David Mariner

‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ recreates a historic interview with a man living with AIDS

December 16, 2021November 6, 2021 by David Mariner

By Mark King

At the height of their 1980s popularity, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were television evangelist royalty, hosting multiple shows and raking in cash from their on-air collection plates. Tammy Faye, however, also had an expansive view of love and acceptance, despite her conservative Christian roots.

She proved it in 1985 when she had a gay man living with AIDS, Steve Pieters, as a guest on her show, Tammy’s House Party. The interview is recreated in the new film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, about the rise and fall of the Bakkers. It premieres September 17 and stars Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye and Andrew Garfield as Jim.

Pieters spoke with POZ magazine about the original interview, which is available on YouTube, and the new film.

It’s amazing that of all the events in Tammy Faye’s life, the filmmakers chose to include her interview with you.

I’m thrilled that they did. I’m touched and honored.

The film The Eyes of Tammy Faye recreates the original Steve Pieters interview

Tammy Faye Bakker interviews Steve Pieters on her show Tammy’s House Party in 1985.YouTube

It’s ironic that the gay man they found was also a theologian and pastor.

Yes. I was a pastor at the time with [the LGBTQ-affirming] Metropolitan Community Church [MCC], and I had been speaking about living with AIDS for two years or more. I made sure the interview went out live so they couldn’t edit it. It was a kick.

But it was a conservative environment. When did you realize it was friendly ground?

Tammy’s producer had been very friendly. She reassured me that Tammy was proud and excited to be the first to give an affirming interview to a gay man with AIDS.

You also kept bringing the topic back to your faith. When she asked you if you had given women “a chance,” you said God loves you the way you are.

I did that quite deliberately. She had said [before we went on air] that “we don’t talk about Jesus” on this show. And then, of course, we ended up talking about Jesus a lot.

It’s also surprising, frankly, that the person living with AIDS who did that interview in 1985 is still alive to talk about it.

I know! I got sick in 1982 and was diagnosed with GRID [gay-related immunodeficiency, a diagnosis used prior to the discovery of HIV]. They told me I had eight months left to live.

There’s no rhyme or reason to it, is there? Who was empowered, who fought hard, who lived, who died, in those early years.

Yes, absolutely. When I think about all those amazing people who were killed…

What was the initial response from folks to your interview?

Not much. It wasn’t until 1987, when the Reverend Troy Perry played the interview at a general conference for MCC and 1,000 people stood up and cheered, that I got much of a response.

I was so shocked. After that, I traveled for 12 years all over the world, and they always wanted me to show that interview at church events. Everyone wanted to see it.

The trailer for The Eyes of Tammy Faye gives viewers the impression that she was really going rogue with her interview with you. It didn’t please the conservatives in power. She wasn’t sticking to the political script of homosexuals being a threat to Christianity and democracy.

Absolutely. I don’t know if it was because she had a good heart or because she wanted to be known as someone who did something radical. I don’t know. But I’m told this was not the first time she had talked to a gay man.

The new film explores the mystery of Tammy Faye, meaning whether she was just playing a role or whether she was, in fact, an innocent who loved the Lord. If her constant cheerfulness and loving attitude was a persona, she never, ever dropped it.

I know she treated me like a real human being. She was very compassionate. It seemed very sincere.

Her son, Jay Bakker, and I have talked the last couple of years, and he tells me that my interview changed her, and it changed the whole family.

After that interview, she decided that she had a calling to minister to the LGBT community.

She started taking her kids to MCC services and to Pride parades and to hospices to meet people with AIDS who were sick and dying. Jay said it completely changed their attitudes and her direction in ministry.

Was Jim Bakker involved in any of this?

Jay Bakker tells me that his father was all for having the interview done.

They did decide, though, that it should be broadcast on Tammy’s House Party, rather than on their flagship show, The PTL Club [PTL stood for “praise the Lord”]. They thought it would go better if it were on her show.

Now, all of these decades later, the notoriety of doing this interview is all going to come up again. There’s an actor, Randy Havens, playing you in a major Hollywood film. How does that make you feel?

