Los Angeles Blade, Volume 09, Issue 04, February 21, 2025

(Photo by Irvin Rivera)

Community leader reflects on loss from the Eaton Canyon

fire one month later

‘Showing up for community is actually very political’

By GISSELLE PALOMERA

Melissa Lopez, 46, was at home with ‘the coven’ – her two dogs Foxy and HoneyBee, and her two cats Stevie Nicks and Dulce – when she got a notification from Southern California Edison saying there might be a possible power shut-off in her area on the morning of Jan. 7.

Lopez lived right off of Lake Ave., in Altadena – a city that sits at the bottom of the Eaton Saddle near Mount Markham and San Gabriel Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest.

The fire stretched across 14,000 acres over the weeks it took to contain it. The latest report released on Jan. 27 by the LA County Fire Dept., listed 17 civilian fatalities, nine firefighter injuries and thousands of threatened, damaged and destroyed structures as casualties of this fire.  Lopez’s was one of the structures that was destroyed shortly after Lopez and her four pets evacuated.

She recalls that she was watching the news about the Pacific Palisades fire when the reporter got notice that there was a fire starting up in Eaton Canyon, announcing it live on the news. At that moment Lopez felt her stomach drop.  “The second I heard that, my stomach just dropped, because when you live in Altadena, you kind of get notices of brush fires all the time. But, I knew this time was different because of the intensity of the wind,” recalls Lopez.

Lopez, whose pronouns are she/they, is a licensed clinical social worker and mental health therapist who works primarily with queer clients in the Los Angeles area. They also have over 100 thousand followers on Instagram as @counseling4allseasons, where they regularly post and repost memes and educational material that is relatable, relevant and helpful for queer, trans, BIPOC, disabled and otherwise marginalized people. Lopez is known as a community leader who has been actively outspoken about issues that are intersectional with race, genocide, immigration, capitalism, patriarchy, queerness and mental healthcare.

At the time of the interview, Lopez was having a particu-

larly hard day as it was the one month mark since the start of the fires that burned through Altadena neighborhoods.

“Today is a hard day. It s the one month anniversary of when I evacuated Altadena,” said Lopez in an interview with LA Blade. “I feel really pissed today. I m pissed that so many things happened that could have been prevented.

Lopez recalls that on Tuesday Jan. 7 when the Santa Ana winds were blowing the strongest, she received the notification about the power possibly being shut off, but during the time leading up to her evacuation, she recalls that the power was never shut off. All the other alerts she received came after the fire had already started.

As she was preparing to evacuate, she says that she was in communication with many of her friends and nearby neighbors.

“It was really confusing because I was texting a couple of people and some were saying they hadn’t received [a notification], while others had,” said Lopez.

At that point, their own instinct and intuition led them to make the ultimate decision to begin evacuating.

“Everything’s kind of a blur, but I started to just grab the dogs and cats,” they said. “So I started getting all of their supplies like their food, litter – everything they use.”

As soon as she was able to find short-term housing through AirBnB, she began organizing a group now led by a colleague of Lopez, to help people who had been directly affected and displaced by the Eaton Canyon fire. In the group, they discussed the experience of making the decision to take the evacuations seriously and begin gathering their belongings. She says she even felt ‘silly’ at some point, because she believed she would just be able to return the following day.

“What I tell people now is that I don’t care how silly you feel. I don’t care if you pack up half your house and feel silly about it. If your house ends up burning down, you will be

so grateful for it because there are so many things I wish I would have taken.

Though Lopez says they don’t remember an exact timeline, they remember seeing the fire move in really fast and by the time she began evacuating it was complete chaos out on the main streets of Pasadena and Altadena because of the hundreds of people evacuating.

“Some of us had gotten notices, some of us warnings, some of us hadn’t,” Lopez recalls the confusing ordeal.

The smoke began to cloud the area so Lopez put her dogs into her car, but struggled to get her cats into a carrier and one of them was almost too scared to grab. She was able to make it out of the danger zone with all four of the members of ‘the coven,’ as she likes to call them.

“I had a friend who was going to take us in who lives in San Marino and driving there is basically a straight shot, but because it was so windy, some trees had fallen over and some of the [street] lights were out, so it was all really chaotic.”

Lopez believes that the community support she has received since the evacuations has gotten through the hardest parts of the experience. Mutual aid came to Lopez’s rescue during this difficult time. Navigating the resources and legal assistance was incredibly difficult because of the stress, trauma and grief she is still currently experiencing.

The Eaton Canyon fire burned through a large part of Altadena, an area that is predominantly and historically Black, Latinx and working-class.

“I think it’s important for folks to remember that showing up for community is actually very political,” said Lopez. “I want to encourage people to show up and even if you don’t know people, show up. Even if you don’t f*cking like people, show up.”

Lopez says they are very grateful for the community that showed up for them and that it is not only important to show up for this current disaster, but for everything marginalized communities are currently facing. They received many messages on IG from people offering their support in a variety of ways and that was all impactful to Lopez. They say that a lot of the support they received was from people they directly and personally knew, but a lot of it also came from people who were complete strangers.

In Lopez’s case, she was able to get her monthly rent for January and security deposit returned. She says she realizes that this is not the case for most people who are also navigating the aftermath of this disaster.

“I do want to highlight that I think tenants are having a really hard time because a lot of the resources and a lot of the support goes to homeowners and that is obviously a huge class issue,” said Lopez. “One thing I tell people now is get the f*cking renters insurance.”

The cause of the fire that took weeks to fully contain is still under investigation and many renters and homeowners await answers from insurance companies on their long path toward justice and permanent housing.

MELISSA LOPEZ, 46, (she/they) is surrounded by her coven, which consists of her two dogs and two cats.

The aftermath of the fire on the property that Lopez rented a back house in. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Lopez)

15 LGBTQ+ gaming characters and their social impact

Approximately 1 in 5 gamers identify as LGBTQIA+

By ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

Last year, GLAAD’s Gaming Report shared that one in five active gamers identify as LGBTQ+. Even with such a large demographic of niche gamers, the gaming industry has less than 2% of queer representation in characters or storylines. Still, the gaming industry remains one of the top powerhouse forces in the entertainment industry with global revenue exceeding filmed entertainment and recorded music combined.

When a single queer character can generate 1.5 million Instagram posts, it sends a powerful message to developers and publishers that authentic LGBTQ+ representation drives engagement, builds community, and creates lasting cultural impact. Social media data doesn’t lie. These queer characters are not just being tolerated, they are being celebrated as figureheads, creating queer fellowship through fan art, message boards, and posts. The gaming industry can no longer ignore the need of including queer characters in their products. It isn’t just about diversity, it is about spending dollars and social media popularity. The data can’t be ignored. Despite the lack of representation, the younger generation of queer gamers are forging a strong voice. The Gen Z generation continues to engage in more time gaming than watching traditional television. Gen Z’ers are also becoming the voice of social media and LGBTQ+ gamers are responsible for millions of social media interactions when it comes to video games.

90% of Gen Z engage with video games in some form and 22.3% of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+. Mobile Premier League, a leading gaming platform in the US, just completed an analysis using Instagram hashtag data to determine the fifteen LGBTQ+ gaming characters who have made the most significant impact on players and the industry.

