The Pride LA 1.6.23

‘60s Hollywood Heartthrob Richard Chamberlain Kept Sexuality a Secret

Longtimer

Hollywood star says he is finially at peace

BY SUSAN PAYNE

After a long career in Hollywood and keeping a secret, Richard Chamberlain is finally at peace with his sexuality.

The 1960s star is auctioning off some of his prized possessions in a sale titled,

“Property from the Life and Career of Richard Chamberlain,”part of Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies’ “Icons & Idols: Hollywood,” which kicks off this weekend in Beverly Hills, California, and online, according to Fox News.

“Life is really nice,” the actor told Fox News Digital. “I’m sort of retired and can … live a much simpler life than when I was working. Acting is gratifying as it is extremely hard work … I can now sit around and watch TV if I want to, go to the movies, have dinner with friends and just have fun … it’s very gratifying.”

Chamberlain came out as a gay man when

he was almost 70 years old, nearly 18 years ago. What held him back was many of his roles in Hollywood as a romantic leading man. It would have been a “disaster” and “awful” for his career if the public had known the truth, he said.

“I had to be very careful and very circumspect,” he said. “Magazines did lots and lots of interviews, and they sort of suspected. They would ask me questions like, ‘When are you going to get married and have children?’ I would say, ‘Well, not quite yet. I’m awfully busy.’ I had to be careful for a long time.”

Chamberlain said it felt freeing to finally share his truth in his memoir.

Body Found in Malibu Identified by Family as Transgender Woman

Day Roda was a member of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, organization says in expressing condolences

By Susan Payne

A body found on the side of the roadway in Malibu has been identified by family members as a transgender woman, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Found Dec. 1 in the 33000 block of Mulholland Highway, the cause of death has not been determined, according to sheriff’s officials. Investigators found no obvious signs of trauma.

Pending notification of relatives, the body’s identification has not been released

by coroners, according to NBC Los Angeles, however, family members identified the person as Day Rodas, age 27.

The LGBT Center in Los Angeles released a statement via Instagram regarding Rodas’ death:

“We at the Los Angeles LGBT Center are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Day Rodas, our colleague and friend, and express our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. Day was a vital member of the Center, working with our Community Health Program, and she worked devotedly during her tenure to keep LGBTQ+ people educated, informed and safe.

“We are so proud of the work that Day did for the Center and our community. Shortly after joining our team, Day announced that she identified as a transgender woman. Her colleagues and family alike have expressed that Day seemed like she was beginning a new chapter – one where she could finally be her authentic self. To have her life cut short in this moment – and under such troubling circumstances – makes her loss all the more heartbreaking.

“We cannot honor the life of Day Rodas

without naming that violence against transgender people – particularly transgender women of color – is at an all-time high. Her passing comes shortly after Transgender Day of Remembrance, where we mourned at least 38 people in the community who we lost to acts of violence. We are witnessing a rise in antitrans political rhetoric and cultural phobia that contribute to hate crimes against transgender people, many of which go unsolved. In the moments following Day’s passing last week, she was repeatedly misgendered by authorities and the local news media. We categorically condemn such carelessness, and we will do everything in our power to make sure these forces recognize our colleague as she deserves.

“We commit to honoring Day’s life by continuing her work helping our community, and to ensure that transgender people are treated in our society with the dignity and justice that they deserve.”

In a GoFundMe page created by Rodas’ sister, she was described as “the most forgiving person who strongly advocated for LGBTQ rights” according to the NBC report.

“She recently started living her life authentically as she came out to friends and

family about being a trans woman. She was the most forgiving person who strongly advocated for LGBTQ rights. She had so much love for family and friends and she saw the good in everyone … after being afraid for 27 years, she only got to live freely without fear for only six months which breaks our hearts,” her younger sister wrote.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222TIPS.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (L-R) Richard Chamberlain (Dr. Kildare), Daniela Bianchi and Raymond Massey (Dr. Gillespie) from the television program Dr. Kildare in 1964.

Photo: GoFundMe Day Roda.

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LA County Hate Crimes Reach Highest Level in 20 Years

Results from Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations show hates crimes are are among the highest seen since 2002

By Susan Payne

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations recently released its 2021 Hate Crime Report, and the results are among the highest seen since 2002.

Reporting a 23% increase in hate crimes since 2020, the report noted 786 victims of hate crimes in 2021 with more than half of the violence spurred by racism. Blacks, Latinos, Jews and LGBTQ individuals were among the highest violently targeted groups.

