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Thursday, April 16, 2020

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Demonstrators object to Gov. Whitmer’s Stay-at-Home orders, clog streets of Lansing Upset over shutdown, protestors participate in procession of cars outside state Capitol CALDER LEWIS

Daily Staff Reporter

Thousands of disgruntled Michiganders descended on downtown Lansing Wednesday afternoon to provide a new soundtrack to dissent amid a global pandemic: the blaring horn. Lines of cars and trucks miles long stopped traffic on the streets surrounding the Michigan State Capitol as part of “Operation Gridlock,” a protest organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and the Michigan Freedom Fund against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID19 stay-at-home executive orders. While the event’s Facebook page urged attendees to “STAY in your VEHICLES,” hundreds of protestors mingled on the Capitol lawn and surrounding sidewalks, holding signs and waving flags. American, Trump and “Don’t Tread on Me” flags were most common, with Confederate flags also interspersed. Speakers on the Capitol steps led a crowd below in prayers and chants like, “Lock her up!” Participants of the protest sought

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to voice anger over last Thursday’s executive order, which extended Michigan’s stay-at-home guidelines until April 30 and further restricted definitions of “essential” businesses and activities to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Michigan has the third-highest number of cases in the country, with 28,059 confirmed cases and 1,921 deaths as of Wednesday. Whitmer’s first stay-at-home

order went into effect on March 24, and Republican members of the state legislature voiced their concerns about the impact of the extension of the order on the economy. State Sen. Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said in a press release that the Michigan Senate Republicans trust residents to take necessary precautions on their own for themselves, their families and their businesses. A petition to recall Whitmer has

been circulating and had 256,000 signatures at the time of publication. The petition, started by John Powell, claims Whitmer’s “failures during the Covid-19 Corona Virus is causing more Michiganders to get sick.” Michael Hoover, who drove to the protest from Jackson, said he worried the latest order was an overstep on personal freedom. “We cannot let fear dictate our

Programs adapt to new P/NRC grading

Students worry choosing not to unmask grades could hurt applications to upper-level schools FRANCESCA DUONG Daily Staff Reporter

On March 20, Acting Provost Susan Collins announced in an email that all undergraduate courses at the University of Michigan would be graded “Pass” or “No Record Covid,” with an option to withdraw from a course until April 21 without the course appearing on their transcript. Students will also have the option to unmask their grades by submitting a request by July 1. In light of the new policy change, many students told The Daily they are concerned about the connotations of “P” and “NRC” on their transcripts when applying to upper-level admit programs at the University. The University undergraduate admissions website lists five upper-level units: the Dental Hygiene program at the School of

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Dentistry, School of Education, School of Public Health, School of Information and the Public Policy School. In addition, the School of Pharmacy offers a bachelor’s program, the Ross School of Business offers a business minor

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and LSA offers an Organizational Studies program students can apply to in their upper years. Art & Design freshman Emily Cao said she hopes to apply to the School of Information. According to Cao, she currently plans on

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unmasking all of her grades but expressed concern if she chooses to keep her grades masked. “If I do (choose) not to unmask one of my grades, I’m not sure exactly how the program will see it as,” Cao said. “They might question, ‘Why did this person decide not to unmask this grade?’” LSA freshman Megan Shohfi echoed similar sentiments regarding her plans to apply to both the Ford School of Public Policy and LSA’s Organizational Studies program. Shohfi said she thinks having the option to unmask grades is an added stress. Shohfi said she believes the new grading system does not have a large effect on students applying to upperlevel programs because they all aim to achieve a high GPA for a competitive application.

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See APPLICATIONS, Page 3

INDEX

liberties, because if we start letting things go because we’re afraid, then those things that we let go are going to be very hard to get back,” Hoover said. “And we have a duty to protect that.” Hoover emphasized he believes many protestors were aware of the dangers of COVID-19 but think the state’s response has pushed too far. See PROTEST, Page 2

BUSINESS

Snackpass works with local stores

App supports restaurants amid shelter-in-place rules MICHAL RUPRECHT Daily Staff Reporter

University of Michigan alum Claudia Haimovici discovered the order-ahead food app Snackpass when the company launched on campus last spring. She said the launch was unsuccessful at the time because the company hadn’t partnered with popular restaurants, so she decided to join the company as the growth marketing manager.

See SNACKPASS, Page 3 NEWS.........................2 OPINION......................4 ARTS............................5

News

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University healthcare workers practice social distancing while protesting the healthcare industry outside of the University hospital Wednesday evening.