Here are the leading queer characters on Instagram and their social impact:

1. Athena (Borderlands)

Identity: Lesbian

With approximately 1.5 million Instagram posts, Athena serves as one of gaming’s most celebrated LGBTQ+ characters. Fans consider her relationship with Janey Springs to represent an authentic lesbian experience that is complex and has a place in the action-packed narrative. Her sexuality is just a natural part of who she

is, and not done with pomp and circumstance. Her character is deemed as transcending stereotypes.

2. Tracer (Overwatch)

Identity: Lesbian

Garnering over 800,000 Instagram posts, Tracer’s sexuality was revealed in the franchise’s holiday comic. Her relationship with Emily proved that heroes can come from all identities. Tracer’s storyline was been integrated naturally into the overall story. She has become a symbol of inclusion in the competitive world of gaming.

3. Ellie Williams (The Last of Us)

Identity: Lesbian

With nearly 400,000 Instagram posts, Ellie’s relationship with Dina won gamers over with the positivity and energy of young love amid difficult situations. Their storyline resonates with gamers and again, her sexuality is a natural part of the story.

4. Ciri (The Witcher)

Identity: Bisexual

Approaching 350,000 Instagram posts, the character of Ciri shows how fantasy can easily incorporate queer representation. Gamers are attracted to her strong character and find themselves reflected in her journey.

5. Soldier 76 (Overwatch)

Identity: Gay

With over 330,000 Instagram posts, Soldier 76 breaks down stereotypes regarding older gay male characters in the gaming world. The backstory of his relationship humanizes this hero and challenges the norm as to what a strong leader in the military can be.

6. Alphys (Undertale)

Identity: Bisexual

Generating over 267,000 Instagram posts, Alphys deals with themes of anxiety and self-discovery. She is the nervous, cool geek that gamers can associate with. Her character has also led celebrations of body diversity in the gaming world.

7. Max Caulfield (Life is Strange)

Identity: Bisexual

With more than 170,000 Instagram posts, Max has become a major figurehead regarding bisexual representation. Sexual fluidity is explored and reflects the lack of labels that Gen Z’ers adhere to. Players have the choice to explore Max’s identity and, in turn, can explore their own self-discovery.

8. Eivor (Assassin’s Creed)

Identity: Bisexual

With over 116,000 Instagram posts, the character of Eivor has made significant progress in representation in major blockbuster games. Gender roles in historical situations are explored and players can choose romance options. This sends a signal to other major game titles that sexuality can be explored.

9. Bridget (Guilty Gear-Strive-)

Identity: Transgender

With approximately 115,000 Instagram posts, Bridget’s journey as a transgender character has incited major conversations regarding gender identity. Her character has had an evolution over multiple games, ultimately coming out as trans.

10. Leliana (Dragon Age: Origins)

Identity: Bisexual

Generating nearly 48,000 Instagram posts, Leliana’s character in Dragon Age explores themes of religion and queer identity. With so many of the queer community negatively affected by religion, this game explores the idea that spirituality and queer identity can both exist.

11. Tiny Tina (Borderlands 2)

Identity: Lesbian

With over 41,000 Instagram posts, Tiny Tina represents youthful LGBTQ+ representation. Her coming out was matter-offact, and not made sensational. This natural integration of sexuality in the game is a step towards normalizing queer identity in the gaming world.

12. Zagreus (Hades)

Identity: Bisexual Polyamorous

With around 34,000 Instagram posts, Zagreus celebrates bisexuality and polyamory. The younger generation is ready for more diverse portrayals and open exploration of love and sex.

13. Dorian Pavus (Dragon Age: Inquisition)

Identity: Gay

With 18,000 Instagram posts, Dorian’s story resonates with queer folk who have been rejected by their family. It addresses the reality that many queer people face and the fear that many have in coming out for fear of losing their family.

14. Alex Chen (Life is Strange: True Colors)

Identity: Bisexual

Generating nearly 12,000 Instagram posts, Alex Chen celebrates both Asian culture and bisexuality. Her empathic powers reflect her sexual fluidity in being emotionally intelligent. This also shows the power of intersectionality.

15. FL4K (Borderlands 3)

Identity: Nonbinary

With over 10,000 Instagram posts, FL4K has become an AI patron saint to the nonbinary community. This character has sparked a lot of conversation about identity and expression. The popularity of FL4K has encouraged other game makers to include non-binary representation in their products.

The demographics of gamers are changing and the queer contingent has gained an instrumental voice in making major changes in a previously historically heteronormative genre.

Gaming graphic (Image by Mobile Premier League)

Judge poised to strike down Trump’s anti-trans military ban

A federal judge appears poised to strike down a policy expected this week from the Trump administration’s Department of Defense that would bar transgender service members from the military.

Judge Ana Reyes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia heard arguments on Tuesday challenging President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order that directed the Pentagon to update its policies “regarding trans-identifying medical standards for military service and to rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.”

While she held off on issuing an order pending the agency’s issuance of a final guidance in line with the EO, Reyes said the “greatest fighting force that world history has ever seen” would not be impacted “in any way by less than one percent of the soldiers using a different pronoun than others might want to call them.”

“Smarter people on the D.C. Circuit would have to tell me I’m wrong” about the effort to ban trans service members, she said, adding that the central premise supporting the ban, that only two genders exist, is not “biologically correct.”

“I could not be more honored to represent these extraordinarily accomplished and committed service members,” Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders

(GLAD Law), told the Washington Blade.

“I am hopeful about getting this degrading and demanding Order halted,” she said. “Today’s hearing showed how valuable transgender service members have been to the military.”

Levi added, “The government cannot justify discharging transgender troops who have honorably served our country for years.”

GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, together with Wardenski P.C., are representing the plaintiffs in their case, Talbott v. Trump. The two groups previously served as co-counsel in Equality California’s case challenging the first Trump administration’s 2017 anti-trans military ban, which was blocked from taking effect for nearly two years by multiple federal courts.

Reyes on Tuesday pressed Justice Department attorney Jason Lynch, who was defending the policy, on the transgender soldiers who filed the lawsuit, asking him “Are they honorable, truthful, and disciplined?”

“As far as I know, among them, they have over 60 years of military service,” she said. “And you would agree that together, the plaintiffs have made America safer?”

“I would agree, yes,” Lynch said.

“We are dealing with the president of the United States calling a group of people who have served their country, who, you have told me, have made America safer, calling

them liars,” said Reyes, an appointee of former President Joe Biden.

“This is a policy of the president of the United States that is affecting thousands of people, carte blanche, without any support that has been given by anyone,” she added. “How is that anything other than showing animus?”

The hearing is expected to resume on Wednesday as Reyes considers whether to issue a preliminary injunction halting implementation of the order pending the outcome of the litigation. Another is scheduled for March 3, after the formal policy by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is due.

A second group of transgender service members represented by Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign filed a separate challenge against Trump’s EO earlier this month in a federal court in Washington State.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Trump’s trans erasure arrives at Nat’l Park Service

President Trump’s efforts at erasing trans identity intensified last week as employees at the National Park Service were instructed to remove the “T” and “Q” from “LGBTQ” from all internal and external communications.

The change was first noticed on the website of the Stonewall National Monument; trans people of color were integral to the events at Stonewall, which is widely viewed as the kickoff of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The Stonewall National Monument is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history.

Reaction to that move was swift. New York City Council member Erik Bottcher wrote, “The Trump administration has erased transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. We will not allow them to erase the very existence of our siblings. We are one community!!”