Only 49 cases were referred to the district attorney’s office in 2021, according to the report, and of those 49 cases, charges were filed in 42 cases. Of the adults prosecuted, the report stated 31 were charged with felonies and nine with misdemeanors.

“We really feel it’s necessary to not hide the ugly reality of hate violence in our communities, which is what these findings and numbers represent,” said Robin Toma, the executive director of the Human Relations Commission, at a news conference on the report.

Toma attributed part of the increase to the fact that the county has made it easier to report hate crimes in recent years. In 2020, the county launched its LA vs Hate initiative, which includes a government hotline (211) for reporting hate crimes.

Political polarization also likely fueled the increase. In the last 11 months, the Los Angeles Times said the country has a massacre of Black shoppers at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store and a rampage at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the report conference that the country was in the throes of a “hate crisis.”

District Attorney George Gascón said the uptick in hate crimes has continued through 2022 and that his office filed a record number of criminal cases involving hate crimes this year.

“The numbers are clearly troubling,” Gascón said. “I have to say that I’m deeply disturbed about what we’re seeing.”

The report highlighted an increase of hate crimes in every category compared to 2020. Twenty five more hate crimes motivated by religion. Of the 111 religious-motivated

crimes, three quarters of them targeted Jews. Eighteen more crimes related to sexual orientation were reported. Of 140 sexual orientation-motivated crimes, 85% targeted gay men.

In the report, there were 67 more hate crimes motivated by race. Of the 473 racial hate crimes, half of those victims were Black, in a county where Black resident make up 9% of the population, according to the LA Times.

Anti-Asian hate crimes amassed 77 – the most in two decades.

The report also listed some of those hate crimes in detail:

In January of 2021, a maintenance worker reported a Santa Clarita elementary school covered in antisemitic graffiti.

A Hollywood-based LGBTQ organization was threatened by a person who said they would shoot people at the facility, who also used racial slurs.

A driver in West Los Angeles threw a metal coil and a bottle at an Iranian woman, yelling insults.

Although the report presented data from 2021, experts have said the trend is continuing into 2022.

The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino analyzed data from the Los Angeles Police Department and found that hate crimes in Los Angeles rose by 12% in the first 10 months of 2022 over the same period in 2021. The center also analyzed that hate crimes targeting Black people rose 38% — to 168 from 122 — and anti-Jewish hate crimes went up 13%, to 80 from 71.

Brian Levin, the director of the center, told the LA Times he expects the number of hate crimes to continue rising into 2023 with highprofile figures such as Kanye West openly spouting antisemitic remarks online and in interviews. Two months ago, a hate group waved a banner on a 405 Freeway overpass in Los Angeles in support of the rapper’s comments, according to the LA Times.

“It’s not just the kind of antisemitic attack now that occurs where someone wants to be anonymous in a dark alley,” Levin told the LA Times. “This is an in-your-face brazen type of antisemitism.”

Gay, HIV-Positive Latino Man Sues Local Bank for Wrongful Firing

Sergio Dieguez says he

wrongfully fired from his job as a teller for complaining about discrimination

B y S u S an P ayne

A Latino man is suing Pasadenabased East West Bank and two branch management members, alleging that he was wrongfully fired from his job as a teller for complaining about discrimination.

Sergio Dieguez, a former teller of the bank, filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court for allegations that include harassment, retaliation, violation of the right of privacy, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional

distress, according to the Pasadena StarNews.

Dieguez, 34, was hired by the bank in October 2018 at the Montebello branch and was the only Latino in the workplace. Other employees were mostly Asian, including Horace Lam, the brand manager, and Veronica Chiu, the assistant manager, according to the suit.

The suit alleges that the “plaintiff was often picked on, excluded from company events that others invited to and generally made to feel inferior compared to his coworkers.”

Shortly after Dieguez was hired, Chiu began asking him intimate questions about his personal life, whether he had a girlfriend and about his sexual practices, the suit reads.

Months later, Dieguez disclosed that he was gay after being asked more personal questions, and discussing her own intimate experiences, the suit alleges.

“Ms. Chiu’s behavior and comments were inappropriate for the workplace and

we believe

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made (Dieguez) uncomfortable working with her,” the suit stated.

A few weeks later, Lam told Dieguez that he knew about the plaintiff’s sexual preferences and that he no problem with it, although Dieguez never disclosed that information to Lam, according to the suit.