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PROTEST From Page 1 “Why we want to do this is not because we want to go back to walking down the street and sniffing air like nothing’s happening,” Hoover said. “We want our rights to not be taken advantage of — we don’t have to ask the governor permission to do anything that the Constitution grants us.” Many of the signs held by protesters in cars and around the Capitol expressed frustration with the order’s effect on small businesses. One sign read, “Small business is essential business.” Another read, “The government has no business telling you what is or is not essential to you.” Mark Schriemer, an alum of the University of Michigan, lives and works in Ann Arbor as a remodeling contractor. He said his business has been devastated by the restrictions, as he had to lay off all of his employees and resort to solo side jobs to keep himself financially af loat. Schriemer worried that Whitmer’s response was too broad geographically when the majority of COVID-19 cases are tracked to Southeast Michigan. “You’re locking down the state for the sake of a problem that’s going on primarily in two counties,” Schriemer said. “She just hangs on her talking points and tells us all to just trust her that she’s saving all of our lives. And I’m not seeing the proof of that here. I’m seeing a lot of people going out of business and they’re never gonna reopen.” Public health experts have expressed support for Whitmer’s orders, saying the extension is necessary to fight the spread of the virus. In a statement, Vikas Parekh, associate chief clinical officer for Michigan Medicine’s adult hospitals and professor of internal medicine, said reducing contact for an extended period of time is essential to drive the number of cases in the state down. “The data confirm that everyone in Michigan can help us f latten the curve, and it is crucial,” Parekh said. “In a

scenario where the virus spreads throughout the local population infecting the majority of the population, our model shows tremendous differences between less and more aggressive social distancing.” Dan Garrison of Jackson said he attended the protest because he has seen his small business officiating weddings and his parttime job officiating high school sports dry up over the last month, and many of his friends have lost work as landscapers and lawn care providers. “I agree with parts of it — social distancing — absolutely I do,” Garrison said. “I agree with the whole concern with health and welfare, people’s well-being, I do. But I just think that she should have made exceptions on particular jobs that people need to do.” Whitmer addressed protester frustrations in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, acknowledging their economic fear as real while also encouraging small business owners to start thinking of plans to safely reopen. “How does that particular business protect their employees and their customers?” Whitmer said. “Now is the time to throw our energ y into planning, because we know that COVID-19 is not going to be gone on April 1 or May 1 or July, June, or August 1. This is a virus that will continue to spread unless we all do our part. That’s why, as we think about re-engaging sectors of our economy, it’s going to be really critical that we have confidence that we can do that safely.” According to a Michigan Nurses Association statement from Tina Ray, Ambulance traffic to Sparrow Hospital, located on Michigan Avenue a mile east of the Capitol, was impeded by the protest. Ray expressed her concerns about having protests during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating it prevents medical professionals from doing their jobs. “While everyone has a right to gather and express their opinions, today’s protest sends exactly the opposite message

that nurses and healthcare professionals are trying to get across: we are begging people, please stay home,” Ray wrote. “The protest was irresponsible, impeding ambulances and traffic to Sparrow Hospital, where frontline healthcare workers are risking their lives taking care of patients suffering from COVID19. Lives are being saved because of the stay-home order. We ask everyone to protect themselves, their families and us by doing what’s best for the greater good.” Greg Moore, an Okemos native, took his mother to Sparrow Hospital on Wednesday for stagefour cancer treatment. Moore was upset by the fact that he had to weave through traffic and take side streets to get to the hospital and said the protest crossed a line. “I don’t think it really falls under peaceful protest, I don’t think it falls under a protest that doesn’t cause a disturbance,” Moore said. “So I think it should have been disbanded … there are probably other ways of protesting this that don’t involve blocking hospital entrances.” Protesters on the Capitol lawn and surrounding sidewalks did not follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidelines of staying at least six feet from other people, avoiding gathering in groups and staying out of crowded places. Tiffany Brown, press secretary for Whitmer, emphasized before the event that the governor will always defend free speech, but asked that “those who choose to protest these orders to do so in a manner that doesn’t put their health or the health of our first responders at risk.” At the press conference, Whitmer addressed the possible health consequences of the protest. She said that in addition to causing the hospital difficulties and bus service reroutes, the gathering could lead to the spread of COVID-19. “We know that this demonstration is going to come at a cost to people’s health,” Whitmer said. See PROTEST, Page 3

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APPLICATIONS From Page 1 “It’s kind of always in the back of my mind that I’m competing against other students who probably will unmask their grades,” Shohfi said. “So, it seems almost pointless to have the option to pass/fail it or unmask it, because I have to do everything I can to boost my GPA for these programs I’m applying to.” LSA freshman Lizzy Peppercorn said she will be applying to the Public Policy School and is in favor of the current grading scale to accommodate the pandemic. Peppercorn said when evaluating applications for all students affected by the COVID-19 crisis, institutions should continue to be flexible. “I like the way they’re doing it, so long as these upper-level admission programs keep in mind that there are certain people that have advantages with resources or are dealing with stressful home lives,” Peppercorn said. Peppercorn noted it is important students’ transcripts reflect their hard work, but also some students may have advantages over others due to additional resources. “I think it’s important that if you’ve