The Blade reached out to the National Park Service for comment on the trans erasure and received a curt response that the agency is implementing Trump’s executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” as well as agency directives to end all DEI initiatives.

But what most didn’t realize is that the removal of the “T” and “Q” (for transgender and queer) extends to all National Park Service and Interior Department communications, raising concerns that the move could jeopardize future LGBTQ monuments and project work.

The question being debated internally now, according to a knowledgable source, is what to do with a massive LGBTQ Theme Study, which as of Feb. 14 was still available on the NPS website. In 2014, the Gill Foundation recognized an omission of historic LGBTQ sites in the nation’s records, and the organization made a grant to the National Park Service to commission a first-of-itskind LGBTQ Theme Study, which was published in 2016. It was a landmark project that represented major progress for the LGBTQ community in having our contributions included in the broader American story, something that is becoming increasingly difficult given efforts like “Don’t Say Gay” laws that ban the teaching of LGBTQ topics in schools.

A source told the Blade that National Park Service com-

munications staff suggested that removing chapters of the 2016 Theme Study that pertain to transgender people might placate anti-trans political appointees. But one employee pushed back on that, suggesting instead that the entire Theme Study be removed. Editing the document to remove one community’s contributions and perspective violates the academic intent of the project, according to the source. A final decision on how to proceed is expected soon.

Meanwhile, a protest is planned for Friday, Feb. 14 at noon at Christopher Park in New York City (7th Ave. S. and Christopher Street). The protest is being planned by staff at the Stonewall Inn.

“The Stonewall Inn and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative are outraged and appalled by the recent removal of the word ‘transgender’ from the Stonewall National Monument page on the National Park Service website,” the groups said in a statement. “Let us be clear: Stonewall is transgender history. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans and gender-nonconforming individuals fought bravely, and often at great personal risk, to push back against oppressive systems. Their courage, sacrifice, and leadership were central to the resistance we now celebrate as the foundation of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.”

FROM STAFF REPORTS

President DONALD TRUMP (Blade photo by Michael Key)

NYC Pride participants in front of the Stonewall Inn in 2019. (File photo by Andrew Nasonov)

Federal workers, trans service members cope with Trump attacks

‘We could very easily be entering a Lavender Scare 2.0’

By JOE REBERKENNY

Since President Trump signed a series of executive orders rolling back federal worker protections, advocacy groups are ringing alarm bells signaling this could disproportionately impact more than 300,000 LGBTQ federal workers.

Trump has so far signed 65 executive orders, most of which attempt to shrink the size of the federal government and restructure how it works to better suit his interests. Of those 65 executive orders passed, at least six directly target LGBTQ people, one outright bans transgender people from serving in the military, and another ends all government efforts at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

A study conducted in January by the Williams Institute, a research center that focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, showed that “one in ten LGBTQ adults are employed by the public sector,” with higher numbers of LGBTQ people working in federal government bureaus, the USPS, and as government contractors. This means that Trump’s orders could be particularly dangerous for LGBTQ Americans, potentially displacing hundreds of thousands of queer federal workers.

The Blade spoke with an LGBTQ executive branch employee who works directly with one of the resource groups targeted by the Trump administration to understand how these orders are being implemented internally. The source, fearing retaliation, requested anonymity.

“We had established lots of different things that were positive for LGBTQI+ employees to make sure that our identities were respected,” the source said. “What some folks may see as a simple thing like the allowance for pronouns in email signatures and the use of inclusive language, all those kinds of things are kind of in limbo right now. It’s fully expected to be said [by the Trump administration] that these things can’t be utilized anymore.”

The source noted that the public often misunderstands the role of these resource groups, making it harder to justify the need for such positions. A common misconception is that groups promoting DEI exist solely to hire minorities. Although part of their mission involves reaching historically underrepresented communities, their work extends far beyond recruitment, playing a crucial role in fostering inclusive workplace cultures and supporting employees.

“It’s just about creating that level playing field environment to make sure that you are doing the best for your organization to attract the best talent, and then the knowledge that it’s not just any one demographic that is best suited for a certain role,” they said. “Let me be very clear: It’s not about quotas, it’s not about checking boxes. It’s not about hiring one person on anything other than qualification over another. It’s about making sure that we’re looking at places where we may be missing opportunities for not just qualified candidates, but the best and brightest. And sometimes that means adjusting your recruitment style.”

This ongoing attack on DEI, as well as other efforts to promote inclusivity and fairness within the government by the twice-impeached president is a borrowed tactic from another infamous Republican who weaponized demagoguery to consolidate power — Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

“We could very easily be entering a Lavender Scare 2.0,” the source continued. “I mean, when you’re asking employ-

ees to rat on each other, basically, for anybody who might be involved in anything surrounding this work, it’s not unknown that a majority of folks who do diversity, equity, and inclusion work are members of minority, marginalized communities. It just painted a big target on the back of all those people.”

When asked to speculate on what they think this could mean for the roughly three million federal workers, the source said it could lead to a chilling effect where LGBTQ employees either face direct removal or feel compelled to leave due to a hostile work environment.

“I see an exodus coming — whether it is forced or voluntary,” said the source. “I don’t see with all the progress that’s been made over the last two decades people willing to stay working for an organization where they don’t feel like they’re safe. If you feel like you don’t have the psychological safety to do your job, and you’re worried about whether you’re gonna get fired, it kind of kills your psychological availability to do your job. People are not engaged.”

Colonel Bree Fram, the highest-ranking out transgender officer in the Department of Defense, who spoke to the Blade in her personal capacity and does not speak on behalf of the U.S. government or military, agreed with the source’s thoughts on inclusive spaces being critical for the success of government work and safety.

“Any policy that excludes a class of individuals is inherently damaging to national security, because if those individuals can meet the standards of the service, if they can accomplish the mission that they’ve been given, they are participating in a way that makes us stronger,” Fram said. “We create better solutions from a diverse set of perspectives that allows us to accomplish the mission in ways that support national security objectives. So if there is a transgender service member out there excluded merely for who they are, rather than their ability to complete their mission it’s an issue for our national security today and far into the future, because we have thousands of transgender service members actively accomplishing the mission today. They are doing so in a way that meets, or, in most cases, exceeds the standards, because they are highly capable, competent warriors that have learned their skill set and mastered their craft over decades, they are crushing it on behalf of the United States and in upholding their oath to the Constitution.”

The executive branch source echoed that sentiment. Both sources agree that the removal of these policies has the real potential to harm the government’s ability to function as a resource for its people.

“It takes a special type of person to work for the government,” the source said. “You’re not going to get rich. You’re not going to make as much money, generally. In the private sector you would, especially for folks who work in some of these specialized areas. Why would you want to work somewhere that you’re going to go nowhere, and no matter how hard you work, you’re not going to get anything?”

Not only do government employees feel they can’t perform at a professional level with these executive orders, some have expressed that they fear for the personal lives of LGBTQ staff members now too.

“People are concerned,” Fram said. “People are worried about what will happen to people that they work with. When

any leader sees someone in their organization having a difficult time or having something outside of what they need to focus on to accomplish their duties, it is our responsibility as a leader to help that person through those issues. That is what leaders within the military, I believe, are seeing right now. They see members of their military family hurting and concerned about what their future may be. As a leader, we want to take care of people so that they can take care of the mission and having to spend resources to take care of people when they are hurt is very important, but it is also time consuming, and takes us away from things that we do need to be focused on.”

