Boston's The Rainbow Times' December 8, 2016

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

The Trump Effect: Emboldening prejudice, the social construct of hate By: Chris Gilmore/TRT Reporter

IN THE LIMELIGHT

An inscribed swastika on a school’s bathroom wall, another in a dugout accompanied with the words “make America white again,” fake deportation forms handed to school students, and the “N” word spray painted outside of buildings and vehicles in NY. Sexist diatribes used against students at an all-women’s college in Mass., attacks against the LGBT community, “go back to your country” demands, Nazi “salutes” used to greet the President-elect, the ripping off of a Muslim woman’s hijab, inscriptions with the words “black lives don’t matter,” people shouting the words “white power” openly in public venues, messages that read “Trump’s Nation, Whites Only,” students chanting “build the wall, build the wall,” the rise in sexual assaults crimes against women, etc. These are only a fragment of the hate speech and crimes perpetuated against minority groups since Election Day, and according to various credible news outlets and human rights organizations throughout the country, they are still happening.

A Los Angeles woman, who encountered a man who told her he was “Gonna beat [her] pu$$y,” stated that she was in this neighborhood “all the time and never experienced this type of language before,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC. To-date, SPLC (www.splcenter.org) has

recorded almost 900 reports of “harassment and intimidation from across the nation.”

This wave of hate incidents and prejudice come after President-elect Donald J. Trump used derogatory words towards members of minority groups during his presidential campaign. Trump called Mexicans criminals and rapists, mocked a handicap reporter, used anti-ethnic words against an American judge of Mexican descent, and expressed sexist and demeaning remarks to refer to women, among others.

“I have experienced discrimination in my life, but never in such a public and unashamed manner,” said an Asian-American woman to the SPLC after a man told her to “go home” as she left an Oakland train station. “Likewise, a black resident whose apartment was vandalized with the phrase “911 nig#er” reported that he had “never witnessed anything like this.”

According to the SPLC, what makes these incidents unlike any others is that, many harassers “invoked Trump’s name during assaults, making it clear that the outbreak of hate stemmed in large part from his electoral success.”

“Their unattractive racism and bigotry is now openly displayed without fear as they believe Trump makes their hatred of others acceptable,” said Peabody, Mass. resident, Thomas Olenio. “Some of these folks are confident enough to harass, and attack people, minorities.”

The Trump effect The last week in November, the SPLC re-

PHOTO: MORSE’S FB PAGE

Anonymous note sent to openly gay Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse after the elections

ported the results of Teaching Tolerance (https://goo.gl/z7D91C), an online survey administered to K–12 educators from across the country. Over “10,000 teachers, counselors, administrators,” and other school personnel responded to the study. The survey data received by SPLC indicated that “the results of the election are having a profoundly negative impact on schools and students.”

Ninety percent of educators reported that the school climate has been negatively af-

fected, and most of them believe it will have a long-lasting impact, are two of the findings the report listed via its website. It adds: “A full 80 percent describe heightened anxiety and concern on the part of students worried about the impact of the election on themselves and their families.”

Other highlights of the survey include: • Over 2,500 educators described specific incidents of bigotry and harassment that can be directly traced to election rhetoric. These incidents include graffiti (including swastikas), assaults on students and teachers, property damage, fights and threats of violence.

• Eight in 10 report heightened anxiety on the part of marginalized students, including immigrants, Muslims, African Americans and LGBT students.

• Four in 10 have heard derogatory language directed at students of color, Muslims, immigrants and people based on gender or sexual orientation.

• Half said that students were targeting each other based on which candidate they’d supported.

The data uncovered also depicts information regarding a sharp increase in “targeting and harassment” in this survey when compared to the results of the same survey conducted in March 2016.

“It was [the increase] most frequently reported by educators in schools with a majority of white students,” read the SPLC’s website about the survey. “The behavior is

See Trump Effect on Page 19

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Electors should vote with conscience in Dec. We aren’t fully ‘out of the closet’ just yet By: Nicole Lashomb/TRT Editor-in-Chief

OPINIONS

On December 19, 538 electors will cast ike her or hate her, Hillary their votes for the president of the United Clinton won nearly 2.6 mil- States. Those electors are the ones who will lion more votes than Donald ultimately put the president in office. TradiTrump and has far surpassed the tionally, electors pledge to vote on the side number of votes received by any of the popular vote in their state. However, presidential candidate in the history the Electoral College is grossly disproporof the United States, with the exceptionate, favoring tion of Barack smaller, and mostly Obama. Due to Republican states. the fact that a That is how Donald IME MAGAZINE RE black man and a Trump will win the woman have garpresidency, even PORTED THAT THE nered the most votes in when the majority of our nation’s history, it Americans voted LECTORAL OLLEGE against him. can’t be denied that we are en route to a future According to Tony where progress can be Le, a columnist for WAS PRIMARILY DE made, where there is MIT’s The Tech, exmomentum moving forplained that “Each SIGNED TO STOP A ward. Yet knowing this, state has the same I cannot shake the denumber of electoral spair and terror in my DEMAGOGUE votes as it does mind. Though more members of ConAmericans stand united gress. Since congresin the quest for equality and justice, those sional apportionment in the Senate favors same Americans, the decisive majority, have the small states, the Electoral College favors lost the White House due to a flawed system the small states.” He posits the following: by any standard of modern politics.

“California, with approximately 29,760,021 Our founders developed the Electoral Col- residents, has 54 electoral votes, or about lege to be a final system of checks and bal- 551,000 people per elector. Wyoming, with ances to ensure that a tyrant did not assume 453,588 people, has three electoral votes, or the nation’s highest office and most power- about 152,000 people per elector. This ful position in the world. In this particular means that a Wyoming resident has 3.6 case, even though Hillary Clinton won the times the voting power of a Californian.” popular vote by a significant margin, it is the Electoral College that will prevent her from See Federalist 68 on Page 23 acquiring the Oval office.

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The world goes on: LGBTQ people have been survivors throughout history, and will now too By: Paul P. Jesep*/TRT Columnist t will be okay. My THE UNDERSTANDABLE ANXIbest friend called

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FAITH

me in tears the day after the national election fearing the worse.

Will he and his husband be okay? Will their two adopted children be safe? What of the national culture where racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and homophobia seems to grow? These are very valid concerns in a crazy, unpredictable political landscape turned upside down.

The electoral delegate victory, as it stands now, not popular vote, (https://goo.gl/6XkSYu) of Donald Trump and his election as president is now an LGBTQ reality. Maybe the president-elect will be a traditional Manhattan Republican (social liberal or moderate and fiscal conservative).

The president-elect’s reliance on the Heritage Foundation (https://goo.gl/ZcPKhH), a socially and economically conservative think-tank, and talk of potentially appointing politically moderate gay men to high offices underscores Trump’s ability to be a maverick, unpredictable, and Machiavellian.

He’s considering at least two gay men for very high level positions. Richard Grenell (https://goo.gl/mUsNVy) may become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

ETY MANY FEEL UNDERSCORES THE CHALLENGE OF FINDING INNER CALM AS UGLINESS AND UNCERTAINTY SWIRLS. High tech guru Peter Thiel (https://goo.gl/clwpzv) is likely to become a senior advisor with direct access to Trump.

The president-elect also has declared marriage equality settled law and wants to move on, though skepticism remains high (https://goo.gl/jPU2go).

Trump also has a reputation for conflict.

He likes playing folks off of one another before making a decision. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was a master at it. FDR would task senior advisors to find different solutions, sometimes without the other knowing it. At worst, infighting occurs. At best, it’s competition, or as Trump’s supporters call it, a “conversation” (https://goo.gl/jsvZWv).

I voted third party. It didn’t hurt Hillary Clinton. After all, I live in New York where

See Survivors on Page 21

By: Wyatt O’Brian Evans*/Special to TRT

I

’m really proud of my best bud “Jase,” whom I’ve known all my life. He put in a lot of sweat, tears and hard work to become the self-aware and assured guy that he is today. His story resonates with more than a few of us.

Throughout childhood and into his mid20s, Jase was painfully insecure. His dad passed away when he was six, which left him with the aching hunger for a consistent male role model. As well, he struggled to come to terms with being gay/SGL. Fast forward to Jase’s senior year in college. He fell head over heels with “Jeremiah,” a junior. “J” was his first real love.

But alas, the honeymoon soon ended. J kept constant tabs on Jase, “blowing up” his phone. Because Jase’s self-esteem was nearly “in the toilet,” he thought J’s behavior was a demonstration of love.

So, what did J do for an encore? Well, he isolated Jase from family and friends.

Next, the verbal abuse began: “You’re weak, you don’t act like a real man. Nobody else is gonna want yo’ punk azz!”

The abuser threatened to out my best bud at work. Jase was so in the closet that it was like it was dead bolted, hermetically sealed.

(Stigma can be such a punishing, maddening—and inescapable force.)

After the pair moved in together, the emotional and mental abuse escalated. Sadly, this cycle continued for many months.

Finally, Jase packed his bags. He’d had enough.

J’s reaction? Suicide. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful.

But Jase kept his vow to leave; however, he stayed in the relationship. Why? He still loved J, which is not uncommon for victims.

As well, he felt responsible for him.

To make matters worse, Jase was so

Letters to the Editor [Re: The Election Results: From the Publisher’s Desk, Nationwide Twitter Backlash] Dear Editor, This says so much about the author. Powerfully written. He should be placed back in time with Hitler, before the Holocaust, of course. I’m still in shock. I hate the haters, the GOP, the KKK, the supremacists. I only want to surround myself with great people. He’s such an idiot. I read a story that said “let’s wait till he does something wrong and is impeached.” I can’t wait for that to happen. This could easily end up being a civil war, if other whites like me take it seriously.

—Jon Reading, Boston, MA Dear Editor, Of course, the judge didn’t say that, but as an adult person who was adopted, I agree with the sentiment. Anyone who thinks they’re entitled to grab another family’s child, especially a baby, is worse than a loser. I’m strongly in favor of full civil rights for the LGTBQ community...

—Marcia MacInnis, Online Read More Letter Online!

RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF

LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS ARE LIVING IN FEAR OF AN ABUSIVE PARTNER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT beaten down that he truly believed he couldn’t do any better.