SNACKPASS From Page 1

“As a (University of) Michigan student, I was like, ‘OK, this is such a great app, let’s bring this to as many stores as possible and as many stores that people really like,’” Haimovici said. “At the end of the day, this is for the users and we want to have the right restaurants for them.” Since its launch, Snackpass has partnered with more than 30 Ann Arbor businesses, including Wild Poké and Zingerman’s Delicatessen. Haimovici said the app distinguishes itself from other ordering apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash with the app’s Venmo-like social feed. The feed allows users to gain rewards for visiting restaurants and send them to friends. Haimovici also said the app doesn’t deliver food, which eliminates commission fees and forces users to interact with the business. “College campuses are just more condensed areas, and people are always going back and forth, whether it’s back to the library or on the way to class, and so a lot of people just don’t have enough time to wait in line or sit down to grab a

PROTEST From Page 2 “It already did in those two examples (of hospital and bus troubles), but we know that when people gather that way without masks — they were in close proximity, they were touching one another — that’s how COVID-19 spreads. The sad irony here is that the protest was that they don’t like being in this stay-home order and they may have just created a need to lengthen it, which is something that we’re trying to avoid at all costs.”

News

Thursday, April 16, 2020 — 3

school is thinking.” Shohfi said knowing other applicants might unmask all their grades still puts pressure on her to do well and unmask, even if admission policies say otherwise. “Even though they say that having a ‘Pass’ is fine, to me, just knowing that a lot of students will have an A or a B versus a ‘P’ on their transcript does make a difference to me,” Shohfi said. “It has influenced me to keep my grades up at the end of the semester because I’m going to reveal them.” Nelson said he recognizes these concerns and knows there still will be anxiety surrounding applications. He said he believes it is up to the professional institutions to be clear and consistent on their policies to help alleviate stress and encourages students to take advantage of the new grading policy. “You guys have the power to manipulate your GPA, which is kind of awesome,” Nelson said. “And what the administration is saying, and I’m hearing this loud and clear — trust it. Just take it for what it is and don’t spend time thinking about it. I hope that many (other) schools will do that. We certainly are.” Reporter Francesca Duong can be reached at fduong@umich.edu.

put all this work into this semester, it should help your GPA,” Peppercorn said. “But it shouldn’t hurt people who don’t show their grades at all. … Also, I think there is cheating going on, so I think that people that are more social can reach out to more friends and get that help. There’s a lot more benefits that people are getting.” The Business School notes they are closely monitoring the pandemic and will make accommodations where needed. Organization Studies said prerequisites with a “P” will be accepted for the Winter 2020 semester with more information being released in the future. In an email to The Daily, Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the School of Education, provided a statement regarding the evaluation of applicants. “The School of Education understands that students applying to our programs will have COVIDaffected grades and we will not consider those grades a weakness in any student’s application,” Moje wrote. “Just as we have seen with the preK12 students and teachers with whom we work, this crisis unequally affects our population. We understand that there are numerous reasons students may not wish to unmask grades this

semester, and we are supportive of the University’s decision to establish grading as they have.” Administrators from both the Pharmacy School and the Public Policy School told The Daily they will maintain flexibility and not make negative inferences on this semester’s grades. Mark Nelson, assistant dean for student services and admissions at the Pharmacy School, said many institutions are deciding how to handle this semester. “This conversation is happening all across the country,” Nelson said. “I’ve been on more webinars, I’ve been on more conversations, I’ve received dozens of emails from different schools and hundreds of emails from students asking all the same questions. The tricky thing is that every organization is going to do something different in how they’re going to address how we reduce the anxiety of our students during this pandemic with something like grades.” Beth Soboleski, associate director of student and academic services at the Public Policy School, said this is an unprecedented time in history and the administration is trying to be as fair as they can. “This is outside of all of our control,”

meal, so it’s the perfect way to order ahead,” Haimovici said. “(The feed is) really fun and huge for the college environment because people are so into social media and looking at what everyone else is doing.” LSA sophomore Emma Wong downloaded the app last March after seeing flyers around campus advertising the app. She said ordering is more convenient with the app, adding that the feed makes the process more fun. “I like Snackpass because you could order in advance and then when you go to pick it up, it’s already ready, so it’s definitely nice,” Wong said. “I think (the feed is) kind of a fun feature of the app as well because when I go to restaurants a lot of times, I get a reward. I think things like that definitely make the app a lot more fun and gives people a reason to use it.” Brian Kung, co-owner and general manager at Wild Poké on East Huron Street, said his business began a partnership with the app last March. He said he hasn’t seen an effect on his business yet, but he hopes the app will lead to more foot traffic. “We are always trying to find services to attract more foot traffic to our location, and we like that Snackpass is not a delivery service, so customers have to come to our