To find “things that we need to focus on,” is easier said than done. Fram said that for LGBTQ members of the federal workforce, specifically trans members of the military, it’s not only the fight against unjust actions and rhetoric from Trump, but also internally within the service members themselves.

“The challenge all of us face is, how do we determine and know our own self worth?” Fram asked. “Do we let an outside source define who we are? For transgender people, that is a deep strength of ours. … We know what to focus on. We know that we are who we are. We exist, and it is our deep duty and responsibility to care about future generations and protecting and defending our freedoms.”

When asked how to support people in these groups as workplace inclusion shifts away from being a standard part of their professional environment, Fram had a simple answer: listen to those who are being excluded.

“I believe the most powerful thing any of us have is our story,” Fram said. “Our story of courage and commitment and development and capability, how we serve, how we accomplish the missions that we’ve been given. So the best thing people can possibly do right now is share our stories, connect with our humanity, understand who we are in reality, not the rhetoric being used to demonize us. Trans people are a small portion of the population, so it’s easy to hate who you don’t know or don’t understand or have never met. So meet a trans person, read their story, share their story, and your perceptions may change.”

The Blade reached out to the Trump-Vance administration for comment but did not receive a response.

In the long run, Fram explained, vilifying and marginalizing people for who they are ultimately harms the cohesive team dynamics essential to achieving a common goal — whether on the battlefield or in the boardroom.

“What we’ve learned from countless examples through history, for trans people, for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals, and for other groups, anyone really who had to hide a piece of their identity in order to serve,” Fram said. “You cannot be as effective as you can be when you are spending energy hiding who you are. That’s a concern I have as more people pull back and have to hide a portion of who they are. We lose some of that cohesion within teams, because that energy that you have to spend on protecting yourself could be dedicated to building the cohesive relationships around you that foster teams that become incredibly successful. That’s one of the things where people being authentic serves the purposes of the military. It builds those strong bonds that allow teams to function effectively and accomplish their wartime mission.”

ISAAC AMEND

is a writer based in the D.C. area. He is a transgender man and was featured in National Geographic’s “Gender Revolution” documentary. He serves on the board of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia. Contact him at isaac.amend35@ gmail.com or on Instagram at @literatipapi.

Let’s talk about trans passing privilege It enables some to access better jobs while holding others back

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about Caitlyn Jenner. This friend works in a conservative offi ce environment and she noted that some of her coworkers actually seemed to “welcome” Caitlyn as a trans person because Caitlyn passes relatively well as a woman and is a wealthy Republican.

A couple years earlier, as I was prepared to marry into a South Asian, Indian family with many conservative uncles, my other friend noted that I was very “digestible” to the family and had an easy time “fi tting in” because I passed so well as a man.

PHONE 310-230-5266

E-MAIL arodriguez@losangelesblade.com

INTERNET losangelesblade.com

PUBLISHED BY Los Angeles Blade, LLC

PUBLISHER

ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

arodriguez@losangelesblade.com, 310-230-2077 x8080

EDITORIAL

EDITOR

GISSELLE PALOMERA

gpalomera@losangelesblade.com, 310-230-5266 x 9460

NATIONAL EDITOR

KEVIN NAFF

kna @washblade.com, 202-747-2077 x8088

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

KAREN OCAMB

karenocamb@losangelesblade.com

CONTRIBUTORS

MICHAEL K. LAVERS, TINASHE CHINGARANDE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZALEZ, PARKER PURIFOY, CHRISTOPHER KANE, AUSTIN MENDOZA, JOHN PAUL KING, JOEY DIGUGLIELMO, CHRIS JOHNSON, LOU CHIBBARO JR., REBEKAH SAGER, JON DAVIDSON, SUSAN HORNIK, CHANNING SARGENT, SAMSON AMORE, CHRISTOPHER CAPPIELLO, MICHAEL JORTNER, DAN ALLEN, SEAN SHEALY, SCOTT STIFFLER, RHEA LITRÉ

SALES & ADMINISTRATION

SALES EXECUTIVE

SHANA WONG SOLARES

swong@losangelesblade.com, 808-386-0872

MARKETING DIRECTOR

STEPHEN RUTGERS

srutgers@washblade.com, 202-747-2077 x8077

NATIONAL ADVERTISING

RIVENDELL MEDIA

sales@rivendellmedia.com, 212-242-6863

It’s time that we talk about passing privilege and passing in the trans community in very honest and specifi c terms. I’ve found, over the years, that the way people perceive my body and how I present myself to the world matters substantially. When I was a cisgender woman who wore pearl earrings and ran cross country I was the object of desire to many men (and women). I had an easy time dating and fi nding romantic partners.

Suddenly, when I presented as nonbinary, people didn’t see me as a man but as someone who posed less of a threat to them. I was weak in the eyes of others: no longer a pretty girl, but still not a full grown man, some people made fun of me, and often got my pronouns wrong.

When I went on testosterone, though, and adopted a deep voice and muscular stature, and passed fully as a man, I was feared by other cis men who had seen me as nonbinary. In fact, I was feared by many. It’s sometimes scary to see a trans man pass so well. In the current day, when I sometimes tell some bar revelers that I am trans, they give me a look of disbelief, and are often stupefi ed in mild terror.

I will never forget one experience I had in the parking lot of

my apartment building. At around midnight, I was walking to my car in the darkness and saw a woman in heels coming my way. She couldn’t see me, so I let out a cough to let her know that someone was nearby. It was the wrong move. My deepvoiced cough scared her and she winced. Looking back on it, there was no way to make her feel placated, which is what I wanted her to feel. Indeed, I wanted the woman to feel safe, because I had been a woman one time walking in such scenarios. In hindsight, though, there was nothing to do to make her feel safe. I would have startled her either way.

A few years later, when I married into an Indian family, I was “digestible” to some of the conservative uncles. As a man who had top surgery and looks fully like his presenting gender, I was accepted easily into the family, with a Yale degree to amp up my name. I wonder, though, if people in this Indian family would have accepted me if I didn’t pass so well.

Passing privilege allows trans people who pass well to access better jobs, socialize in more cisgender circles, and get accepted by a traditional South Asian family. But passing privilege isn’t fair. Not one bit of it is just or right. Unfortunately, it’s going to take years and even decades for society to accept nonbinary people and other trans people who don’t pass so well. And it’s going to take even more time in the wake of the Trump administration. All we can do, in the current moment, is to fi ght harder for our rights and attend protests in cities across the country.

ADMINISTRATION

PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com, 202-747-2077 x8092

CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION

AZERCREATIVE.COM

DISTRIBUTION

CHRISTOPHER JACKSON, 562-826-6602

All material in the Los Angeles Blade is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Los Angeles Blade. e sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. e appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. Although the Los Angeles Blade is supported by many ne advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted

are available from the Los Angeles Blade ofce only. Call for rates. If you cannot reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 26-week mailed subscription for $125 per year or $5.00 per single issue. Checks can be sent to Phil Rockstroh at prockstroh@washblade.com.

ADELE P. KIMMEL

is director of the Students’ Civil Rights Project at Public Justice, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization. In November 2024, Public Justice filed a federal lawsuit challenging South Carolina’s anti-trans “bathroom law.”

Destroying Dept. of Education an attack on every family Federal

funds should not be held hostage from schools

Linda McMahon, a MAGA billionaire tapped by President Trump to lead the Department of Education, testified last week before the Senate and made her intentions crystal clear.

