LGBTQ San Diego County News Volume 1 Issue 18 June 5 - 18

lgbtqsd.news

June 5 - 18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

June 5 - 18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

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LGBTQSD.NEWs

BLACK lives matter

UNDERSTANDING THE CURRENT

REOPENING GUIDELINES By following the rules and regulations, we can all help in the reopening process LGBTQ San Diego County News

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Hillcrest BLM Protest photography courtesy of Rick Cervantes

s information and developments seem to change daily, it’s hard to keep up with the correct guidelines to follow when venturing out into the world these days. Here is a breakdown of what you need to know from the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Department, as of June 2.

Although there is an official stay-at-home order still in effect, we know we all have to get out, get some fresh air and absolutely support local businesses that have reopened.

It should go without saying, but please always wear your face covering or mask properly! Has anybody else noticed how many people are wearing masks that just cover their mouths but leave their noses exposed? This defeats the purpose.

And please continue to wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer if possible.

Reopening Guidelines continues on Page 2

DON’T MISS THE BIG PICTURE BEHIND THE GEORGE FLOYD TRAGEDY “I know what it is like to be called a nigger and I know what it is like to be called a faggot.

I can tell you the difference in one word – none.”

By Dwayne Crenshaw, J.D.

reaD on page P4

Entertainment

COMMUNITY voices

News

public service

Tori Amos Talks New Book “Resistance,” Bad Days and Wearing Your Big Boy Boots P11

Conversations with Nicole Out of the Closets...

Into the Voting Booths! P7

Big Mike & Friends Vanessa Dubois P9

INTERFAITH SHELTER NETWORK Assisting Women and Children Fleeing Domestic Violence P3

A note from toni Pride Evolves P6

hot dish

Life Beyond Therapy Acceptable levels of risk P8

Out of the Archives Vertez Burks P10

PRIDE WAS A RIOT! Fighting Oppression Together P5

Rolled Tacos 3 Ways Three Sauces to Change Your Dinning Game P14

OpInion

Creep of the Week: Donald Trump P16

PRIDEFUL READING! The LGBTQ+ History Recommended Reading List P5

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June 5-18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

news

Reopening Guidelines continued from Page 1

DINING OUT

As restaurants begin to reopen under a long list of strict and protective guidelines, our friends at MO’s Universe have come up with their own version of “COVID-19 Playground Rules” and it’s a good example of how to conduct yourself while dining out at any eatery.

1. Face mask or covering required at all times unless eating or drinking.

2. We know that person is cute, but you must stay seated.

3. Please remember to keep 6 feet away from others by social distancing with anyone outside your party.

4. Please use hand sanitizer.

5. Bar stools around the bar are placed for your safety. Please do not move them.

6. Do not enter if you have a fever, cough, or are not feeling up to par.

7. All staff will be following CDC guidelines and policies.

OUTDOOR RECREATION

Public parks and recreation areas are open however the public shall not congregate or participate in active sport activities at a park with the exception of members from the same family or household.

Public hiking trails are open but again, keep it moving and practice social distancing.

Beaches are back open; you can take a stroll on the beach but if you want to sit on the sand, please remember, no large groups are allowed and only members of the same family or household can sit together.

8. Please understand that service will take longer than expected from order to food preparation.

9. Please follow the layout to move about the restaurant for using restrooms or when exiting the building.

10. If you need to smoke, please step outside and keep 6 feet from others. Return to the entrance and a host will walk you back inside.

11. There are time limits to the tables for the convenience of all guests. The limit will be 1 1/2 hours for all seats.

Again, these rules are specific to MO’s Universe, but you can expect the same rules anywhere you dine.

PLACES OF WORSHIP

As of May 27, religious services and cultural ceremonial activities may be conducted but it is recommended that they be held outdoors.

This is considered a high-risk activity so vulnerable members of the community are strongly encouraged to participate via streaming or another form of remote technology.

We keep hearing rules, rules, and rules; please be patient and remember nobody is trying to treat you like a child or impede on your liberties. These rules and regulations have been planned out for the publics safety and well-being.

Please stay aware, healthy and safe.

For the full “Order of the Health Officer and Emergency Regulations”, please visit SanDiegoCounty.gov

images by freepik.com

lgbtqsd.news

News

lgbtqsd.news

June 5 - 18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

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Nicole Murray Ramirez and members of The Imperial Court de San Diego stop by to donate comic books and food cards to the shelters families. (courtesy image)

INTERFAITH SHELTER NETWORK assisting more than 70 homeless women and children fleeing domestic violence

By Susan Jester

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he Imperial Court de San Diego recently arranged to donate comic books, snacks and $1,000 worth of food cards to the Interfaith Shelter Network’s (ISN) domestic violence transitional housing program, El Nido (The Nest), which is a program assisting more than 70 homeless women and children fleeing domestic violence.

They achieve permanent housing through this program, one of only two domestic violence transitional housing programs within the city of San Diego and it is one of the few in the ISN that has served San Diego’s “situationally (shortterm) homeless” for the past 31 years.

“Our kiddos were so excited to receive the comic books and goodies and our families are so grateful for the food cards” said Trisha Brereton, executive director of ISN. The emergency shelter program has been in continuous operation since 1986; the El Nido transitional housing program for homeless, battered women with children since 1997; and a rapid re-housing program (financial assistance) for lowto-moderate income homeless since January 2014.

Over the years, the emergency shelter program population has reflected changing demographics. While the vast majority of guests in 1986 were homeless men, over the years, the population of homeless females has increased as well as, most recently, homeless families with children. Today, 70% of ISN’s residential shelter clients countywide are families with children, 10% are single men, 10% are single women, and 10% are couples without children. Approximately 42% are Caucasian, 29% are African American, 27% are Hispanic, 1% are Native American, and 1% are identified as “other.”

In 2017, 52% of guests exited for more permanent housing, 23% were employed upon leaving, and 78% of adults exited with either a job or an income to which they were

entitled. While client outcomes vary from year to year, the program has an overall success rate of more than 50% in all three outcomes.

ISN opened its first transitional housing program in 1990 to serve homeless families at five scattered sites.

This program evolved into the El Nido Domestic Violence Transitional Housing Program in 1997, when ISN purchased an 11-unit apartment building with the help of a HUD grant.

Now in its 23rd year of operation, El Nido has provided case-managed transi-

tional housing for more than 245 families recovering from domestic violence. Historically, more than 85% of them have met their personal goals, successfully graduated the program and achieved permanent housing.

Program staff includes one full-time program manager who oversees all aspects of the program, reports to funders and ISN leadership, and is responsible for the smooth operation of the program.

One full-time case manager works closely with program participants, provides one-on-

one case management, crisis management, support, referrals and advocacy as needed to ensure participants achieve their individual goals. Program staff has a combined total of 36 years of experience working with victims of domestic violence and receives continuous trainings to ensure program best practices. Program staff works with on-site counseling services to schedule services and engages a parttime children’s art teacher and computer lab technician.

The program is partially supported by a variety of fund-

ing sources, including private and corporate grants, individual monetary donations and in-kind donations of goods and services.

In October 2016, ISN launched a new monthly giving program for El Nido supporters. The Nest Builders giving campaign has raised more than $100,000 to date.

For more information, check our website:

interfaithshelter.org Or call 619-702-5399

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June 5-18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

Cover Story

lgbtqsd.news

Black Lives Matter continued from Page 1

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have used this quote many times over the years in writings and public speaking ever since I first saw it. It is thought provoking. It spoke to more of who I am as a person. I felt it. And, it’s not true. Well, at least not in the sense this statement equates the trauma and oppression these two identities experience beyond the moment — an act of hate.

The murder of George Floyd has shocked the conscience of the vast majority of Americans.

There is broad consensus we need justice for George Floyd. We agree police brutality is unacceptable and police reform to some extent is urgently needed.

We have demonstrated this consensus in many ways from protest to prayer to philanthropy to policy to social media posts. I am good with all these expressions and do not judge how people choose to respond. I am not sure which one of these actions will bring about justice and police reform — likely a collection of several — but I hope and trust we will see justice meted out with homicide convictions for all four police officers responsible Dwayne Crenshaw for the death of George Floyd photography courtesy and police reforms impleof Eder Photography mented in law enforcement agencies across the nation. I cautiously believe it actually will, but I also believe it is not the end of the game, rather just the beginning. Victory is not won until “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” every day, everywhere in everything.