store,” Kung said. “The social feature of the app is also interesting, but we haven’t seen any direct impact from that part of the service.” Jennifer Hall, assistant to the managing partner at Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Kerrytown, wrote in an email to The Daily that her company began a partnership with the app last September and it has helped her off-campus business get more student traffic. “We know that we are off the beaten path for many students,” Hall wrote. “We’re always looking for ways to make our delicious reubens and other sandwiches more accessible to the campus population. Snackpass helped bring our restaurant closer to students by making us more visible to them through their app. We’re really thoughtful about the companies we choose to work with, and Snackpass is a good fit for us as they share many of our same values.” Wong said she has tried new restaurants like Snap Custom Pizza and plans to visit restaurants farther from campus in the future. She said she doesn’t think the distance to off-campus restaurants will pose an obstacle. “People love getting food delivered to their house or apartment, but Snackpass, I feel

like, just makes the ordering a little bit more expedited … when you want to pick something up, and I don’t really mind that it doesn’t have a delivery option,” Wong said. “I think maybe in the future I will try some of the other restaurants that are further away.” Haimovici said the app also provides users with promotions and discounts. She said this strategy brings in new customers when they hear about discounts from friends or learn about new menu items. “Those kinds of discounts are really meant to get people talking,” Haimovici said. “Because it’s so big and, in general, it’s going to bring a lot of new customers into that restaurant.” Haimovici said the app has provided prospective partners with free online ordering services during the COVID-19 pandemic. She added that the company’s cultural mission has been affected. “Culturally, it’s impacted us in that a lot of college students have left campus, so obviously that kind of (changed) our marketing strategy,” Haimovici said. “One thing we are working on is really spreading local outreach because we want Ann Arbor locals to use our platform, not just college students.” Since classes moved online, Wong

said she hasn’t used Snackpass in about a month since she left campus as her hometown doesn’t have any partner businesses. Hall and Kung also said they’ve seen a decrease in business. Hall added that though there isn’t as much activity, her company’s partnership with the app has helped them adapt to the situation. “I would say that our partnership with Snackpass has been incredibly helpful during this pandemic,” Hall wrote. “Since all of our ordering and paying is happening with no contact right now, that means that more people are ordering online. We are glad we already had this system in place before we were required to close for in-house dining.” Haimovici said the app will continue to support businesses during the pandemic. She highlighted her company isn’t collecting commissions from partner businesses, unlike the app’s competitors. “100 percent of the orders are going to go to the restaurants right now,” Haimovici said. “It’s just a really good way to support our businesses during this time.” Reporter Michal Ruprecht can be reached at mrup@michigandaily. com.

On the Capitol lawn, Art & Design sophomore Mckenzie Balaka, fundraising chair for College Republicans, took part in the protest with her mom. When asked about the apparent lack of social distancing, she said she was not worried. “I think based on what they’ve said to us, if you’re immunocompromised you need to wear a mask and probably shouldn’t come out today,” Balaka said. “Like, my uncle has asthma. But if you’re not immunocompromised, we’re all fine. I think we’re all okay.” Immunocompromised people are at heightened risk of coming

down with severe cases of COVID19. However, people without any underlying conditions may contract more mild versions of the disease and could act as asymptomatic carriers. Not everyone gathered at the Capitol Wednesday opposed Whitmer’s orders. Christian Bartolo, a student at Grand Rapids Community College, held a sign on the Capitol lawn that read, “You weren’t this angry @ Snyder 4 Poisoning Flint.” Bartolo said he’s keeping his social distance and trying to stay six feet away from people, but noticed others were not holding

themselves to the same standard. “They’re all shaking hands, they’re all hugging each other, like, this is how coronavirus spreads,” Bartolo said. “I think that your boating rights, being able to fish while on a boat, being able to buy mulch and buy planks of wood is less important than keeping people safe from COVID-19.” As cars rumbled over nearby Michigan Avenue en route to the Capitol, a man sat alone along the banks of the Grand River, taking in the sounds of “Operation Gridlock” from a distance. Dan Walker, in his 58 years, never thought the world would come to anything like the

COVID-19 pandemic. He said he doesn’t trust a lot of government systems, no matter the country. “Some people say it’s gonna get better, some people say it’s gonna get worse,” Walker said. “I’m just sitting back and watching and listening.” However, he said the orders are in place to keep people safe. “All those people up there are probably spreading the virus,” Walker said. “They’re spreading it, so what is it really helping? I don’t know, man. It’s got me perplexed.” Reporter Calder Lewis can be reached at calderll@umich.edu.