Trump and his unelected cronies have not been shy about their mission to destroy public education. Barely 24 hours before McMahon’s hearing, Trump said he wanted to close the Department of Education “immediately,” calling it “a big con job.”

We need to take him at his word. His vision for the department is a con job. McMahon’s nomination is a heist in action. Trump wants to con students out of their legal rights. He wants to steal federal funds from millions of children, teachers, and schools around the country. He wants to rob us all of a core mission of the Department of Education: upholding equal opportunity for every child.

Running the Department of Education should not be a “con job” as our president has so bluntly stated. But McMahon proved in her hearing today that she plans to execute that vision. When pressed, she would not commit to upholding the law should Trump compel her to break it. She also said teaching Black history could risk violating Trump’s dangerous “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” order. In short, McMahon proved she will be another spineless minion in Trump’s Cabinet of lackeys.

We know what this agenda will do to kids. Destroying the Department of Education — a critical civil rights agency — is an attack on every child, family, and person who believes in equal opportunity in this country. McMahon’s contempt for students, public schools, and the laws that uphold equal opportunity will derail millions of lives.

We have seen this derailment up close representing transgender students targeted by bathroom bans in South Carolina. Children are spending their formative years being harassed by school administrators and lawmakers intent on legislating cruelty. They are getting physically ill because they can’t use the bathroom that aligns with who they are, and it is pushing them out of school and away from their friends.

Transgender students shouldn’t be barred from bathrooms or athletics. Being transgender isn’t an “ideology,” it’s reality. And teaching Black history is not “radical indoctrination.” Federal funds should not be held hostage from schools who dare to uphold students’ civil rights. And the Department of Education shouldn’t be weaponized to attack students whose rights it is supposed to protect.

But from what we saw last week, McMahon would unleash this kind of discrimination in every school. This is why we do the work that we do at Public Justice: to fight this kind of hateful agenda.

McMahon might think she can buy her way into Trump’s Cabinet, but our children’s future is not for sale. We at Public Justice strongly oppose McMahon’s nomination as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education because protecting our students is not a “con job,” it’s the key to all our futures.

David Archuleta celebrates his ‘Freedom’

‘American Idol’ alum channels George Michael with latest single

Even the rain couldn’t keep the crowds away as “American Idol” alum David Archuleta took the stage at The Abbey in West Hollywood, celebrating the release of his latest single “Freedom” – an homage to George Michael’s iconic anthem. “Freedom” comes on the heels of the 35th anniversary of the original song and it couldn’t be more timely as the LGBTQ community continues to face political persecution. The song celebrates Archuleta’s newfound freedom after coming out and dealing with a complicated relationship with his Mormon upbringing, while exploring his sexuality.

Archuleta happens to have been born the year Michael released “Freedom.” His music served as an inspiration in Archuleta’s coming out. Michael’s music took on new meaning for Archuleta, celebrating a freedom that he craved for himself growing up. Being able to pay homage to Michael is a testament to the personal growth Archuleta experienced since coming out in an Instagram post in 2021.

“I’m finally free from worrying about what is right. Does that look okay? Am I within the lines I’m supposed to? None of that really matters. Of course, we want to still be good, but the things I thought I needed to do, or the way I had to behave or act or say or think to be good, I now realize was a construct that someone else had. They were very black and white and the community that I was in created this safe little space that worked to an extent for certain people,” said Archuleta in an interview with LA Blade.

“Now I realize that they didn’t have all the answers that they told me and convinced me that they had. Sexuality, especially when it comes to queerness, is not what they thought it was. I can go ahead and live my own life now and it’s okay to explore that sexuality and sensuality. I’m an adult. It’s the freedom to explore yourself and also create a new identity in yourself after trying to live someone else’s idea of what you’re supposed to be your whole life up until your 30s.”

Archuleta’s vocals are soulful and mature here. He pays homage to the original, but also makes it his own.

“I thought it was a great message to tap into. It is an iconic song with an iconic video and quite the story that he had. He was a pop star, a heartthrob, and didn’t choose to come out. He got outed and he just owned it. There could have been a lot of other ways to go about that and I feel like the way he did it was so powerful and made him even more legendary because he really tapped into his sensuality and continued to consistently be one of the greatest pop stars in the world,” said Archuleta.

“I tried to stay pretty true to his version. At first, we actually made a dance version of it but decided to backtrack from it and say, you know what? This is George’s legacy and it’d probably just be better to just stay true to his energy that he put into it. And also stay more true to my energy. I decided to stay true to an MTV unplugged version that he did with a choir. I have gospel roots. I still love gospel music even though I don’t believe in it and what it’s saying and the messaging like I did before,” he reflected.

“It used to be everything for me, the performance in the emotion and the way you connect in your core to singing. I thought it was a beautiful way to combine my two passions of

By ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

moving forward and being free, but also loving the soul in music. I felt like there was some great soul energy in there. I was able to get really gritty, even get a lot of growling, something I haven’t done for quite a while, I feel like in my music,” he said. “Freedom” comes at a time when everyday LGBTQ rights are being called into question. The timing is not lost on Archuleta.

“I think it’s unfortunate that the LGBTQ+ community always has to be targeted because of being a smaller group. Living our lives does not really enter fear with anyone else. But because fear-mongering works in the news, it works in politics, it works in rallying people behind someone to feel like they have to fight this cause. They are blaming the community for issues and fear-mongering and feeling like the queer community’s a threat to families and to religion. When a lot in the queer community are religious. They are actively participating and fully believing and are a part of families. They have children of their own. It’s just strange that politics click baits and instills fear to not take responsibility for the real issues that are actually impacting people. We were making great progress. It was so much easier for me to come out when I did versus when George Michael came out and now it’s back to a place where the fearmongering is getting people, especially the trans community.”

Archuleta’s personal journey continues to evolve. He has certainly thrown off the shackles of being branded as the innocent Mormon kind on American Idol.

“I don’t really know what my brand is anymore. I think as I

release “Freedom,” it’s kind of like a rebranding. I’m still me, but I’m still also evolving. I feel like I’ve changed so much in the last two years. I’m having a fun time. I keep trying to push my boundaries and say yes to things that I wouldn’t have before. Even to the point where I’m writing songs and writers will be like, “David Archuleta can’t say that!” I’m like, well, I just did and I’m David Archuleta. But people sometimes feel weird and I guess it’s because I’ve always been squeaky clean. I’m not a Mormon anymore. I’m out and I don’t really have this religious ideology that I have to abide by. I am David, but I don’t have the same limits on me that I had before.”

Archuleta has more new music on the way and this summer, he will release his memoir. Writing his book was bittersweet, revisiting his past came with a few bumps along the way.

“I feel like it was traumatic. I had to take breaks. It’s like opening Pandora’s box going into your childhood because I feel like sometimes I’m too honest. You see some of the faulty programming that you still have wired in you and you kind of question like, why am I still abiding by that? If it happened so long ago, why am I still letting it affect me? Why is it still part of my belief? I’ve had to work through a lot and it’s been a more difficult process than I thought it would,” he said.

“I thought it’d be hard to write because I didn’t know what I was going to talk about. But that wasn’t the hard part. What’s hard is processing the emotions, the anger, the grief, the anxiety, the traumatic responses you have. But it’s been good. I’ve definitely processed a lot of my religious things. I’ve processed a lot of my internalized homophobia and just sexuality in general. It’s been interesting to reflect on the root of all of those things. And not just ideologies, but just realizing it’s not just a belief, it’s sometimes your genetics that make you the person you are. A lot of good self-reflection for sure,” he continued.