J intensified the abuse because he was infuriated that he didn’t have regular access to Jase. The “straw that broke the camel’s back” was when J attacked him, repeatedly punching him dead in the face. According to Jase, the blows felt like a sledgehammer’s.

See Partner Violence on Page 20

The Rainbow Times The Freshest LGBT Newspaper in New England—Boston Based TheRainbowTimesMass.com editor@therainbowtimesmass.com sales@therainbowtimesmass.com Phone: 617.444.9618 / 413.282.8881 Fax: 928.437.9618 Publisher Gricel M. Ocasio Editor-In-Chief Nicole Lashomb

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The Rainbow Times is published monthly by The Rainbow Times, LLC. TRT is affiliated with the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, NLGJA, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, NGLCC, and QSyndicate. The articles written by the writers, columnists, and correspondents solely express their opinion, and do not represent the endorsement or opinion of The Rainbow Times, LLC or its owners.

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Global campaign to end violence against women receives boost from MA groups By: Mike Givens/TRT Assistant Editor

The Dominican Republic experienced a national crisis in the 1950s that irrevocably changed the country and helped ignite an energized global awareness of—and revolt against—the oppression, violence, and disparities heaped upon women.

Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa Mirabal were three middle-class sisters living under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic’s president whose rule extended back to 1930. Minerva, an aspiring lawyer, became the object of Trujillo’s obsession after rejecting his romantic advances at a party. Reportedly, he attempted to ruin her life, going so far as to ensure she would not practice law in the country and harassing her family.

The three sisters and their husbands mobilized against Trujillo, using all of their resources to stage a coup. They spoke out publicly and even orchestrated a failed assassination attempt.

On November 25, 1960, while attempting to visit their incarcerated husbands, all three sisters were detained by Trujillo’s secret police, beaten, and strangled. Their bodies, along with that of their driver, were placed into their jeep and driven off the side of a cliff.

Just six months later, Trujillo was ambushed and shot to death by several members of his entourage. His 30-year reign garnered him several enemies, but the murders of the Mirabal sisters were widely be-

lieved to be one of the catalysts for his assassination.

In 1990, roughly 40 years from when the Caribbean nation experienced one of the most intense periods of sociopolitical turmoil in its history, the United Nations (UN) formalized a campaign to end gender-based violence across the world. That year, the UN designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a global effort to raise awareness about gender-based violence. The murders of the Mirabal sisters, and the subsequent national and international repercussions of their deaths, made them martyrs and feminist icons.

In Massachusetts, a robust campaign to raise awareness about violence against women is currently underway and social media is being used as a platform to start dialogues about the issue.

“Orange Your World” The UN has designated the 16 days between November 25 and December 10, Human Rights Day, as a period for activists from around the world to bring attention to the issue of gender-based violence and raise funds for organizations that are devoted to ending it (https://goo.gl/XJgO1q).

A social media campaign, “Orange Your World,” (https://goo.gl/sHfBc4) gives participants an opportunity to take a photo of themselves in orange, write 1-2 sentences about the issue of gender-based violence,

Santiago Nariño, president of the College Democrats of Massachusetts and executive director of the Latinx Action Group PHOTO: SANTIAGO NARIÑO

and submit the materials to the UN. In Massachusetts, the Latinx Action Group (LxAG) and College Democrats of Massachusetts (https://goo.gl/DRkxni), have solicited submissions for the campaign and are launching their own public education initiative.

The LxAG is a Boston-wide organization that encourages students of color to become more civically and politically involved. The College Democrats of Massachusetts has 20

chapters across the Commonwealth and its Women’s Caucus has played a leadership role in coordinating the campaign and partnering with the LxAG. “We felt it was necessary that as an organization we [begin] to highlight the victims in our communities and begin to [educate] our membership across the state of the reality of this situation,” said Santiago Nariño, 23, who is executive director of the LxAG and president of the College Democrats of Massachusetts.

“This year we are hoping to do a social media campaign along with the pictures, educating people about violence against women,” he continued. “In addition, we are trying to work with two women's groups in Boston, Mujeres Avanzando and the Brazilian Women's Group, to engage them in education about violence against women and [inform] them about certain laws that are out there to protect them.”

“I discovered this campaign in the fall of last year while researching the Mirabal sisters … who are my role models and the reason I became involved in human rights advocacy,” said Katie Langford, assistant director for the LxAG, and a key leader in the campaign.

“I wanted to get the Latinx Action Group involved in this campaign because I wanted people to learn about the incredible story of the Mirabal sisters, and for us, as an orga-

See Women & Violence on Page 10

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Wal-Mart settles lawsuit over same-sex spouses’ health care benefits By: Chris Gilmore/TRT Reporter

BOSTON— Walmart settled a suit last week that alleged the company had discriminated against LGBT employees for its lack of health insurance benefits to same-sex couples, reported The New York Times (https://goo.gl/SqgzDB).

Through the settlement, Walmart will set aside $7.5 million, reported the Times, “mostly to compensate employees affected by the denial of spousal benefits during the three years before Jan. 1, 2014, when the company changed its policy. More than 1,000 people may be eligible.”

Former Walmart associate Jacqueline Cote, from Massachusetts, filed the lawsuit after the retail giant refused to give her spouse health benefits. Cote's sued Walmart claiming that it violated the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Law, reported USA Today.

“I’m pleased that Walmart was willing to resolve this issue for me and other associates who are married to someone of the same sex,” said Cote.

The proposed settlement would pay for claims by no more than a few thousand current and former Walmart associates in the United States and Puerto Rico that were unable to obtain health insurance coverage for their same-sex spouses from Walmart from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2013, as well as the costs of administering the settlement and legal fees and expenses.

In 2014, Walmart voluntarily made the same health insurance benefits available to

same-sex spouses of its associates that it offered to opposite-sex spouses. As part of the proposed settlement, Walmart commits to continuing to do so in the future.

“We’re happy both sides could come together to reach a resolution. Respect for the individual, diversity and inclusion are among the core values that made Walmart into the company that it is today,” said Sally Welborn, Senior Vice President, Global

Benefits for Walmart. “We will continue to not distinguish between same and opposite sex spouses when it comes to the benefits we offer under our health insurance plan.”

“This is an important settlement for LGBTQ workers,” said Janson Wu, GLAD’s Executive Director, through the organization’s press release.

Walmart employs nearly 1.5 million associates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Cote was represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Outten & Golden LLP, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs (WLC), and Arnold & Porter LLP. “It’s a relief to bring this chapter of my life to a close,” said Cote.

The case’s lawsuit, Jacqueline Cote v. WalMart Stores, Inc., can be read at: https://goo.gl/kKowxn.

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

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Women & Violence from page 7 -nization catering to the Latinx community, to be a driving force in that. Additionally, the issue of worldwide violence against women and girls is a very serious issue that our organization had not engaged in yet.”

Langford said that the local campaign will also include a film screening of “In the Time of Butterflies” (https://goo.gl/bNSzSF), a biopic of the Mirabal sisters, and an informational session on the 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a landmark piece of federal legislation codifying the rights of women who’ve been victims of sexual and intimate partner violence.

An Epidemic The VAWA was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1994. A bipartisan effort, the act provided funding towards the prosecution of domestic and sexual violence against women and established services and programs for victims of violence. The law was reauthorized in 2000, 2005, and again in 2013 (https://goo.gl/lVij4p). The latest version of the act incorporated federal legal protections for victims of intimate partner violence in same-sex relationships.

"Domestic and sexual violence thrive on silence. It's hard to believe that 40 years ago, we didn't have words for what we're talking about now," said Toni Troop, communications director for Jane Doe, Inc. (www.janedoe.org, JDI), a statewide advocacy organization and coalition devoted to supporting the victims of sexual and domestic violence.

Katie Langford, assistant director, Latinx Action Group PHOTO: KATIE LANGFORD

Between 2014 and 2015, violent assaults against women increased by roughly 9.3 percent nationally, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (https://goo.gl/lg1MVC).

Troop says that awareness is pivotal to fighting gender-based violence and its prevalence.

"There's a place for awareness campaigns,” she said, noting that JDI is heavily involved in a wide-range of initiatives to draw attention to gender-based violence.

“We see the victim-blaming that happens.

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Awareness is critical.”

Laura Gomez, 20, of Boston, says that the “Orange Your World” campaign will go a long way in making others aware of just how common violence against women is.

“I truly believe the … campaign is extremely important because it deals with a topic that many remain silent about,” she said. “Having the photo of a person advocating for this cause makes the campaign and the statement that much stronger and personal.”

Twenty-one-year-old Martha Peña, also of Boston and a participant in the campaign, said that she witnessed domestic violence first-hand when she realized her aunt was in an abusive relationship.

“The husband that she had three children with beat her so bad that he even chipped her teeth,” she said. “She said that she thought she would die that day.

“Violence towards women is not just a women's issue, this is a societal issue,” she said, noting that next year she will be working with survivors of domestic assault in Cambridge. “We need to ensure the safety of everyone especially women because the statistics are not in our favor.”

Established in 1858, the YWCA (https://goo.gl/NrHChT) has been working

The LGBTQ Community The Network/La Red (http://tnlr.org/en/, TNLR) is a social justice organization dedicated to ending partner abuse in LGBTQ, polyamorous, and BDSM communities.

Sabrina Santiago, co-executive director for TNLR, said that while many may associate gender-based violence with intimate partner violence, it actually involves a wide spectrum of abusive behaviors and practices and is not solely limited to women.

“Violence against women is a serious issue,” she said. “Misogyny and genderbased violence such as sexual assault, rape, female genital mutilation, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and partner abuse are all serious issues to be addressed.

“It is important to remember that when we equate violence against women with intimate partner abuse we simultaneously dismiss the very real experience of partner abuse by survivors who are not women; and narrow the experience of violence by women to only one aspect of the many forms of violence perpetrated against women everyday around the world.”

According to Santiago, the number of clients seen between between January and November of this year has increased roughly 48 percent from the entire calendar year of

Between 2014 and 2015, violent assaults against women increased by roughly 9.3 percent nationally, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Troop says that awareness is pivotal to fighting gender-based violence and its prevalence. to empower women and provide direct services to the victims of violence. According to Janice Valverde, communications and development director of the YWCA in Lawrence, Mass., the 87 local chapters of the organization served more than 156,000 survivors of violence in 2014. Currently, the YWCA is the largest provider of services for victims of intimate partner violence in the nation.

