November, 2019 News (48 Articles with 56,387 total views)
On the cover of the print edition for November, 2019 Members of Identity and NW PA Pride Alliance marched in Edinboro's Homecoming Parade on October 14. The theme was Art, and students costumes included LGBT artists Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring.
This began publication in December 2002 after a hiatus
Category for this issueCalendar & Upcoming Events
Calendar of Local GLBT Events |
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Local and Regional News
Edinboro Halloqueen Ball
On Thursday, October 31, Identity/EUP's LGBTQIA+ student organization held their annual Halloqueen Ball in the Franklin G. Pogue Student Center at Edinboro University.
Transgender Day of Remembrance: Pittsburgh on November 20
In Tradition with Transgender Day of Remembrance SisTers PGH will be organizing TDOR in partnership with the Lgbtqia+ Advisory Council of Pittsburgh to celebrate the lives of those transgender people weve lost over the years, those that trailblazed through life living unappolegetically and honorably! Transgender Day of Remembrance: Pittsburgh will be held on Wednesday, November 20 from 7-9 PM at the Pittsburgh City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh PA.
NW PA Pride and Identity in Edinboro Homecoming Parade
On Saturday, October 12, members of NW PA Pride Alliance and Identity, Edinboro University's LGBTQIA+ student organization marched together again in Edinboro's Homecoming Parade. The theme for 2019 was art, and members of Identity costumes included LGBT artists including Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring.
4th Annual Full Spectrum Community Outreach Holiday Gala on December 13
Full Spectrum Community Outreach's 4th Annual Holiday Gala fundraiser will be held on Friday, December 13th, 2019 from 6PM-10PM at DiVieste's Banquet Center in Warren, Ohio and is sponsored in part by Equitas Health.
Voters Guide for Erie County Council & Erie City Council Races for November 5 Municipal Election
Candidates for Erie County Council and Erie City Council were asked about their positions on GLBT issues. Their responses appear online and on page 4 of the November 2019 print edition of Erie Gay News..
Behrend's Gender and Sexuality Club 13th Annual Drag Show on Nov 7
Behrend's Gender and Sexuality Club will be presenting their 13th Annual Drag Show on Thursday November 7 at 7 PM at Penn State Behrned in McGarvey Commons.Performers include Lola Lecroix, Anna Steezia, Danyel Vasquez, Alora Chateau, amd Dixie Surewood. The theme is Neon and there will an amateur competion, a long-standing tradition.
Intersections of Equality Symposium on Nov 16
The 2019 GEAE Intersections of Equality Symposium will take place on Saturday, November 16 at the Black Conference Center at Penn State Behrend. Panels will include LGBTQ health care (LECOM), Art therapy, state legislative education by Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (our first openly gay legislator of color in PA), HIV/AIDS education, queer art (reflecting gender, ability, sexuality, and cultural mythology), and local and state allies in the business, government, and non-profit sectors--and more! Student tickets are $15. Early registration is $25. Those who register by October 23 for $35 can receive a special two-for-one ticket for the symposium and the November Rufus Wainwright performance at Mercyhurst University. Tickets after October 23 will be $35 for the day. Penn State Behrend will offer professional continuing education units for an additional fee of $35. Register today! All registrations include a continental breakfast and boxed lunch. Limited vendor tables are available by contacting GEAE.
Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil on Nov 20
TransFamily of NW PA will host a candlielight vigil on Wednesday, November 20 at 6:30 PM on the step of the Erie County Courthouse, 140 W 6th St, Erie PA. **NOTE: This event will start promptly at 6:30 pm. We ask that you please arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes early to get a candle and join the vigil without disruption.
GEAE Update for Erie Regional GSA meeting on November 7
The Erie Regional GSA will meet at the Blasco Library, 160 E Front St, Erie PA, on Thursday, November 7th from 6-8 pm in the Teen Space. All LGBTQ youth and allies ages 13-18 are invited to attend. Topics include self-care, advocacy in our schools, and networking. Snacks provided. Sponsored by Greater Erie Alliance for Equality and the Erie County Public Library.
Deadline for November 2019 print edition (issue # 288) of Erie Gay News is Monday, October 14
For the next print edition of Erie Gay News (issue # 288, cover dated for November 2019), please send in calendar events, news items, and other info for late September 2019 and beyond by Monday, October 14. We expect that the next print edition will come out on Tuesday, October 22.. Please note! This issue will include our Voters Guide for the 2019 Municipal General Election.
Entertainment and Travel
VH1 greenlights "RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race"
NEW YORK, NY - October 22, 2019 - VH1 today announced that "RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race," an expansion of the Emmy® award-winning franchise, has been greenlit for 2020. The four-episode event series will feature 12 sickening celebrities as they sashay into the 'werk' room to compete for the first-ever title of "America's Next Celebrity Drag Superstar." The premiere date and star-studded guests will be announced soon.