Archuleta’s fanbase continues to thrive along with each evolution the singer has gone through. He is grateful for his fans and his mission to remain true to himself is also for his fans. There is sincerity and truth at the heart of his music.

“To my fans, thank you for being here still and for enjoying what I’m doing, for cheering me on as I grow, as I fumble. I didn’t think fumbling and making mistakes was okay to do. I thought that for some reason if you make mistakes, you’re supposed to be unforgivable. And to see how forgiving of a following I have to let me learn and to experiment and to explore. That’s why I relate to George Michael’s “Freedom” because he had to explore in front of people. And of course, you want to keep parts of your life private, that’s what I prefer. But sometimes things just end up being people’s knowledge that you don’t even know, like processing religion and coming out, sexuality and dating and getting to know people and even learning how to be physical with someone,” he said.

“I’m going to continue trying to figure myself out. But for people to be excited and for me to finally have this part of time of my life is great. I just hope we continue having fun, unleashing more, and freely being ourselves and giving us the grace to figure that out even if it takes some time,” he concluded.

DAVID ARCHULETA’s ‘Freedom’ is now streaming on all major music platforms. (Photo credit Irvin Rivera)

Gay men’s chorus of los angeles

MAR. 22–23 Saban Theatre

Glenn Campbell forgive us...it’s time for Country Music to get the GMCLA treatment! Turn the dial up, get out your sequin-studded chaps, and head on down to the Saban. The Chorus will sashay and sway to the legends, ladies, and icons of Country including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Johnny Cash, Chris Stapleton, Billy Ray Cyrus, and more! We’ll spotlight artists changing the face of Country, and its hippest and gayest artists and allies such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Brandi Carlile, Lil Nas X, and Chappell Roan . And there’ll be production numbers that make this is a true GMCLA extravaganza— from Shania’s Twain’s “Man I Feel Like A Woman” to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club!”

A cat and its comrades ride to adventure in breathtaking ‘Flow’ Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis directs animated fantasy adventure

By JOHN PAUL KING

Sometimes, life changes overnight, and there’s nothing to do but be swept away by it, trying to navigate its currents with nothing to help you but sheer instinct and the will to survive.

Sound familiar? It should; most lives are at some point met with the challenge of facing a new personal reality when the old one unexpectedly ceases to exist. Losing a job, a home, a relationship: any of these experiences require us to adapt, often on the fly; welllaid plans fall by the wayside and the only thing that matters is surviving to meet a new challenge tomorrow.

When such catastrophes are communal, national, or even global, the stability of existence can be erased so completely that adaptation feels nearly impossible; the “hits” just keep on coming, and we’re left reeling in a constant state of panicked uncertainty. That might sound familiar, too.

If so, you likely realize that there’s little comfort to be found in most of the entertainments we seek for distraction, outside of the temporary respite provided by thinking about something else for a while — but there are some entertainments that can work on us in a deeper way, too, and perhaps provide us with something that feels like hope, even when we know there is no chance of returning to the world we once knew.

“Flow” is just such an entertainment.

Directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis from a screenplay co-written with Matīss Kaža, this independently-produced, five-and-a-half-year-in-the-making animated fantasy adventure has become one of the most acclaimed films of 2024; debuting at Cannes in the non-competitive “Un Certain Regard” section, it won raves from international reviewers and went on to claim yearly “best of” honors from numerous critics’ organizations and film award bodies, including the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review. Now nominated not only for the Academy’s Best Animated Feature award but as Best International Feature (only the third animated movie to accomplish that feat) as well, it stands as the odds-on favorite to take home at least one of those Oscars, and possibly even both — and once seen, it’s hard to dissent from that assessment.

ics it has seemingly left behind — the story unfolds without a word of dialogue, a narrative chain of events that keeps us ever-focused on the “now.” The non-verbal vocalizations of its characters (each provided by authentic animal sounds rather than human impersonation) help to convey their relationships with clarity, but it’s the visual evocation of their sensory experiences — of being trapped and at the mercy of the elements, of making an unexpected connection with another being, of enjoying a simple pleasure like a soft place to sleep — that fuels this remarkable exploration of physical existence at its most raw and vulnerable. We have no way of knowing what has happened, no way of imagining what is yet to come, but such questions fade quickly into irrelevance as the story carries our attention from the immediacy of one moment into the next.

Set in an unspecified time and an unknown, richly forested place, it centers its narrative — which begins with breathtaking quickness, almost from the opening frames of the film — on a small-ish charcoal grey cat, who wakes from its slumber to find its home rapidly disappearing under a rising tide of water. Trying to stay ahead of the flood, it finds a lifeline when it discovers an abandoned sailboat, adrift on the waves, and seeks safety on board; but the cat is not the only refugee here, and with an unlikely group of other animals — a dog, a capybara, a lemur, and a secretary bird — sharing the ride, the plucky feline must forge alliances with (and between) each of its shipmates if any of them are to avoid a seemingly apocalyptic fate. Faced with setbacks and challenges at every turn, the crew of unlikely comrades learns to cooperate out of shared necessity — but will it be enough to keep the uncontrollable waters that surround them from becoming their final oblivion?

With no human presence in the movie — though the implication that it once existed, accompanied by the inevitable suspicion that climate change is behind the mysterious flood, is ominously delivered through the monumental ruined structures and broken rel-

Accentuating this in-the-moment flow of “Flow”— for if ever a film title could be said to summarize its style, it is surely this one — is its eye-absorbing visual beauty, rendered via the open-sourced software Blender to provide an aesthetic which matches the material. These realistically-drawn animals come vividly to life against a backdrop that captures a deep connection to nature, accented with the surreal intrusions of human influence and a certain appreciation for the colorful beauty of the world around us, even at its most untamed, which hints at an indefinable mysticism; and when the story begins to transcend the expected borders of its meticulously-crafted realism, the animation takes us there so easily that we scarcely notice it has happened. Yet transcend it does, and in so doing becomes something greater than a humble adventure tale. As the animal companions progress in their journey toward hopedfor safety, the remnants of human existence become more weathered, more ancient, and less recognizable; the natural landscape through which they are carried begins to be transformed, rendered in a more mythic light by the clash of elemental forces swirling around them and the strange encounters with other creatures that occur along their way. Whatever world this may have been, it seems rapidly to be dissolving into a cosmos where the forms of the past are being reconfigured into something new — and the band of travelers, both witness to and participants in this process, cannot help but be reconfigured, too. We can’t explain that further without spoilers, but we can tell you that it includes the cat’s ability to ignore its solitary instincts and natural mistrust of its comrades in order to form a diverse (yes, we said it) and cooperative team. It also involves learning to let go of things that can no longer help, to be open to new possibilities that might, and perhaps most importantly, to surrender without fear to the “flow” and trust that it will eventually take you where you need to go, as long as you can manage to stay afloat until you get there.

Zilbalodis’s film is an immersive ride, full of visceral and frequently harrowing moments that may produce some anxiety (especially for those who hate seeing animals in peril) and conceptual shifts that may challenge your expectations — but it is a ride well worth taking. More than merely a fantastical “Noah’s Ark” fable reimagined for an environmentally conscious age, it just might offer the timely catharsis many of us need to confront our unknowable future with a renewed sense of possibility. “Flow” begins streaming on Max on Feb. 14.

