the pride
7.23.2021 – 8.6.2021ISSUE NUMBER 60, VOLUME 31 | JULY 23 – AUGUST 6, 2021
WWW.THEPRIDELA.COM
LOS ANGELES
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THE LOS ANGELES LGBT NEWSPAPER
Los Angeles LGBT Center Vaccinates Trans and Non-Binary Community Members Over 100 people get their shot BY TIMOTHY MICHAEL The Los Angeles LGBT Center has made it its mission to vaccinate the trans and non-binary community in a safe and festive space. The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus was transformed with inviting music, balloons and tables filled with goodie bags to encourage the trans and non-binary community to get the Covid-19 vaccine. For two consecutive Saturday evenings, the Center served as a vaccine site of a community-led initiative known as Vax to the Max tailored to members of the transgender and non-binary community who are among the most vulnerable to access quality health care.
The free vaccines were administered on a first come, first-served basis. No appointment was necessary. The clinic was held in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Invisible Men, an organization that provides resources and support specifically for transmasculine individuals. “It’s crucial that everybody gets vaccinated,” said Invisible Men volunteer Eliot Hutchins while helping out at the June 5 clinic. “This event is colorful and friendly—a good, safe place for people to do something that might be terrifying. As a trans person, I can tell you it’s so hard for us just to find welcoming spaces to start with.” The May 29 and June 5 clinics resulted in 107 people receiving a vaccine shot. They had a choice of receiving the Pfizer vaccine, which requires a second shot three weeks later, or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Podcast Host Mat George Killed In Hit-And-Run Gay co-host of the podcast “She Rates Dogs dies at 26
Mathew George, gay co-host of the podcast “She Rates Dogs”, has died at the age of 26 after a hit-and-run collision. The collision occurred on Beverly Boulevard in Beverly Hills at about 2:20 a.m. local time. The LAPD indicates that George was not walking in a marked crosswalk before being hit. The vehicle, a white BMW, continued eastbound without stopping after the incident. George was pronounced dead at the scene. Michaela Okland, George’s co-host
on “She Rates Dogs”, announced his death on Twitter stating, “I would rather you guys hear this from me than a news article. Mat was killed in a hit and run last night. I don’t really have any other words right now. I wish I could contact everybody who knows him personally but the news is already out and I just can’t do it right now.” Not long after, tributes for the 26-yearold poured in on social media shortly after her announcement. George has lived openly as a gay man and often shared his life as such with listeners and fans. “Growing up and being in the closet, I never knew anyone or heard about anyone who had similar experiences and fears that I had,” George said:
“My hopes for my Twitter account and SheRatesDogs the Podcast is to share my stories and make LGBTQ+ people all across the world feel like they’re not alone. The most rewarding moments are when members of the LGBTQ+ community reach out to me and tell me what a difference I’ve made in their lives,” Co-host Okland also posted on the “She Rates Dogs” account to announce that one more episode featuring George was recorded before his death and was scheduled to be posted on Tuesday. She said it will likely be put on hold, however. She said their listeners’ “words and support made him so happy.”
Photo: Courtesy Of @matchu_chutrain Twitter Mat George.