I’m thrilled about it. I got a note from the producer saying that her interview with me figures very prominently in the plot.

Did the producers of the film approach you beforehand to ask your thoughts, then and now, about the interview? Did you even know that the film was happening?

No. I was on Jay Bakker’s podcast, Loosen The Bible Belt, and he told me about the movie.

He said that the actress Jessica Chastain, who plays Tammy Faye, told him that the interview was central to the plot. Jessica decided to do the film because of that interview in the plot.

The producers apparently thought that I was no longer living. Because the interview is on YouTube, I’m considered to be a historic figure, so they don’t have to ask my permission to do it. I wasn’t even aware of it until after the film was in the can.

Steve Pieters Courtesy of Steve Pieters

What are your apprehensions?

There is a little bit of fear in me that this is what’s going to be the lead in my obituary.

This interview and now this film is what I’m going to be remembered for, not that I survived AIDS or was a director of AIDS ministries but that I was that gay pastor with AIDS who did that interview. Which is OK, I could be remembered for a lot worse.

To have represented a community so well on a national television show that became kind of infamous? That’s a great lead for anyone’s obituary. And the interview eventually became your calling card. Look at all the great work you were able to do as a result of that moment. It accelerated your career in advocacy as well as your ministry.

It definitely raised my profile. And I’ve had people over the years come up to me and say that that interview saved their life or that they never realized they could be gay and Christian. I had one person tell me that he was seriously contemplating suicide, and the interview changed his mind.

It is a fascinating slice of HIV/AIDS history. It deserves to be remembered. And for what it meant for representation of people living with HIV and the marvelous work it helped you do and for the lives it changed, it deserves to be the lead in your obituary—if that turns out to be the case.

That’s true. It was a big deal. And I didn’t even know it at the time.

Why Tracey Scott Wilson Deserves Your Respect

September 21, 2021 by David Mariner

How the ‘Respect’ screenwriter’s sexual identity influenced her telling of Aretha’s story
By Chris Azzopardi

Aretha Franklin’s journey to self-discovery is seen through the lens of openly lesbian screenwriter Tracey Scott Wilson in “Respect,” the biopic starring Jennifer Hudson as Detroit’s own Queen of Soul. In director Liesl Tommy’s film, Wilson focuses on Franklin’s tumultuous path to the top, one that involved many years of fighting for personal and professional agency.

During her formative years, Aretha was bound to the controlling men in her life, namely her first husband, Ted White, and father, C.L. Franklin. That is, until she realized she didn’t have to be. The movie’s message — find your own voice — is one Wilson is very familiar with. After all, she’s lesbian. And, like Aretha, a preacher’s daughter.

From Brooklyn, the screenwriter spoke about how being part of the LGBTQ+ community influenced her script, why Aretha isn’t considered a gay icon, and how she wants the Queen’s song “Ain’t No Way” to be reclaimed as the gay anthem she says it is.

There are so many ways to tell Aretha’s story. How do you think your identity helped shape the narrative direction of the story as you chose to tell it?

That’s such a great question and something that no one has ever asked me. I didn’t know that Carolyn [Aretha’s younger sister] was a lesbian and so, when I found that out, that was just huge. I was like, “Wow. I wonder what would’ve happened had I known that when I was a kid.”

So, reading about Aretha’s family and the uniqueness of circumstances. And, also, my father was a minister. Obviously not as big as C.L., but I was very sort of tuned into the preacher’s kid part of me because, whenever you’re a preacher’s kid, you have to find your own identity outside of your parents. It can be so overwhelming. So I was just thinking about Carolyn and being a preacher’s kid, with a world-famous father at that. And then also, as a gay person, to decide you’re going to live your truth is just remarkable. Aretha, you know, never questioned [it]. They completely accepted that.

So was Carolyn your inroad to this story?

