THE FIGHT SF/BAY AREA'S MONTHLY LGBTQ MAGAZINE JANUARY 2019

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 1

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THECONTENTS FEATURES 13

GAY COP SUES CHP TALES OF HOMOPHOBIC ABUSE

14

THE KILLING FIELDS NEW REPORT ON CHECHNYA

16

BIG TECH’S WAR ON SEX THE DEPLATFORMING OF SEXUALITY

20

A LIFE WORTH LIVING SETTING INTENTIONS FOR A NEW YEAR

22

MAPPLETHORPE: THE MOVIE PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST

23

STRIKING A POSE RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE NAOMI SMALLS

24

ABSOLUTELY SADDENED AB FAB’S JUNE WHITFIELD RIP

25

FIGHT FOR LOVE COURTNEY ACT’S NEW DANCE-POP SINGLE

26

THE NAKED RUGBY PLAYERS FACEBOOK BANS CHARITY CALENDAR

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DEPARTMENTS 08 THE TALK 10 THE CITY 11 THE NATION 12 THE TRANSACTION 28 THE ART 30 THE CALENDAR

Have a little kink with your coffee

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SOCIAL MEDIA Mark Ariel Sinan Shihabi WEBMASTER Nadeen Torio ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Sinan Shihabi EVENTS MANAGER Joseph Arellano CONTRIBUTORS Grey Crouch Leo Herrera Kian Kamataki Orly Lyonne Victor Melamed Stephen Molldrem Jackie Prager Sinan Shihabi GET THE FIGHT SF AT HOME Sent Via First Class Mail 12 Issues: $36 6 Issues: $24 Mail check or money order to: Third Step, LLC 611 S. Catalina St. Suite 307 Los Angeles, CA 90005 PUBLISHER Third Step, LLC DISTRIBUTION Pride In Media The Fight SF is published monthly by Third Step, LLC. 611 South Catalina Street, Suite 307 Los Angeles, CA 90005 Telephone (323) 297-4001 Fax (213) 281-9648 Email info@TheFightMag.com THE FIGHT MAGAZINE LEGAL CAVEATS By listing in The Fight SF, advertisers acknowledge that they do business in the spirit of cooperation, fairness and service, maintaining a high level of integrity and responsibility. Providers of products or services are fully and solely responsible for providing same as advertised. The Fight SF assumes no liability for improper or negligent business practices by advertisers.

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THETALK > > W H AT T H E Y ’ R E S AY I N G < <

TAN FRANCE

SECURITY RISK

WHO YOU ARE

“I’m brown but that does NOT mean I’m a damn security risk!!!”

—Queer Eye star Tan France, in a tweet last month, accusing the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) of racial profiling after being stopped at airport security three times in one week.

WARWICK ROWERS

“You have every right to be a part of your sport and PATRICIO not have to MANUEL compromise who you are as a person in order to compete.”

—Patricio Manuel, the first trans boxer to compete in a professional fight, and the first trans boxer to win one, in an interview with the Daily Beast, last month.

LANDON RAFE ZUMWALT

REFUSED TO COMPROMISE

“As an out and proud gay man … I refused to compromise my own values or professional integrity to defend a statement that goes against everything I am and everything I believe.”

ARE LEFT ALONE

“Accounts that feature similar levels of female nudity, often presented in a far more sexualized and exploitative manner… are left alone to post whatever they like.”

—Landon Rafe Zumwalt, former head of communications for Grindr, announcing last month that he can’t defend a statement made by Grindr president Scott Chen, who said he believes in traditional marriage between a man and a woman.

BILLY EICHER

—The Warwick Rowers calling out Instagram last month for once again for censoring nude content from their account. Most of the posts that were deleted were images from their 2019 nude calendars, proceeds from which will go towards promoting inclusivity in sports.

I’M DOWN MILEY CYRUS

“I’m down with any adult — anyone over the age of 18 who is down to love me. I don’t relate to being boy or girl, and I don’t have to have my partner relate to boy or girl.”

—Miley Cyrus in an interview with Paper magazine, last month.

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HOW I WISH

“A generation of LGBT Americans, many in their 20s and 30s, was wiped out by an AIDS epidemic ignored by Reagan/Bush and Bush/ Quayle until it was far too late.

God how I wish they could have lived until 94 too. We won’t forget them and we won’t ignore the truth.”

—Billy Eicher, in a tweet last month, after the death of President George H.W. Bush at age 94.

THE INNER

“At the moment I’m looking for the inner pussy.”

—Sir Ian McKellen on his forthcoming role in the movie version of Cats on The Graham Norton Show.

SIR IAN MCKELLEN

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JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 9

THECITY >> BY JACKIE PRAGER <<

THE SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND NOW OFFICIAL

SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND

THE FATE OF FREE CITY COLLEGE

In 2016, Supervisor Jane Kim championed a ballot measure that would cover tuition costs for San Francisco residents attending courses at City college. The program was funded by an increase of real estate taxes on property sales exceeding $5 million. While the program has been incredibly popular with city residents, and successful in terms of increasing enrollment, it is set to expire in June 2019.

The Board of Supervisors has voted to place the issue of extending the Free City College program for the next ten years into the hands of the public.

On November 5, 2019, San Francisco will be holding a special election and the continuation of the Free City College program will be voted on.

TRANSGENDER CARAVAN MEMBERS IN NEED

The migrant caravan that made its way to the U.S. border was joined by countless transgender and other LGBTQ+ individuals looking for safe entrance into the United States. Transgender women are specifically in need sponsors who will house and financially support them after their release so they don’t have to fight their asylum cases while in detention.

The Santa Fe Dreamers Project, an organization that has been working with the asylum seekers by providing free legal services, have reported that the legal cases for trans women are a “slam-dunk” and that there’s no need for their detention.