Soboleski said. “This situation is just something that we’ve never had to deal with before. Most times, students have the option to make a class pass/fail, but in this case, there are no options, so it doesn’t make sense to … penalize or make assumptions about that situation.” According to Soboleski, the Public Policy School will look at students’ applications holistically and the option of unmasking or masking grades rests in the students’ hands. “We’re totally leaving it up to the students,” Soboleski said. “If a student says, ‘I think I would like people to see these grades,’ that is completely their decision. But we’re not going to infer if somebody chooses to not unmask that it’s, in some way, a negative situation. Our goal is to hold folks harmless as much as we can.” Despite these assurances from other institutions and hoping others will follow suit, Cao said there is no way to fully know how their applications will be evaluated. “I feel like even though they say it, I still fear they might take it a different way because they might still wonder why we decided not to unmask this grade,” Cao said. “Even if they say it, we don’t really know what the specific

Opinion

4 — Thursday, April 16, 2020

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RAY AJEMIAN | COLUMN

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KIANNA MARQUEZ | COLUMN

We should support Biden for our climate’s future

ollowing the recent announcement of his departure from the 2020 presidential campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has left many of his supporters yearning to see a similarly progressive agenda from former Vice President Joe Biden. I understand the frustration his supporters feel when the candidate whose agenda we deem incomparable to Sanders’s has now become the only option for the Democratic vote in the upcoming presidential election. However, as we come to realize that the ideals of Biden and Sanders stem from the same Democratic principles, we should act on the promises that Biden’s campaign makes for climate change. In a world where political divisions resemble the separation between environmental prosperity and environmental destruction, we — as supporters of Sanders’s Green New Deal, as humans and as stewards of our future — should now turn to support Biden for President of the United States. One of the most prominent similarities between Biden’s and Sanders’s approach to solving the climate crisis is utilizing the framework of the Green New Deal to enact the necessary changes for improving our society. For Sanders, the Green New Deal pushes for legislation during the next decade to factor climate change “into virtually every area of policy, from immigration to trade to foreign policy and beyond.” For Biden, the Green New Deal captures two defining truths for his campaign: “(1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.” Both candidates’ approaches

acknowledge how all people will be affected by green legislation that alters the landscape of the workforce. For Sanders, ensuring a just transition for all energy workers and for frontline communities is the first step toward addressing economic injustices in our country. For Biden, fulfilling an obligation to all workers affected by the national energy transition is a commitment that our government cannot relinquish. The bold agendas of both candidates promise confrontation with fossil fuel giants that have exploited communities across our country. For Sanders, it is imperative that the government holds accountable the fossil fuel corporations that “... knowingly destroyed our planet for shortterm profits” throughout the past decades. For Biden, the government should not only reprimand the greed of the fossil fuel industry but also “develop solutions for environmental injustices affecting communities of color [and] low-income and indigenous communities.” The most important comparisons between both candidates’ agendas are their commitments to 100 percent clean energy and net zero emissions by 2050. For Sanders, passing legislation like the Green New Deal would propel our nation to “... achieve 100 percent sustainable energy for electricity and transportation by no later than 2030 and to fully decarbonize the economy by 2050 at the latest.” For Biden, his first year of presidency will be dedicated toward legislation that “1) establishes an enforcement mechanism that includes milestone targets no later than the end of his first term in 2025, 2) makes a historic investment in clean energy and climate research and innovation, 3) incentivizes the rapid deployment of

clean energy innovations across the economy ... ” Though these comparisons exist between the outlooks of Sanders and Biden on the climate crisis, many of Sanders’s supporters still internalize disappointment in the idea that no politician’s outlook on one of the gravest issues of modern society will ever match the same drastic intention as Sanders’s outlook. In understanding that our greatest hope for a future will not be carried out at the level of influence executed by the presidency, we have to come to terms with the fact that Biden’s campaign is the next best option for the future. Biden will not easily replace the promise of Sanders’s climate plans, but he demonstrates substantive dedication and commitment toward the urgency of the climate issue among other political figures. Above all, we have to understand that the alternative — four more years of permanent environmental degradation and disrespect under the Trump administration — is entirely unacceptable. We cannot succumb to President Donald Trump’s business-as-usual in spite of our reluctance to see completely eye to eye with Biden on all accounts. As a party, the most important action we can take is to unite to solve the issues that pose the biggest threat to our future. If we come together and acknowledge the compromises that need to be made for the greater good, we will see that we are truly more alike than we are unalike in our quest for happiness and justice. Furthermore, I urge you to support Biden in his presidential campaign for the promise that he guarantees to address the climate crisis. Kianna Marquez can be reached at kmarquez@umich.edu.