(Image courtesy of Janus Films)

‘Cleavage’ explores late-in-life transition

An enjoyable collection of work from a born storyteller

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

When it came to friends and family, your cup used to runneth over.

You had plenty of both and then, well, life and politics wedged an ocean-sized chasm between you and it makes you sad. And yet – are you really all that far apart? As in the new memoir, “Cleavage” by Jennifer Finney Boylan, maybe you’re still two peas in a pod.

Once upon a time not so long ago, Jennifer Finney Boylan was one of “a group of twelve-year-old Visigoths” intent on mischief. They hung around, did normal boy stuff, setting off rockets, roughhousing, roaming, rambling, and bike-riding. The difference between Boylan and the other boys in her group was that Jim Boylan knew she was really a girl.

Then, she vowed that it was a “secret no soul would ever know,” and James went to college, enjoyed a higher metabolism, dated, fell in love too easily, then married a woman and fathered two boys but there was still that tug. Boylan carried the child she once was in her heart – “How I loved the boy I’d been!” – but she was a woman “on the inside” and saying it aloud eventually became critical.

Boylan had a hard talk with her wife, Deedie, knowing that it could be the end of their marriage. She’s eternally grateful now that it wasn’t. She’s also grateful that she became a woman when she did, when politics had little to do with that personal decision. She worries about her children, one who is trans, both of whom are good, successful people who make Boylan proud. She tries to help other trans women. And she thinks about the words her mother often said: “Love will prevail.”

“Our lives are not a thing to be ashamed of,” Boylan says, “or apologized for, or explained. Our lives are a thing of wildness, and tenderness, and joy.”

Judge “Cleavage” by its cover, and you might think you’ll get a primer on anatomy. Nope, author Jennifer Finney Boylan only has one chapter on the subject, among many. Instead, she leans heavily on her childhood and her transition rather late in life, her family, and her friends to continue where her other books left off, to update, correct, and to share her thoughts on that invisible division. In sum, she guesses that “a huge chunk of the population… still doesn’t understand this trans business at all.”

Let that gentle playfulness be a harbinger of what you’ll read: some humor about her journey, and many things that might make your heart hurt; self-inspection that seems confidential and a few oh-so-deliciously well-placed snarks; and memories that, well told and satisfying, are both nostalgic and personal from “both the Before and the After.”

This book has the feel of having a cold one with a friend and Boylan fans will devour it. It’s also great for anyone who is trans-curious or just wants to read an enjoyable collection of work from a born storyteller. No matter what you want from it, what you’ll find in “Cleavage” is a treasure chest.

‘Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us’

By Jennifer Finney Boyle c.2025, Celadon Books

| $29 | 256 pages

Immigrant skirts shady side of American dream in ‘Stockade’

An intriguing and occasionally thrilling film experience

By JOHN PAUL KING

At a time when being an immigrant in America – whether documented or not – has become even more precarious than usual, telling immigrant stories is essential. Hollywood, of course, has loved stories about immigrants for decades, though it has a history of perpetuating tropes and stereotypes even when portraying non-American characters in a positive light. More recently, the involvement of creatives who are actually from the cultures behind those stories (and a more critical awareness of America’s troubled relationship with its own history) has improved that, somewhat, but given current cultural sentiments have made the subject a sore point with a wide swath of audiences, it seems likely that the progress will be stalled for a while.

Fortunately, there are movies made in other places, too, and independent filmmakers willing to make them; we just might have to look a little harder to find them.

Such a film is “Stockade,” which premieres for a theatrical run in Los Angeles this weekend before rolling out for a VOD/DVD release on Feb. 5. Written and directed by Eric McGinty, it avoids politically charged controversy – there are no ICE agents here, and nobody is a terrorist – and aims instead for a self-described “Immigrant Noir” with all the murky morality and shifting alliances one might expect from a movie with that designation.

The plot is centered on Ahlam (Sarah Bitar), a young Lebanese painter struggling to gain a foothold in New York City on an artist visa that is about to expire. Her work is starting to get noticed, but an extension on her immigrant status is expensive, and her finances are in dire straits. Desperate for money, she jumps at the opportunity for a windfall when she is offered a hefty sum by an acquaintance – Paul (Guy de Lancey, who doubles as the film’s cinematographer), an older South African expat – to deliver a package to a small town in upstate New York. The catch: after dropping it off, she must stay overnight and pick it up before bringing it back to him, with no questions asked.

Shady as it seems, the assignment goes well enough, at first; there’s even the unexpected bonus of running into an Iranian friend from art school, Zora (Bahar Beihaghi), with whom she experiences a definite spark and who makes her overnight stay a much more enjoyable experience than expected. The next day, however, things go awry when her contact fails to return with the package, and she suddenly finds herself tangled in an ominous web of suspicion, intrigue, and danger, as mysterious strangers converge

around her to demand answers she doesn’t have. Fearing for her own safety and still without the money she needs, she is forced to seek out answers for herself – before she is forced to return to Lebanon and give up the opportunities that have just begun to blossom for her in America.

On the face of it, McGinty’s film seems disconnected from the issues arising from the new government’s draconian deportation policies today. Ahlam’s status is legal, and she is working within the system – or trying, at any rate – to keep it that way. Nevertheless, much like the inner workings of its plot, much of what is being conveyed can only be read “between the lines”; as our picture slowly forms of the hidden underworld into which Ahlam has stumbled, it’s possible to see the hardships and disadvantages of being an immigrant as the driving force behind everything that happens to her – not just in her own predicament, or the game into which she’s been trapped, but in the motivations behind many, maybe even most, of the other players.

Of course, that’s true only if you are able to discern them, and McGinty doesn’t make that entirely easy. “Stockade” –which takes its name from the deceptively quiet neighborhood which seems to be the nexus of its mysteries – sets up a lot of questions as it goes, and spends a lot of time and energy pursuing some of them, but many of them are left – verbally, at least – unanswered. In the end, we are given a kind of closure, a revelation that brings connecting sense to the whole thing, though we don’t quite know the details; but we are left to our own surmises to piece together all the connections and explanations, the relationships and the alliances, even the fate of the package – almost as prime an example of Hitchcock’s “MacGuffin” concept as the briefcase in “Pulp Fiction” – around which almost all of the action has revolved.

Even if you’re not up to the effort of mining the characters’ dialogue for hints and clues – they’re there, we promise you, though some of them might be unspoken. Well – there’s still plenty of food for thought; perhaps most glaringly, the focus on illegal trafficking of antiquities (which [spoiler alert] is an integral part of the story) conjures ethical questions around colonialist appropriation and the trap of jockeying for power in a system that exploits you into a

betrayal of your own loyalties. More subtly, perhaps, its implied connection between the wealthy world of art (or, perhaps more accurately, the commerce of art) and the black market amorality required to possess someone else’s stolen birthright sends the timely shivers up our spines that its less-visceral urgency around the plight of immigrants never quite manages to achieve.

Perhaps the most telling quality that “Stockade” delivers, however, comes from its subtle-yet-unmissable exploration of mistrust and suspicion of strangers, of outsiders who come into a community – particularly one that’s bound together by a connection which gives them reason to fear outsiders – and pose a perceived threat to one’s own “entitled” place in the hierarchy. In a town – or a country – where everyone is looking out only for themselves because they have to assume everyone else is doing the same thing, prosperity becomes a fickle illusion and survival depends on asserting whatever power one can manage to accumulate for themselves.