However, finding individuals

www.thefightmag.com 1 0 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefi ghtmag.com

or families to sponsor these women has been particularly difficult.

If you have the capacity, please to contact the Santa Fe Dreamers Project and either make a donation or sponsor a person in great need; they can be reached at info@santafedreamersproject.org.

MAN PLANNED ATTACKS ON SF GAY CLUBS The FBI has released an undercover video showing a young man discussing potential terrorist attacks in the San Francisco bay area, reports Gay Star News.

23-year-old Amer Alhaggagi pleaded guilty this past July to “attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group.”

Alhaggagi faces anywhere

Founded in 1978, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band has been the city’s unofficially official band as well as the first LGBT musical group in the world. Last month, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman sponsored an ordinance that would make the SFLGFB the city’s official band. The ordinance has been passed by the Board of Supervisors and signed by Mayor London Breed. With all of the t’s crossed and i’s dotted, we can now celebrate this is huge step for LGBT representation at the city level.

If you want to support the SFLGFB and see them in action, their Spring Community Concert will be held on on March 23, 2019.

from up to 47 years in prison to only six or seven.

According to Alhaggagi’s detention hearing in December 2016, he discussed bombing gay nightclubs in San Francisco.

SF LEATHER PLAZA APPROVED

The Civic Design Review Committee voted last month in support of Eagle Plaza.

Eagle Plaza will be a new public gathering space in San Francisco’s Western SoMa neighborhood that will transform an underutilized street into a well-cared-for green, safe and clean shared pedestrian way for relaxing, gathering and celebrating LGBTQ, leather and community.

For more info visit: www.eagleplaza.org. ■

THENATION >> NEWS BRIEFS <<

GAY AMTRAK VICTIM: “I DID NOT JUMP FROM THE TRAIN” Aaron Salazar, the young man who was found in May critically injured along train tracks outside of Truckee, Calif., continues to improve and is speaking, reports ThisisReno.

A video shared by his family with ThisisReno shows Salazar saying that he did not jump from AARON the Amtrak train he was SALAZAR riding from Denver to Sacramento. “I did not jump off the train,” he said. “I’d never, ever try to kill myself.”

His family alleges that Salazar was a gay hate crime victim.

His statement contradicts what Amtrak’s Police Chief, Neil Trugman, said at a press conference in May. Trugman described Salazar as “distraught” while on the train between Reno and Truckee. Amtrak stated that Salazar attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the train.

CELINE DION

PRIEST CALLS GENDER NEUTRAL CLOTHING LINE “DEMONIC” A Pennsylvania-based priest has deemed Celine Dion’s new gender-neutral clothing line for kids “demonic” and “satanic,” reports Gay Star News.

Dion launched the groundbreaking clothing line, called CELINUNUNU, last month.

When asked about the clothing line Msgr. John Esseff, a priest and exorcist in the Diocese of Scranton, told The National Catholic Register that he is “convinced that the way this gender thing has spread is demonic… It’s false. I don’t even know how many genders there’s supposed to be now, but there are only two that God made.’

PHOTO BY DAVID ARTAVIA

RUSSIANS SET UP FAKE HOTLINE FOR GAY YOUTH

MADONNA’S SURPRISE VISIT TO STONEWALL INN

Two reports released last month by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence describe how Russian election meddling targeted LGBTQ voters during the 2016 elections in order to help Donald Trump win, with tactics that included setting up hotlines for Christian masturbators and LGBTQ youth, reports LGBTQ Nation.

“It is evident that the campaigns sought to demobilize African Americans, LGBT, and liberal voters,” one of the reports says.

Two mentioned in the report were a “support” hotline for LGBTQ youth and one for Christian masturbation addicts.

The hotlines may have been set up to collect personal information to use later, the report says.

Madonna made a surprise appearance at New York’s famous Stonewall Inn on New Year’s Eve to kick off 2019, reports The Advocate.

Madonna recently signed on as a Stonewall Ambassador, a program launched by the organization Pride Live last June to elevate awareness of the 1969 uprising.

“Fifty years of sacrifice, 50 years of standing up to discrimination, hatred, and worst of all, indifference. And it all started here, at Stonewall,” Madonna said to the crowd. “Let us never forget the Stonewall riots and those who bravely stood up and said ‘Enough!’ Enough brutatlity. Enough violence inflicted on this community. Enough stigmatism. Enough oppression. Enough pain and suffering.”

TRUMP STRIPS LGBT RIGHTS FROM USMCA TRADE DEAL

The Trump administration has exempted the United States from provisions in the new USMCA trade deal with Mexico and Canada that require LGBT+ rights protections to be put in place, reports Pink News.

Canada’s Global News notes that changes have been made to discrimination provisions from a previously-published draft, significantly watering down lines that refer to LGBT+ rights protections.

The US has no federal law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and Republican lawmakers had threatened to nuke the trilateral deal if it required such protections to be put in place. ■ JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 11

THETRANSACTION >> RAIN VALDEZ <<

CELEBRATING TRANS WOMEN

“The Fantasy” calendar was created in response to Victoria’s Secret ban on transgender models.

R

BY ORLY LYONNE

ain Valdez has produced a new calendar celebrating trans women, reports Gay Times.

The Los Angeles based actress and filmmaker created the calendar after a Victoria’s Secret executive said that trans women shouldn’t be included on their runways.

The lingerie company’s chief marketing officer, Ed Razek told Vogue that he had “considered” including plus-size and trans models, but said he decided against it because the Victoria’s Secret runways are “a fantasy.”

In response to the controversy, Rain and her Now More Than Ever producing team, Kellen Quinn and Alessandro Nori, decided to create a calendar of multicultural women of trans experience simply called “The Fantasy.”