I think that Aretha was still the inroad, but because of her and Erma [Aretha’s elder sister], they were really important because I realized how much they influenced her, and vice versa. Their relationship was very formative to her. And whenever I was thinking about Aretha, I was thinking about where her sisters were at that moment.

Of course there’s gay gospel musician and Aretha collaborator James Cleveland, played by Tituss Burgess in the movie. Do you think Aretha coming out of her shell and harnessing her inner power had anything to do with the LGBTQ+ people around her, like Carolyn and James?

I actually do believe that. James Cleveland would have these parties and there were just gay people there, where it was sort of unspoken. Singers in the Black churches, ministers of music…

I think that her father, from all of my research, was just never sort of judgmental about that. I mean, I think it was different when it came to his own daughter. But I do think that seeing so many people — women, gay men — just live their truest under her father’s roof really did help her later on, in terms of just declaring her own identity.

Why do you think Aretha’s contemporaries, like Diana Ross and Patti LaBelle, are considered gay icons but Aretha is rarely referred to as one?

I think that the reason she hasn’t traditionally fallen into that category is because of her relationship with the church. For so many gay people, the church has been a source of pain. And for Aretha, it was a source of pain, but also her greatest source of inspiration. I think that’s why she wasn’t a gay icon. You know, “Amazing Grace” is her best-selling album [Note: It’s also the best selling gospel album of all time, period]. Whereas Patti LaBelle grew up in the church as well, but musically she wasn’t as connected to it. Same thing as Diana Ross. Diana Ross, growing up in the Motown scene, she didn’t have anything to do with that. So, I think that’s the unintended barrier, because she definitely had all of the other qualities these women had. The larger-than-life persona, the feminism…

And the shade. The shade was just so good.

The shade. Oh my god.

To me, a lot of things that Aretha had done in her career fall into the gay icon category: the over-the-top exuberance, the voice, the sass, the shade.

Carolyn, she wrote “Ain’t No Way” to be… it’s a gay anthem. When you look at those lyrics, it was so clear. You know what she’s talking about.

Do you think Aretha knew?

Oh, absolutely. I think the lyrics spoke to her as well, but her singing there was also an acknowledgement of her sister. [Aretha] was very private, so she didn’t talk about her life and she certainly wasn’t going to talk about her sister’s private life. I think if it would have been known, she would’ve been right up there with Cher.

I can’t find a lot of examples of Aretha actually openly talking about her LGBTQ+ fanbase.

I don’t think that was because of any type of shame. I just think that she was so intensely private that any opening up of that conversation would’ve meant talking about Carolyn. It would’ve meant talking about James Cleveland. It would’ve meant talking about her childhood. And she just didn’t want to.

It sounds like Aretha’s relationship with Carolyn gave you some insight into how Aretha felt about the community.

James Cleveland as well. You can see from “Amazing Grace” how close they were, growing up at the house with him. He was obviously very open about it.

Because of the movie, now I hear “Ain’t No Way” in a brand new queer light. It really does sound like a gay anthem.

Yeah, it really is. I hope it gets reclaimed. Because of just time, I wasn’t able to talk about Carolyn being a lesbian in the movie. There were a couple of scenes where I sort of laid it out. They had conversations, but it had to be cut. But I just hope it gets reclaimed for the anthem that it is.

Can you talk about the scenes that didn’t make the cut?

There’s a scene where Erma and Aretha were talking with Carolyn, and Carolyn is feeling sorry about somebody she dated that was crazy [laughs]. It was a scene where Aretha and Erma were talking to Carolyn, and they were asking her about someone she had previously dated and Carolyn was basically saying, “Don’t. Please. Don’t ever mention that girl’s name again.” And there was another scene where she started wrestling with who she was interested in.

Maybe the follow-up you write is Carolyn’s story.

Wouldn’t that be something? Wouldn’t it? Carolyn and James’s story.
Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

OUTProfiles: Will Roscoe and the Many Ways to be Queer

September 11, 2021September 11, 2021 by David Mariner

Will Roscoe is a prolific writer who has influenced many LGBTQ people by exploring the ways other cultures express, and often celebrate different genders and sexualities.