2015. “ … in 2015 we served 277 survivors, and of those who disclosed their gender identity, 19 percent identified as women, 15 percent as men, three percent as transgender [female-to-male], five percent as transgender [male-to-female], one percent as transgender [unspecified], one percent as genderqueer, [and] one percent as other,” she said. “ … so far this year we have worked with 406 survivors, and of those who disclosed their gender identity, 17 percent identified as female, 10 percent as [male], three percent as transgender [female-to-male], four percent as transgender [male-to-female], two percent as transgender [unspecified], one percent as gender queer, one percent as other, and 63 percent did not answer or disclose.”

Toni Troop of JDI said that rates of violence amongst LGBTQ people is roughly the same as heterosexual, cisgender people, but that there is more underreporting.

"There are more barriers within the [LGBTQ] community,” she said. “We need to figure out how to reach this community and break down barriers to access and support."

See Women & Violence on page 21

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

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December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Startup connects clients with mental health professionals in Providence, Boston By: Jenna Spinelle/TRT Reporter

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Making the decision to see a therapist is often a great first step toward working through an emotional issue.

The process of finding one, however, can often be filled with anxiety, frustration, and confusion.

Hours of phone and e-mail tag, a mix of websites and information, and a lack of user reviews can make an already difficult decision seem overwhelming. For LGBTQ people, the process can be even more frustrating when attempting to find a culturally competent mental health professional. A new company aims to change that, one connection at a time.

Zencare (www.zencare.co) is a Providence-based startup that matches therapists and clients. It was founded last year by Yuri Tomikawa, who recognized the need while looking for a therapist for herself.

“I did a Google search and it was a really frustrating experience,” Tomikawa said. “It was very hard to tell quality and personality, and I called 20 people only to hear back from 10. I wanted to create a better system.”

Zencare currently has connected more than 700 individuals with about 70 therapists. Its main client base comes from young professionals and college students in the Providence area. The service recently expanded to Boston, where Tomikawa and the Zencare team are building a network of therapists.

“There is such a big need here with students and young professionals in Boston and

there’s a huge therapist community here,” Tomikawa said. “We can really add value here.”

Tomikawa said young consumers are used to finding anything they want online, from ordering food to online dating, so therapy should not be any different.

Another benefit of the service, Tomikawa said, is the fact that all therapists are vetted before their information is added to the site.

Zencare's vetting process starts with referrals from hospitals or therapists in the area.

Staff meet with each potential therapist and gather the information necessary to build an online profile, including a bio, photo and introductory video. Once the initial consultation takes place between a provider and a new client, Zencare surveys the client about the experience, allowing the vetting process to continue once a therapist is registered on the site.

Information such as education and areas of specialty are presented consistently for each provider, and prospective clients can request a 10-minute phone call through the site, if they find someone who looks like they will be a good fit. Zencare staff are also available to help make connections if needed.

“On average we see that people come on our site and look within 2-3 minutes. You can see who you get a good vibe from and who has expertise in whatever you need,” Tomikawa said. “More traditional methods [like] e-mail [and] phone tag takes up days.

Of the 70 therapists listed on Zencare, 20 specialize in LGBTQ-related issues, includ-

(https://goo.gl/iwTqKV). DiMauro has written about his struggle with eating disorders and said he’s seen therapists off and on for years. He was impressed by how seamless Zencare made the process of finding one.

“I’ve had a few therapists and they were always great and professional, but with Zencare you can see more information about a therapist before you try them out,” DiMauro said. “It’s a lot more personal and connective.”

DiMauro encouraged skeptics to try it out before making a final judgement.

“It’s very personalized and it’s not taking any of your private information if you’re just checking [it] out,” DiMauro said. “It doesn’t hurt to try at all. You just fill out what you are seeking help for and it will narrow down to anyone in your area.”

Maggie Jordan, Zencare’s therapist success manager, identifies as lesbian and used Zencare to find a therapist to help her work through her coming out process.

Yuri Tomikawa, founder of Zencare She sees the service as opening up a new PHOTO: ZENCARE outlet for the LGBTQ community to coning transgender identities and sexual orien- nect with therapy services for the first time. tation.

Through its vetting process, Zencare works Jayna Klatzker is a social worker who has to ensure that its therapists understand been treating LGBTQ clients since the stigma and take actions like using proper 1980s. She had a long-established practice pronouns when working with clients. before joining Zencare, but was inspired to “We are really the first point of contact for get involved after meeting Tomikawa people who have never had therapy before,” through a mutual friend at a party.

Jordan said. “When we say these clinicians “It’s nice to have a built-in network people specialize [in] working with LGBTQ [peocan turn to where others have had … good ple] there’s real meaning in that. We want to experiences,” Klatzker said. make that first experience as positive as posFrom her first LGBTQ clients in the 1980s sible.” to the college students Tomikawa said she she sees now, Klatzker hopes to continue exWITH ENCARE YOU said she feels privileged panding services for to serve the community the LGBTQ populaCAN SEE MORE INFORMA tion, especially as Zenin her own way.

“Compassion is the care grows to other first and foremost thing TION ABOUT A THERAPIST cities. She has received that’s within every fiber inquiries asking when of me with the commuBEFORE YOU TRY THEM it will be available in nity,” Klatzker said. “It’s New York and San an honor and a privilege Francisco. An app is OUT to see students when also in the works to they are away [by] themselves and exploring compliment Zencare’s website. life differently without the tethering of home “We want to expand to serve more of the and parents.”

LGBTQ population,” Tomikawa said. “This Providence resident and 2016 Mr. Gay is a community with a high need and where Rhode Island winner Joe DiMauro first en- it’s difficult to find a good therapist.” countered Zencare earlier this year after Visit www.zencare.co to find more inforcontacting Tomikawa to be on the board for mation about the company and its services. his non-profit organization, Project Fearless

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TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 13

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Six tricks to giving your partner the perfect gift By: Mikey Rox*/Special to TRT

C

hoosing the perfect gift for your significant other can be stressful— especially if it’s your first holiday together. But there are ways you can sneak a peek at your partner’s wish list—without outright asking for it—if you engage in a few spy tactics. Consider these six tinseled gift-giving tricks as Santa’s little sleuth to surprise your better half this season.

1. Mine Their Social Media For Data Social media profiles are full of interesting information about an individual—but you already know that, stalker. Use your datamining skills for treasure hunts that don’t include shirtless summer pics to find out what your babe wants under the tree this year.

Perhaps they’ve shared an item on their Facebook page, tweeted a link, or liked an Instagram photo of something that caught their eye. Browse the businesses they like, and keep an eye on the comments they make on those pages. A little attention to Internet detail will go a long way in unearthing all the things that strike your S.O.’s fancy.

2. Ask Their Friends And Family I started dating someone new this year, and even though I’m fairly astute in gathering clues to what he’d like for Christmas, I also asked his mother and brother to gain a more comprehensive perspective. If it’s not too awkward, you should reach out to some of your partner’s family members too. You may come up with ideas you haven’t thought of yet, and your thoughtfulness toward your mutual loved one will be recognized by the family early on, which will help you build a rapport much quicker and easier in the New Year.

3. Be a Great Observer Whether you know it or not, your partner has been dropping clues for what he or she would like as a gift since shortly after you started dating. You’ve had countless conversation on your likes and dislikes throughout your relationship, you’ve talked about childhood memories and holidays past, and you’ve each pointed out objects and ideas that pique your interest while on vacation or shopping or just walking around town. Take these collective experiences and put the

pieces together to come up with a gift that’s not only special and memorable but also shows that you listen—which, in all likelihood, will be the best present of all.

4. Choose Memories Over Material Goods If you’re having a hard time thinking of a tangible thing to buy, skip the material object all together. Rather, opt for an experience gift—like a quick getaway or an exciting activity—which you two can do together. Not only will you make a lasting memory out of the experience, you’ll prevent one more thing from collecting dust in his or her house before eventually ending up in the attic or—worse—a landfill.

5. Consider Their Needs vs. Wants We all want plenty of things, but are they necessities? If you partner needs things—like, say, a new interview suit or tires for their car—prioritize these over frivolous gifts that serve no real purpose. Sure, these gifts aren't glamorous or even exciting, but your partner will be thankful that they don’t have to spring for them—and if they’re a decent person in general, they’ll recognize that your love for them runs deeper than that video game console.

6. Stay In Sync Couples who are in sync don’t have much problem thinking of gifts to give one another. Moreover, couples who are in sync make their own rules at the holidays by forgoing traditional gift-giving tactics by finding interesting ways to show their love and affection. Make ornaments for one another, bid on that coveted childhood wish-list item that they never got, or make by hand (and heart) a piece of art that they’ll hang and think of you often. When you’re on the same page romantically, there won’t be any disappointment when it’s time to unwrap all the goodies. It’s the thought that counts, after all, and couples recognize that above all else. *Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He splits his time between homes in New York City and the Jersey Shore with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox (https://goo.gl/T4uxc0).

14 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Mass.-based TV host wins award for LGBTQ entertainment, education programming WORCESTER, Mass.—Dale LePage, openly gay host of “New England Pride TV” (NEPTV), has received congressional recognition for his work.

On October 3, Congressman Jim McGovern presented LePage and his television show NEPTV (https://goo.gl/VmxMRw) with a congressional certificate of recognition.

The award was given to recognize the television show as an achievement for the LGBTQ community.

“That was a very big moment for me and the television show,” LePage told The Rainbow Times. “The recognition the show has been getting is phenomenal.”

LePage’s show tries to bring to light all facets of LGBTQ life including politics, style, business, and advocacy. One of the goals of the show, LePage said, is to push back against the gay party culture stereotype.

“I wanted to put that out there that, guess what guys, it’s not just about nightclubs, it’s not just about drinking,” LePage said.

LePage was inspired to create the show after interviewing two gay men who were running their own travel agency.

It was successes such as that, LePage said, which needed a sounding horn.

“It was two men in their 50s,” LePage said. “These guys are a great representation of the gay community. That’s really never popularized as much in the gay community.”

LePage stressed that the show’s goal is to cast a wide net and capture the attention of those within and outside of the LGBTQ community.

“The show is not specifically designed for the LGBTQ community, it is also designed [for] allies who wish to know more about what it’s like being a part of this community,” he said.

The show has made inroads in educating allies.

