a 21st century lens and amplifier. French Vanilla pays homage to everyone’s favorite telekinetic in “Carrie” and “Anti-Aging Global Warming” (with its “accept your days are numbered mantra”) are a couple of examples of the variety of subject matter.
About U (RCA) by queer female trio MUNA is a blast from the `80s past. From the vocoder on “Winterbreak” to the irresistibly persuasive dance energy of “Crying
Hiraeth (theharmaleighs.com) the new six-song EP by queer “indie Americana” duo The Harmaleighs (creative and personal partners Haley Grant and Kaylee Jesperson) is as soothing as a milk bath. The harmonies are gorgeous (“Diamond Ring” and the difficult “Birds of a Feather”) and the pair is not afraid to crank it up a bit when necessary (the subtle countryrock of “Mouthful of Cigarettes”).
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2017-2018 SEASON JULY 6 AUGUST 27, 2017
SEPTEMBER 14 OCTOBER 29, 2017
NOVEMBER 9 DECEMBER 31, 2017
SEE
JANUARY 18 MARCH 4, 2018
MARCH 15 APRIL 29, 2018
MAY 17 JULY 1, 2018
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LIVING SMART
HOROSCOPES
May 2017
HOROSCOPES
Aries – Y ou’ll make a big hit with a superior who appreciates ambitious people. You’ll realize what works and what can lead others in a more practical direction. Money and presitge are on the way - do a good job now. Capricorn and Cancer people figure prominently.
Taurus – Focus on clearing up difficult situations in work or health. The key is to keep your mind on the big picture and avoid petty or limiting circumstances. A generous gesutre will spread joy to those around you and reflect on you. Gemini – The spotlight is on a new start in your partnership affairs. Someone you work with fascinates you. You’ll want to share new ideas, including creative and romantic thoughts. Don’t be afraid to stand out in a crowd; the general public is looking to you for leadership.
Cancer – Now is the time to trust your intuition rather than direct action. Do more listening than talking, particularly in dealing with the public. Someone will stand up for you; be willing to take advice. Non-conformity is out of place right now. Leo – You’ll be eager for travel and new information. Don’t plunge recklessly into a new endeavor; play the waiting game until you see where your partner, mate or associate is headed. Your sense of humor and ability to laugh at your own foibles can save the month. Gemini plays a key role.
Virgo – Dig deep for the details where money is concerned. Stick to the rules and regulations; your desire to go off on a tangent could only bring chaos. Your inventive mind will see a clear way to overcome a major obstacle. Don’t delegate work.
Libra – Serious conversation leads to deeper commitment. Don’t expect the staus quo; you’ll hear a revelation that lets you make important changes in your love life. In the work world, gain can be made through the written word. Gemini and Virgo play major roles. >>
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BY PSYCHICDEB
Scorpio – Your partner’s money helps you accomplish your aims. Expand your views and fields of interest; publishing, advertising and teaching are valid professional goals. Family influence plays a key role in getting you what you want. Check with a Libra for information. Sagittarius – T his month’s emphasis is on spiritual values and on your philosophy of life. Mystical interests can be pursued to your benefit. You may want to get away from it all and seek a quiet retreat. Keep your personal views to yourself; it is not time to broadcast them. Ask a Pisces about it.
Capricorn – T he spotlight is on your ambition and professional projects. A reasonable responsible attitude helps you reach long-range goals. Tell a high-level executive you want further job training. Organize your material; show power - don’t depend on your inspiration this month.
Aquarius – The accent is on your career, social status and increased recognition. Accept honors graciously. You’ll complete an important project and go onto one of an even wider scope. Success depends on your ability to see a universal view point and reach the masses. Aries leads the way.
Pisces – Avoid a conflict with an authority figure. You’ll have definite new ideas, plans, and a strong mind of your own. Focus on your imagination, creativity and new start in a new direction. A Leo will be impressed by your inventive mind.
IF YOU KNOW YOUR RISING SIGN, CONSULT THE HOROSCOPE FOR THAT SIGN AS WELL. Psychicdeb has been a professional astrologer for over 25 yrs. Self-taught, shebegan her studies in astrology when she was 8 yrs. old learning what she could from her mother’s astrology magazines. As she got older and learned geometry, she searched for books onAstrology and taught herself how to construct a chart. She teaches Astrology for a nominal fee.Psychicdeb also uses the tarot to do psychic readings channeling her spirit guide Helen. Reiki is one of her obsessions. She is a Reiki Master and loves to teach others the benefits of Reiki. Namaste. You can find her at the Original Psychic Fairs on Sundays. A listing of the Fair dates can be found on her website at: www.astro-mate.org LIVING OUT
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