Roscoe has been active in the the Gay movement since 1975, when he helped found Lambda, the first Gay/Lesbian organization in Montana. The following year, he served an intern at the National Gay Task Force, and in 1977, as coordinator of the Gay People’s Alliance at the University of Oregon, he spearheaded the formation of the Oregon Gay Alliance, a statewide coalition of Gay/Lesbian groups. In 1978, he completed an internship at the Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley, where he coordinated a successful campaign to win United Way funding, the first Lesbian/Gay social service agency in the country to do so. He also served as voter registration coordinator for the No on 6 campaign in San Francisco (the Briggs initiative), registering over 10,000 new voters.

In 1979, he attended the first radical faerie gathering in Arizona, where he met Harry Hay, and became involved in efforts that led to the founding of Nomenus, which today operates a retreat in Southern Oregon. In 1980, with Tede Mathews and other local artists he organized “Mainstream Exiles: a Lesbian and Gay Men’s Cultural Festival” and between 1980 and 1982, he published and edited with Bradley Rose Vortex: A Journal of New Vision. In 1984, he became Project Coordinator for the Gay American Indians History Project and edited Living the Spirit, A Gay American Indian Anthology (Stonewall Inn Editions).

Roscoe’s research on the Native American berdache or two-spirit tradition has appeared in numerous journals and publications. His book, The Zuni Man-Woman (University of New Mexico Press), received the Margaret Mead Award of the American Anthropological Association and a Lambda Literary Award. He has since published Queer Spiritss: A Gay Men’s Myth Book (Beacon) and edited Radically Gay : Gay Liberation in the Words of Its Founder (Beacon) by Harry Hay. He is also co-editor of Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature (New York University Press) and Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies in African Homosexualities (St. Martin’s, 1998). In 1998 he publishedChanging Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America (St. Martin’s, 1998) a comprehensive series of studies of two-spirit people and traditions. His most recent book, Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love (Suspect Thoughts, 2004) received a Lambda Literary Award for best work in religion/spirituality.

Roscoe holds a Ph.D. in History of Consciousness from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has taught in Anthropology, Native American Studies, and American Studies at UC/Santa Cruz, San Francisco State University, UC/Berkeley, the California Institute of Integral Studies, and Dominican College, and he is adjunct faculty for the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology. From 1991-1995 he was an affiliated scholar with the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at Stanford University.

In 2003, he received a Monette-Horowitz Achievement Award for research and scholarship combatting homophobia.

adapted from www.willsworld.org

Daniel Hernández could be the be the second Latinx out LGBTQ member of Congress!

September 8, 2021 by David Mariner

Daniel Hernández is running for Congress to represent Arizona’s second district. If elected, Daniel will be the second Latinx out LGBTQ member of congress. The date of the primary election is August 2nd, 2022 and the general election takes place on November 8th, 2022

The Victory Fund writes…

Daniel is a state representative, former school board president, and lifelong Arizonan running for Congress to help Southern Arizona families.

Daniel was born and raised in Tucson, his mother an immigrant from Mexico who came to the U.S. where she met Daniel’s father. A first-generation college student, Daniel attended the University of Arizona when he interned for then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and was there on the day of the tragic attack on her life which resulted in 6 deaths and 13 people injured. Daniel was the first to administer first aid to the Congresswoman before the EMTs arrived and was named a national hero by President Obama.

Inspired by Congresswoman Giffords’s commitment to public service, Daniel went on to advocate for access to reproductive health care and education as program manager for Raíz, Planned Parenthood’s Latino outreach program. He was also elected to his local school board, where he became the youngest school board president in the district’s history.

Since 2017, Daniel has served in the Arizona State House, was one of the youngest elected and is a co-founder of the House LGBTQ caucus. In the House, he has worked with both Republicans and Democrats to pass bills protecting survivors of sexual assault and secure $20 million for school resource officers, counselors, and social workers. He also led the fight against legislation that would discriminate against LGBTQ Arizonans.