“As a straight woman, the program provides an opportunity for me to better understand the LGBTQ community,” said a mother from Worcester who wished to be identified as “Danielle.” “This knowledge then allows me and my family to be supportive, understanding, and contributing ‘members’ of this community.”

Education, LePage said, is paramount to the mission of “New England Pride TV.” “The show started out being a vehicle to educate because before the show came along, there was no LGBTQ television show for New England,” LePage said. “The mission for the show started out, and hopefully will continue to be, informative as well as entertaining and educational.”

Danielle said she would recommend the program to anybody because it not only gives support to the LGBTQ community, but is a great way for allies to become more informed.

“I always recommend the show as it enables me, my husband, and my children, to be better, kinder, more compassionate friends and relatives to members of the LGBTQ community,” Danielle said. “Edu-

PHOTO: DALE LEPAGE

By: Al Gentile/TRT Reporter

Dale LePage

cation is everything—how else can we, as heterosexuals, understand our fellow citizens and friends if we don’t understand their unique challenges and struggles?”

Support for all sides While both the LGBTQ community and its allies are enjoying the show, LePage said the support he has received from all sides is heartening and inspiring.

One of the sponsors for the show, a consignment store in the Worcester area, has now become part of it.

“The woman who owns it is not even part of the LGBTQ community,” LePage said.

“Her clothes are going to be in a fashion show for a huge celebration [of transgender people].”

Gaining sponsors to pay for the technical needs of the show was perhaps the biggest task of getting “New England Pride TV” off the ground, LePage said.

“Being in the media business, you cannot do anything without sponsorships,” LePage said.

To date, national brands such as ReMax and local organizations such as Bay State Savings Bank and The Hanover Theater are all listed as sponsors.

Yet, the real support comes from outside.

LePage said the political support for his program has had a huge impact on the project.

Guests of the show have also come from all over. Grace Anne Stevens, a transgender author and motivational speaker, as well as President of the New Hampshire Gay Men's Chorus Stephen MacInnes, among others, have been featured guests.

With now seven episodes behind him, LePage said plans for the next few are already in the works. Though he would not divulge who future guests would be, LePage said he has high expectations for upcoming episodes.

“I would love to get [Senator] Elizabeth Warren,” LePage said. “I would love to get any political person to come on and be a part of the show.”

New England Pride TV airs the second Monday of each month. Check your local cable provider for times and channels. For more information about the show, visit https://goo.gl/Q1lnBg or https://goo.gl/K0ApGt.

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 15

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

In the wake of presidential election, vigilance needed now more than ever By: Deja Nicole Greenlaw*/TRT Columnist

I

TRANS OPINION

t's been nearly a month since the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and the shock of Donald Trump being elected has somewhat passed.

There was heartbreak, denial, fear, and shock running through many of our minds. Many of us couldn't believe it and some took to the streets to protest and let the world know that Donald Trump is not their president.

It's a very unsettling time.

A month later, the shock is wearing off and we must choose our course of action. After all, Trump will be our president, if the recount of the key states does in fact prove that he won the popular vote in several contested states. The Electoral College vote was set up in the U.S. Constitution to give the less populated states a better voice, and in this past election some think it did what it was supposed to do. We will see after the recounts take place. But, as of this moment, the Donald will be our next president.

There has been a shift in American politics, as well as in many other countries' pol-

itics, to a more authoritarian right. If the recounts confirm the Electoral College vote, we will have to accept this fact and we must deal with it. We will have to expect tighter controls on fiscal as well as social issues.

Let's take a look at the social issues and possible attempts to control them, specifically in the LGBTQIA community. Marriage equality has been brought up as well as gay

(https://goo.gl/mf3eNC). At first, a lower court ruled in Gavin's favor, but the Supreme Court agreed to put that decision on hold while it considered an appeal from the county school board. Currently, Gavin has been told to use a unisex bathroom. Gavin complies, but he voices dissent as he explains that he is not unisex, he is male. He should be able to use the boys’ room. But for

WE SHOULD ALL KEEP AN EYE ON THIS ADMINISTRATION AND BE READY TO PROTEST ANY DECISION OR LAW THAT GETS PASSED THAT WORKS AGAINST ANY FREEDOM WHETHER IT'S AGAINST

LGBTQIA PEOPLE OR ANYONE. conversion therapy, but I believe and hope that those two issues will not become a threat to LGBTQIA freedom. What may become the biggest threat to our freedom is one of the current cases in the Supreme Court, that is, the case of Gavin Grimm, a transgender youth petitioning to use the boys bathroom in his Virginia high school

now, he must wait. He will most likely be using that unisex bathroom until he graduates from high school next June. The ruling is expected by June 2017.

If the ruling is in Grimm's favor, it will be a big relief. The Constitution will be upheld and our freedom will be guaranteed. If the ruling goes against Gavin, we will have to

protest in the streets much like folks were doing just after Trump became presidentelect. As a matter of a fact, we should all keep an eye on this administration and be ready to protest any decision or law that gets passed that works against any freedom whether it's against LGBTQIA people or against any religion, race, or gender.

It's time to become ready to take action in the form of protests if need be. It is our right as American citizens and it really is our duty to protect our own rights. We must realize that there is opposition against our rights and we must deal with this fact. We must also realize that decisions may be made and laws may be passed that infringe upon our rights and we must also deal with those threats. Now, it's possible that nothing will happen to our rights, but we must be ready if something does happen. We are living in a time of uncertainty and change and we need to support each other and to have each others' backs, if the occasions so arise.

Please don't forget that we are Americans, we have our rights, and we must ensure that we keep our rights. We need to be vigilant! *Deja Nicole Greenlaw is a trans woman who has 3 grown children and is retired from 3M. She can be contacted at dejavudeja@sbcglobal.net.

Election Aftermath: Strangers protecting strangers, more important now than ever By: Lorelei Erisis*/TRT Columnist

A

PHOTO: DAVID MEEHAN

ASK A TRANS WOMAN

f e w months ago, I wrote a column about being bashed while going to my car one night after work.

Two months ago, I wrote about the importance of voting for Hillary Clinton because of my firm belief that Donald Trump absolutely could win. Last month, I wrote about the Transgender Day of Remembrance and I asked what you will do to help protect trans people.

Right now, as I write these words, my worst fears have come true. And all these columns suddenly feel as though they are one piece.

Donald Trump is now the president-elect of the United States of America. Believe me, I’d have been much happier to have been wrong in my prediction. Positively gleeful in fact—I love being wrong when it’s about terrible things.

But I wasn’t wrong. And it’s not just the looming reality of a Trump-controlled White House that has me scared. What is only now beginning to sink in for a lot of folks is that the Republican Party, who all in the end backed Trump, now have control of both

THE RAINBOW TIMES DIVERSE............just like our team is OBJECTIVE..........someone has to be INCLUSIVE........no one is left behind .....That is HOW media should be.....

houses of the federal legislature and will soon control the Supreme Court and much of the judiciary.

Well, almost all of them supported Trump.

It is worth taking a moment to thank our own Governor Charlie Baker for standing up for his better values and taking a stand against supporting Donald Trump’s mockery of the Party of Abraham Lincoln.

So here we are. For many of us, the world

President-elect Trump has promised mass deportations of immigrants, specifically Mexicans with criminal records. Mind you, many of those immigrants have criminal records solely because illegal immigration is, by strict definition, a crime. It’s an ugly and unfairly recursive loop.

Don’t think these things can happen here?

Oh so wrong, my friend. Even a brief study of American history reveals several rela-

STAND WITH US. LITERALLY. BLOCK THE PUNCHES AND KICKS AND WORDS BEING THROWN AT US. LET THE IGNORANT KNOW THEIR JOKES ARE NOT FUNNY; THEIR COMMENTS, CRUEL. outside our doors just got exponentially more frightening. I truly believe that pretty much anyone who isn’t a straight, cisgender, white man is in some larger degree of danger right now.

And some of us are in more danger than others. Muslims, trans people, immigrants, and people of color and queer people generally are all seriously threatened by the atmosphere of hatred and bigotry sweeping the country. There is already talk of a registry and even internment camps for Muslims. Trans people are scrambling to get their documents in order before all of President Obama’s executive orders protecting us are rescinded.

tively recent examples. Just to begin with and to our great shame, there were the thousands of Japanese Americans we sent to internment camps during World War II—a fact which is being used, alarmingly, as precedent to justify the possibility of interning Muslim people.

And mass deportation? Heck, President Obama deported record numbers of immigrants himself. What do we think is going to hold Trump back? I even discovered as I was doing research for this column that during the Great Depression, our country forcibly “repatriated” to Mexico anywhere from 500,000 to 2 million people of Mexican descent. I’m a pretty avid student of history

and even I missed that one until now.

As for trans people, we only just got, after a long hard fight, the most basic of civil rights protections here in Massachusetts.

The vast majority of states, however, have few or no protections for us. And many states, like North Carolina, have actively anti-trans laws on the books.

It wasn’t so long ago, during the lifetimes of many not-so-old trans people I know, that a person could be arrested for “crossdressing” in much of the country, including many major cities. Trans people, and gay and lesbian folks, knew that they would have to be wearing a specific number of “properly gendered” articles of clothing in order to not get in trouble with the law.

It takes just a blink of an eye for all the progress we’ve made, all our hard won protections, to be swept away. It’s easier than we realize.

So, yeah, I’m scared, and so are a lot of people I know. When I walk down the street I see the look of fear in other people’s eyes as we pass each other by, especially people of color and visibly queer or trans folks.

Often accompanied by a small acknowledgement, a nod or a flick of the eyes. A gesture that says, we’re all in the same boat now.

Almost all of the conversations I’ve had over the last week have either been about how scared and angry we are or very consciously, and carefully, not talking about it.

One moment of revelation for me came while I was talking to my girlfriend about various ways we could be good allies. And I had a sudden flash of realization, “Oh my gods. It’s entirely likely that at some point in the next four years I will either be arrested or beaten.”

Read the rest of this story at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4Bt

16 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Holyoke supper club brings LGBTQ social gatherings to Western Mass. elderly By: John Paul Stapleton/TRT Reporter

HOLYOKE, Mass.—In November, WestMass ElderCare Inc. in Holyoke held a dinner that was the first of its kind in Western Massachusetts: a supper club for LGBTQIA seniors.