In mid-2020, Dieguez started missing a few days of work each month due to symptoms associated with his HIVpositive status, which he disclosed to Chiu, according to the suit. Dieguez complained to human resources in October of 2021 and was promised they would investigate

the concerns, but never went forward, according to the suit.

Dieguez was fired in August after a rude customer yelled and cursed at him when the plaintiff said he needed management approval to cash a check for the patron. Because of this dispute, Dieguez suffered a panic attack and asked if he could home, but instead, Lam asked him to turn the keys in because he was being terminated, according to the suit.

Dieguez believes he was fired because he complained about discrimination and harassment, the suit stated.

was

Third Former Major League Baseball Players Comes out as Gay

T.J. House who announced his coming out

By Susan Payne

Last December, love is took the place of the shame for former major league baseball player T.J. House who announced his coming out and his engagement to Ryan Neitzel last month.

House pitched for the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays from 2014 to 2017, said in an emotional Facebook post that he used baseball as his drug to numb was what really going on inside.

“I loved every moment of my playing days, and I would go the same route again if I had the chance (with one big change). But even with all the money, fancy cars, nice clothes and a little tiny bit of fame, I would go home every night wishing I could change. Deep down I wanted something more, I wanted to

be loved not for what I did, but who I was,” House posted.

House said in the post that he could not be himself around many people because of conversations he heard from others.

“It’s hard listening to people talk about you without them knowing that the words they are saying are directed at you,” he said.

Shame kept him from coming, but “love has finally set me free,” he said.

House is the third former MLB player to come out publicly, according to Outsports.

The others are Glenn Burke from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, who came out in 1982, and Billy Bean, who came out in 1999 after playing for the Detroit Tigers, the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

Bean, the league’s senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusions, told Outsports that the news of House coming out is a great day for the league and baseball.

Outsports contributor Ken Schultz said in a statement that House’s announcement is significant because few pro athletes in men’s sports have come out and baseball in particular

is still waiting for its first active LGBTQ player.

“TJ choosing to share his story publicly reinforces our presence in the clubhouse and gives modern-day players an example of one of their peers living as his true self and sharing his strength and happiness with the world,” Schultz said.

House said recent passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law nearly a week ago, will allow House and his fiancé “to have the same rights and opportunities that each of you have.”

“It protects the same benefits. It makes us equal to you. It allows Ryan Neitzel and I to come together and create something beautiful. It gives me the confidence to get engaged to the person I love (he said Yes!), to marry them,” he said. “I have a wonderful fiancé, who challenges me daily to become a better person.”

Now that he’s out, House said he is finally healing after locking who he was for more than 20 years.

“Today I am Loved,” he wrote.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons T.J. House.

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California Has 10% LGBTQ Representation in Legislature

California Has 10% LGBTQ Representation in Legislature

By Susan Payne

Ten percent of California’s legislature will represent the LGBTQ+ community after the most recent election in November.

While some races are yet to be decided, California will have 12 to 14 out state legislators, including four to six new ones, according to Equality California.

Assembly candidate Corey Jackson in the 60th District, Senate candidate Steve Padilla in the 18th District and Rick Chavez Zbur for Assembly in the 51st district won their races. In District 20, Caroline Menjivar was also elected.

Possibly adding to the numbers may be Assembly candidate Christy Holstege, in the 47th District, and Senate candidate Joseph Rocha, in the 40th District; both are in competitive races that have not been called yet, according to the Pasadena StarNews.

Regardless of party, the top candidates in

the California primary elections advance to the general election.

Through 2024, there are four out senators, and the state’s four out Assembly members won reelection.

Equality California and leaders of the state’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus first announced a goal of achieving 10 percent representation in January, according to the Pasadena Star-News.

“Representation is power,” Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang said in a press release. “LGBTQ+ people belong in every room and deserve a seat at every table where decisions impacting our community and our lives are being made. While state legislatures across the country attack our community — and our trans kids and LGBTQ+ students in particular — California will continue to lead the nation’s fight for LGBTQ+ equality and serve as a beacon of hope to LGBTQ+ people everywhere, in no small part because of our historic, proportional representation in Sacramento.”

“Less than 45 years ago, California elected its first openly gay official, Harvey Milk,” said Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Evan Low, a member of

Man With Gun Spotted Inside West Hollywood, Spurring

Fear

By Susan Payne

Weeks after a deadly mass shooting in a Colorado LGBTQ+ club, a man in a West Hollywood gay bar was spotted with a gun, according to officials.

the Assembly. “And today, the California Legislature has the largest percentage of LGBTQ+ representation in the country.”