This brings us back to the opening quote.

There is undeniable truth to the quote, but it is not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It does a great disservice to sharing the Black experience in America. It significantly diminishes the trauma and oppression Black people have endured from slavery to the terror of white supremacists/KKK to Jim Crow to present-day mass incarceration, police brutality and across the board disparities on every quality-of-life measurement. This also holds true for issues of great concern to the LGBTQ+ community as well.

Here are just few examples: HIV: Although they represent only 12% of the U.S. population, Blacks account for a much larger percentage of people estimated to be living with the HIV disease (42%) and HIV deaths (44%) – Kaiser Family Foundation (February 2020) Homelessness: Black Gay youth in general are highly vulnerable to homelessness.

While only 5-7% of the overall youth population is Gay or Transgender, these youth comprise approximately 20% of all homeless youth.

– Kaiser Family Foundation (February 2020) Income Equality: Black Lesbian couples experience poverty at a rate of 21.1% compared to just 4.3% for white Lesbians and 14.4% for Gay Black men. – Center for American Progress (2012) Hate Crimes/Violence: In 2018, there were at least 26 murders of Transgender people due to fatal violence; 17 of the 26 were Black Transgender women (65% of deaths) – Human Rights Campaign (2019) The recent horrendous murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery occurring in such a short amount of time, have shone a very bright light on persistent and pervasive violence against Black bodies. But, as tragic as these moments are, they represent only the tip of the iceberg of centuries of ongoing trauma and oppression inflicted upon Black people in the United States on a number of problems. Ending it once and for all demands focused attention and action from all of us to redress. There is a fierce urgency of now!

I know what it is like to experience racism from law enforcement and I know what is like to experience ongoing systemic racism and they are different. Police brutality and racial profiling are one of many symptoms of systemic and institutional racism.

All people of goodwill in America need to commit to engaging in a movement to fulfill the promise of America — a perfect union with liberty and justice for Blacks. That is when we will truly know all lives matter.

Dwayne Crenshaw is a former executive director of San Diego Pride and longtime community and social justice advocate.

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE SAN DIEGO

BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES!

EATERIES ACKEE Tree Location: El Cerrito Cuisine: Jamaicain AJ’s Creole Cuisine & West Coast Smokehouse Location: Food truck serving various locations Cuisine: Cajun Awash Location: North Park Cuisine: Ethiopian Bankhead Mississippi Cooking Location: Spring Valley Cuisine: Southern Blendees Smoothie & Juice Bar Location: El Cajon Cuisine: Juices & smoothies Bonnie Jean’s Soul Food Café Location: Oak Park Cuisine: Southern comfort Breakfast Bitch Location: Hillcrest Cuisine: Brunch Cafe X Location: El Cajon Cuisine: Coffee shop Cane Patch Kitchen Location: Liberty Public Market Cuisine: Vegan & vegetarian soul food Cardellino Location: Hillcrest Cuisine: Italian

Hillcrest BLM Protest photography courtesy of Rick Cervantes

Coop’s West Texas BBQ Location: Lemon Grove Cuisine: Texas-style barbecue Flavors of East Africa Location: University Heights Cuisine: East African

Rare Society Location: University Heights Cuisine: Upscale American Rhythm’s Chicken and Waffles Location: Pacific Beach Cuisine: Chicken & Waffles Smack’n Guamanian Grill Location: Miramar Cuisine: Chamorro Spacebar Café & Wine Bistro Location: La Mesa Cuisine: cafe-style Spoiled Vegans Café Location: East Village Cuisine: Vegan Breakfast Streetcar Merchants Location: North Park Cuisine: Modernized Southern classic Suckerfree Location: Gaslamp Quarter Cuisine: Southern Sunnie’s Location: Ocean Beach Cuisine: Mexican (+ coffee shop) Surf & Soul Spot Location: La Mesa Cuisine: Seafood & comfort food The Morning After Location: Gaslamp Quarter Cuisine: Brunch & cocktails Tropical Savor Bar & Grill Location: Gaslamp Quarter Cuisine: Latin-Caribbean TRUST Location: Hillcrest Cuisine: Urban rustic

SHOPS Freshly Faded Location: North Park Barber + shop

Fort Oak Location: Mission Hills Cuisine: Upscale American

Sew Forgiven Location: Online Men’s, women’s & home boutique

Gihon Ethiopian Kitchen Location: North Park Cuisine: Ethiopian

Lonely Floater Location: Online Lifestyle/streetwear brand

Island Spice Location: Rolando Cuisine: Jamaican

Lili Kouture Location: City Heights African fashion collection

Muzita Abyssinian Bistro Location: University Heights Cuisine: Abyssinian (Eritrean/Ethiopian)

Reggae World Location: North Park Funky shop with reggae-inspired goods

One World Beat Cafe Location: Balboa Park Cuisine: Vegan

services

Pete Mayo’s Original Waffle Burgers Location: Lincoln Park Cuisine: Waffle Burgers

Puzzle Pieces Marketing Location: Hotel Circle Marketing agency specializing in nonprofits and mission-driven businesses

lgbtqsd.news

Pride

June 5 - 18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

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PRIDEFUL READING! ‘The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World’

By Mason Funk “The Book of Pride” captures the true story of the Gay rights movement from the 1960s to the present, through richly detailed, stunning interviews with the leaders, activists, and ordinary people who witnessed the movement and made it happen. These individuals fought battles both personal and political, often without the support of family or friends, frequently under the threat of violence and persecution. By shining a light on these remarkable stories of bravery and determination, “The Book of Pride” not only honors an important chapter in American history, but also empowers young people today (both LGBTQ+ and straight) to discover their own courage in order to create positive change. Furthermore, it serves a critically important role in ensuring the history of the LGBTQ+ movement can never be erased, inspiring us to resist all forms of oppression with ferocity, community, and, most importantly, pride.

‘A Queer History of the United States’

By Michael Bronski “A Queer History of the United States” is more than a who’s who of queer history: it is a book that radically challenges how we understand American history. Drawing upon primarysource documents, literature, and cultural histories, scholar and activist Michael Bronski charts the breadth of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender history, from 1492 to the 1990s.

PRIDE WAS A RIOT! Fighting oppression together Fernando Zweifach López Jr Executive Director of San Diego Pride

D

uring this first week of Pride Month, as the nation rages and mourns in the wake of stolen black lives, I can’t help but reflect on our shared experiences. Pride was a threeday riot against legal state-sanctioned police violence long before it was a celebration.

To this day, we are not free. To this day, we are not equal.

The work our LGBTQ community does every single day to fight and advocate for equality and justice for all is vital, necessary work. San Diego Pride’s year-round education and advocacy programs serve that mission.

Pride celebrations, where we dare to bravely cast our love and joy into the daylight, are themselves acts of protest. The first Pride marches were called “Christopher Street Liberation Day Marches,” but their names changed over time. Our movement chose the word “Pride” in protest and opposition to the weaponized word “shame” that was used to dehumanize us with dire consequences.

During the Holy Week Uprising of 1968, the nation was moved to riot upon learning of the assassination of black civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

In 1969, our community fought back against police violence at Stonewall. A riot we commemorate and honor every year.

The White Night riots in 1979 were sparked by a lack of justice for LGBTQ civil rights leader Harvey Milk.

Now, George Floyd protests have ignited across the world, calling out for justice and an end to the killing of innocent black lives.

Every LGBTQ person should be taking a stand against antiblack racism and acting to end the violence against our black siblings everywhere. We at San Diego Pride continue to be committed to that hard and meaningful work.

Solidarity. Arm-in-arm. Fighting oppression together. That is our path to liberation. We are diverse. Our villains are the same.

United we stand. Divided we fall. Together we rise.

George Floyd. Say his name.

Tony McDade. Say his name.

Breonna Taylor. Say her name.

Ahmaud Arbery. Say his name.