“We will continue creating content that celebrates our existence

“Illuminating, Celebratory, a MUST OWN for the Owner and the Owned!”

and reverses the shame and stigma associated with our experiences as trans women, because it’s tiring and inauthentic,” said Valdez.

The women featured are: Zackary Drucker, Trace Lysette, Rain Valdez, Cassandra James, Lina Bradford, Rosalyne Blumenstein, Carolina

Gutierrez, Lee Te, Juliana Joel, Sarah Parlow, Blossom Brown and 8Maria Roman.

The limited edition calendar is on sale now for $35, and a percentage of proceeds will benefit Trans Latina Coalition. n For more info visit: www.noweverartists.com.

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>> JAY BROME <<

DURING ONE EXERCISE, BROME ALLEGED THAT A FELLOW CADET PULLED A GUN ON HIM. THEN THE OTHER MAN REPORTEDLY STATED: “I KNOW YOU’RE GAY, TELL ME YOU’RE GAY OR I’LL PULL THE TRIGGER.”

JAY BROME

A

GAY COP

There was bullying gay Vallejo man is suing or name-calling— the California “fag”—Brome Highway Patrol (CHP) recalled to the Sacramento Bee for decades of abuse, harassment, and about his time spent discrimination while in the academy. “I on the job, reports Gay had an instructor that told me … to take my Star News.

Jay Brome dreamt of skirt off and start acting working for the CHP, a law like a man.” enforcement agency in the During one exercise, Brome alleged that a fellow Golden State with jurisdiction of all of California’s highways. cadet pulled a gun on him.

Then the other man reportedly He spent two years working

BY VICTOR stated: “I know you’re gay, tell on getting into the academy.

MELAMED me you’re gay or I’ll pull the trigger.”

When he finally did, he ended up Brome said he had to leave the job, patrolling the Contra Costa County in after giving decades of service, due to the 2008, but not without costs to himself, his effect the harassment had on him. reputation, and his dignity.

“What was happening was I would drive Attorney Gay Grunfeld has filed a 55-page around in my patrol car and for no reason I would brief on in the 1st District Court of Appeal in San just be crying, tears just running down my face,” Francisco on behalf of Brome. The brief argues a he revealed. jury should hear Brome’s case.

“I was getting these urges to kill myself, and Last March, a judge dismissed Brome’s previit was this sudden urge while I was driving my ous lawsuit on the grounds that the statute of patrol car and it just said, ‘Pull out your gun and limitations had expired. Now he’s trying again, shoot yourself.’” with Grunfeld arguing the dismissal was an error, He added he had no backup or support within reports Gay Star News. the agency.

“The harassment began during Officer Four fellow officers provided documents supBrome’s academy training,” Grunfeld wrote in porting Brome’s lawsuit. the brief. When his career officially began in One of them, Ken Stanley, told the Sacramento 1996, it continued for over two decades.

SUES CHP OVER

HARASSMENT The homophobic abuse began when he was in the police academy and continued throughout his career.

Bee that colleagues put up pictures depicting him as gay, and someone once left a bloody tampon in front of his door.

“It’s your typical macho environment [where] to other less-educated individuals in the workforce there can be no greater insult according to them than portraying somebody as gay,” added Stanley, who happens to be straight. “One would think that we would be well beyond that, but the culture just permeates.” He also sued the CHP at one point, but the case was dismissed.

The CHP did not respond directly to Brome’s case. In a statement by spokesperson Fran Clader, however, they said: “It is the policy of the CHP to provide equal employment opportunities for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex (includes sexual harassment, and gender identity), physical or mental disability, political affiliation/opinion, marital status, sexual orientation, or medical condition. Equal opportunity in employment practices will be made on the basis of merit, efficiency, and fitness consistent with state civil service and merit system principles.”

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 13

>> CHECHNYA <<

KYRSTEN SINEMA

ZELIM BAKAEV, WHO WENT MISSING IN AUGUST 2017, WAS ALLEGEDLY TORTURED TO DEATH BY AUTHORITIES IN THE RUSSIAN REPUBLIC.

New report documents horrific anti-LGBTQ crimes against humanity in the Russian republic of Chechnya.

BY ORLY LYONNE

The

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) responded last month to a new report released by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documenting horrific anti-LGBTQ crimes against humanity in the Russian republic of Chechnya that first made headlines in April 2017.

Refuting denials from Chechen and Russian authorities, the report details the systematic torture, abuse and murder of LGBTQ people.

The report was authorized by 16 OSCE countries last month in order to investigate the human rights abuses and the Russian government’s failure to respond. It clearly states that there is “overwhelming evidence that there have been grave violations of the rights of LGBTI persons in the Chechen Republic,” while also citing gruesome personal stories from victims of the Chechen regime’s cruelty. The report also calls on Russia to establish a special investigative committee to “undertake an effective, impartial and transparent investigation of the allegations” and “bring to justice the alleged perpetrators.”

“The Russian government can no longer deny the existence of these barbaric anti-LGBTQ crimes against humanity in Chechnya,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb. “World leaders, 1 4 TTH HE E FFIIGH SFF || www.thefi www.thefightmag.com 14 GH TT S ghtmag.com

including the Trump-Pence administration, must take action to hold Russia and those responsible for the crimes accountable and to ensure these atrocious crimes have been stopped and never happen again. It’s crucial that Russia follow the report’s recommendations and launch a serious investigation, and that the world community—and especially the United States—welcome refugees escaping these gross human rights abuses.”

On April 1, 2017, Novaya Gazeta, a Russian independent media outlet, first broke the news that Chechen authorities had rounded up and detained in secret prisons more than 100 men who were suspected of being gay or bisexual.