He fought to expand access to affordable health care, having struggled firsthand with a severe illness and to afford the right care and medication. During the pandemic, he protected critical health care services and saved a rural hospital that treats underserved communities in Southern Arizona. He also received recognition as the 2019 Women’s Healthcare Champion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Find out more about Daniel at: danielhernandezforcongress.com

The Illinois Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act Becomes Law

September 7, 2021 by David Mariner

Keep Kids Safe and Healthy Act Becomes Law

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act, which creates age-appropriate learning standards for public schools that decide to teach comprehensive personal health and safety education (grades K-5) and comprehensive sexual health education (grades 6-12).

Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, said:

“Equality Illinois is excited the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act is now law. In Carbondale, Springfield, Naperville, and more communities across the state, LGBTQ youth consistently told us their healthcare needs, their relationships, and their identities must be included and affirmed in public school instruction about personal health and safety education and sexual health education. This law advances Illinois’ values of inclusion and the freedom to build our best lives without burden or discrimination.

“While we are proud of this Act, there is much work to be done and more allies to get on board to ensure all Illinois public schools provide students with age-appropriate, comprehensive, and affirming personal health and safety education and sexual health education. We will forge ahead.”

Also known as Senate Bill 818, the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act applies to public school districts that choose to teach comprehensive personal health and safety education in grades K-5 and comprehensive sexual health education in grades 6-12. The new law will establish age-appropriate learning standards in alignment with national standards developed by leading public health groups, education organizations, and experts to ensure that youth in Illinois are equipped with the necessary tools and information to lead healthy and safe lives at all ages. The Illinois State Board of Education must develop and adopt the standards by August 1, 2022. Before that date, public schools that provide instruction in comprehensive personal health and safety education and comprehensive sexual health education must do so in an age-appropriate, inclusive, and comprehensive way.

The Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act also ensures that such instruction is inclusive and affirming of communities who historically have been stigmatized or excluded from such instruction, including youth living with a disability, LGBTQIA youth, pregnant or parenting youth, and survivors of interpersonal and sexual violence. Additionally, this education must not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion, gender expression, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

The Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act passed the Illinois General Assembly in May, where it was championed by State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), State Representative Camille Lilly (D-Chicago), State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), and State Representative Kathleen Willis (D-Addison).

The Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act is supported by a broad statewide coalition of organizations, including Equality Illinois, ACLU of Illinois, AIDS Foundation Chicago, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Illinois, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago Abortion Fund, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, Chicago Women’s Health Center, Citizen Action/Illinois, Comprehensive Sex Ed Now, Cook County Health, EverThrive Illinois, Healing to Action, Hult Center for Healthy Living, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Illinois National Organization for Women, Illinois Public Health Association, Illinois School Counselor Association, Kenneth Young Center, Lambda Legal, Life Span, McHenry County Citizens for Choice, Mujeres Latinas en Acción, National Association of Social Workers-Illinois Chapter, National Council of Jewish Women Illinois, Peoria Proud, PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois, Prairie Pride Coalition, Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Resilience, She Votes Illinois, SIECUS, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, Uniting Pride of Champaign County, and YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

“Thank you, Gov. Pritzker, for signing the bill,” Johnson said. “Thank you to our champions: State Sen. Ram Villivalam, State Rep. Camille Lilly, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, and State Rep. Kathleen Willis. Thank you to the 37 state senators and 60 state representatives who voted YES to supporting Illinois’ youth, including LGBTQ youth. Thank you to our many dedicated partners, including Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center, AIDS Foundation Chicago, and the ACLU of Illinois.”

Support LGBTQI Haitians directly with Earthquake Relief

September 4, 2021 by David Mariner

Since 1999 SEROvie an LGBTI-identified organization has an established network of eleven (11) centers that serve various communities across Haiti’s ten departments. Because of the challenge of being an openly LGBTQI-identified organization in a rights constrained country, SEROvie has focused on health and entre to our human rights and community building work. In addition to LGBTQI people, we also serve at-risk adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and sex workers.