Well acted (Bitar is a revelation) and artfully shot with observational aestheticism by de Lancey, “Stockade” makes for an engrossing hour-and-a-half, even when its lack of definitive clarity becomes particularly challenging. After all, motives are not so readily conveyed in real life, and in many ways it’s refreshing to see a movie that embraces the fact that life often consists of the “unknowable”.

Still, viewers might be better prepared armed with the knowledge – contained in the movie’s press materials – that the work of late, great surrealist film genius David Lynch was an inspiration for McGinty’s effort. While the movie never veers into the dreamlike, transcendental territory in which Lynch was most at home, the unorthodox and sometimes strange directions toward which it frequently veers still evokes memories of films like “Blue Velvet” and “Wild at Heart,” and the strange divide they illuminate between what is visible and what remains hidden in the shadows. In truth, “Stockade” might have been a more satisfying movie had it not played itself so closely to the chest. Nevertheless, it’s an intriguing and occasionally thrilling film experience, and one which will, most likely, become more so with repeated viewings.

BAHAR BEIHAGHI and SARAH BITAR in ‘Stockade.’ (Image courtesy of Veronique Films)

GALECA names 2025 Dorian Award winners

Other winners include Wicked, Nickel Boys, Challengers and… Emilia Peréz

By GISSELLE PALOMERA

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ+ Entertainment Critics released their nominations for 2024 films and it’s no surprise the year’s campiest film took home the most awards. Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024) a fearless, campy and over-the-top 2024 film about Hollywood’s perspective of beauty standards, was awarded Film of the Year.

An unofficial member of the Brat Pack and star in The Substance, Demi Moore, impressed GALECA film critics so much so, the queer critics bestowed her with the Timeless Star career achievement award which honors “an exemplary career marked by character, wisdom and wit.” Moore joins a list of previous winners such as Jane Fonda, John Waters, Jodie Foster and over a dozen others.

Her gripping and deeply unsettling, but great, performance in The Substance also earned her the Dorian award for Film Performance of the Year.

Fargeat took home Director of the Year and her film won the Campiest Flick and Genre Film of the Year. Though the film itself was shocking, it was no surprise that Fargeat’s Mubi release would do so well among the queer critics.

“In our 16th year, GALECA’s members still have wicked fun toasting their favorites in film both mainstream and LGBTQ-themed,” said Walt Hickey, president of GALECA.

Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s psychological horror drama I Saw the TV Glow (2024) led the Dorian award nominations, ultimately snatching the LGBTQ+ Film of the Year, as well as LGBTQ screenplay honors.

“I’m certain even some ultra-conservatives who are out to erase all sorts of ‘woke’ words and letters—not to mention history—are secretly taking note of our winners. Everyone appreciates the expert Q+ eye on entertainment.”added vice president Diane Anderson-Minshall.

Ariana Grande claimed the Supporting Film Performance of the Year award for her role in Wicked (2024), while Jonathan Bailey was named Rising Star and Cynthia Erivo – who aced her performance as Elphaba Thropp – won LGBTQ+ Film Trailblazer. Erivo took home the trailblazer award which aims to honor artists who “inspire empathy, truth and equity,” – an absolutely fitting description of Erivo’s character in the box office hit.

Road-trip documentary starring Will Ferrell and trans comedy writer Harper Steele, Will and Harper (2024) won both Documentary of the Year and LGBTQ+ Documentary of the Year.

Justin Kuritzkes earned Screenplay of the Year for Challengers (2024), while Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won Film Music of the Year for their Berlin-themed techno score inspired by 90s rave music.

More wins came for Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker (2023) and Julio Torres’ Problemista (2024), who both won the Unsung Film Dorian award.

RaMell Ross won Visually Striking Film of the Year for the historical drama, Nickel Boys (2024).

The Dorian Award for Animated Film of the Year went to Flow (2024) – a mystical film about a courageous cat on its journey away from home.

The Best Non-English Language Film award went to Brazil’s factually accurate historical drama I’m Still Here (2024), while Best LGBTQ+ Non-English Language Film award went to the controversial Emilia Peréz, even amid the controversies surrounding Karla Sofía Gascón.

ANNOUNCEMENT

CONSUMER CELLULAR the same reliable, nationwide coverage as the largest carriers. No longterm contract, no hidden fees & activation is free. All plans feature unlimited talk & text, starting at just $20 per month. For more information, call 1-844-908-0605

AUTOS WANTED

DONATE YOUR VEHICLE to fund the SEARCH FOR MISSING CHILDREN. FAST FREE PICKUP. 24 hour response. Running or not. Maximum Tax Deduction & No Emission Test Required! Call 24/7: 1-877-434-6852.

Thanks for reading the Blade!

GOT AN UNWANTED CAR??? DONATE IT TO PATRIOTIC HEARTS. Fast free pick up. All 50 States. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans find work or start their own business. Call 24/7: 1-855-408-6546.

Get a break on your taxes! Donate your car, truck, or SUV to assist the blind & visually impaired. Arrange a swift, no-cost vehicle pickup & secure a generous tax credit for 2025. Call Heritage for the Blind Today at 1-844-491-2884 today!

Tiene un vehiculo no deseado? Donelo a Patriotic Hearts! Recogida rapida y gratuita en los 50 estados. Patriotic Hearts ofrece programas para ayudar a los veteranos a encontrar trabajo o iniciar su propio negocio. Llama ahora: 1-855-408-7368 24/7

Please tell our advertisers, “I saw your ad in the Blade!”

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Struggling with debt? If you have over $10,000 in debt we help you be debt free in as little as 24-48 months. Pay nothing to enroll. Call Now: 1-877-435-4860.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

BATH & SHOWER

UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 mos. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military discount. 1-877-252-9868

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-424-7581

Jacuzzi Bath Remodel can install a new, custom bath or shower in as little as one day. For a limited time, waving ALL installation costs! (Additional terms apply. Subject to change & vary by dealer. (Offer ends 03/20/24). Call 1-833-985-4766

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Now featuring our FREE shower package & $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-888-989-5749

Don’t pay for covered Home Repairs Again! Our home warranty covers ALL Major Systems & Appliances. We stand by our service & if we can’t fix it, we’ll replace it! Pick the plan that fits your budget! Call 1-855-411-1731

HEALTH/MEDICAL

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 400 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844-2032677 www.dental50plus. com/calnews #6258

LOANS

RETIRED COUPLE $$$$ for business purpose Real Estate loans. Credit unimportant. V.I.P. Trust Deed Company www.viploan.com Call 1-818-248-0000. Broker-principal DRE 01041073.

SERVICES

WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION: A small amount of water can lead to major damage. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your home’s value. Call 24/7 1-888-248-0815

MISCELLANEOUS

Want Residual Income? Turnkey Established Vending Massage Chair single location or Route for Sale! Asking Price: From $2,500 to $29,000 per location. text only: (949) 381-9899

DID YOU KNOW Newspaper-generated content is so valuable it’s taken & repeated, condensed, broadcast, tweeted, discussed, posted, copied, edited, & emailed countless times throughout the day by others? Discover the Power of Newspaper Advertising. For MORE INFORMATION call 916-288-6011 or email cecelia@cnpa.com