Chechen leaders have denied these accusations, going so far as to deny the very existence of LGBTQ people in Chechnya—a claim the Russian government astonishingly repeated.

Chechen officials have also reportedly encouraged families to murder relatives they suspect might be gay or bisexual. While the initial detentions and attacks targeted men suspected of being gay or bisexual, the campaign has also brought about a surge in lesbian women sharing stories about humiliation, abuse, and threats they have faced from male relatives or from

“IT’S CRUCIAL THAT… THE WORLD COMMUNITY— AND ESPECIALLY THE UNITED STATES— WELCOME REFUGEES ESCAPING THESE GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.” others. Transgender Chechens have also fled violence.

In October 2017 various media outlets reported that the Russian-Chechen singer Zelim Bakaev, who went missing in August of that year, was allegedly tortured to death by authorities in the Russian republic.

In comments on state television last year, Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov suggested the 25-year-old was murdered by family members ashamed of his sexuality.

Bakaev’s father, Khussein Bakaev, told Radio Free Europe that the family had no involvement in his son’s disappearance.

While former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly wrote a private letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raising the human rights abuses, that letter was never released publicly nor was it accompanied by any public statement on Chechnya.

In October 2017, HRC filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Department of State for all records regarding that letter—a request that has yet to be fulfilled.

While the White House has remained silent, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have passed bipartisan resolutions condemning the atrocities.

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The deplatforming of sexuality and how to resist it.

BY STEPHEN MOLLDREM

16 6 TTH HEE FFIGH IGHTT S SFF || www.thefi www.thefightmag.com 1 ghtmag.com

>> FOSTA / SESTA <<

O

n December 17th, Tumblr—a social network notorious and celebrated for the many varieties of niche pornography and kinky communities that it once hosted on its servers and allowed to flourish on its playful interface – made its first major move to effectively purge sexual media from its platform. This followed a December 3rd announcement from the firm (owned by a subsidiary of Verizon) that the social network would ban all “adult content.” Tumblr defines “adult content” both carefully and sweepingly, as “primarily includ[ing] photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any content—including photos, videos, GIFs and illustrations—that depicts sex acts.”

There are some exceptions carved out in the new policy. A December 17th post from the company assures users that visual media depicting nudity deemed newsworthy or political will be permitted, as will “nudity found in art, specifically sculptures and illustrations.” However, “photorealistic imagery or photography,” even if it is deemed art, will be flagged. And while illustrations of nudity are given a pass, “illustrations” of “sex acts” are banned.

There are carve-outs for textual erotica and health-related content ranging from pictures documenting gender transition to breastfeeding and afterbirth photos. However, the intent is clear: most sexy visual media are not welcome on Tumblr.

Shortly after Tumblr announced its plans, news began to circulate that Facebook had quietly updated its Community Standards to ban a broad array of content and speech related to sexuality. The two cases make an interesting juxtaposition.

Facebook has a relatively puritanical history compared to Tumblr, yet the firm still felt the need to place more restrictions on sexual expression on its platform.

SEXUALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES A new federal “anti-trafficking” law called FOSTA/SESTA has rightly been blamed for the increased policing of sexual content by digital media companies. In the wake of FOSTA/SESTA’s passage in March 2018, Craigslist closed its personals section. Many websites catering to fetish communities and sex workers shut down or changed their content moderation policies. One prominent example is the Furry-oriented website Pounced.org, which hosted community features and personals. The Department of Justice also raided the offices of the personals website Backpage and shut it down shortly after FOSTA/SESTA was passed. Craigslist and Backpage were two primary platforms used by independent sex workers to find clients—particularly transgender sex workers.

There was an immediate negative impact on sex workers who utilized these platforms, with many having to go onto the streets to find clients: a much more dangerous marketplace than a digital environment where clients can be screened.

Whatever one’s position on how real or overblown the problem of trafficking is (a topic for another essay), the broad and draconian policies that firms such as Tumblr and Facebook are enacting to regulate sexual content often go far beyond the requirements of FOSTA/SESTA. The enforcement of these policies constitutes the direct repression of sexually marginalized communities. However, the deplatforming of sexuality cannot only be understood as an outcome of this new law. It is better framed as part of a recent upsurge in cultural anxieties around sexuality, sexual commerce, and sexual media that are much more widespread. Masha Gessen has rightly characterized these conditions as a sex panic, while David M. Halperin and Trevor Hoppe say that we are living in a War on Sex. This was the milieu in which FOSTA/SESTA was passed and in which it is being implemented. It is also the context in which queers, kinksters, and our allies can fight back.

What is at stake is nothing less than the internet itself as queers have come to know it: an internet that has historically been a place where sex workers, sexually marginalized folks, Leatherfolk, kinky people, purveyors of sexual wares, and consumers of niche pornography can find representations of their desires, explore their identities, form communities, and engage in sexual commerce.

FEAR OF PROSECUTION The Tumblr and Facebook episodes—but especially Tumblr - are two prominent examples of a recent trend in internet history that I call “the deplatforming of sexuality” or “deplatforming sex.” In the context of digital infrastructures, deplatforming sex occurs when an outlet implements Terms of Service, Community Standards, or related policies that explicitly bar sexual content, sexual speech, or sexual commerce on its platform. Firms build tools that are designed to remove or filter content that meet the criteria they set in their governing policies. The retroactive removal of existing content deemed too sexy for a platform’s updated policies is a hallmark of recent episodes where sex has been deplatformed, as is the ongoing monitoring and filtration of new user-generated content.

Any claims about the “true” motivations of the executives who have decided to implement such broad and platform-altering

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 17

> > A D U LT C O N T E N T < <

policies about sexual content at Tumblr or any other platform are inherently speculative. However, it is clear that FOSTA/SESTA is one major motivator. FOSTA/SESTA revises Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, the “safe harbor” provision that shields platforms from liability for content posted by users. The American Civil Liberties Union cites Section 230 as “the reason why websites can offer platforms for critical and controversial speech without constantly worrying about getting sued.” It makes the internet as we know it possible.