CASEY RHEAULT | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT CRHEAULT@UMICH.EDU

LGBTQ+ health amid the pandemic

oing into the summer, for many of us, means even more changes in an increasingly turbulent pandemic. Coronavirus hotspots are shifting, and those who are left on campus will soon be returning to their hometowns, for better or worse. As Michigan continues to see increasingly deadly days, it is vital that we keep in mind the groups at highest risk, including LGBTQ+ people. Just about everyone is struggling in some form or another because of self-isolation and stay-at-home orders, but queer people are especially predisposed to loneliness and depression, as my fellow columnist Owen Stecco wrote recently. As many as 60 percent of LGBTQ+ people struggle with depression or anxiety, both of which are easily exacerbated by this pandemic. Stay-at-home orders also worsen issues common among queer people regarding family environments. Only a quarter of LGBTQ+ youth reported having supportive families, and just under half of openly queer youths were made to feel bad about their orientationbytheirfamilies.TheUniversity of Michigan, like many other universities, urged students to leave campus if at all possible, but just because students are physically capable of going home doesn’t mean they should — not that it will matter when the semester ends in a few weeks and they have to go home anyway. This doesn’t even address the students who don’t have a home to go back to, as 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ+. In truth, returning to the closet and/or going back to a bigoted family is the safest option for many LGBTQ+ people, provided they have the option. While it is true that young people are less likely to die from a case of COVID-19, age is far from the only survivabilityfactor—thingslikepreexisting conditions and access to medical care matter just as much, if not more. Gay and bisexual men and transgender people are drasticallymorelikelythanotherAmericans to have HIV and, therefore, a compromised immune system. More than one in five transgenderadultshaveachroniccondition (diabetes, asthma, etc.), a major risk factor for coronavirus patients. The same trend can be seen in LGB adults. To complicate things further, those who are LGBTQ+ are less likely to have health insurance than those who are not. This serves to worsen the severity of said chronic conditions and deter individuals from seeking care if and whentheycontractCOVID-19,despitetheir heightened risk of death. Perhaps the greatest risk factor for queer people during this pandemic is respiratory issues. Breathing trouble is a key symptom of COVID-19, hence the desperate need for respirators. LGBTQ+ people have enough trouble breathing as it is — and it’s not just the prevalence of chronic conditions that sometimes happen to be respiratory. A lesser-known fact is that LGBTQ+ people are roughly twice as likely to smoke as their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. Smoking increases the chance of both contracting the virus (due to higher risk of chest infections and frequent hand-to-mouth contact) and experiencing complications

once sick. Breathing issues virtually exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community are those related to chest binding, a practice used by many transgender men, nonbinary people and sometimes butch lesbians to flatten their chests. One of the many potential health problems caused by frequent binding is shortness of breath. These and many other medical needs of the community are being put on the back burner as states order the indefinite postponement of “nonessential” health care services. Michigan’s order dictacts — as the bare minimum that must be postponed — joint replacements, bariatric surgeries and any dental care that does not “relieve pain or infection”; in Texas and many others, this has been made to include abortion despite its time-sensitive nature. With these procedures constituting the minimum for cancellation, it comes as no surprise that transgender health care makes the list as well. Gender-affirming surgeries, which already have a long wait period due to the small number of surgeons doing them, are being delayed even further because of COVID-19. These procedures are often vital to the health and safety of transgender people, who see decreases in anxiety, depression and suicidal behavior as well as a decreased likelihood to smoke or abuse drugs — factors that are more important than ever during this pandemic. This quarantine period would be ideal for recovering from surgery if only people could get them, and forget about trying to start hormone therapy. If LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be hospitalized over a case of COVID19, what happens to them once they get there? As overwhelmed hospitals begin to ration life-saving equipment, prospects are bleak. One rationing method is to give lower priority to patients with underlying conditions, which would disproportionately affect minorities, particularly Black people, but also queer people. No matter what method is used, though, they all hinge on prioritizing those most likely to survive short-term and long-term. As if the heightened suicide risk in the LGBTQ+ community wasn’t bad enough on its own, it could very well become a deciding factor in denying people life-saving resources because it compromises the odds of longterm survival. Even if this could be controlled for, doctors have strong implicit biases against queer people, making them unlikely to prioritize gay and transgender patients regardless of how resources are officially allotted. Now more than ever is the time to think of others. The vast majority of us personally know someone who is LGBTQ+. Keep them in mind when you debate going out or wonder if you really need to wear that mask. Wash your hands, keep your distance and stay home unless absolutely necessary — and, of course, have the best summer you can, no matter who you are. Ray Ajemian can be reached at rajemian@umich.edu.