Seniors in the Greater Boston area have had the pleasure of attending a few different meal clubs for years, but the farthest west that one can be found was Worcester.

Now, WestMass ElderCare (https://goo.gl/cL45J0) and the Holyoke Council on Aging (https://goo.gl/BQoCVe), both service providers for the elderly, have teamed up to put on a monthly dinner to reach out to LGBTQIA seniors who they feel haven’t been fully included or acknowledged. The goal is to make a space for the LGBTQIA seniors to meet and network, but also to make sure they are aware of the services that can be provided to them by different programs within the Holyoke Council on Aging and WestMass ElderCare, according to the executive director of the Council, Navae Fenwick Rodriguez.

“I took over here as the director two years ago and [I’m trying to make the] senior center a more inclusive space,” Rodriguez said.

“We want to make sure to reach every [LGBTQIA] senior in the community.”

According to Bob Linscott, the assistant director of the Fenway Health LGBT Aging Project, the Holyoke supper is the 17th LGBTQIA senior meal club to open in Massachusetts. Linscott worked with WestMass ElderCare in setting up the event and gave a training to their staff about LGBTQIA senior outreach, but emphasized the fact that being number 17 was long overdue for Western Massachusetts.

“I showed them all a map from the Williams Institute about where same-sex couples are in the state and there’s a huge concentration in Western Massachusetts, and then I overlaid it with the map of where the meal centers are and all the meal centers are clustered around Boston,” Linscott said.

“But there was nothing out there where this big pocket of LGBT folks are so to have this meal site that’s catering to this whole Western Massachusetts area is fantastic.”

These meals are important for the LGBTQIA senior community, Rodriguez pointed out. Many LGBTQIA elders feel alienated from the mainstream elderly population and many seniors don’t feel as comfortable coming out.

“I know that coming out 60 years ago was a lot different than it is coming out now,” Rodriguez said. “Many didn’t ever come out and I think to a certain extent some of the stigma around that has been a part of their life experience. I think they live with the residual effects.”

Priscilla Chalmers, executive director of WestMass ElderCare, pointed out that these meals will go beyond simply creating a safe space for these seniors.

“This is another effort to reach out and serve an underserved population among this age group that have found themselves isolated and through the cooperative effort we have with the Council on Aging we believe that if all goes well, we will reach individu-

The Rainbow Supper Club team: Holyoke Council on Aging Executive Director Navae Fenwick Rodriguez, WestMass ElderCare Inc. Nutrition Director Lisa Lovell, WestMass ElderCare Inc. Executive Director Priscilla Chalmers, Holyoke City Councilor Jossie Valentin, and Assistant Director of the Fenway Health LGBT Aging Project Bob Linscott PHOTO: FENWAY COMMUNITY HEALTH

als that the senior center may have not reached through the regular daytime programming that they have at the senior center,” she said.

In reaching out to these communities, they hope to be able open up new doors for these seniors that they may not have known existed. They had previously put on a meal for Latinx (pronounced Latin x) seniors at a Latin American restaurant in Holyoke that Chalmers said was effective in getting more people to sign up for their meal delivery service, attend events at the senior center, and get involved with other at-home living assistance that they previously didn’t know was available.

In the case of Dorothy Martin, they already have. Martin is from South Hadley and attended the event with her wife. The next day, the two of them joined the Holyoke Senior Center.

“It was really nice and very friendly,” Martin said. “I think this is more exposure in a different way. It’s not like a gay march, it’s just a matter of people being together and feeling like it’s okay to be open and be who you are.”

Martin affirmed the hardships experienced

by LGBTQIA seniors who are not out. As a representative for the South Hadley Council on Aging (https://goo.gl/ehP7XR), the subject of the supper club was brought up at a meeting and others voiced their beliefs that an LGBTQIA community doesn’t exist within the elderly community, despite Martin, a married senior lesbian, being at the meeting.

“They’re a group of people that have been sort of neglected particularly because elders in our age group had been hiding for so long,” she said.

Because of this hiding, Linscott acknowledged that having the event late in the evening would make it more amenable for seniors to show up because the center would be empty at that time. For other LGBTQIA

See W. Mass Elderly on page 21

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 17

18 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Love is Love: Michael Bublé on leaving LGBTaffirming legacy, man crushes & guy admirers By: Chris Azzopardi*/Special to TRT

Chris Azzopardi: In 2010, you performed on a stage you deemed “phallic” because it resembled a penis. Then, a gay man threw you his keys, and you were not shy about bending over and picking them up.

Michael Bublé: (Laughs) I remember! That was a guy named Paul O’Grady, and he’s very famous in the UK. He does an act where he dresses up as a woman, who is also very famous, almost like Dame Edna. He’s a sweetie pie. I was so happy that he did that that night because it just gave me so much.

Q: How would you describe the affection for you from the gay community?

A: The truth is, I don’t think I could’ve given them as much joy as they’ve given me. I’m in a business where, as you can imagine, I’m surrounded by the gay community. I mean, that’s just my life. I’m an artist, and so I’m surrounded by other artists. And everyone from my hair stylist who lives with me on the road to (my stylist) Jeff Kim, who puts me in my suits every day— I mean, god, the question isn’t who’s gay? The question is, who isn’t? (Laughs) And by the way, the ones that seem the most macho, they’re probably gay.

Q: Now would be a good time to talk about how your wife, Luisana Lopilato, thought you were gay when she first met you.

A: (Laughs) Yes, she walked in this room with a man, and the man was so good lookin’ that he made Brad Pitt look dumpy, so I assumed they were together. I naturally assumed that this was her boyfriend or her husband, so I refused to hit on her. And listen, it didn’t help that she didn’t speak English either at the time. Not a word. But the more I drank that night, the more brazen I got about trying to find out what the situation was between them. Finally, after two hours—and I don’t know how many shots and glasses of whiskey—I finally said, (effects a drunk slur) “You guys are such a beautiful couple,” and he said, “We’re not together.” He said, “She came because she likes you.” And at the same time, she was on the phone texting her mom saying, “Oh my god, Michael Bublé is all over my friend.

He’s so gay.”

PHOTO: WARNER BROS.

“You know what I’ll be Googling tonight: Bublé, gay, queer, all that stuff,” says Michael Bublé one recent afternoon, after being informed that said search terms render colorful results.

All you lovers, though, needn’t search beyond the dreamy crooner’s recently released album, Nobody But Me, and its 10 feel-good tunes, including several new originals and reimagined classics gleaned from the Great American Songbook.

Love, naturally, is featured prominently on Bublé’s ninth studio album, as well as in our recent chat, during which the affable ally spoke about the “joy” the LGBT community has brought him and the importance of standing up for queer issues. And no, not solely because he’s a staunch LGBT-rights advocate—when his kids grow up and read this interview, he says it’s important to him that they feel “proud.”

Michael Bublé

Q: If a gay couple asked you to sing any of the songs off this new album at their wedding, which would you sing and why?

A: Aww. I think maybe “The Very Thought of You.” And to be honest with you, man: I don’t care if it’s a gay or a straight or a black or a poor wedding—love is love. And I think that would be a really beautiful, romantic first dance.

Q: In the past, you’ve man-crushed on Blake Shelton and One Direction’s Niall Horan. Who are you currently mancrushing on?

A: That’s a good question. God, you wanna hear who I’m man-crushing on? There’s a couple of them. My No. 1 man crush is probably John Oliver (host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver). The other is (The Daily Show host) Trevor Noah. Goddamn—what a stunning South-African man.

You know what I love man? I love that they’re self-deprecating and funny, and I know they’re empathetic because their point of view tells me that. Obviously, they’re liberal, progressive, self-confident; they have a great sense of humor. I just love that. (American astrophysicist) Neil deGrasse Tyson too. And god, the late (Anglo-American author and essayist) Christopher Hitchens. If you can man crush on a dead guy, I am mancrushin’ on a dead guy. (Linguist and philosopher) Noam Chomsky, I love. I’m trying to think of people I spend most of my evenings with, because this is who I spend most of my evenings with. Oh, Lawrence Krauss, the greatest astrophysicist. Honestly, their intelligence and skill at orating just…

Q: If one of your sons were to come out to you, how might you respond?

A: With nothing but love. And I’m not saying that to you because it’s you or the magazine. It’s because I love them, man. I love them so much that I just want them to be Read the rest of this story at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4Bz

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 19

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

QPuzzle: This month we “Remember Carol”

Trump Effect from page 5 directed against immigrants, Muslims, girls, LGBT students, kids with disabilities and anyone who was on the ‘wrong’ side of the election.”

Protests continue Early this week, hundreds of Boston students walked out of their classes and marched to the State House and City Hall with requests that Massachusetts’ leaders stood up and spoke out against the President-elect. The students had a list of demands for Mass. Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty J. Walsh. They said they were also concerned for their families and friends and as members of minority groups.

One of the students, 16-year-old Gabriela Pereira, told the Boston Globe (https://goo.gl/eoZKI7) that students were “alarmed by Trump’s rhetoric, his policy proposals, and the people he has hired.”

The students also told the Globe that “they want to show solidarity with undocumented immigrants, women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals.”

Across 1 Dances like Hines 5 Mary's little pet 9 Come together 13 Small singing bird 14 The African Queen author 15 Actress Adams 16 "Tell ___ the judge!"

17 Verlaine's mother 18 Erotic opening 19 Seventies sitcom starring Florence Henderson 22 Use the Divine Miss M's name in vain?

23 Way back when 25 B. Bean's greatest hits 26 '50s dance 29 ___ Hall University 30 Clearest of head 33 Candace Gingrich's halfbrother 34 He played Florence Henderson's husband on 19Across 36 Red Skelton's ___ Kadiddlehopper 38 Family of Mary, Queen of Scots 39 He played Huxtable 41 ASCAP alternative 42 Mineo of Rebel Without a Cause 45 Gave a tongue-lashing to 48 "Bear" that's not a bear 50 Group with step-kids, like 19-Across 53 Arc on Bernstein's music score

54 Tight-assed 55 It's for skin care 56 Dorothy's dog 57 Office slip 58 The Children's ___ 59 Blows away 60 Dance instructor's topic 61 They're performing, in Fame

Down 1 Wiggle the nose like Samantha 2 Poet Rimbaud 3 Paige and Cameron 4 Snooty types 5 Star of Hello, Dalai?