FOSTA/SESTA’s revisions to Section 230 make platforms liable for any content posted that could be construed to be an advertisement for prostitution, thus conflating “trafficking” with essentially all sex work.

The law also further empowers state and federal prosecutors to target platforms that they determine are hosting user-generated content related to sex work using local anti-prostitution and related statutes. The law has yet to be fully implemented, so the extent of its ramifications remain to be seen. However, the response of platforms to date does not suggest a bright future for sexual economies online. While passed in the name of “anti-trafficking,” FOSTA/SESTA’s practical effect has been to incentivize large social networks to suppress sexual content and to force smaller ones to shut down or systematically remove content out of fear of prosecution or sheer uncertainty.

MECHANISMS FOR RESISTANCE On December 17th, Tumblr made good on its promise, converting all content identified as “adult” to private and “only visible to” the individual user who posted it. Tumblr accounts that were hubs for sexual subcultures have now effectively been turned into archives accessible to a single viewer: the account holder. Many sexual communities on Tumblr have essentially ceased to exist. Independent sex workers who utilized Tumblr have been denied yet another platform.

However, deplatforming is not a single act. It is a process. Well-resourced social media companies largely do the work of deplatforming algorithmically, by building tools that identify specific types of content, flag it, and then remove it. As issues with the tools built to do this work become apparent through their application and users’ responses, they are updated. The code that determines what www.thefightmag.com 1 8 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefi ghtmag.com

constitutes a penis, vagina, or “sex act” is reworked and refined to become better at identifying and filtering content.

As the deplatforming of sex moves ahead, documenting deplatforming processes, confronting firms about overlybroad or repressive policies, and generally staying vigilant and taking action will be key strategies of resistance that sexually marginalized folks and allies can employ to resist it. This is especially true for queers who work in areas of tech where sexual commerce or media are hosted and/or regulated.

Documenting and sharing of instances of deplatforming or content moderation is something that sex workers and researchers have actively been doing

OUR GREATEST SOURCES OF POWER IN CONFRONTING THE DEPLATFORMING OF SEXUALITY ARE ULTIMATELY OUR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE VOICES. since the passage of FOSTA/SESTA. For example, the now-dormant organization Survivors Against Sesta published a list of known actions by firms that took place in the wake of the law’s passage.

Another collective led by Ashley Lake and Liara Roux has documented actions of discrimination against sex workers by over 150 companies following the law’s passage. However, you need not be an activist or researcher to do the work of documentation. If you see media being filtered that you believe is an egregious example of suppression on the basis of it being overly sexual, take a screenshot.

Share it in your social networks with some contextual explanation, and/or with organizations and researchers that are documenting and responding to FOSTA/ SESTA’s implementation. If you are queer and work in an area of tech where content reviews are conducted or new policies and filtration tools are produced, document the internal processes used to create those policies and technologies.

Assess the fairness of the company’s

processes, speak up internally, and—to the extent that you can—share information with others.

Another mechanism for resistance is built into the deplatforming process itself. Content that is flagged or removed can usually be challenged. For example, Tumblr staff writes in its December 17th post: “If your post(s) are flagged under the new policy, they will be hidden from public view and will only be visible to you.

You can appeal these flags if you feel your content was erroneously marked as adult content. Upcoming feature changes will also make appeals more manageable for those of you with multiple flagged posts.”

Maximize these processes. File appeals with platforms, especially if you believe that the content moderated actually did not violate that platform’s policy.

However, even if content flagged did clearly violate a policy (e.g. a dick pic you posted on Tumblr in 2017 being retroactively made private), appeal mechanisms can be leveraged to voice opposition to the policies themselves. If you are a queer person or ally who works at a tech platform in an area where appeals are processed, internally advocate for review protocols that favor sexually marginalized people. You could even engage in acts of workplace organizing or refusal on the basis that doing certain kinds of content moderation is an ethical line that you cannot cross. If you need support, reach out to groups such as the Tech Workers Coalition (www.techworkerscoalition.org) Free Speech Coalition (/www.freespeechcoalition.com), Sex Workers Outreach Project (www.swopusa.org), or Electronic Frontier Foundation (www.eff.org).

The most critical strategy for resisting the deplatforming of sex is simply for queers and our allies to stay vigilant and to support one another. If sexually marginalized people are not actively paying attention to the suppression of sexual media and sexual commerce online, talking about these issues amongst ourselves, and taking action to defend our communities, there is little hope of reversing the tide of repression that we are currently experiencing. Our greatest sources of power in confronting the deplatforming of sexuality are ultimately our individual and collective voices.

Stephen Molldrem is a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan, a writer, and an activist. He lives in Atlanta, GA.

AvdH

ON iTUNES, SPOTIFY, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC. WITH HIT SINGLES

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JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 19

>> NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS <<

A LIFE WORTH LIVING Setting intentions for a new year.

Be careful about allowing insecurity, fear, or apprehension to discourage you from working towards your aspirations.

BY BRENT HEINZE

A

t this time of year, many of us start thinking about those pesky new resolutions that we will thoughtfully plan out and then often leave twitching by the side of the road around March or April.

It’s not usually difficult to identify aspects of ourselves or our lives that we want to change, but it can be challenging to develop solid ways to achieve these desires and keep the motivation to work towards them. There are so many personal and professional goals that we can set, but with limitless possibilities also has the pitfall of endless solutions. We can get stuck in thinking about the best ways to achieve something and never actually work towards accomplishing them.