Make a donation now through the Bayard Rustin Fund

Today, SEROvie works on numerous program interventions: health care and basic nutrition, quality education for the LGBTQI and their children, household economic security benefiting 22,000 clients and their families in 36 communities.

In the aftermath of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked southwestern Haiti, 1,400 people are dead and more than 6,900 others injured, 10,000 people left homeless while hundreds more are still missing. The southern and western parts of the country, particularly the Sud, Grand’Anse and Nippes departments, have withstood the worst of the quake, while some communities closer to the epicenter, yet to be reached and out of contact, and are thought to have been completely devastated.

Despite Tropical Storm Grace weakening into a depression, the system still threatens to dump more than 10 inches of rain over the areas hardest hit by the earthquake this week potentially triggering deadly flash floods that could complicate humanitarian response efforts.

Recognizing the unique challenges faced by LGBTI people, SEROvie developed a specialized disaster response and recovery effort. As an established LGBTQI organization, SEROvie has a unique role in providing support directly to our Haitian LGBTI community. In the past, more generalized disaster response efforts have been quite discriminatory against LGBTQI community members, and our communities have suffered. Hence, we need to provide support directly to our community!

Based on initial assessments with LGBTQI community members in the Southwest, our priorities and recommendations reflect in that an urgent response is needed – specifically for safety, food and potable water. Substantial funding is urgently for SEROvie to offer relief in Les Cayes and Miragoane:

Food distribution at our two southern facilities—we estimate we have 320 beneficiaries Cayes in 127 in Miragoane who will need help for at least a two-week period.
Hygiene kits (water bucket, soap, paste and toothbrush, toilet paper and hygiene pads) distribution for at least 500 beneficiaries.
Tents, pillows, and sheets for at least 500 beneficiaries.
Potable water for at least 500 beneficiaries; and
Organizing emotional first aid and psychosocial support to help LGBTQI cope with grief and trauma within our LGBTQI Friendly Spaces (Biomed articles will be needed and cook food will be offered daily to 450 for a week period).

Make a donation now through the Bayard Rustin Fund

Censorship of LGBTQ Websites Around the World

September 3, 2021 by David Mariner

A new report from OutRight Action International, the Citizen Lab, and the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) documents the state of website censorship in some of the most challenging countries in the world for LGBTIQ communities. The report shows prevalent censorship of LGBTIQ website content, reflecting prevalent levels of LGBTIQ-phobia and active silencing of LGBTIQ voices by certain states. The study combines network measurement techniques with interviews from local experts, providing novel insight into the technical obstacles many users face in accessing LGBTIQ news, health, and human rights websites.

The report focuses on Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These countries are known for having some of the most challenging environments for the promotion and protection of human rights in the world. The documented online censorship in these jurisdictions prevents LGBTIQ people from accessing important information, silences LGBTIQ voices, and obstructs the efforts of civil society who are fighting for LGBTIQ rights.

The report provides detailed technical and policy examinations of each country, finding:

The highest blocking consistency was found in Saudi Arabia, where most LGBTIQ URLs were found blocked more than 75% of the times tested.
The highest number of LGBTIQ URLs found blocked was in Iran.
Russia had the highest number of networks that block LGBTIQ URLs.
In all six countries, LGBTIQ-related content is wrongly conflated with pornography and subjected to laws outlawing such content.
Censorship leads to self-censorship, especially where punitive actions against LGBTIQ communities are intensifying.

OutRight Action International, Citizen Lab, and OONI also found that in some of these countries, the criminalization of same-sex relations and transgender identities, in addition to the shrinking space for civil society online and offline, has hampered coalition- and movement-building efforts.

Deputy Executive Director of OutRight Action International, Maria Sjödin, comments:

“For so many LGBTIQ people around the world, the ability to connect online is the only opportunity to find community and access life-saving information. Censorship cuts off an important lifeline, further demonizes the LGBTIQ community, and obstructs the work of LGBTIQ organizations. Such censorship, typically justified by discriminatory or arbitrarily applied laws, is in violation of international standards of freedom of expression and access to information. As long as states continue to censor LGBTIQ websites, the international community, private sector actors and civil society must do what they can to protect these fundamental rights.”