Please support local Black-led organizations San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition Black Lives Matter San Diego Blackline BlacQ Space March For Black Womxn San Diego RISE San Diego San Diego Bail Fund San Diego Original Black Panther Party The Soulcial Workers

Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis

By Kevin J. Mumford This compelling book recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the times--from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism--helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. In locating the rise of black gay identities in historical context, Kevin Mumford explores how activists, performers, and writers rebutted negative stereotypes and refused sexual objectification. Examining the lives of both famous and little-known black gay activists-from James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin to Joseph Beam and Brother Grant-Michael Fitzgerald--Mumford analyzes the ways in which movements for social change both inspired and marginalized black gay men. Drawing on an extensive archive of newspapers, pornography, and film, as well as government documents, organizational records, and personal papers, Mumford sheds new light on four volatile decades in the protracted battle of black gay men for affirmation and empowerment in the face of pervasive racism and homophobia.

‘Transgender History’

By Susan Stryker Covering American Transgender history from the mid-20th century to today, “Transgender History” takes a chronological approach to the subject of Transgender history, with each chapter covering major movements, writings, and events.

Chapters cover the Transsexual and transvestite communities in the years following World War II; Trans radicalism and social change, which spanned from 1966 with the publication of “The Transsexual Phenomenon,” and lasted through the early 1970s; the mid-’70s to 1990 — the era of identity politics and the changes witnessed in Trans circles through these years; and the gender issues witnessed through the ’90s and ’00s.

‘Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution’

By David Carter In 1969, a series of riots over police action against The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, changed the longtime landscape of the homosexual in society literally overnight. Since then, the event itself has become the stuff of legend, with relatively little hard information available on the riots themselves. Now, based on hundreds of interviews, an exhaustive search of public and previously sealed files, and over a decade of intensive research into the history and the topic, “Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution” brings this singular event to vivid life in this, the definitive story of one of history’s most singular events.

‘And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, 20th-Anniversary Edition’

By Randy Shilts Upon it’s first publication 20 years ago, “And the Band Played” on was quickly recognized as a masterpiece of investigative reporting. An international bestseller, a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and made into a critically acclaimed movie, Shilts’ expose revealed why AIDS was allowed to spread unchecked during the early ’80s while the most trusted institutions ignored or denied the threat. One of the few true modern classics, it changed and framed how AIDS was discussed in the following years. Now republished in a special 20th anniversary edition, “And the Band Played On” remains one of the essential books of our time.

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June 5-18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

public service / OPINION

lgbtqsd.news

LGBTQ San Diego County News PO Box 34664 San Diego, CA 92163 858.886.9458 PUBLISHER Terry Sidie

A note from toni

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Nicole Murray Ramirez nicolemrsd1@gmail.com 619.241.5672

Toni G. Atkins

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cesar A. Reyes creativedirector@lgbtqsd.news

—Toni G. Atkins represents the 39th District in the California Senate. Follow her on Twitter @SenToniAtkins.

EDITOR editor@lgbtqsd.news

I

n 1970, the first Pride March was held on June 28 in New York City to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion that put LGBTQ rights in the spotlight. Since that original 51-block parade, as more and more LGBTQ people have come out and our visibility has increased, Pride is now celebrated around the world — including all the fun and meaningful events San Diego Pride puts on every July.

Like so much in our lives right now, Pride this year is going to be different. To help protect people and prevent the spread of COVID-19, San Diego Pride has moved all of its in-person gatherings online and will be hosting events in virtual spaces.

That smart and responsible approach keeps our community connected while it keeps our community safe. Other cities, including New York and San Francisco, have done the same with their Pride celebrations.

I am very excited about all the creative ways San Diego Pride has come up with to honor the gains LGBTQ people have made, to recognize all those who helped us get here, and to re-energize us for the hard work ahead to achieve true equality and justice.

Thinking about the changes to Pride this year, I’m reminded of a scene written by one of our local treasures, Dr. Seuss.

Remember when the Grinch sees that the Whos are still celebrating Christmas despite all his worst efforts? “How could it be so?” He said. “It came without ribbons.

Pride evolves

SALES sales@lgbtqsd.news Mike Rosensteel 619.865.2220 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Big Mike Phillips Bmsd1957@gmail.com 619.807.7324 COPY EDITOR Dustin Lothspeich WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA info@lgbtq.news CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Big Mike Phillips Chris Azzopardi Dana Wiegand D’Anne Witkowski Dwayne Crenshaw Fernando Zweifach López Jr Michael Kimmel Susan Jester Toni G. Atkins

The first Pride March New York 1970 (courtesy images)

It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.” Pride’s like that.

Now that we have found each other, Pride won’t go away. In-person or virtually, we will continue to celebrate and support each other no matter what. No ribbons

required. Though maybe some boas, which there is time to make, and will look just as fabulous online.

I hope you have a wonderful Pride season, I look forward to celebrating with you, and, as always, please stay safe.

DISTRIBUTION LGBTQ San Diego County News is distributed free every other Friday of the month. © 2020. All rights reserved.

OPINION/LETTERS LGBTQ San Diego County News encourages letters to the editor and guest editorials. Please email them directly to editor@lgbtqsd.news and include your name, phone number and address for verification. We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity and accuracy. Letters and guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers or staff.

SUBMISSION/NEWS TIPS Press releases and story ideas are welcomed. Send press releases, tips, photos or story ideas to editor@lgbtqsd.news. For breaking news and Investigative story ideas, contact the editor by phone or email.

Copyright © 2020 LGBTQ San Diego County News Editor’s Note: The opinions written in this publication’s editorial and opinion pages are the author’s own and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the staff and/or publisher of LGBTQ San Diego County News. The newspaper and its staff should be held harmless of liability or damages.

lgbtqsd.news

community voices

June 5 - 18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

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Conversations with Nicole Out of the closets... into the voting booths!

Nicole Murray Ramirez

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his is the slogan of a national LGBTQ+ campaign to register our community and turn it out on Nov. 3. The facts are that many, and I do mean many, LGBTQ+ and People of Color Americans DO NOT VOTE and we have the most reasons that we should.

I really wonder how many of those young people demonstrating are registered to vote...how many will vote on Nov. 3? The hard, cold reality is that we must have a new president and Senate to make a real change in America....so I call on YOU to not only register your friends, family members, co-workers, neighbors, etc. but make sure they all vote on Nov. 3...for this indeed will be the most important election in the history of our country.

—Nicole Murray Ramirez has been writing a column since 1973. He has been a Latino/gay activist for almost half a century and has advised and served the last seven mayors of San Diego. Named the ‘Honorary Mayor of Hillcrest’ by a city proclamation, he has received many media awards including from the prestigious San Diego Press Club. Reach Nicole at Nicolemrsd1@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Nmrsd2.

Stop painting all police with one brush

Name one LGBTQ+ Black leader Can you name one San Diego Black LGBTQ+ leader? One Black business leader? One Black organization? How many Black employees in our LGBTQ+ bars and businesses do you know? How many Latinos and Asian Pacific Islanders? How many People of Color are officers or members of our many LGBTQ+ San Diego organizations? Why did a vast majority of LGBTQ+ African Americans who attended a meeting some months ago say they felt unwelcomed at our LGBTQ+ Community Center?

Before white LGBTQ+ activists start pointing their fingers toward the outside, they need to look inside at our LGBTQ+ community as racism is indeed alive and well.

As someone who was beaten, abused, and discriminated by police in the 1960s and ’70s...and has dealt with police departments for well over four decades and served on the boards of many of our national LGBTQ civil rights organizations, I know there are absolutely racist, homophobic, sexist police department chiefs and officers all over the United States. But a majority are not and every day, they put their lives on the line when they put on their uniforms and go to work.

The relationship of the San Diego Police Department between People of Color and the LGBTQ+ community has greatly changed since the ’60s and ’70s and yes, they could get better! In the ’60s and ’70s, you could count POC and women police officers on one hand. Now we have deputy police chiefs who are of color and not only Gay and Lesbian police officers but also Trans police officers. Yes, there are many police departments in the U.S. that are still racist and homophobic but to compare them to San Diego is wrong. This week, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Council President Georgette Gomez and Councilwoman Monica Montgomery worked with Police Chief David Nisleit and changed rules of conduct for San Diego police officers. Our department is not perfect, but our police chief is committed to change and more outreach to our POC communities.