In our culture of pool parties, shirtless dancing, and other social engagements, we can struggle to feel confident with our image and achievements, especially when we compare ourselves to others.

It can also be difficult to face challenges relating to our own concerns about self-worth, confidence, relationships, and self-esteem. It’s important to get in the mindset to get excited and poised for personal change with some fantastic new adventures. Be careful about allowing insecurity, fear, or apprehension to discourage you from working towards your aspirations. Consider working on parts of your life that will benefit you.

You don’t have to chase a perfect body or a fancy car. Instead of focusing on strictly physical changes and material possessions, you may want to embrace goals relating to having fun, creating strong support circles, and building a life worth living. You can continue to 2 0 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com

MAKE SURE YOUR GOALS ARE REALISTIC AND ATTAINABLE, BUT ALSO GIVE YOURSELF OPPORTUNITIES TO IDENTIFY WHEN YOU HAVE MADE SOME PROGRESS INSTEAD OF JUST FOCUSING ON SUCCESSFULLY REACHING THE FINISH LINE. work on improving your appearance and overall health, but don’t feel that you must run out for Botox treatments or emergency liposuction. You don’t need to drink fresh squeezed organic juice, eat kale chips, sign up for yoga, or have perfect tan lines. Try not to forget that most people care more about an engaging personality and a big smile than some version of perfection.

Make sure your goals are realistic and attainable, but also give yourself opportunities to identify when you have made some progress instead of just focusing on successfully reaching the finish line.

Change takes time and success does not just need to be measured when you complete a task. Feel proud of sticking to your plan while cutting yourself some

slack when you don’t live up to your own expectations. If you fall off the wagon, it’s okay. Just pick yourself up, dust off, and start working again. Things rarely go according to plan and unexpected challenges tend to pop up sometimes.

Try to determine if your goals have been created because you truly want to achieve them or if you have convinced yourself that you need them to gain acceptance from others. The idea that we need to look or act in certain ways to be accepted should remind us about our early days of growing up queer. Most of us wanted to fit in with the rest of the crowd despite the fact that most of us knew there was something significantly different about us. In our culture, we have worked hard to get accepted by the rest the world, but we still struggle with gaining acceptance of ourselves within our own community. It’s part of the human condition to struggle to find our self-worth, feeling fulfilled, and developing pride in who we are and what we have accomplished.

Finally, evaluate if you are getting the results you expected. Thankfully, there is rarely only one solution to solve any problem and you can get to where you’re going in many ways. Stay on your course but be open to changing directions or methods for achieving your goals. Work on feeling proud of your efforts and celebrate your successes. Your New Year’s resolutions will thank you for it.

Brent Heinze has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and works as a life coach (Brent@BeginTheShift.org).

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 21

MATT SMITH (SHIRTLESS), JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY IN >> NOLAN CROCE << MAPPLETHORPE.

MAPPLETHORPE: THE MOVIE

A nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft.

BY VICTOR MELAMED

The story ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE, SELF-PORTRAIT, 1980.

Mapplethorpe’s work displayed eroticism in a way that had never been examined nor displayed before to the public. www.thefightmag.com 2 2 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefi ghtmag.com

of legendary gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe will be the subject of the upcoming biopic Mapplethorpe, reports Rolling Stone.

Dr. Who and The Crown actor Matt Smith portrays the photographer in the Ondi Timoner directed biopic that chronicles his sexual and artistic awakening in New York City of the seventies and eighties, as well as his friendship with rock legend Patti Smith, up to his untimely death from AIDS in 1989.

“Photography, it’s about light, it’s about composition, it’s about the personality of the subject,” Smith’s Mapplethorpe says in voiceover. “I’m an artist. I would have been a painter but the camera was invented.”

“The film depicts Mapplethorpe’s life from moments before he and Patti Smith moved into the famed Chelsea hotel, home to a world of bohemian chic. Here, he begins photographing its inhabitants and his newfound circle of friends including artists and musicians, socialites, film stars, and members of the S&M underground. Mapplethorpe’s work displayed eroticism in a way that had never been examined nor displayed before to the public,” the film’s synopsis states.

“Exploring the intersection of his art, his sexuality and his struggle for mainstream recognition, Mapplethorpe offers a nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and of the self-destructive impulses that threaten to undermine it all.”

Marianne Rendon portrays the Horses singer in Mapplethorpe, with John Benjamin Hickey (as the photographer’s benefactor Sam Wagstaff), Brian Stokes Mitchell, McKinley Belcher III and Carolyn McCormick also in the cast.

Following its premiere last month at the Tribeca Film Festival, Mapplethorpe opens nationwide March 1st, 2019.

TRIKING A POS

>> NAOMI SMALLS <<

RuPaul’s Drag Race Naomi Smalls releases her new single Pose.

BY VICTOR MELAMED | PHOTO BY ADAM OUAHMANE

Naomi Smalls,

currently competing on the fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars, premiered her fierce new ballroom house anthem on the show last month.

“Naomi Smalls is a fashion model and ‘Pose’ is her dream world,” explained the drag extraordinaire.

She enlisted music producers Cameron Traxxx and Todd Diederich and Weird Life Films, to bring her super chic song to life and says the making of it was the most fun she’s had in her seven years of performing drag.

“I loved the entire process of creating the song and its music video. I think it will give viewers an enjoyable glimpse into my chaotic mind.”

Naomi Smalls is the stage name of Davis Heppenstall, best known for competing on the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race,

where she placed as runner-up with Kim Chi, behind winner Bob The Drag Queen.

It wasn’t until she moved to Chicago in 2016 that she discovered her passion for house beats. “Windy City DJ’s like Derrick Carter and Michael Serafini got my lanky ass on the dance floor in a way that never happened in the past. Spinning around and posing my heart out was the greatest fun and the most me I have ever felt.”