Access the report here.

Lil Nas X: Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year

September 2, 2021 by David Mariner

The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, honored Grammy Award-winning artist Lil Nas X with its inaugural Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award. Lil Nas X has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to supporting The Trevor Project’s mission to end suicide among LGBTQ young people with his openness about struggling with his sexuality and suicidal ideation, his continued advocacy around mental health issues, and his unapologetic celebration of his queer identity.

The Trevor Project’s inaugural Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award marks the start of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and the crucial work that needs to be done to end suicide among LGBTQ youth. According to The Trevor Project’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. Due to higher rates of discrimination, rejection, and social isolation, LGBTQ young people are at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, seriously considering suicide, and more.

In accepting the award, Lil Nas X said: “Thank you so much to The Trevor Project for this award and for all they do for the LGBTQ community. Discrimination around sexuality and gender identity is still very real, and our community deserves to feel supported and totally free to be themselves. I often get messages from fans telling me about their struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, and it made me realize that this was something bigger than myself. If using my voice and expressing myself in my music can help even one kid out there who feels alone, then it was all worth it.”

Amidst a record-breaking year for anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence against the LGBTQ community, The Trevor Project is highlighting the importance of queer representation in the media, and the powerful message of visibility and hope it sends to LGBTQ young people.

“The Trevor Project is thrilled to honor Lil Nas X with the Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award,” said Amit Paley, CEO and Executive Director at The Trevor Project. “His vulnerability in his journey to self acceptance and expression has created space for candid conversations around mental health and sexual identity, signaling to LGBTQ youth that they are not alone. The Trevor Project’s research shows that over 80% of LGBTQ youth say that LGBTQ celebrities positively influence how they feel about being LGBTQ, further affirming the cultural impact of Lil Nas X being proud of who he is and an ideal recipient of this inaugural award.”

Following his chart-topping, genre-defying debut “Old Town Road” in 2019, Lil Nas X quickly became a global LGBTQ icon recognized for his fearless effort in changing the status quo around what it means to be queer and Black in the mainstream music industry. Throughout his career, he has been an outspoken and unapologetic advocate for the LGBTQ community, using his platform to shed light on mental health issues many LGBTQ young people face. In February, Lil Nas X shared a series of intimate TikTok videos documenting his life story, including his silent battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation during his rise to fame. The following month, he penned a heartfelt letter to his 14-year-old self about coming out publicly to mark the release of “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” In the letter he states, “I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.” In May, he released the music video for his single “SUN GOES DOWN,” which depicts Lil Nas X uplifting a younger version of himself in high school when he was contemplating suicide and struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. Through his bold music videos, poignant song lyrics, and candor on social media, Lil Nas X continues to fight for mainstream queer representation and elevate important issues around mental health, igniting change and spotlighting the experiences of LGBTQ young people around the world.

If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat www.TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting START to 678678.

About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide. If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, our trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 via chat www.TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting START to 678-678.

Houston Gay Bars, Restaurants, and Clubs

July 3, 2024September 1, 2021 by David Mariner

Ripcord
Laid-back gay bar with a patio, pool tables & darts, serving a diverse crowd since 1980.
theripcord.com

Eagle Houston
Leather-&-Levis gay bar with a well-worn vibe, a pool table & craft beer, plus an adult gift shop.
eaglehouston.com

JR’s Bar & Grill
Gay watering hole with a patio popular for happy hours & live entertainment such as drag shows.
jrsbarandgrill.com

George
Gay sports bar serving drinks & Grub in relaxed digs with TV’s, pool tables, & a country-western bent.
fb.com/George-Country-Sports-Bar-90494902121

Barcode Houston
Small LGBTQ hangout with various events, including drag shows & karaoke in a convivial atmosphere.
fb.com/barcode77006

Tony’s Corner Pocket
Gay nightclub featuring DJs & dancing, plus game nights & events.
tonyscornerpocket.com

Crocker
Lively gay bar & night spot featuring DJs, karaoke & a patio, plus pub grub & happy hours.