Just as I condemn the killing of Black men across the country and of our Black Trans sisters, I condemn the shooting and ambushing of police officers, which is at an all-time high. Police officers are being spit on in their faces and shot at. We in San Diego must be better than this and continue the dialogue and change that Mayor Faulconer, Chief Nisleit and Council members Gomez and Montgomery are doing.

2020 Pride window decoration contest!

Yes, our San Diego Pride Parade has been canceled but you can still show your pride: The Imperial Court de San Diego and I are proud to announce the 2020 Pride San Diego Contest! First, second and third place will be awarded to the best “outside” window decorations of houses, apartments, businesses and bars. Judging will be done by well-known San Diego LGBTQ artists and photographers and will begin on June 20, 2020, with winners announced during our usual San Diego Pride weekend in July. For further info or to sign up your house, apartment, bar or business, contact Nicole Murray Ramirez at 619-241-5672 or nicolemrsd1@gmail.com.

Metropolitan Community Church 50th Anniversary The 50th anniversary of the founding of the Metropolitan Community Church in San Diego will be celebrated June 7 in a more subdued way. Here is a look back at the different locations the church has had in San Diego. for more information on the virtual celebration log on to themetchurch.org

1975 – 1982 Fern Street church property

1982 – 2003 30th Street church property

2009 – Present Denver Street church property

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June 5-18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

Life Beyond Therapy

community voices

lgbtqsd.news

ALOR: Acceptable levels of risk

Michael Kimmel —Michael Kimmel is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in helping LGBT clients achieve their goals and deal with anxiety, depression, grief, sexually addictive behavior, coming out, relationship challenges and homophobia.

Contact him at 619-955-3311 or visit lifebeyondtherapy.com.

T

hese days, a lot of my conversations with clients and friends include talking about acceptable levels of risk (aka, “ALOR”). As things open back up, what kinds of risk are you comfortable with? Are you comfortable going to a restaurant? A bar? A barbershop? How about a gym or nail salon? A private party at someone’s house? When you’re out and about, how much distance do you need between yourself and other people to be comfortable?

We want local businesses to thrive and prosper: how do we balance our ALOR with patronizing them? Many of us are lonely and bored from weeks of isolation: how can we assuage our loneliness while still being concerned about — unknowingly — spreading COVID-19?

Deciding your acceptable levels of risk is not just about COVID-19. For example, how do you determine your ALOR in your sex life? Do you consider using PrEP — without condoms — to be an acceptable level of risk? A client recently told me that someone questioned how wise it was for him to be on PrEP, given that there are no

(Photo by rawpixels.com)

The Center

Is Here For You

With Food Programs!

The Center knows that food security is critical to the members of our LGBTQ community, especially now during COVID-19. The Center, in partnership with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, continues to host two Center Food Banks per month to distribute nutritious and healthy food, using social distancing and safety protocols.

Food Banks are located in The Center’s parking lot at 3909 Centre Street, San Diego, CA 92103.

Senior Food Bank Tuesday, June 23, 2020 / 12noon–3pm You are eligible if you are low-income and 60 years or older. You can simply enroll in the program by applying in person at our site on the day of the event, or by calling the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank at 866.350.3663. The Senior Food Bank takes place on the 4th Tuesday of every month.

Neighborhood Food Distribution Tuesday, July 7, 2020 / 7:30am–10:30am The Center hosts a distribution for the ‘Community Cares Project’ of the San Diego Food Bank on the first Tuesday of each month.

For more information, visit the San Diego Food Bank website at www.sandiegofoodbank.org or contact Sarah Merk-Benitez at 619.692.2077 x214 or smerkbenitez@thecentersd.org.

The Center Emergency Services: • Emergency Referral & Help Desk • Behavioral Health Services by Zoom Health Care • Individual Program Meetings & Check-Ins via Zoom • Virtual Support Groups • Critical Housing Needs • HIV Testing by Appointment • Food Resources

If you need Emergency Services, please call The Center at 619.692.2077 x 211

The San Diego LGBT Community Center 3909 Centre Street • 619-692-2077 www.thecentersd.org

long-term studies on how it affects the body. He asked me, “Do you think that’s a reasonable thing to worry about?”

I told him, “No one else can determine what you consider an acceptable level of risk.” He went on, “How do you respond to someone whose comfort with risk is different from yours?”

Good question. This week, clients have told me, “It’s hard for me to tell my friends that I’m not comfortable going to a bar yet. They’d call me a wimp if I told them that.” As a result, this guy went to the bar with his friends and felt uneasy the whole time, wishing he had spoken his truth, but afraid of being made fun of if he did.

How do you balance your individual ALOR with someone else’s? Many marriages and relationships are struggling with this dilemma right now.

As a community, we want to balance the desire to open up beloved local businesses with the desire to stay healthy.

This raises questions: do we wear masks all the time, or just when we’re in stores/bars/ restaurants? Are we willing to take the risk of someone accidentally sneezing or coughing on us? If we’re healthy, are we willing to risk being asymptomatic and unknowingly infecting other people?

These are not easy questions to answer: the ethical dilemmas of acceptable risk are challenging. There is no “right” answer for everyone. What you think is right is fine for you, but how does that work when your friends/partner/family/ coworkers disagree?

And how do you determine

your ALOR? Is it based on science? Intuition? What you read or hear on the news or social media? Your best friend who’s a nurse? Is it part of your basic nature: are you naturally someone who takes more risks than most people?

Are you an early adapter?

Do you like to be the first at something new? Maybe this is how you were raised or maybe it’s the essence of your personality. Does this make you “better” or “braver” than someone who is more reluctant to take a chance and is more worried about their health? Is that person less of a “man” or “woman” than their allegedly braver counterpart?

And what about social pressure? When people tease or mock us because we are more cautious than they are, how do we handle that? If you’re wearing a mask outside and no one else is, do you feel wise or foolish?

There is no ultimate right or wrong when it comes to what each of us is comfortable with. Just because things are opening up doesn’t mean that you have to jump back in. Determine what YOU are comfortable with today and act accordingly; you may feel differently tomorrow, as you get new information and situations change.

It’s OK if you’re ready to jump back into the social/ entertainment/retail worlds; it’s also OK if you’re not. In determining your own ALOR, I recommend listening to the advice of scientists — not politicians — and your “gut” sense of what is right for you.

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community voices

Big Mike and Friends Big Mike Phillips —Big Mike Phillips is an activist, fundraiser, bartender and photographer who has lived in San Diego for 30 years. He has helped create two nonprofits and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. He has been a photographer for more than 25 years and has recorded our LGBTQ history not only in San Diego but around the country, including three LGBTQ marches on Washington D.C. Contact Big Mike at 619-8077324, or bmsd1957@gmail.com.

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hat a world we live in right now.

With the coronavirus as a global enemy, now we are watching our country protest racism and police brutality on a massive scale. While peaceful demonstrations continue to take place all over the world, some have turned very violent and have resulted in the destruction of public and private property. Many innocent businesses are being targeted and burned down by rioters and looters, causing hardships. I personally never thought I would witness anything like this in my lifetime.

I pray our country and our world will heal from this madness. Not being able to live in a normal world where we can be together but have to be quarantined has been very hard on all of us. Many of us have lost our jobs and are not able to enjoy the company of our family and our friends.

A positive thing that has come from this is so many of us are finding different ways to survive and make the most of what we have so we can still accomplish what we need to do. One such person, who is a prime example of just that, is my dear friend Vanessa Dubois, or Frenchie as many of her friends like to call her.

Vanessa was born into a very loving family in France. Growing up, her family was all about sharing their love with each other and their friends. But accepting Vanessa’s sexuality did take a toll on their relationship for a while. Vanessa has a sister living in Amsterdam who is married to a wonderful man she is happy to have as her brother-in-law, along with an adoring nephew who steals her heart. Her mom lives close to Paris, France but since the pandemic hit, they make it a point to talk once or twice every single day to make sure each of them are doing well and staying safe. They are remarkably close and depend on each other for moral support even though they are divided by an ocean.