6 Like fine wine 7 Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada 8 Bannon's Brinker 9 French playwright and activist 10 Well-versed.

11 He played a transsexual in The World According to Garp 12 Bloom of The Producers 20 Place where you go straight 21 Us, to Rilke 24 Can. province 27 A Room of ___ Own 28 Like boobs that don't sag 30 Hats from Kahlo's country 31 Broadway ticket souvenir 32 Amsterdam transport

34 Firm 35 Eleniak of Baywatch 36 Meas. for Dr. Kildare 37 Fellatio, for one?

40 Yokohama moola 42 Person in the Navy 43 Closet-emptying cry?

44 Cake parts 46 Affleck's Chasing Amy crush 47 Credo 49 Montgomery Clift's hometown 51 Edna, for one 52 Lay an egg 53 Dupont Cir., on the Metro

SOLUTION

Words matter Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse recently received an anonymous, hate-filled note with a threatening message that read: “Alex you’re one of the most selfish people that I know due to your ‘gay’ lifestyle. You’re going down.”

Morse, who ran his campaign as an openly gay candidate, also believes that Trump’s message of violence and hatred during his campaign has a lot to do with the current state of the country.

“I do agree that racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia certainly existed before Trump's campaign and election,” Morse said to The Rainbow Times. “However, Trump himself has expressed openly many of these positions in a public setting, and has emboldened bigots all across the country to be more open about it. Hate crimes and hate speech have increased exponentially since the election, and this has been documented by police departments all over the country.”

The Mass. Attorney General’s Office new hate crime hotline alone (https://goo.gl/fmkig6), established days after the election 2016, received over 400 complaints in just over a week, according to the Boston Globe (https://goo.gl/2ofvSd).

Officials from Attorney General Maura Healey’s office told the Globe that “complaints of bullying, threats, vandalism, and harassment have been made based on race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.”

Cabinet selections, genetic superiority, white supremacy Trump’s messages during the campaign seem to have carried into his selection of cabinet positions—candidates that Democrats have told CNN show a way for Trump to embrace “the ‘alt right,’ an ideology closely associated with white nationalism, anti-Semitism and misogyny.” The Associated Press (https://goo.gl/69W1AW), refers to it as a movement that criticizes ‘multiculturalism’ and more rights for racial and ethnic minorities such as non-whites, women, Jews, Muslims, gays, and immigrants, among others.

“Its members reject the American demo-

cratic ideal that all should have equality under the law regardless of creed, gender, ethnic origin or race,” reads the media organization’s blog.

Trump’s campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, was selected by the president-elect as chief strategist and counselor. Bannon is well known as the controversial ED of the rightleaning Breitbart website, considered by the Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC, as the voice of white nationalists and “alt-right.”

In a July interview with Mother Jones, Bannon described Breitbart as a “platform for the ‘alt-right.’” A recent Think Progress article refers to Bannon (https://goo.gl/Ug8lqI), as someone who believes in the “‘genetic superiority’ of certain people and [speaks of] his support for restricting voting rights to only property owners.”

That same article refers to former KKK wizard David Duke, who has proclaimed on Twitter that “Trump’s election and cabinet picks are the first steps toward ‘taking America back’ — that is, taking America ‘back’ from anyone who isn’t descended from fairskinned Europeans.”

Trump’s appointment of Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General is another selection that has gone sour with many people in the country. Sessions, according to The Economist (https://goo.gl/aEQxXA), is the “Senate’s most consistent and ferocious critic of both illegal and legal immigration, [and] has several times sought to pass laws abolishing the DACA scheme.”

Sessions opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and said that hate crimes protections for LGBT people “cheapen the civil rights movement” according to AlterNew.com.

“It also struck a chord throughout the week, as I read the news that the presidentelect had decided to appoint Jeff Sessions as Attorney General,” said Morse. “I got upset thinking about having an AG that wouldn't do his part to protect LGBT citizens, people of color, immigrants, etc. It is troubling to think we will have a federal government that won't go out of its way to protect our community, and will likely roll back LGBT protections.”

Racism existed before Salem Mass. Police Captain Conrad Prosniewski doesn’t believe the election changed anyone and explained that “the fact that Trump won [is] an excuse to exhibit their biases.”

“I don't think that America has changed because of the election. I don't think that anybody feels any differently about themselves or about their fellow neighbor just because Trump is the president,” Prosniewski said via a phone interview with The Rainbow Times. “I know that it's giving an excuse for some ‘nitwits’ to say some stupid things, but they are not speaking for all Americans, they are just speaking for themselves. …

America hasn't changed and the police department hasn't changed. People will be treated with the respect and dignity that they always have been. If somebody is the victim of a crime and that crime indicates that it's a bias crime then we're going to pursue it as fully as we can just like we do with the victim of any other crime.”

20 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

Partner Violence from Page 6 Fortunately, Jase wasn’t critically injured, and with assistance from his cop brother-inlaw, he made his Great Escape. Afterwards, therapy enabled him to heal, become whole … and completely embrace his sexual orientation.

As you might have gathered, that young man was me. I’m a survivor of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPV/A), known as domestic violence and abuse within the LGBTQ community.

According to The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, IPV/A is “a pattern of behaviors utilized by one partner (the abuser or batterer) to exert and maintain control over another person (the survivor or victim) where there exists an intimate, loving and dependent relationship.”

Research suggests that a greater percentage of LGBTQ individuals are living in fear of an abusive partner than previously thought. Each year, between 50,000100,000 lesbians (or more) and as many as 500,000 (or more) gay/SGL men are battered—and about one in four LGBTQ relationships/partnerships are abusive in some way.

According to psychologists and authors Jeanne Segal and Melinda Smith, “Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: to gain and maintain total control over you. Abusers use fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under his or her ‘thumb.’

Your abuser may also threaten you, hurt you, or hurt those around you. The bottom line is that abusive behavior is never acceptable.

You deserve to feel valued, respected, and

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

safe.”

Stigma is largely responsible for keeping this destructive behavior “swept under the rug,” which leads to it being dramatically underreported. Figuratively therefore, this keeps us (locked) in the closet. Stigma is the albatross around your neck, choking the hell outta ya.

As a survivor, advocate and journalist, I’ve made IPV/A my clarion call. I’ve researched and written extensively about this demeaning and potentially life-threatening behavior for various print and on line media outlets including Huffington Post Queer Voices, Wyattevans.com, and Baltimore Gay Life.

And as an author, I’ve made IPV/A the overarching theme of my “Nothing Can Tear Us Apart” (gay/ethnic) series of novels; “FRENZY!” is the new installment. Because IPV/A tends to be a taboo subject in our community, I felt that this demoralizing behavior would be more palatable in novel form—and not such a “bitter pill to swallow.”

Now, allow me to give you slices of my national IPV/A seminars and workshops.

First: how do I know if my relationship/partnership is abusive? It definitely is if you’re “walking on eggshells” around your partner.

Other biggies: • You agreeing to everything your partner says and does.

• You are checking in often with your partner to report where you are and what you’re doing.

• Him/her keeping constant tabs on you.

•Him/her attempting to control what you wear, eat, and say, and whom you spend ...

Read the rest of this story at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4Bv

Pets Empower: Free pet fostering for survivors fleeing crisis situations; don’t leave your pet behind By: Christine Nicco/TRT Reporter

BOSTON—Soon after graduating from college, Jordan Ross found himself on the streets along with his black lab in order to escape domestic violence. Little did he know that this experience would inevitably change the lives of many—survivors of domestic violence and the animals they treasure.

“I fled and realized quickly [that] shelters in Boston prohibit pets,” explained Ross.

“Luckily through a social worker, I fostered Jazz [his black Lab] temporarily at … a group home for men transitioning out of homelessness. The men loved my dog, and Jazz [and I] then faced a common purpose.”

Pets Empower was born.

According to the non-profit foundation’s website, Pets Empower "provides volunteers and funding to existing short-term pet fostering organizations, enabling those organizations to help those in crisis situations," such as domestic violence, DV. “I realized others are in need of services and up to 65 percent of DV survivors fail to leave because of their pets,” Ross said.

Compounding the existing crisis, The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that 52 percent of victims in shelters leave their pets with their batterers.

“Just by providing pet fostering, we save lives of people and pets and preserve pet families to improve healthy outcomes,” said Ross, who is also executive director of the foundation. “It takes care of the pet concern and provides peace of mind [that] the pet is taken care of. The survivor can focus on self-care.”

As soon as the survivors are ready, they [survivors and pets] can reunite, Ross said.

Pets Empower’s pilot programs have assisted in five cases to date, primarily in Boston and Providence, with expectations of those numbers increasing in the coming year. The organization was launched earlier in 2016.

Survivors or a domestic violence survivor advocate can reach out to Pets Empower directly to receive assistance.

“We have an intake button ‘find pet fostering’ on www.petsempower.org,” Ross noted.

To ensure pets are well provided for, he said that not only are the pets picked up from the survivor, they are also screened by a veterinarian and then placed into temporary foster care.

“The process is monitored,” Ross added.

“We collaborate with SafePeopleSafePets in Wellesley, [Mass.] for the foster.”

Sue Webb, coordinator for SafePeopleSafePets shared her thoughts about the foundation via the organization’s website.

"Pets Empower is much needed help to

Jordan Ross with his yellow Lab Kariya and Jazz, the black Lab who inspired it all.

PHOTO: PETS EMPOWER

non-profits working to help pets and their people stay together,” she said. “[It] has connected us with facilities that were eager to help so people could seek safety while their pets were also in a safe place.”

Ross finds the community support standing behind the survivors and their pets to be part of the greatest reward since founding the organization. He said, “It’s all about unconditional love.”

“Seeing how our community deeply cares about DV survivors and their pets and meeting our clients where they are and allowing them to feel heard, understood, and appreciated [is most rewarding],” Ross explained.

Like many non-profits, Pets Empower relies on volunteers and community assistance to further their work.

“We’d love volunteers to foster, share our social media, and [make a] donation to [help] pay for vet care and food,” Ross said.

“We'd love to collect doggy toys and [care] items and are open to collaborating with community organizations and corporations for social impact.”

Currently, the foundation is running a #HowPetsEmpower campaign and invite the community to send in a 30-second video of “how your pet empowered you to overcome a life challenge.”