Crystal Nighclub
Long-standing Latino dance club & music-video bar drawing a diverse LGBT crowd.
fb.com/ClubCrystalHouston

Photograph by Jolene

Best Practices for Working with LGBT Elders

August 31, 2021 by David Mariner

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations, in addition to having the same basic elder care needs as the general population, experience disparities and barriers related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression. Many avoid, delay, or receive inappropriate or inferior care because of perceived or real stigma and discrimination by care providers and institutions. The stigma associated with sexual orientation and gender identity impedes access to important programs, services and opportunities.

Below is a recommended set of best practices based on recommendations made in a nationwide report titled “Improving the Lives of LGBT Older Adults” released by Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE), a national organization that provides services and advocacy for GLBT elders. These best practices will help reduce some of the stigma LGBT elders face and will improve culturally competent service delivery.

General

• Sexual orientation and gender identity are, like certain other demographic and personal characteristics, relevant to health care delivery; some illnesses including breast cancer and depression are more prevalent among LGBT populations and LGBT patients are less likely to have accessed regular screenings.

• Every person has their own sexual orientation and gender identity. These are two distinct identities that describe a particular person. So, for example, while a non-transgender person can be straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual, so too can a transgender person be straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual.

• If a patient or care recipient does disclose his or her sexual orientation or gender identity to you, this information should be treated with great sensitivity, respect and confidentiality. If his or her sexual orientation or gender identity is relevant to the care they are receiving, this information should only be disclosed to others on a need to know basis.

• LGBT elders are more likely to be single, childless and estranged from families-of-origin; LGBT elders may well have developed “families of choice.” Consequently friends and partners of LGBT patients and care recipients should be given the respect and access usually given to a spouse or relative, where legally permissible. Medical practitioners should be sensitive to a possible need for caregiver assistance at home.

Intake

• Approach the interview showing empathy, open-mindedness, and without rendering judgment.

• Intake forms should use the term “relationship status” instead of “marital status,” including options like “partnered.” When asking—on the form or verbally—about a patient’s significant other, use terms such as “partner,” in addition to “spouse” and/or “husband/wife.”

• Respect transgender clients by making sure all office staff – especially staff charged to process intakes – are trained to use a patient’s preferred pronoun and name. The patient should be asked to clearly indicate this information on their medical record in a manner that allows the health provider to easily reference it for future visits.

• Consider adding a “transgender” option to the male/female check boxes on your intake form. This will help capture better information about transgender clients, and will be an immediate sign of acceptance to that person. Do not list transgendered as an alternate sexual orientation (like lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual). Gender identity and sexual orientation are distinct.

• Ask LGBT seniors (clients) about a personal history of hate crimes/violence. As you may already know, victims of violence are at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Depression and anxiety are also more prevalent among LGBT persons, a probable result of stigma and discrimination.

Office Environment

• Disseminate or visibly post a non-discrimination statement stating that care will be provided to all patients, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, physical ability or attributes, religion, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity and expression.

• Providers should create a welcome and friendly environment for LGBT staff and patients and should refer patients to competent providers when follow-up or specialist visits are necessary.

• Healthcare providers, including nurses and volunteers in medical, social and housing facilities should be trained on factors that affect older HIV-positive patients, sexuality, isolation, stigma, comorbidity issues and others.

• Include LGBT specific media, signs and posters that include relevant information for LGBT persons in public areas.

• Provide in-depth training for staff members on the impact of homophobia and its effects on providing culturally sensitive care for LGBT patients. Proper use of language is also vital in establishing a welcoming environment.

• Participate in provider referral programs through LGBT organizations.

• Do not list transgender as an alternate sexual orientation (like lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual). Gender identity and sexual orientation are distinct.