San Francisco Bay Times - April 23, 2020

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020) April 23–May 6, 2020 | http://sfbaytimes.com

Remembering LGBTQ Lives Lost to COVID-19

Mona Foot (Nashom Wooden), Drag Legend and Performer

Terrence McNally, Tony Award-winning Playwright

Kious Jordan Kelly, Nurse, Mt. Sinai

Israel Carrera, Dancer and Radiologist

Henrietta Robinson, Entertainer and Transgender Activist Shannon Bennett, Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy

Lorena Borjas, Transgender Advocate

Anthony Brooks, Live Oaks, Texas Councilman Phillip Tsai-Brooks, Business Owner

George “Skip” Panse, Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida Member

Tarlach MacNiallais, Irish LGBT Activist

Ito Curata, Fashion Designer

Remembering LGBTQ Lives Lost to COVID-19

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About Our Cover “I may think I have inalienable rights to be alive and happy, but I don’t—life is a blessing.”

—Terrence McNally (1938–2020)

The list could sadly go on, and will continue to grow. It also does not include allies, such as Gita Ramjee, a South African virologist renowned for her research in the fight against HIV/ AIDS. Upon learning of her death, her colleague Gavin Churchyard told the BBC, “She dedicated many years of her life to finding HIV prevention solutions for women.”

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020) April 23–May 6, 2020 | http://sfbaytimes.com

Remembering LGBTQ Lives Lost to COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has put many of us into the stages of grief and loss, initially because life as we once knew it is not possible at present, and now compounded by news of so many deaths worldwide due to COVID-19. As for the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is becoming more common for most of us to have a personal connection to someone who has died as a result of the virus. Our cover features just some of the many victims of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic who were from the LGBTQ community.

They include: • Mona Foot (Nashom Wooden), drag legend and performer; • Terrence McNally, Tony award-winning playwright; • Lorena Borjas, transgender advocate; • Tarlach MacNiallais, Irish LGBT activist; • Anthony Brooks, Texas councilman; • Phillip Tsai-Brooks, business owner; • George “Skip” Panse, member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida; • Israel Carrera, dancer and radiologist; • Ito Curata, fashion designer; • Shannon Bennett, Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy; • Henrietta Robinson, entertainer and transgender activist; and others.

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Mona Foot (Nashom Wooden), Drag Legend and Performer

Terrence McNally, Tony Award-winning Playwright

Kious Jordan Kelly, Nurse, Mt. Sinai

Israel Carrera, Dancer and Radiologist

Henrietta Robinson, Entertainer and Transgender Activist Shannon Bennett, Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy

Lorena Borjas, Transgender Advocate

Anthony Brooks, Live Oaks, Texas Councilman Phillip Tsai-Brooks, Business Owner

George “Skip” Panse, Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida Member

Tarlach MacNiallais, Irish LGBT Activist

Ito Curata, Fashion Designer

With tears streaming down his face, fashion designer Geoffrey Mac remembered on Instagram his close friend Wooden: “I lost my best friend today from the coronavirus,” he said last month. “And I just want to make sure that everybody out there stays healthy and takes care of each other because the virus is really real.

And I’m just so sorry.”

Anthony Brooks (42) and Phillip Tsai-Brooks (52) were a couple who died just two days apart. Phillip’s brother Alfred Tsai told The San Antonio Express-News: “Tony Brooks and Phillip Tsai loved each other so much, and they left this world together. It’s a love story that ended too soon in this world, but in heaven, it will last for eternity.”

As we have all been reading, COVID-19 has led to the deaths of young and previously very healthy individuals, in addition to heavily impacting people of color and seniors with preexisting conditions. McNally had survived lung cancer and lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, yet he bravely forged on and continued with his prolific work until stricken with COVID-19. As the quote at the beginning of this piece indicates, he was constantly aware of his own mortality, and grateful for every moment of life.

This issue of the San Francisco Bay Times honors all of these individuals, who have made valuable contributions both to and beyond our LGBTQ community.

More from the San Francisco Bay Times As the pandemic and shelter-in-place continue, San Francisco Bay Times columnists are addressing issues of importance to many of us at this time. For example, Dr. Marcy Adelman in her latest article examines the toll the current crisis is taking on the mental health of seniors, particularly in the LGBTQ community. Stuart Gaffney of UCSF provides a personal and in-depth piece on the FDA’s decades-long policy that discriminates against gay and bisexual men in blood donation. Assemblymember Phil Ting shares efforts to curb attacks on the Asian community at this time. As he writes, “Perpetrators of hate are misplacing blame for the coronavirus on this population. They don’t understand our pandemic is a public health issue, not a racial one.”

We also all need some welcome diversions these days. Film critic Gary Kramer recommends four binge-worthy queer-themed series on Netflix. The Gay Gourmet shares several delicious recipes that were the favorites of his mother, LaVerne Shirley—her real name that preceded the popular 70s sitcom! Sister Dana Van Iquity offers a compelling mix of news updates and info about upcoming virtual events. And you’ll never guess what Donna Sachet is doing for fun these days.

Check out “Donna’s Chronicles” to find out.

Please visit the San Francisco Bay Times website for all of this and much more. Now is also a great time to stay up to date with the Castro via the 24/7 live-streaming Castro Street Cam. Look for the next issue of the San Francisco Bay Times on May 7. Whether in hard copy or digital, the Bay Times is always free and full color!

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