Pets Empower allows survivors to find their voices and shows them that people do care about them and their pets, Ross said. “[It also] demonstrates to survivors that some people are trustworthy and free fostering is an indication of hope and finding a life of choice, dignity, and freedom,” he added.

To learn more about Pets Empower, check them out online at PetsEmpower.org. Find them on Facebook at https://goo.gl/rd2HQW and on Twitter at https://goo.gl/odwWtN or Instagram at https://goo.gl/cUjduM.

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 21

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

ATED FROM THE MAINSTREAM ELDERLY POPULATION AND MANY SENIORS DON’T FEEL AS COMFORTABLE COMING OUT. conduct needs assessments to gauge which attendees need transportation to the events.

The assessments will also inquire as to what kind of educational and entertainment activities seniors are interested in. The goal is to make sure this community has somewhere to turn to. “[W]ith everything that happened … with the election, it’s critical to have a safe space where folks know that they can be welcomed and treated with dignity and respect,” said Linscott.

For more information about the Holyoke Rainbow Supper Club, visit https://goo.gl/Uq0DvX. lege. Instead, it should be a human right. Although we should be proud of our communities, we should also be critical and ensure the wellbeing of everyone. Women bring life onto this earth, we should appreciate their existence [in] the same way that they fill us with blessings.”

Click here to see the Latinx Action Group's Facebook page (https://goo.gl/tYSQWv) for the "Orange Your World" campaign.

Anúnciate con The Rainbow Times ¡Reserva tu anuncio en Directorio LGBTQ de Nueva Inglaterra!

En éste encontrarás tranquilidad dándole tu dinero a aquellos nego-

The Rainbow Times es el periódico de mayor audiencia LatinX en Boston y Nueva Inglaterra. ¡Tu anuncio aquí genera respuestas! cios y organizaciones que se merecen nuestro apoyo.

617-444-9618

I

t’s the time of year when we show gratitude—and LGBT folks (and their allies) have a lot to be thankful for.

Not as much as if the presidential election had gone the other way, of course. From a gay point of view a Vice President Pence is at least as scary as a President Trump. The men (or women, but don’t hold your breath) who could wind up on the Supreme Court may well roll back many of the hard-earned rights the LGBT community has gained over the past few decades. We are in uncharted waters, and the seas are likely to be very, very rough.

Fortunately, there is smoother sailing on the LGBT sports front. Over the past few years—especially during 2016—gay issues and athletics have moved from a corner of the locker room out into the center of the arena. A tipping point was reached, then passed. Gay, lesbian and bisexual athletes and coaches are no longer seen as rarities, outliers or freaks. Allies are no longer afraid to speak up. Americans understand that we are indeed everywhere. “Gay sports” has moved from oxymoron to ho-hum.

So when we sit down to dinner this year,

and say (Will and) grace, let’s give thanks to all the men, women, organizations and institutions that have helped get us where we are today.

For nearly 20 years, for example, Outsports has been the go-to website for LGBT sports news and commentary. Quietly, doggedly—but with spirit, humor and joy— Cyd Ziegler and Jim Buzinski have told stories about out competitors, coaches, referees and administrators. In the beginning, many of those tales were filled with fear and worry. Over time, they brimmed with hope.

Now, they’re almost uniformly positive.

Each story is different. Yet taken together – this experience at a religious school, that one on a curling team; this one describing a welcoming lacrosse culture, that one ending with a hug from a formerly unenlightened homophobe – they offer a clear, comforting picture of a segment of society that has changed quickly and significantly. The mainstream media has not taken much notice of the shift, but Outsports has. In fact, Outsports has made those changes possible.

Hot on Outsports’ heels, in terms of value to the LGBT sports world, is Athlete Ally.

Survivors from Page 6

life’s craziness and disappointments have a way to snatch even small amounts of joy from daily life.

Find spiritual quiet within to be more grounded and you’ll be better prepared to respond, not react, to the social and political challenges coming in the next four years.

Sometimes being firmly anchored requires the harshness of taking the world as it is, not as you want it, while being persistent to make the incremental, and where possible, major changes needed. Fortify yourself with being grateful for the things you have and remember to embrace small joys each day whether it’s spending time browsing in a bookstore or buying yourself some fresh cut flowers.

LGBTQ people have endured for thousands of years (https://goo.gl/xN8Ojv). Defiant. Resilient. Persistent. Self-empowered no matter the obstacles. In every century, the LGBTQ community has made positive contributions to society and the greater good.

Obviously, the LGBTQ community is not going away. It will continue to change the world for the better because of individuals like you. *Paul is a corporate chaplain, lawyer in the Albany, NY area, and author of “Lost Sense of Self & the Ethics Crisis.”

the Democratic presidential nominee was expected and did win by a wide margin. Nor did my third party support help Trump.

Hopefully, my vote underscored the need for a viable third party.

The understandable anxiety many feel in the LGBTQ community underscores the challenge of finding inner calm as ugliness and uncertainty swirls. Of course you don’t need the outcome of a presidential election to have angst in your life.

Fear of job loss, living paycheck to paycheck, managing an abusive boss on a daily basis, pressures to pay rent or a mortgage, or student loan debt not likely to be paid off, are among the challenges many face. Inner stillness, especially during these uncertain times, must be the focus while taking comfort in the family you’ve made, and you’re very blessed if you have one.

Similarly, folks often think if they move, buy a house, or adopt a pet, some inner void will be filled. Frequently, they’re disappointed. There’s always one piece of baggage that has to be taken wherever you go and it is part of whatever you do: yourself.

Unless you’ve anchored your inner wellbeing to some constant, inviolable peace,

Read the rest of this story at: http://wp.me/p22M41-4Bx

TOP 10 BEST SELLER VIDEOS 1. Me, Myself and Her 2. Summertime (La Belle Saison) 3. Girls Lost 4. The Royal Road 5. Late Bloomers - Digital Only 6. Margarita With A Straw 7. Liz in September 8. Carol 9. Parched 10. Orange is the New Black: Season 3

GAY TOP 10

Transgender people are particularly singled out for violence, with 23 trans people across the nation being murdered in the first 11 months of 2016 (https://goo.gl/4DCs57).

"It's heartbreaking to think about how many trans women, particularly trans women of color, are murdered because of their identity,” said Troop. “This is the ultimate form of gender-based violence.

“They are challenging norms around gender and gender identity. We must stand with the trans community against not only these murders, but all forms of violence. We are them and they are us. We promote and participate in the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) and encourage people to see the difference between the traditional, mainstream notions of violence against women and the reality of how gender-based violence plays out in all communities, including the trans community."

From December 9 to March 1, JDI will hold a White Ribbon campaign (https://goo.gl/iwHVUA) to bring awareness to the issue of gender-based violence. "[The campaign will be] looking at the root causes and asking specific questions about how traditional definitions and norms about gender contribute to violence,” Troop said.

Martha Peña acknowledged that globally instilling a sense of compassion towards women is impossible, but would be an ideal way to end violence. Ultimately, she believes that respect is pivotal to peace.

“A woman's safety should not be a privi-

ELDERS FEEL ALIEN-

The OutField: A show of gratitude, in spite of it all

Courtesy: WolfeVideo.com

Women & Violence from Page 10

MANY LGBTQIA

QSPORTS

meal programs, he said that some seniors would go to ones in neighboring towns to avoid being seen at an LGBTQIA event in their own community, but with the next closest club being in Worcester, there isn’t much of an option but to attend the Holyoke one.

A total of 35 people attended, according to Chalmers, a number much higher than they had expected.

But, as Holyoke City Councilor Jossie Valentin pointed out, one group was not present at the event and that was the Latinx LGBTQIA seniors. This is something Valentin personally wants to make an effort to change given the population of Holyoke is 50 percent Latinx.

“I’m making it a point to reach out to some of my fellow elected officials in Springfield to spread the word and get more Latinx seniors at this event,” Valentin said.

Chalmers and Linscott also expressed that they want to get more of this community involved and make it a genuinely multicultural event. The WestMass ElderCare website is already available in Spanish and Polish, but staff plan to print fliers specifically for the LGBTQIA supper club in Spanish as well and present them at the Latinx seniors meal club. Another effort will include providing bilingual staff members at events.

Besides welcoming Latinx LGBTQIA seniors to the meal program, everyone involved has expressed increasing the number of overall attendees in the coming months.

“That room holds 240 people and I would like to see it packed for the rainbow supper club,” Rodriguez said.

To accomplish this, the organizers will

LESBIAN TOP 10

W. Mass. Elderly from page 16

1. Shared Rooms 2. Other People 3. Fire Song 4. Hurricane Bianca 5. Looking CSR (Complete Series & the Movie) 6. Akron 7. Jonathan 8. The Falls: Covenant of Grace 9. Those People 10. Henry Gamble's Birthday Party

22 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

Trump Effect from Page 19 But Peabody’s Olenio says that people in the spotlight have a responsibility to the masses. He told TRT that he had no idea that “racism and bigotry” was “so widespread. It turns out many are closeted racists and bigots.” “ … Like it or not, public figures are role models. They lead fads, fashion and behavior. By being an open bully, bigot, and racist, Trump empowered others to openly express their bad behavior they previously hid from public view,” said Olenio. “Their unattractive racism and bigotry is now openly displayed without fear as they believe Trump makes their hatred of others acceptable.

Some of these folks are confident enough to harass, and attack minorities.”

According to openly trans man Ben Power Alwin, Curator, Sexual Minorities Archives and Executive Director, Sexual Minorities Educational Foundation Inc., the election and subsequent cabinet appointments have left him feeling “less safe due to the direct threats made by Trump to roll back trans rights and protections that we recently gained during the Obama presidency,”

which also include health and elderly benefits.

“In addition, as a disabled trans elder, I dread the threatened gutting of Medicare, Medicaid, and discontinuation of Social Security, programs that my very life depends upon,” he said.

Members of disenfranchised groups do not feel safe, especially given what was attained under the Obama administration.

“I say that the POTUS sets the tone through being the most visible leader in the nation,” said Power Alwin “When the POTUS espouses racism, misogyny, brags about sexually assaulting women, is backed by the KKK, surrounds himself with racist, sexist, anti-Semitic bigots and places them in positions of power in the White House, we have a real problem with who was elected POTUS.” Power Alwin refers to Trump’s harshness as a vehicle to hurt immigrants, LGBTQ people and people of color.