Low said in the release that he didn’t see LGBTQ+ people in film, music or media growing up, but times have changed.

“We have seen this change from sports to entertainment to advertising, and now we are witnessing the rainbow wave in lawmaking,” Low said. “At a time when extremists have done everything they can to demonize our community, we’ve proven that California will continue to be a guiding light for our country. We did this together, and I know it is just the beginning.”

SKINTIGHT AESTHETICS

Around the early morning hours of Dec. 8, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrived at The Abbey Food and Bar to investigate the call, but the man was already gone. Bar surveillance confirmed the suspect inside with the weapon visible, according to ABC7.

“We do have our EPT team, which is our entertainment policing team – they’re always doing patrol checks at all the businesses on Sunset and Santa Monica, so that’s why we got here within seconds,” Sgt. Joanna Warren of the department told ABC7.

The Abbey did not immediately respond for a comment.

OR Bar WeHo Now Open in West Hollywood

By Susan Payne

West Hollywood welcomed a new gay bar in the city last month.

OR Bar WeHo, located at 8228 Santa Monica Blvd. inside for the former Gold Coast Bar space, had its soft opening on Dec. 15, was highly anticipated in the community.

The night before its opening, co-owner Stephanie Schestag said they hosted a special preview for friends and family who had the first experience in the new space, according to the WeHo Times.

Fashion police co-host George Kotsiopoulos teamed up with Circus of Books owner Rob Novinger and Fire Hot Yoga founder Schestag to open the new gay bar as a nod to the beloved Gold Coast space which closed in September of 2020 after 39 years.

Novinger told the WeHo Times they hoped to open in early September, but engineering and supply chain issues caused a delay.

“Believe it or not, we’re not waiting on anything from the city,” Rob Novinger said back in August. “In West Hollywood, they’ve been really good with working with us. They want new business. They welcome new business. They roll out the red carpet. In LA, it’s like three or four months to get approved. West Hollywood had everything approved within two weeks.”

“We don’t want gay bars to become obsolete,” Kotsiopoulos told Variety when he announced his latest endeavor last year. “We’re passionate about making sure we still have safe places for community.”

Gunman Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Shooting Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker

James Howard Jackson was sentenced

BY SUSAN PAYNE

The man who shot then 30-year-old Ryan Fischer, a gay professional dog walker in Hollywood in February of 2021, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison.

James Howard Jackson was sentenced as part of a plea deal by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Fischer was walking three dogs for singer Stefani Germanotta, famously known as Lady Gaga, when Jackson shot him during a struggle, and then along with an accomplice, grabbed two of the dogs, and taking off in a late-model white Nissan Altima four-door sedan, according to the Los Angeles Blade.

Authorities told the KTLA/Associated Press that the Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence and that the motive was the value of the French bulldogs, up to thousands of dollars.

“The plea agreement holds Mr. Jackson accountable for perpetrating a coldhearted violent act and provides justice for our victim,” the office said in a statement. Howard had been charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm, according to the Blade.

Fischer made his victim impact statement prior to Jackson’s sentencing. It read:

Gay Actor’s

“Your honor, thank you for the opportunity to give my impact statement here in court, and for everything you, Michele Hanisee [Deputy LA District Attorney] and the DA’s office, and detectives and law enforcement have done to bring these cases to completion. It’s hard to believe that it’s nearing 2 years since I was taking Asia, Koji and Gustav out for an evening stroll when – in an instant – I suddenly found myself fighting with everything I had to protect those dogs from being stolen. But it wasn’t enough: I was beaten, strangled, shot and left to die bleeding out on a sidewalk and gasping for my life. And Koji and Gustav were gone.

In some ways that night and everything that followed: from hospital stays, lung collapse after lung collapse and eventual surgery and partial removal- physical therapy that I’m still in to get mobility and sensation fully restored in my shoulder, chest and hand, the media storm that made me terrified to even go back to my home or walk on the street, the loss of a career, friendships, sense of self and savings and then aimlessly traveling this country for over a year as I went into debt, contemplated suicide, and struggled – and continue to struggle – with my identity and how to move past such a lifechanging, earth-shattering event…

Sometimes it feels like all that happened to someone else, and other times it feels like I never left that sidewalk. A part of me is still trying desperately to save those dogs knowing you were going to shoot me. I’m sure it feels the same for you, Mr. Jackson. I imagine you’re on that sidewalk sometimes too. You shot me and left me to die, and both of our lives have changed forever. A limbo neither of us asked to be in.