Unfortunately, Vanessa lost her dad last year to a brain tumor and is still dealing with the loss of such an amazing father who touched so many lives. I know her dad would be enormously proud of her as Vanessa has become such a loving, compassionate, and hardworking young lady. Love is strong and living her life in that manner will help her get through almost anything.

Anyone who gets up and moves to another part of the world alone must be scared and nervous. I personally think Vanessa was very brave to challenge herself to experience a new adventure that would change her life forever.

After Vanessa graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, she decided to move to San Diego to do an internship at San Diego State University, with the Cetacean Behavior Laboratory to study dolphins. While doing her internship at SDSU, Vanesa started volunteering in a special education school to learn more about autism because she was interested in a dolphin-assisted therapy. She fell in love with working with children on the spectrum, which led her to work for 13 years in the field of special needs (kids and adults, school, day programs and at-home therapy). Vanessa misses working in this profession but her degree was not in this field so she could not get promoted. She took a break from working with the kids and ended up working in the dental profession instead. She told me

VANESSA DUBOIS it was not by choice, it just happened.

Vanessa committed herself to that field for almost four years but at the end of 2019, the universe kept showing her that it was time to follow her true passion: photography. Vanessa had been working as a photographer on the side (nights and weekends) for years, but it was perfect timing and she became a full-time freelancing photographer in January. Between San Diego and Los Angeles, her time has been spent trying to get her name out there by building a solid clientele mostly in the LGBTQ+ community.

Vanessa’s dad was the first person she saw with a camera and she always told herself that she would take photos just like him when she grew up. She purchased her first camera while in college (her excuse was to be able to take photos of dolphins while doing her research/internship during her final year of studies). She loved photography so much that she started taking photos while not thinking much about it. People started encouraging her to pursue it professionally by telling her that she had an eye for it. I personally also agree — Vanessa’s photography shows so much talent and is exceptionally beautiful. Again, she still was not really seriously thinking about it, until one day, she took a day trip with two friends to visit Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Vanessa ended up taking some amazing photos on the beach and those photos are what started her career as a photographer.

Since then, she has taken portraits and landscape photos, and then 10 years ago, she shot her first wedding as a favor for a friend. I personally always get nervous taking wedding photos — if you mess up, you mess up a couple’s most important day. Luckily, that has only happened once to me throughout the many years I have worked as a

photographer. The good news is I got all the wedding photos but somehow, I deleted the ones from the reception.

The couple were very forgiving (thank God for cell phone photos).

For the last 20 years, Vanessa has been capturing the moments, faces and creativity of what she sees through her camera’s lens. Knowing that her work will leave a memory for those she has focused on, events she has attended, shows she has highlighted, San Diego’s many beautiful and talented drag queens will also be perfect models for photography that she can share with the world. Vanessa’s good friend Kelsie Taylor taught her how to shoot on manual settings when she was Taylor’s second shooter for a wedding. Since then, Vanessa only shoots in manual.

That itself is a talent and a gift for a great photographer. Having wonderful opportunities to be able to be a photographer for several local community papers and magazines such as the LGBT Weekly, Flawless Magazine and San Diego Pix opened doors for Vanessa to fall in love with our community’s nightlife and talented drag queens, who have become her main focus.

Vanessa appreciates and is always eager to learn from so many photographers who are out there. As a photographer myself, I know that San Diego has a lot of extraordinarily talented photographers who are always willing to help each other better their craft. One special photographer that has always inspired her is the talented and sweet Kristofer Reynolds. Vanessa speaks fondly of her friend and teacher — not only of his art but his heart too, which makes him a beautiful person; she is so blessed to call him her friend. She also is excited to learn from another amazing talented photographer Rob Lucas whose work speaks for itself; it’s simply beautiful. Vanessa has become an

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incredible, talented photographer who I have had the pleasure of working with and alongside at many events over the years. I, too, have learned so much from her. As she grows with her talents, she always dedicates her photo work in memory of her dad and I am sure he is immensely proud of her. A huge thank you to Vanessa’s dad for inspiring her to share her beautiful talents with the world. “Never stop.”

Vanessa shared with me how she came out of the closet as a Gay woman.

She said that after she came to the United States, she thought she was straight. Even though it had crossed her mind that maybe she was gay, she kept telling herself she was not. One night, Vanessa just so happened to be invited to a friend’s birthday party. It was there that she met two girls her age and felt very connected with them right away. They told her that they were both Lesbians and she responded that their sexuality did not matter to her. After hanging out with them that night, she felt like she had finally found people she could relate to and could feel comfortable around. This made her realize that she probably was not actually straight — “surprise.” It was easy to explore her sexuality because she was far from home and what had been her life for 22 years; she had no one to disappoint or be judged by.

Vanessa’s coming out to herself was easy. Coming out to her family was a different story. Her sister was so supportive from the get-go, but her parents were not at first. They took the news really hard. They told her they failed as parents when they raised her. It took them years to accept her for who she really was. The distance and the lack of exposure made the process a long and difficult one. But once they understood that this was her, their loving nature took over. Four years ago, they came and spent an entire month with Vanessa, she took them to their very first drag show and they met Chad Michaels and the cast of the Dreamgirls. Vanessa would have never thought she would have to explain “tucking” to her dad [laughs]. They went to Out at the Park, the Gay Men’s Chorus Broadway show, then she took them to eat at Urban MO’s, Baja Betty’s and Gossip Grill. They met her friends — not sure who was more excited, her parents or her friends. It was the first time she felt like she did not have to hide or tame who she was. They saw her for who she was and accepted it. To top off their trip, Vanessa surprised them with a day at Disneyland. It summarized her parents’ acceptance and the loving month they spent together.

“The Happiest Place on Earth.” It was the best month of Vanessa’s life. She said, “I will cherish that time forever.

My coming out may have been a little difficult, it is now in the past. Everyone has adjusted. I am one of the luckiest persons because I can feel the love from my family. And it is a huge part of why I am who I am.”

Getting to know Vanessa and becoming good friends with her over these many years, we try to help each other with jobs that come up. She is a soft spoken and kind woman who loves life and loves our LGBTQ+ community. It is not uncommon to see her volunteering for one of many needed charity organizations and giving of herself. I am so blessed to have Vanessa as a part of my life and San Diego has benefited from her amazing photographic talents.

We are so glad you came to swim with the dolphins, you sure have made a huge splash in so many lives. Thank you and always keep your eyes looking through your camera lens to capture more of how you see the world.

You can contact Vanessa at xpozdphot@gmail.com

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VERTEZ BURKS Out of the Archives Dana Wiegand —Lambda Archives, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to collecting, preserving and teaching the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in San Diego and the Northern Baja California region, is located at 4545 Park Blvd., in University Heights. To learn more, stop in or visit their website at lambdaarchives.org.

V

ertez Regina Burks grew up in Brooklyn, New York and was inspired to do volunteer work by watching her great-grandmother do work for her community: “When she walked into a room, everyone respected her. I wanted to be like that.” Vertez’s first experience with coming out was when she came out to herself as a lesbian when she was 10 years old. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from BethuneCookman College and a master’s degree in Special Education from New York University. Vertez also served as a volunteer for the Peace Corps for a time, where she worked as an elementary school teacher while stationed in Liberia, West Africa.

After her time in the Peace Corps, Vertez moved to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands where she continued teaching elementary school and special education classes from 1969 to 1980. Vertez quit her teaching job in 1980 and from 1980 to 1985, she worked at a “low-power television station” as a videotape editor while taking classes to pursue her passion for videography. In 1985, she embarked on a planned vacation to San Diego, California to see a friend and never left.

This major turning point in Vertez’s life came after deciding that she would come out to others while in San Diego at the age of 43. By that point, she was practically “clawing at the door to get out” of the closet. After deciding to stay in San Diego, Vertez finally came out to family and friends who all accepted her without question. She then began attending church services at the Metropolitan Community Church and “the rest is history.” One day, she walked into The Center — which was then located behind the Brass Rail — and “was welcomed with open arms” and was very much needed. Burks soon became heavily involved in San Diego’s LGBT community as a volunteer, leader and representative: “I wanted to see all there was to see in the gay world. That’s just who I am.” The first organization Vertez got involved with was Slightly Older Lesbians (SOL), which was “about the only women’s group around at the time.” She was thrilled to have a place where she could be an out lesbian around other out women.