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Arts

Thursday, April 16, 2020 — 5

FILM REVIEW

‘Love Wedding Repeat’ is convoluted, incongruent characters Rebecca (Aisling Bea, “Living with Yourself”) and Sidney (Tim Key, “This Time with Alan Partridge”) and Bryan (Joel Fry, “Game of Thrones”), their lovable but Netflix has long been an excellent source sometimes unhelpful friend and Hayley’s of cheesy rom-coms, those delightful maid of honor (or “man of honor,” as he 90-minute movies that you can watch insists). He’s managing all of this while also all the way through while half paying trying to confess his feelings to Dina (Olivia attention to something else and still feel Munn, “X-men: Apocalypse”), Hayley’s the satisfaction of a feel-good ending and friend that Jack met three years ago and a dramatic kiss. With “Love Wedding failed to make his move with despite her Repeat,” Netf lix has delivered another one clear reciprocity. of these movies, perfect for watching late at But let’s make it more complicated. night when you don’t When Marc (Jack want to think much Farthing, “Poldark”), about what you’re an old classmate of watching. That said, Hayley’s, shows up in terms of amusing to ruin the wedding, “Love Wedding Repeat” rom-coms, “Love Hayley convinces Wedding Repeat” is Jack to spike Marc’s Netflix a bit of a doozy: there drink with sleeping Streaming Now are dramatic exes, medication. This is affairs, attempts to where the multiverse spike someone’s drink theory comes in: with sleeping meds A group of kids and an exploration of comes to the table multiverse theory. and moves around For the most part, “Love Wedding the seating arrangements. There are Repeat” presents itself as a typical romcom, thousands of ways the eight people at the setting up complex interactions between English table can sit, and the film claims characters in the chaos of a wedding that these seating arrangements affect reception. Jack (Sam Claf lin, “Me Before the story differently. It takes you through You”) has to keep everything together for the worst-case scenario and the best-case his sister Hayley’s (Eleanor Tomlinson, scenario, with quick glances at some of the “Poldark”) wedding in Rome, which means other possibilities. Which character gets navigating interactions between guests at the sleeping medicine, it claims, will affect the “English table:” Jack’s challenging ex whether love will succeed. These chances, Amanda (Freida Pinto, “Rise of the Planet these decisions, will affect everything that of the Apes”) and her boyfriend Chaz (Allan happens afterward. “Chance can be a real Mustafa, “People Just Do Nothing”), quirky bastard,” says the Oracle (Penny Ryder, KARI ANDERSON Daily Arts Writer

NETFLIX

“Military Wives”), a random omniscient narrator, near the beginning of the film. The truth is that “Love Wedding Repeat” should be able to succeed. The actors are talented and well-cast; I especially liked Sam Claf lin’s wide-eyed and adorable Jack. Relationships between characters are often very sweet, especially that of brother-sister duo Jack and Hayley. The wedding itself is stunning, preceded with aerial shots of Rome and held in a beautiful garden with large, colorful f lower beds. Much of the comedy is found in awkward exchanges, usually involving Rebecca accidentally insulting someone in a lovely Irish brogue or Sidney and his choice to wear a kilt. Both characters provide comedic relief through their inability to know when to stop talking. The film is certainly entertaining, but the plot asks the audience to take a lot of leaps that get more difficult to accept as the film goes on.

The thing that sinks “Love Wedding Repeat” isn’t the overwhelming chaos or the long and horribly uncomfortable maid of honor speech from a man hopped up on sleeping medicine. It’s that its creators had a chance to make a simple, sweet romantic comedy, and instead they chose to convolute the plot with something a bit too complicated to feel necessary. No typical romantic comedy begins with images of galaxies and a truncated discussion of physics narrated by a character billed as “The Oracle,” and maybe there’s a reason for that. If you dig deep, you can find a pleasant romantic comedy with interesting characters and a sweet message, but you have to ignore the philosophical queries to get there. In truth, “Love Wedding Repeat” feels like a metaphor for itself: Every poor decision leads to a consequence. Maybe if some decisions had been made differently, the film could have been able to succeed.

BOOK INTERVIEW

Richie Jackson on politics, parenthood and his new memoir EMILIA FERRANTE Daily Arts Writer

In his new memoir, Broadway and TV producer Richie Jackson is unapologetic and unabashed while still maintaining a level of gentleness throughout. “Gay Like Me” functions on multiple levels — primarily as a sending-off to his collegebound son, but also as the story of Jackson’s life, a love letter to his husband Jordan Roth, a guidebook for parents on raising a gay child and a political statement about Donald Trump and his America. Jackson makes it clear that being gay is an integral part of his life and that it intimately shapes him and his identity. In my conversation with him at his Manhattan office, he made this point early and eloquently. “Being gay is the best part about me, and it’s the most important part,” he said. About his son, he continued, “I want him to start to begin to think of the things I need to share with him about what it means to be a gay man.” The memoir starts with the birth of Jackson’s son through a surrogate. In this way, Jackson sets up a timeline for his son immediately and shows how his parents being gay was instantly important to his life, even before the moment of his conception. Jackson and his husband, Broadway producer Jordan Roth, along with Jackson’s ex-husband, Tony award-winning actor B.D. Wong, parented the son together. When he was 15, he came out to them, an experience that Jackson says was the impetus for the book. At that moment of coming out, his son said “Being gay is not a big deal.” Jackson vividly recalls the phrase “My generation doesn’t think it’s a big deal” from his son, a pivotal moment that laid bare the chasm between Jackson’s experiences as a gay man and his son’s. To put it simply, as Jackson states in his book, “To live as fully gay as possible is how I am most