In my darkest hours, when I feel lost and abandoned and mourn a life and those dogs I sacrificed myself for, a life I’ve accepted –through a lot of therapy – I’ve accepted I’ll never see again, I try to focus on what I’ve gained:

A deeper love for friends and family that have shown up and continue to show up even when I’m still such a mess. I love you and thank you.

That, despite everything and the trauma I still work through in regards to them, I love dogs so much and look forward to continue bringing them back into my life.

Gratitude for strangers that became family and have supported me in countless ways.

And that I finally feel healthy enough to stop running from my problems.

Forgiving myself for not being able to save those dogs that night and falling down again and again these last two years.

Forgiving friends who didn’t and don’t know how to be there for me in the lengthy recovery process this continues to be.

And forgiveness for you. It’s something I’m still working on but I do forgive you and everyone involved with the attack. You completely altered my life, and I know I can’t fully move forward from the night you shot me until I said those words to you.

My hope for you is the same for me: to live a life of purpose and grow from what happened that night. Moving forward, it’s going to be a hard road for both of us, and I know from prison it won’t be easy. But I do hope you find a calling there as I continue to search for my own and live life contributing to others. It’s the only way to heal from this experience.

I also wanted to give gratitude, to thank you

Affection for Date ‘Unwelcome’

Actor says he was victim of homophobia at El Compadre restaraunt

BY SUSAN PAYNE

Support is being poured for a gay actor who was on a date at a Mexican restaurant and experienced a homophobic episode with a manager, according to the Advocate.

On Dec. 12, actor Drew Droege was on a date and having drinks before heading to a show that evening. The Advocate reported Droege and his date were “expressing their affection for one another” when the manager of El Compadre in Echo Park approached the couple.

“We had our arms around each other and kissed a few times,” Droege wrote in a Facebook post. “A manager approached our table and said something to the [effect] of, ‘you guys can’t do that here.”

Droege said, “We were confused at first, but then he very firmly stated, ‘this is a family restaurant.’”

He wrote on Facebook that he asked the manager whether somebody had complained because, as far as he could see, the restaurant was filled with straight couples who were dining, laughing, and engaging in similarly affectionate behavior.

“He threw his hands in front of us and said, ‘I don’t care if you’re the President of the United States, we don’t allow your behavior here,’” Droege said on Facebook.

Although since deleted, El Compadre posted a statement on Instagram:

“We have read all of your comments and concerns, and we are looking into what

happened Monday night at our Echo Park location,” the message read. “While we work to learn more, we want to make it clear we stand with the LGBTQ community and hold no space for intolerance, hate, or unjust treatment of our beloved guests regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or status. We were built off of the core value to do everything with love, and we will do what it takes to continue to warmly welcome any and every guest into a safe community. Please give us time to seek out what happened, gather more information, and take appropriate action. We will update you soon.”

Requests for the Advocate to speak with management went unanswered.

Droege said he and his date had only been out for a few times, but they are shocked and disappointed and are caring for one another to get past the incident.

for not killing – for not harming – the dogs after everything and the media storm. They were returned and returned to their mom. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if they died.

And, in general, I just wanted to say how guns have impacted my life and countless others and continue to harm our society. I look forward to contributing to a future that doesn’t destroy so many lives and so many people in this country. It doesn’t make sense to fear for your life at school, places of worship, clubs, or when you’re taking dogs out for an evening stroll.

Thank you all for your time today.”

Another accomplice, Harold White, pleaded no contest to a count of ex-convict in possession of a gun, and will be sentenced next year, according to the Blade. Jaylin White and Lafayette Whaley earlier this year and pleaded no contest to robbery, the Blade reported.

“He is a fighter, and so am I,” Droege said. “And wow, we are getting flooded with support from friends and allies in and of the community.”

Droege’s post has gone viral with tens of thousands of reactions, including fellow actors in support, according to the Advocate.

Actor Matt Bomer said. “I’m so sorry to hear this, Drew. I’m glad you had a good make out session though!”

Leslie Grossman added, “They are lucky someone as adorable and glamorous as you even went there! Obviously, this place is dead to me. Also, mazel on the makeout at least.”

Droege closed his post with the following question, according to the Advocate:

“Ever wonder why gay people often seem nervous? Why do we walk faster? Why do we work so hard to please others and be good little citizens in this world?” he asked. “I will never be back. I encourage you all to find another place too.”