SOL met once a month on a Friday for a discussion group and would go out to a bar near Mission Gorge afterward to have fun.

This group enabled her to be her most authentic self in a fully supportive environment. Up until this time, Vertez had only known the dominant cultural idea of what lesbians did, which was basically just having sex — but through these experiences with other lesbian women, she discovered true lesbian culture through literature, music and art. Vertez states in an interview with Lambda Archives that the years from 1985 to 1990 were a “changeover” period for lesbian women; since the men were struggling with the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, more women were able to take leadership positions in community organizations and volunteer for just about everything.

In 1988, Burks volunteered for the

Photos courtes

y of the Lambda

Name’s Project’s national tour of the AIDS Memorial Quilt stop in San Diego and in 1989, took part in the founding of Lesbians and Gays of African Descent United (LAGADU) alongside Marti Corrine Mackey, John Guinn, and others.

LAGADU was a women’s and men’s group and as such, the men met once a month on their own, the women did the same; these gender-divided groups acted as support groups, whereas the collective meeting was an arena for discussing organization business, fundraising, events, and other matters that involved all members. Vertez states that she “blossomed” during her time with LAGADU; she was volunteering for everything, meeting more people like herself, and establishing a place for herself within the LGBT community. According to Vertez, LAGADU was formed at a time when more African American LGBT people were arriving in San Diego (“going West”) and searching for a community. Around the same time, she worked the door and emceed at Shirtails, which started out as a coffeehouse and evolved into a lesbian dance and performance venue.

LAGADU was founded at the same time that other groups for LGBT people of color were emerging, such as Gay and Lesbian Asian/Pacific Islander Social Support (GLASS) founded by Jim Cua and Nations of the Four Directions founded in 1989 by Karen Vigneault, Tom Lidot, Travis Anderson and Bobby Rubio. Because all of these organizations existed at the same time, leaders felt the need to coordinate with one another and formed SPECTRUM, a place for delegates from all of the groups for people of color to gather and update one another with what was going on in their respective organizations and how they could help one another. It also lessened the sense of isolation people of color felt within the predominantly white gay community. SPECTRUM put on yearly programs at The Center, which featured food from all represented nations (catered by Jess Jessop), workshops on people of color and AIDS, and workshops on women’s issues. Even though SPECTRUM functioned for a few years, Vertez claimed that “it lasted as long as it was needed.”

In August of 1990, Vertez went to Vancouver, Canada to volunteer for Gay Games III, where she worked hard as a bartender. Being at an event of that nature, seeing the Virgin Islands contingent, and feeling the sense of community pride “brought tears to [her] eyes…we came so

far.” 1990 was also the year that her friend Christine “Chris” Kehoe sponsored her to be on the San Diego Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee, though Vertez was nervous about participating as she was not out at work. During her time on the committee, she worked with other notable LGBT San Diegans including Toni Atkins, Jeri Dilno, Scott Fulkerson, and Doug Moore.

After working on the Pride Committee, she was elected co-chair and served with co-chair Larry Baza from 1991-93. One year after marching at the front of the parade next to Baza, a coworker mentioned to her in the hallway that he had seen her on TV, to which she replied, “Yeah! At Gay and Lesbian Pride!” Coming out at work was “freedom” for her, stating that “once you come out, there are no more fears.” On August 3, 1991, Vertez, Renee Richetts, and Erika Shatz hosted a safe-sex workshop titled “Hot, Healthy, and Safe: Lesbian Sex for the ’90s” on behalf of The Center’s Lesbian Health Project.

The main program focused on presenting information on the transmission of STDs and HIV between two women, erogenous zone health care, and hygienic use of sex toys in a safe and supportive atmosphere. In August 1993, The Center’s then-Executive Director Scott Fulkerson announced that Vertez would be The Center’s representative for the LIFE AIDS Lobby with Doug Case as her alternate. LIFE AIDS Lobby was an organization (established in 1986) that aimed to create a “statewide advocacy network” that could be organized into a Sacramento lobby presence representing the LGBT community and those affected

by HIV and AIDS. In July 1994,

Archives

Vertez was awarded San Diego Pride’s Community Service Award in recognition of her dedication to the community. In September 1994, Vertez served on then-Mayor Susan Golding’s Gay and Lesbian Advisory Board where she and other LGBT leaders chose community issues such as AIDS, anti-LGBT discrimination, youth issues, and lesbian health concerns to put in front of the mayor so that appropriate action could be taken. Others on the advisory board included Dr. Michael Clark, Leslie Horn, Dr. Garrett Dettling, Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace, Nicole MurrayRamirez and Tony Zampella.

On July 8, 2000, “hundreds of women who love women” and their supportive friends attended the third Dykes and Friends March and Rally. Dykes and Friends was the new name given to the original Dyke March, which took place in 1997; there was a two-year gap between the first and second march which took place in June 1999. The march went through Hillcrest and ended at the rally, which was held in The Center’s parking lot. Vertez spoke about her experience as a lesbian woman at the 1999 and 2000 rallies; other speakers included Toni Atkins, Bonnie Zimmerman, and Teresa Oyos. Vertez’s years of endless dedication to San Diego’s LGBT community was recognized at the 2005 Nicky Awards, where she was honored with the Board of Governors’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Vertez continues to lend a hand in the community when she is needed and employs her proficient videography skills in filming Pride’s official videos.

On behalf of our community, we thank Vertez deeply for her service.

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Licorice queen meets the muses in quarantine

Tori Amos

talks new book “Resistance,” bad days and wearing your big boy boots

By Chris Azzopardi

Courtesy Images

I

n her second book, “Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage,” flaming piano queen Tori Amos shares her personal stories against a world-in-crisis backdrop and discusses how they’ve shaped songs from her three-decade career. She ruminates on personal and collective grief and traces her social and political activism as an outspoken LGBTQ activist, feminist and democrat back to Washington, D.C. There, as a teenager, with a seat on the stage of a seedy political underworld, Amos played for immoral, powerful political officials; these men, she writes, were “laying the groundwork for a compromised future.”

Recently, I spoke with Amos on the phone from her home in Cornwall, England, where she is quarantining with her producer-husband, Mark Hawley, and their daughter, Tash. On this afternoon, Amos was comforting and jovial as she talked about bad days, how the Muses (capital M, in Tori’s world) showed up one recent morning, where she falls on the “Winnie the Pooh” pantheon, and the healing power of licorice.

Tori, I had a bad day yesterday and, to be honest, I didn’t think I was in the right headspace to do this interview. That feeling brought me to a part of ‘Resistance,’ when you write, ‘I have looked up and out desperately talking to anyone saying, help, please help — I am not prepared for what is in front of me.’ So, I put on my big boy boots today; you taught me how to do that.

I’m so proud of you. It’s not easy for anybody. And yeah, I think everybody, Chris, in different ways because of different circumstances, are being challenged.

How are you being challenged?

The unknowns. There are so many unknowns. One of the main things I’ve been doing since I can remember is playing live for people, whether that was as a little

girl at church, then weddings and funerals, and then turning pro at 13.

First, gosh, and you know this story: first place that gave me a professional chance, a venue, was a gay bar (Mr. Henry’s in D.C.). And then from then on playing all kinds of different establishments. So not being able to play live with that kind of connection and collaboration with an audience has been a bit of a grief process, just knowing that that’s off the table for a while.

What you create thrives on having those in-person interactions and hearing people’s stories. When that doesn’t exist, where do you go?

Well, that’s a good question. I’ve compiled a lot of emotions from this experience, and hearing from people. People have been sending me questions with all the virtual sessions we’ve been doing. We’ve done about six virtuals, I think; my brain’s hazy. But a lot of questions have come in. And people’s state of mind has really shown me the depth of this cataclysm and how people are being shaken to their core either emotionally, mentally or spiritually. And some people have physical issues that have really opened my eyes. I heard from somebody who doesn’t have antibodies, or I heard from somebody that they have real concerns of leaving their apartment. There’s so many different ways people are feeling overwhelmed.

I get the impression the energy of the album you’re working on has shifted from the time you wrote the book. Where is the energy for this work currently?