alive.” After that conversation with his son, he be combatted — but Jackson thinks it requires realized the difference in the conception of being a kind of politics that has become a taboo word. gay between his generation and his son’s. Jackson He began to chuckle knowingly when I brought feels like this difference, while natural, means his up some people’s qualms with identity politics, son and others his age have not been fully exposed mainly that they ignore a whole person in favor to the vast spectrum of the gay experience. “How of cherry picking an aspect of identity. Jackson naive of me...to let myself believe that the colorful sees it differently. “Think about it, we all sit in lighting display illuminating our nation’s first our classrooms and learn history. But it’s only cis, house was our real country,” he writes. “We cannot white, straight men are ever taught they can go rest on the glory of our being legally married.” But the distance in whatever way they want,” he said. he also saw his son as unprepared for the world “Women aren’t taught it, people of color aren’t he was about to face, leaving the home of his taught it, LGBTQ kids aren’t.” For that reason alone, gay parents and sphere of guaranteed LGBTQ+ he says, identity politics are valid: simply to get acceptance. Granted, he was only going a few those marginalized groups into positions of power blocks away to NYU, but to pave the way for others Jackson felt like the to come behind. Not book was a necessary only that, but the unique warning in a world that experience of a person was not as accepting from a marginalized “Gay Like Me” as our generation group is in and of itself Richie Jackson would like to think it is. valuable. As Jackson Harper Collins Though he was afraid of put it, “When you are “passing down trauma,” other, when you are Jan. 28, 2020 of “clipping your wings different, when you are just as you are about marginalized, you just to set off,” the memoir have a different way of maintains a hopeful, if feeling and looking at the not urgent, tone. Jackson world, and you have this describes the experience through an anecdote: enormous well of empathy.” “When (my son) was 7 or 8, and we would swim in These statements are thrown into especially the ocean, we would talk about riptides. I was so sharp relief when considering that Donald Trump scared about riptides. I kept telling him, you swim was present at Jackson’s 2012 wedding to his parallel to a riptide, you never swim into it. Not so now-husband, Jordan Roth. At the time, Trump with this riptide of hate.” Despite his son’s more was merely a New York businessman. Despite his blasé attitude, Jackson said, “It’s going to be harder repudiation for Trump’s policies, Jackson said his for my son to come out in 2020, to come out into wedding “was the most beautiful day, so it’s very the world as a gay adult, than it was in 1993 when I hard for me to want to change anything about it, came to New York to be a gay adult.” because it was so perfect.” That, combined with That “riptide of hate,” headed by Donald the fact that it was a “very large wedding,” makes Trump, Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell, can Trump’s presence more of a supporting detail

rather than an earth-shattering event for Jackson. From systemic political change to systemic social change, Jackson sees so many places we can improve while still acknowledging how far we have come in terms of gay representation. First, he brings attention to the fact that the closet is still a painful reality for many gay people. To put it bluntly, as Jackson did in our interview, “the other thing we have to remember, and I think young people who come out so young might not appreciate so much, is that the closet is not a Four Seasons. It’s not a resort, it’s a prison.” This came up when I mentioned the Generation Z distaste for Pete Buttigieg, which Jackson took as an opportunity to highlight this. “Could he be fired in 28 states for being gay? Yes, he can. Would our adversaries think he’s gay enough to discriminate against? Yes, he’s gay enough to be discriminated against in all the ways that we are,” he said. “A gay person who lives in the closet for 31 years because of self-loathing, because of fear that the life they want for themselves is not possible, is as legitimate of a gay experience as these children that are coming out so young.” Yes, it is true that there is much more gay representation in the media than there was when Jackson himself came out, but the book calls this a “false salve.” Because “the entire scaffolding of America is constructed for straight people,” the reality is that “the miracle of vulnerability hasn’t made us whole,” Jackson wrote. Representation is nice, he said in the interview, but it “hasn’t made us whole, it hasn’t made us safe.” Because of this heterosexual scaffolding around which our country is built, “Gay people have had to highlight our similarities with straight people in order to get what we want politically,” Jackson wrote.