When Smalls was invited to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4, she knew it was essential that she find a way to incorporate Pose on the show. “Pose is a celebration of runway, models, glamour and confidence,” she says. “It highlights the one thing Naomi Smalls does better than any fashion queen out there: Pose.”

The single is be available now on iTunes.

For more info visit: www.naomismalls.com.

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T STFS F2323 JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH

>> JUNE WHITFIELD <<

AbSoluTeLy SaDdened Absolutely Fabulous star June Whitfield dies at 93.

BY ORLY LYONNE

D

ame June Whitfield, one of the stars of hit comedy show, Absolutely Fabulous, died last month, at the age of 93, reports Gay Star News.

The actress won the hearts of fans around the world as Edina (Eddie) Monsoon’s long suffering mother in the series, which had a huge gay following.

In a statement to the Press Association, Ab Fab creator Jennifer Saunders said: “It’s so tremendously sad to lose June. I will always be grateful that she agreed to

be in Ab Fab and even more grateful that she became a dear friend.”

Joanna Lumley, who starred as Patsy in the BBC comedy, told ITV News: “I am heartbroken to lose such a darling friend and shall never forget her sensational talent, humour and her generosity to us all who had the joy of working with her on Ab Fab. She will always have a most special place in my heart.”

Actress Julia Sawalha, who played Dame June’s straight-laced granddaughter

Saffy, posted her own tribute to her onscreen gran, saying, “Thank you Dame June Whitfield, for teaching me my craft with such grace and dignity. I always wanted you to know how in awe of you I was, however, you were always far too humble to accept my adoration. You were a great source of inspiration to me. Bye-bye Gran.”

Get it At Home!

$36 For A One Year (12 Month) Subscription MAIL CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO: THE FIGHT MAGAZINE 611 S. CATALINA ST. SUITE 307, LOS ANGELES, CA 90005 2 4 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com

>> COURTNEY ACT <<

KYRSTEN SINEMA

COURTNEY ACT. PHOTO BY JACK ALEXANDER FOR GAY TIMES.

Fight

For LOVE

Courtney Act’s new dance-pop single competes to be Australia’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.

BY VICTOR MELAMED

RuPaul’s

Drag Race finalist and 2018 UK Celebrity Big Brother champion Courtney Act released her brand new single Fight For Love on iTunes and Spotify last month.

Courtney is bidding for this instantly memorable dance-pop smash to be Australia’s entry

at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. She will compete on Australia’s national selection TV show ‘Eurovision—Australia Decides’ on SBS on Saturday 9 February 2019.

“A sweet 16 years after Australian Idol, I have the chance to show Australia how I have grown

“I THINK IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT THE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS OF OTHERS AND TO USE OUR COLLECTIVE VOICES, MINDS AND BODIES TO LIFT THOSE PEOPLE UP AND BRING ABOUT CHANGE.” as an artist and performer and I am so excited,” said Courtney.

“To compete to represent Oz in Eurovision is second only to being on that stage in Tel Aviv and singing my lungs out for my country. Fight For Love is a dance floor banger all about coming together and fighting for the things we believe in. I think it’s so important to think about the basic human rights of others and to use our collective voices, minds and bodies to lift those people up and bring about change.”

One of the first artists to showcase the art of drag during season one of Australian Idol, Courtney showed the judges much more than her music ability. In 2014 she returned to television as one of the top three in season six of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race and in 2018, she entered the UK Celebrity Big Brother house and won the competition.

Courtney is currently the host of the first bisexual dating show The Bi Life airing on the E! channel worldwide.

Courtney’s new single Fight For Love is available to purchase now on iTunes and stream on Spotify.

Courtney will compete with Fight For Love on SBS’ “Eurovision—Australia Decides” on Saturday 9 February 2019.

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 25

2 6 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com

THE

NAKED RUGBY PLAYERS Facebook banned a charity calendar for violating its prohibitions against sexual activity, even though it didn’t actually violate said standards.

More

groan-inducing news from Facebook, reports Queerty.

New reports suggest the social media megacorp banned a charity calendar for violating its prohibitions against sexual activity. The catch? The calendar actually didn’t violate said standards.

The Naked Rugby Players posed for a calendar to sell for charity. The UK-based sports group intends the proceeds to go to Balls to Cancer, a charity dedicated to treatment and prevention of testicular cancer.

Additional proceeds would go toward making rugby more LGBTQ inclusive.

Facebook, however, banned mention of the calendar, claiming it violated its prohibitions against images containing nudity or sexual activity, reports Queerty. The Naked Rugby Players Facebook page underwent a 24 hour ban in accordance with the policies.

Despite the issues with Facebook, the Naked Rugby Player calendar remains available for sale on the group’s website: www.thenakedrugbyplayers.com.

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 27

THEART >>

LGBTQ ARTISTS

<<

DIEGO GÓMEZ

Diego Gómez (aka Trangela Lansbury) is a granddaughter of the Cockette Rumi, a San Francisco native, a graphic design graduate of the Art Institute, and creator of the books of 1963 Is Not an End, But A Beginning: A Graphic History, The Hard-Femme Ex-Men and Daddy Issues magazine. They’ve taught Fashion Illustration at City College San Francisco, computer application outreach to kids, makeup classes to creeps and sewing to individuals. Diego currently works as freelance/commision-based artist. You can find them all over cyber space by using the handle @DesignNurd. n

2 8 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com

@calendow

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 29

THECALENDAR >> THINGS TO DO << EVERY TUESDAY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 22

1 UP TUESDAYS 2PM

PUDDLES PITY PARTY AT PALACE OF FINE ARTS 8PM

Midnight Sun, 4067 18th Street , San Francisco, CA Get Your Life 2PM-2AM $2 Beers / Gaming Stations / Board Games / No Cover

Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco.