The energy is whatever was true before the pandemic because it was talking about events that had happened and that were real whether that was someone’s per-

sonal experience or an observation about the corruption and our loss of democracy, and having a fragile democracy. And it’s been shaken. Really shaken. And those foundations, some are being gutted from the inside out, as we know. So that material can still resonate.

But there are other elements that have to get woven in because, like you said, you’re wrestling with having bad days. Everybody is. And these are the kinds of bad days that have to be addressed in the music and what takes people to a bad day, and then addressing those things. And with other songs, it’s about how to help bring somebody out of that.

So it seems there’s a healing element you’re exploring in the music.

Yeah. Some of the songs are on their knees with you, and then others are, “Come on then. OK. (Laughs.)

You guys are doing your job. You ladies are doing your job really well, sitting there in the mud. In the tears.

With the cuts. And the glass. (Laughs.) The broken glass. The margaritas. And now there’s no more of that tequila, honey. And your shoes are muddy. And your heels, broken. And I’ve got no party dress in my bag for you. Here’s a Mac. And I don’t mean a computer.

I mean a little raincoat. And I don’t have Welly boots for you. No galoshes. So you’re gonna have to walk barefoot, sister.”

And you’ve just written a song.

That is a Tori song.

(Laughs.) It might come to that, Chris! And it might be called “Chris’s Crap Day.” Interview with Tori Amos continues on Page 12

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Interview with Tori Amos continued from Page 11

“We won’t be the same, and we can’t go back to where we were. It’s not back. We have to move forward. And we will see each other again. But not for a while, not in the way that we might have hoped it would be sooner.”

Dormant until it wasn’t anymore. And there was a moment of Tash evolving and finding her voice, and Mary losing hers. And it was that paradox, that tension of the opposites that just shot me from either side, like an arrow made of light. So it didn’t wound me, but it kind of took me to the reindeer king.

I’ve been thinking about grief as it applies to our various experiences with this pandemic.

What have you learned from your experience with grief, both personal and beyond, that could serve anyone and everyone facing grief in letting go of normalcy?

I have to thank (my mother) Mary for taking me through it because I went to a really dark place when she died in May of last year. It didn’t settle in until two weeks later when I was there with Tash and we were back in Florida on our own, and then it just took me to a place where I think people are going right now.

Having been there recently, it’s been a long haul out of it. I just came out of it around the new year, and then this happening and being thrown back into something we never experienced. We won’t be the same, and we can’t go back to where we were, Chris. It’s not back. We have to move forward. And we will see each other again. But not for a while, not in the way that we might have hoped it would be sooner.

So knowing that, there is a place for grieving. I think it’s the right answer because by doing that then we realize that something bigger is happening to all of us. A change to our world. We have to remember that with 9/11 a lot changed. War. All kinds of things.

There were cities intact; there were other places that were physically decimated and the infrastructure had to be rebuilt. And this is the whole globe. There’s no place for us to go. We can’t hop onto Mars and the station there. That doesn’t exist.

One recent morning I was really missing my mother; we’re social distancing right now. So, I sent your song ‘Promise’ to her, which you sing with Tash. She called me because she was so moved by the song and the purpose it was serving on that particular day. It brought us closer in that moment. It made me think of what you write about ‘Girl’ in the book and how that song bent to the times in 2017 because it, you write, ‘understood that America was under attack.’ Are there songs that you are aware of in your catalog that are currently experiencing a shift?

I’m waiting to hear that one. It’s happening right now, so I think there’s a little delay in me getting that

There’s a photo of you in the book giving side eye and the caption is, simply, ‘Side eye.’ But there’s no context, Tori! Do you have context for that pic, and what is it? I mean, personally, I’d like to think the side eye is in response to every man who has ever stood in your way.

(Laughs.) No. It’s not confrontational. It’s fun!

Somebody who I know really well was compiling these photos with me and we were laughing our heads off.

It’s not a meanie, you know? It’s not an indignation, or a confrontation.

No shade, no tea?

No shade! It’s, “You thought you were hot and so did I.” (Laughs.)

What do you do as a creative person when your mind can’t hold space for anything but taking care of yourself?

Go eat some licorice. (Laughs.)

info from the gang. But yeah, I’ll be curious to know what that is.

In the book, you talk about ‘Reindeer King’ from your last album, ‘Native Invader,’ and how it was, in part, written with your mother Mary in mind. For me, now, I hear it as a message to my mind to get back where it was before the pandemic.

That’s fair enough. And yeah, “Reindeer King” was many, many years in the making. It started as tiny fragments in 2006 for the “Doll Posse” rebellion (laughs) in a song called “Crystalline” and then it morphed and moved and was kind of just dormant.

And that cures you?

(Laughs.) Well, you know it might be licorice. It might be popcorn. As everybody knows: microwave popcorn with some pepper. And then life can maybe just get a little bit better. But then, look, there’s some days it’s gonna be useless. Then I go research and I get my notes down. I try to read something, whether I’m looking at an art book or a book of photographs.

Drawings, paintings. If I’m reading, researching about something.

It could be anything. Tash comes in and tells me about some documentary she’s watching about how they’re building environmentally friendly houses somewhere and she says you have to check this out.

(Laughs.) Then you kind of go, “OK. So that took me out of, ‘There’s no live music, kind of my Eeyore (mood).’” And I’m traditionally not an Eeyore. If we’re on the “Winnie the Pooh” pantheon, Chris, I don’t know who you are, but I’m not Eeyore, normally.

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Q Puzzle

Courtesy Images

I’m a Piglet.

You’re Piglet? I love Piglet!

Who are you?

Tash thinks I’m a hybrid of Owl and Roo. She thinks I’m Roo when I get into my jumpyjumpy side.

You seem a little Roo-like right now, actually. I can’t see you, but I can feel your Roo energy. It’s making me very happy, I will say.

Today was a good morning. That’s because the Bösendorfer that I tour with has not been well. I can’t describe why; it’ll take too long.

But just trust me: She needed some help. She had to wait until she was allowed to get the help she needed by the tuner; that’s been social distancing and going to the studio and then the touring piano is in the back … not a storage place, it’s got books. It’s a nice storage. It’s a little library kind of place. I wouldn’t call it storage, but it is where it is stored, OK? So it’s in a little room, and it got fixed. It got helped.

It was like the piano hospital back in the back.

And so I got up before the sun was up, really early, and I raced out. I just put on some trainers and raced out into this space on my own and started playing. I was playing something I’ve been working on for a little while for the new record, and then after a half hour, this thing started to come through. And it’s called … hold on. I couldn’t hum it to you if my life depended on it. I just called it something. I think I called it “Bluebell Forest.” But the mist

was coming in, and the sun was coming up.

I saw rabbits in the distance. It was barely sunrise, and it was foggy. But not cold, you know? We’re in Cornwall in farm country. And I looked out the window and it was just a moment when this music was coming and I wasn’t writing it. That doesn’t happen all the time, but it was happening this morning. It was just one of those things where I thought, “Yeah.

The Muses. They’re still there.”

Tori, thanks for this. You are one of the threads connecting me to home and the feelings of home and the people who remind me of home. I wish you and your family well.

I wish you and your mom and everybody well. And guess what? I’m gonna see you when we’re out again. And God knows, it might be a year; it might be a little longer than a year.

It might. But it won’t be endless, you know?

When we can, we’ll be out there.

And listen: Thank you, Chris, for putting those big boy boots on because I so enjoyed this. And I’m gonna tell Tash that your mom called you about “Promise,” that’ll give her a real twinkle.