“Queer POC have endured extreme racism expressed by Trump and his supporters during the campaign, the threat of national Stop and Frisk, and even worse policies, in addition to the homophobia, transphobia, and

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

“I THINK THE ELECTION PUT ON A SPOTLIGHT ON WHAT ALREADY IS HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY, AND CERTAINLY, THE ROLE OF CORPORATE MEDIA BECAME CLEARER—TO CLICK BAIT WITH UNSUBSTANTIATED STORIES PUT FORTH BY SYMPATHIZERS FROM THE

BERNIE SANDERS CAMP, AND THEN THE DONALD TRUMP CAMP,” —NATALIA MUÑOZ sexism that was also at the core of Trump’s campaign,” said Power Alwin. “LGBTQ undocumented immigrants fear much more now for their futures and dread deportation.

Tragically, within a few short days of the election results, hate crimes against POC and LGBTQ people have soared.”

New England hate incidents According to the data collected by the SPLC, hate incidents have happened in almost “every state” in the nation. In New England, there are 67 hate incidents recorded on SPLC's website. Of those, 42 happened in Massachusetts alone. “[Nationally] Incidents by type ranked by number of reports include: Anti-immigrant (32 percent), anti-Black (23 percent), antiLGBT (11 percent), anti-Semitic (12 percent), anti-Muslim (6 percent), and anti-woman (5 percent),” reads the organization’s report (https://goo.gl/Lng2RL).

Local Mass. government to the rescue Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll spoke of the country’s current political climate in terms of the community, and understands how some feel “lost at best and fearful at worst about what this new change in our presidency might mean to them and their family.”

“Rhetoric that targets a segment of our population because of their immigration status, or their race, or their faith or because of who they are or who they love, is directly contrary to the values of our community and, I believe, of our country,” said Driscoll.

“We’ll continue to uphold those values in Salem and stand united in our desire to ensure that all of our residents feel respected, welcome and heard.”

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse is personally vested in the fight for equality.

“I want everyone in Holyoke to know and hear it directly from me—Holyoke will always be a safe place for our LGBT residents and allies,” said Morse. “We will continue to be a progressive community that has room for everyone. … It is incumbent on us to send the message loud and clear that we will not back down.”

Respect and fairness are what one local North Shore group seeks to attain through their activism.

“The No Place for Hate Committee is dedicated to combating prejudice and discrimination in whatever forms it exists through education and outreach. We also attempt to be a resource and help those victimized,” said Jeff Cohen, Chair, Salem No Place for Hate committee, NPFH. “Our tools are the people on the Committee and other organizations and people in the community who are willing to stand up for those unable to for themselves, and support those organizations, events and people who need it most and are also intent on making a difference.

We also try to make our meetings a safe place for people to express whatever they want and need to and, right now it’s about conversation. …”

The embattled and biased fourth estate For others, the election results and violence that have ensued mean that it all could have been avoided.

“People who did not vote, people who voted for 3rd party—this is the result of those actions,” said Natalia Muñoz, Freelance Multimedia Journalist. “So you see, once and for all, that every vote does matter, and that you don't have to be in love with your candidate, you just have to love your ideals for social justice.”

As a journalist, Muñoz believes that mainstream media did not do its job appropriately to monitor and be the watchdogs, to investigate and properly inform the people.

“I think the election put on a spotlight on what already is happening in this country, and certainly, the role of corporate media became clearer—to click bait with unsubstantiated stories put forth by sympathizers from the Bernie Sanders camp, and then the Donald Trump camp,” said Muñoz. “Now, the corporate media and even Facebook are owning up to: 1) a lot of lies were published; 2) most of those lies were shared, and; 3) Trump received far more free media attention than any other candidate, without any scrutiny. It was just the ‘Trump Show.’”

Urgent Activism The acts will not be tolerated and people should send a strong message to those committing these acts, according to Morse.

“Having a presidential candidate and now a president-elect who demeans certain groups of people provides a permission slip to bigots to be more overt in their acts of hate. It is unacceptable,” said the Holyoke Mayor. “I worry most about the example it sets for our children and young people. That is why it is so important that we call it out and send the message that any derogatory and hateful acts will not be tolerated in our community.

“The election and the long campaign process have traumatized many people due to the brutality and bigotry expressed by Donald Trump. On the one hand, the ...

See Trump Effect on Page 23

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Federalist 68 from Page 6 Time magazine reported that the “Electoral College was primarily designed to stop a demagogue—a tyrannical mass leader who preys on our prejudices—from becoming President.”

Since the election, the Southern Poverty Law Center has reported an exponential increase in the number of hate crimes committed against marginalized groups, especially Muslims, immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ community, and women. Swastikas are being inscribed on baseball fields and the walls of schools, specifically pledging allegiance to Trump.

Notes are being left in students’ backpacks, students that were born American citizens, and who are now being abused and told to go back to their country. The LGBTQ community is being bullied and even physically attacked. Women, such as the students at the all-female Wellesley College were spit upon and verbally attacked by two men that rode around campus in a pickup truck that obnoxiously displayed large Trump flags. White supremacists chanted ‘hail Trump’ while using Hitler salutes at a conference in solidarity to the president-elect. Clearly these people had bias long before Trump was running for office. However, Trump’s actions and comments pinning Americans against one another have encouraged and incited such vitriolic behavior. The worst among us have become emboldened. Anti-Trump protests have erupted nationwide since Nov. 8 and despite the lack of corporate media coverage, they are still occurring throughout the country. And, with good reason.

Trump is well-known for his late night Twitter rants. He has attacked women like Rosie O’Donnell, Megyn Kelly, his alleged victims of sexual assault, and the cast of Hamilton that spoke directly to Mike Pence at a recent show regarding the impending state of the country under a Trump presidency. Other public officials, private citizens, businesses and non-profits have also been targets of his tirades. The list appears to be endless. However, knowing very well that supporters are behaving in such heinous and hateful ways toward others, the most he has said is “stop it.” There have been no Twitter rants about this. There have been no press conferences and there have been no public statements. It is safe to assume that these issues, the issues that are literally terrorizing millions of Americans, are not as important to him as his ego.

According to the Dworkin Report, an investigative report of the Democratic Coalition, there are 10 “clear links” that the FBI failed to investigate about Trump’s business ties to Russia and to the Putin regime. Connected to Russia in a variety of ways, as the report details, Donald Trump has incorporated almost 250 registered businesses in Russia and has been traveling to the Soviet Union since 1987. The report is currently under review by the White House and others.

Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist Paper Number 68 that the electors were to “afford as little opportunity as possible to tumult and disorder.” They were even supposed to prevent “the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils.” Let’s hope so.

Come December 19, I am hopeful that the electors will recognize the dire state of the

TheRainbowTimesMass.com • The Rainbow Times • 23

I AM HOPEFUL THEY UNDERSTAND THAT WHITE NATIONALISM

“NORMALIZED” OR DISCANNOT BE

GUISED BY USING PHRASES LIKE

“ALT-

RIGHT” INSTEAD OF CALLING IT OUT FOR WHAT IT IS—WHITE SUPREMACY

&

RACIST IDEOLOGY. country, will notice how disenfranchised groups are becoming even more marginalized, and will see that history is repeating itself and white supremacy is becoming mainstream again. I am hopeful they understand that white nationalism cannot be “normalized” or disguised by using phrases like “alt-right” instead of calling it out for what it is—white supremacy and racist ideology.

I am hopeful that they will recognize that freedom of religion granted to us under our Constitution is being violated by targeting Muslims, as presented by the incoming administration. I am hopeful that they will empathize with fellow Americans who are terrified that their civil rights will be violated and stripped of them. I am hopeful that they see how a Trump presidency presents hundreds of conflicts of interest around the globe due to his ever expanding empire. Although he finally has said he will remove himself from his business, Trump’s children will be the ones to run the enterprise. Yet, they too have been a part of meetings with foreign officials, which undoubtedly has given the for-profit conglomerate unprecedented access to global leaders. I am hopeful that the electors will listen to the voice of the people, the voice that echoes the majority in this country, the majority that did not vote for him, the majority that voted Democrat, the majority that voted for Hillary Clinton.

I am hopeful. *The author is and has been the editor-inchief and co-founder of The Rainbow Times for almost 10 years. Nicole holds an MBA from Marylhurst University and a BM from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam.

You can contact Nicole via her work e-mail at: editor@therainbowtimesmass.com.

Trump Effect from Page 22 election results have made people more fearful with a sense of hopeless immobilization, and on the other hand, have made others angrier with a renewed sense of urgent activism.”

Driscoll, like Morse, believes that united in action, people can change bigotry.

“Distrust, division, and hate will never create security; they will only undermine it,” said the pro-LGBT Salem Mayor. “And when those in power wield them as a weapon to shape a community into what they think it should be, instead of what it is, our history shows that they will not find themselves in power very long. We will continue to reiterate and reaffirm our beliefs in respect for equal rights and opportunities for all residents—none of which has changed since the election. We will continue to see our role in local law enforcement through a community-policing lens, not as immigration officials. We want all residents to trust that they can call the police to report an issue or talk to the police if they witness a crime, without fear of any kind of inquiry or retribution regarding their status.”

Muñoz, a western Mass. resident said that she feels safe partly due to commitments made by her city’s police department, mayor and city council.

“I feel safe because I know my rights and live in a city whose Police Chief, Jody Kasper, made abundantly clear, as she has in the past, that her department has zero tolerance for hate crimes,” she said. “Our City Council just reiterated that the city is a ‘hatefree zone’ and the mayor is committed to maintaining the city as a sanctuary city. That is, safe for immigrants without legal status to live, work, visit, etc., without fear that federal immigration officers will be called, unless a major crime has been committed.”

Morse said that the city of Holyoke and the police department take hate incidents and bigotry “very seriously” and “will continue to do so.”

“As Mayor, that is why I have been so vocal on this point,” he said.

Driscoll turned to the past to offer a fair warning.

“325 years ago, Salem struggled with a

crisis that saw faith and fear used as weapons against those who were perceived to be different,” she said. “I hope the lessons and the legacy from our own tragic historic episode here in Salem can serve as a cautionary example to the incoming Administration.”

24 • The Rainbow Times • TheRainbowTimesMass.com

December 8, 2016 - January 4, 2017