The “Sad Clown with the Golden Voice” is here with his heartfelt anthems and a suitcase full of Kleenex! This Pity Party is not all sadness and longing.

The show is peppered with a brilliant sense of the absurd, mixing lots of humor with the awkward, tender moments.

EVERY WEDNESDAY

UNDERWEAR WEDNESDAYS 12PM

Eros, 2051 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114.

Every Wednesday. After checking in, come show off your undies to the staff, and we’ll give you a coupon for $3 off on a future entry.

THE WHINING IN SF STARRING VARLA JEAN MERMAN & PEACHES CHRIST 8PM

GRACE TOWERS PRESENTS: DICKATNITE: DRAG SHOW 10PM

Moby Dick Bar, 4049 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94114.

This drag show happens every Wednesday at the intimate Moby Dick bar in the Castro.

Weekly themes range from All That Jazz to Yaaaaaaaaasssssssssssss Gaga, ensuring a thrilling experience no matter which show you attend.

EVERY THURSDAY

BLUR—TRANSGENDER & GENDER-VARIANT SUPPORT GROUP 6:30PM- 7:30PM

Dimensions Clinic, 3850 17th St. San Francisco, CA. www.dimensionsclinic.org Free Food Provided! Come and chat with other trans & gav people, facilitated by trans counselors. For 18-25 year old youth.

LESBIANS OF COLOR DISCUSSION GROUP 7PM–8:30PM Pacific Center, Berkeley, 2712 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley CA Every Thursday from 7-9PM. The group is racially diverse and talks about any and everything.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10

WOMEN‘S MARCH SAN FRANCISCO 2019 RALLY AND MARCH 11AM–3PM

Civic Center, San Francisco, 94102.

Co-hosted by Planned Parenthood Northern California.

MISS COCO PERU: HAVE YOU HEARD? 7PM–9PM

SF Oasis, 298 11th St, San Francisco, 94103.

Coco performs some of her favorite monologues and songs spanning her long career, as well as some new stuff too.

2ND THURSDAY: LEGACIES FRIDAY EVE DRAG IMPERSONATION SHOW 8:30PM–11:30PM

The Fireside Lounge, 1453 Webster St, Alameda 94501.

Hosts—Tatiana Kristine, Vivica Montenegro and Sondra St James with guest performers monthly!

Doors at 8PM show at 8:30PM—$7.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11

FOGLIFTER! QUEER LITERARY JOURNAL BOOK RELEASE 10PM–12AM Strut Third Floor, 470 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114.

Qqueer literary anthology, Foglifter Issue 3, Volume 2! Foglifter is San Francisco’s queer literary journal! They’ve brought together the voices of queer writers from all over the country for their epic, deep, experimental and joyful collections of literature.

YOU BETTA WORK COMEDY ¡FIESTA! 7:30PM

The San Mateo County Pride Center,1021 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94402.

A Stand Up Comedy Extravaganza Every third Friday Hosted by Jesús U.

ELECTRIC CONNECTION: A MONTHLY GATHERING FOR QUEER MEN Hanuman Center, 4450 18th St, San Francisco, CA. Queer men connect, heal the wounds of oppression, and find

3 0 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com

Gateway Theatre,215 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111.

Witten by and starring Varla Jean Merman & Peaches Christ. What happens when two well-known queens decide to spend a winter in the PUDDLES PITY PARTY snowy, abandoned, AT PALACE OF FINE summer resort locale ARTS THEATRE, of Provincetown? Find TUESDAY, JANUARY 22. out in this hilarious send-up of the Stephen King classic writtheir own peace and joy through ten by and co-starring Varla Jean a positive relationship to self and Merman and Peaches Christ! The other gay men. show enjoyed a critically acclaimed run in Provincetown last summer SATURDAY, JANUARY 12 and makes its West Coast debut at Sketchfest this January.

GOD SAVE THE QUEENS: QUEER PUNK NIGHT 9:30PM–1:30AM

El Rio,3158 Mission St, San Francisco, California 94110 God Save the Queens: Queer Punk Night returns to El Rio! A night for queer folx and their friends and allies who are into punk and its sibling domains of postpunk, protopunk, goth, deathrock, queercore, riot grrrl, synthpunk and pretty much whatever else we want to hear.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 20

PALACE OF TRASH PRESENTS; “JAGGED LITTER PILL” 7PM.

The Stud, 399 9th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 Back after their triumphant one year anniversary celebration and they are ready to revisit the Grammy award winning album “Jagged Little Pill” by Alanis Morissette with brand new eyeballs!

LIP SERVICE PRESENTS: ABBA! 9PM. The Stud, 399 9th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 Calling all Dancing Queens... It’s an ABBA spectacular at the Stud!

Dust off your sequins and meet us on the dancefloor.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26

MANGO WOMEN’S DANCE AT EL RIO 3PM–8:30PM

El Rio, 3158 Mission St/Precita, San Francisco.

Every 4th Saturday monthly: MANGO...sweet sexy fun for women. Djs droppin the best in hip-hop, dancehall, salsa, merengue, cumbia, samba & reggaeton.

Free BBQ & drink specials. The Bay Area’s original and still the best t-dance for all women.

HEY! WHY ISN’T MY EVENT LISTED? Probably because you didn’t tell us about it…

Email your event to: editor@thefightmag.com

JANUAR Y 2019 | THE F I GH T S F 31

Creating Families for 38 years

With pride, CSP celebrates our first gay parents birth, 31 years ago!

Make a Dream Come True - Be a Surrogate Mom

15821 Ventura Blvd. Suite 625 Encino, CA 91436 818-788-8288

www.creatingfamilies.com 3 2 T H E F IGH T S F | www.thefightmag.com