As editor of Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

Hollywood Across 1 Disney canine 6 Word after “Hail Mary” 10 A little behind 14 Bright, to editors 15 For most students 16 With mouth wide open 17 Bear 18 Penetrate slowly 19 Burning software 20 Murphy, whose three favorite icons from _Hollywood_ are in this puzzle 21 _Pillow Talk_ star 23 Bad day for Caesar 25 Plug extension 26 Orbital high point 29 Old people may take them out for a blow job 34 Lullaby composer 35 Anatomical passage 36 Milk, in a way 37 With 38-Across, _GWTW_ Best Supporting Actress winner 38 See 37-Across 40 Poem of Sappho 41 Ebenezer’s exclamation 42 With respect to 43 Mound accessory 47 Dorothyís home 49 Prep for a marathon, with “up” 50 Fork feature 51 The first Chinese American Hollywood movie star 55 Startled cry 58 One with a foamy head 59 Voyeur’s confession 60 Writer Dykewomon 62 Male escort 63 Conn of _Grease_ 64 _The Wizard of Oz_ producer Mervyn 65 They’re performing, in _Fame_ 66 Leave in the text 67 Rimbaud’s room Down 1 Peter the Great, for one 2 Prefix for fruit for Rita Mae Brown 3 China setting

4 _ ___ in the Garden of Good and Evil_ 5 Drench Trump in a Russian video 6 Colombian coins 7 Mapa of _Switched at Birth_ 8 Chiang Kai-___ 9 Really sucked 10 Martin of _Ed Wood_ 11 Processes wine or cheese 12 That’s bull, to Frida 13 Ghostbusters role 21 Witherspoon of _Legally Blonde 2_ 22 Part of UHF 24 She danced with Whoopi in _Ghost_ 26 Can’t bear 27 Madrid museum 28 One of the “Maneater” singers 29 Joltin’ Joe 30 Cut glass 31 Archaeological sites 32 Former NFL player Tuaolo 33 Tennis star that goes either way?

39 Kopay’s team 41 Tend tots 44 Wearer of wax wings 45 Locale for Brando’s _Apocalypse Now_ 46 Brady Bunch hair style, at times 47 Family 48 Kushner’s _ ___ in America_ 50 Namely 51 _Mamma Mia!_ band 52 Not even once, to Dickinson 53 Straight, to mixologists 54 Get one’s feet wet 55 Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye ___” 56 Organic compound 57 Danny of _The Court Jester_ 61 DeLaria of comedy

Solutions on page 16 QSyndicate.com

14

June 5-18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

hot dish

lgbtqsd.news

Rolled tacos 3 ways

By Cesar A Reyes

I

know how hard it is to make rolled tacos or taquitos (whatever you like calling them), that part is easy though and if you need some tips, here are a couple of things I like doing when making them. If you have a tortilleria (the shop tortillas are made in) close by, ask for tortillas for chips — they are thinner and will be crunchier when fried. Also, I make either chicken (shredded chicken breast) or potatoes (add a little garlic salt and paprika to mashed potatoes) that will give them a touch of smoky flavor and give you a vegetarian option. Use a toothpick to keep the tacos from falling apart when frying and you don’t need a lot of oil, a cup or so on a small frying pan will be enough, just make sure you let the oil really heat up. The fun part that will add some variety to your rolled tacos is the sauces you serve them with. And here are three options that will have you making all three for a salsa bar.

Avocado sauce Ingredients:

6 tomatillos 1 serrano pepper (this is all depending on how much heat you like) 1 avocado 1/4 onion 1 garlic clove Small handful of cilantro The juice of 1 lime Salt to taste

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients until they’re a creamy consistency. Ready to serve.

Add lettuce and queso fresco.

lgbtqsd.news

hot dish

June 5 - 18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

Red sauce Ingredients:

6 tomatoes 1/2 onion 2 serrano peppers (again if you like it spicy, you can use 3 or 4) 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons of oil

Instructions:

Roast the tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, then put in a blender. Blend for 5 minutes until all ingredients are pureed.

In a pan, poor the oil and add the blended mix. Cook for 5 minutes.

Bring to a light boil. Let cool and serve on top of your tacos. Add shredded cabbage, Mexican crema and cheese to your tacos.

Black bean chipotle sauce Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or a can) 1/4 chopped onion 1/2 cup of chicken broth 2 tablespoons of chipotle adobo (if you like it spicy, add a chipotle pepper) 4 tablespoons of oil 1/4 cup of fresh epazote (Mexican grocery stores will definitely have it)

Instructions:

In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and sautĂŠ onions, add the chipotle adobo and the beans. SautĂŠ and add the chicken broth. Add the epazote leaves and cook for 5 minutes till it lightly boils. Put the mixture in a blender or food processor and blend for 3 minutes until it has a creamy consistency. In a new pan, add the leftover 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the creamy sauce for 5 minutes.

Mexican crema and queso fresco will add the finishing touch.

15

16

Opinion

June 5-18, 2020 volume 1 issue 18

lgbtqsd.news

Creep of the Week: Donald Trump

By D’Anne Witkowski

(Image by freepik.com)

I

’m old enough to remember when the President of the United States wasn’t an incurious moron recklessly obsessed with his own image. And this is the man is in charge during the worst public health epidemic in recent memory.

As I write this it is Memorial Day, a day when we remember military personnel who have given their lives for this country. It’s an especially odd and disorienting Memorial Day because of what we are NOT mourning: the 100,000-plus dead that this virus has killed in the U.S. just since late February.

The president is, of course, being appropriately respectful, tweeting this morning, “On Memorial Day, we honor those who gave all for us. That takes different forms this year, but it’s even more vital with the loss of so many veterans to COVID-19.

The way they lived, in service to one another, should be our roadmap in the months ahead.”

And by president I, of course, mean Barack Obama.

Donald Trump had a much different take this Memorial Day. He tweeted, “Great reviews on our handling of Covid 19, sometimes referred to as the China Virus. Ventilators, Testing, Medical Supply Distribution, we made a lot of Governors look very good - And got no credit for so doing. Most importantly, we helped a lot of great people!”

But please, tell me again how both parties are the same.

Great reviews? More than 100,000 people dead and Trump is still trying to pretend that his handling of this epidemic was, like his call with Ukraine, “perfect.” His response has been a horror show of incompetence lacking even a shred of empathy.

“Sometimes referred to as the China Virus,” huh?

Gosh, who calls it that? Oh, yeah, Trump does, because he’s racist, and his supporters do, because they’re racist.

Re: his mention of “Ventilators, Testing, Medical Supply Distribution,” it’s not clear if he’s putting those in order from most fucked up to least fucked up or the other way around.

He continues, “We made a lot of Governors look very good - And got no credit for so doing.”

It is true that Trump made a lot of governors look good, because Trump set the bar so unbelievably low and the federal response was so chaotic and lacking that even the shittiest governors managed to look better than the president. Here’s looking at you, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. You are both terrible and your inaction surely led to thousands of your residents getting sick and dying, and yet Trump manages to

be even worse that you.

Finally, Trump ends his tweet with, “Most importantly, we helped a lot of great people!”

And that’s true. Granted he managed to NOT help a whole lot of people. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t help anyone. I mean, a poorly managed program getting PPE to hospitals is better than NO program, right? Maybe? I mean, except in the cases where hospitals were trying to buy their own PPE and the federal government literally seized those shipments or outbid local agencies. That was probably not helpful.

The problem is, Trump is helping a whole slew of not-so-great people. Those people are refusing to wear face masks and are sick and tired of all these people dying and keeping them from their freedom to rock a Confederate flag bikini at their local pool.

Besides, how bad could this whole virus thing be, anyway, when alpha President Trump doesn’t wear a mask. Not even when he tours a Ford plant in Michigan where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and the folks at Ford all asked him to wear a mask. But he didn’t. At least not for the cameras to see. He didn’t want to give the press the “pleasure” of seeing him in a mask.

And, hey, I get it. Trump wearing a mask after calling the virus a hoax and saying it would magically “disappear” is bad optics. It looks bad for Trump to acknowledge reality. Any reality, because there is no realm of reality in which he is a good president or even a halfway decent human being.

But, man, he sure showed those reporters in Michigan, eh?

And so now as states are starting to loosen their restrictions — a loosening that is a direct result of most people following stay-at-home orders and practicing social distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing — we’re seeing a flurry of militant morons refusing to wear a mask and harassing people who do wear masks.

On Memorial Day, it’s a good idea that while we mourn the dead and celebrate freedom, the intention was never to celebrate your right to spread a deadly virus or your right to pretend that science is witchcraft. Not wearing a mask is a great way to communicate with people, “I don’t care if you die.”

No wonder Trump won’t wear one.

D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski

Puzzle solution

Hollywood

from page 13