the pride
ISSUE NUMBER 78, VOLUME 49 | MAY 6 – JUNE 2, 2022 05.06.2022 – 06.02.2022
WWW.THEPRIDELA.COM
LOS ANGELES
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THE LOS ANGELES LGBT NEWSPAPER
L.A. County Business to Florida, Texas Banned Amid LGBTQ Policies Officials say they were driven by “transphobia and homophobia.” By SuSan Payne The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors has voted to ban all county travel to Florida and Texas due to policies and legislation that officials said were driven by “transphobia and homophobia.” A February order issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) directing the state to investigate reports of gender-affirming treatments as potential child abuse ignited the travel suspension, according to an article written by The Washington Post. “To be clear, the directive is not about protecting trans kids,” the board’s motion stated. “It is about denying their existence and cutting off access to life-saving treatment.” In addition to Texas, the board’s suspended travel to Florida because of its Rights in Education legislation, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in March, according to The Washington Post. The law restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity between kindergarten and third grade. During the Board of Supervisors meeting in April, the agenda stated the law would “perpetuate a culture of bullying, secrecy,
shame and fear.” “The kind of school environment imagined in this legislation is one that is uncomfortable, unsafe, unwelcoming, and toxic for all students and staff alike, particularly those who identify as LGBTQ+,” the motion stated. Texas officials did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment. In an email, DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw called the L.A.
decision “political” and said the governor’s office isn’t worried about economic impact from the suspension. Pushaw said Florida saw more visitors in the second half of 2021 than the same time 2019. “The woke bureaucrats running LA County are shooting themselves in the foot with their political grandstanding,” she wrote. “This misguided policy is a punishment for LA County employees –
not for Florida.” “The woke bureaucrats running LA County are shooting themselves in the foot with their political grandstanding,” she wrote. “This misguided policy is a punishment for LA County employees – not for Florida.” If Florida law or or the Texas order are lifted, the county agenda said it would lift the travel ban.
Mars Wright, ProjectQ Mural in Hollywood Illuminates “Trans Joy” Piece part of a larger series called “Trans Joy” at Vermont and Fountain Avenue By SuSan Payne A two-building mural in East Hollywood commissioned by nonprofit ProjectQ represents Trans joy designed and painted by artist Mars Wright. The permanent mural “Trans Joy is Resistance” was released in March on the cross street of Vermont and Fountain Avenue as part of a larger series called
“Trans Joy,” according to The Los Angeles Blade. The white-on-black building, next to a black-on-black building at 4709 Fountain Ave portray a smattering of smiling mouths in motion in Mars Wright’s iconic illustrative style, the Blade reported. “I draw tons of inspiration from the works of Keith Harring, specifically his subway drawings. How do we make Trans Joy tangible, a lived reality? We put it everywhere, we remind everyone passing by that we are not going anywhere, and our joy is actively resisting the Transphobia we experience, the Transphobia that tells us we do not belong and we should not have joyous lives as out Trans people. I am so honored to have my mural at ProjectQ, an important and necessary resource for
LGBTQ+ folks.” said Mars Wright. ProjectQ is a nonprofit community center that provides safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth. Folx with housing insecurities can receive free mentorship classes and workshops along with free gender-affirming haircuts, the Blade said. The center prides themselves in being a safe space where everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, size, ability and income. Mars is a Trans artist and activist that specialized in mixed media, interested in the beauty of imperfection and the strength of radical honesty, the Blade stated. Through sharing his life, Mars hopes to help people feel less alone. “We are all trying our best and he wants to honor that,” the Blade stated.
Photo: Facebook (artsyyrose/projectq.info)