Auditions at All An Act Nov 10 & 11 for the award winning play Another Country by Julian Mitchell
November 10th and 11th at 7:00 pm at All An Act, 652 West 17th Street (17th & Poplar Street), Erie, Pa 16502. Rehearsals begin February 10, 2020. Show dates March 20 - April 5, 2020, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 3 :00 PM. No one under who will be 17 when rehearsals start will be able to be in production.. Play does deal with some same sex issues some characters may be asked to portray moments or intimacy with the same sex. Actors will be asked to try an English accent.
Buffalo United Artists proudly presents "The Boys Upstairs" November 1-23
The Boys Upstairs, a comedy by Jason Mitchell, is directed by Todd Fuller, and stars Jonathan Beckner, Zachary Bellus, Jeremy Catania, Ricky Needham, Daniel Torres. The play runs November 1st - 23rd, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. at Alleyway Theatre - Main Stage, One Curtain Up Alley, Buffalo NY. Sex, Dating, Friendship, and all the blurry lines in between…THE BOYS UPSTAIRS invites you into the fabulous living room of Josh, Seth, and Ashley. These three Hell's Kitchen Boys encounter all of the challenges, thrills, disappointments, tops and bottoms that young adult New York life has to offer. Seth is falling in love with his older boyfriend while attempting to seek approval from his single best friends. Ashley feeds on the variety, availability and accessibility of men in Manhattan. Josh finds inspiration from the antics of his two besties and his own humorously disastrous trials with dating and funnels it all into his newest writing concept. Just when these three settle into a rhythm of celebrating life and then analyzing it the next morning, they are all thrown for a loop when their incredibly hot neighbor Eric moves in below them. The "is he or isn't he" question is just one of many that these city boys ponder with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! Tickets are $25.00 general admission, $20.00 for student and members. Call the Buffalo United Artists box office at (716) 886-9239
Pride Journey: Columbus, Ohio
This was my fourth visit to Columbus, Ohio and every time I visit, I discover something new. What a lot of people don't realize about this thriving mid-west city is that its LGBTQ community is one of the largest in the United States and growing every day.
Political, Activism and Legal
Lambda Legal Decries Execution of South Dakota Gay Man Sentenced to Die by Jury Tainted with Antigay Bias
(Souix Falls, SD, November 5, 2019) - Last night, Charles Rhines, a South Dakota gay man, was put to death by lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final motion that would have allowed Rhines to bring new evidence to the Court showing that antigay bias may have motivated the jury to sentence him to death. Recently, it was discovered that jurors suggested that sentencing Mr. Rhines to life in prison with other men would be "sending him where he wants to go."
Trump Admin Kicks Off National Adoption Month By Licensing Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination
WASHINGTON - November 1, 2019 - Today, the Modern Military Association of America, the nation's largest non-profit organization for the LGBTQ military and veteran community, released the following statement strongly condemning the Trump-Pence administration's new rule licensing taxpayer-funded discrimination against the LGBTQ community in adoption and foster care services. Released today by the Department of Health and Human Services, the rule attacking basic fairness and equality comes at the start of National Adoption Month.
Civil Rights Groups and the County of Santa Clara Urge Court to Block Denial of Care Rule
SAN FRANCISCO - October 30, 2019 - Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Lambda Legal, and the County of Santa Clara today argued before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that the Trump administration's Denial of Care Rule should be ruled unlawful and blocked from going into effect. The organizations, along with pro bono counsel Mayer Brown LLP, are representing myriad health care providers and medical professionals, as co-plaintiffs with the County, in the lawsuit County of Santa Clara v. HHS
Newsom Signs Bill to Make Schools Safer, More Supportive for LGBTQ Youth
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - October 12, 2019 - The State of California furthered its commitment to protecting LGBTQ young people today as California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Safe and Supportive Schools Act of 2019 (AB 493) authored by Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) and co-sponsored by Equality California and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. The legislation creates safer and more supportive school environments for LGBTQ youth by encouraging school districts to provide teachers with information on resources available to support LGBTQ students and requires the California Department of Education to develop relevant training programs for teachers no later than July 1, 2021.
Uganda Plans to Re-introduce "Anti-Homosexuality Act"
October 10, 2019 - n an interview with Thomson Reuters today the Ethics and Integrity Minister of Uganda, Simon Lokodo, has announced plans to introduce to parliament a bill imposing the death penalty for same-sex relations and "promotion and recruitment" of homosexuality in order to curb a rise in "unnatural sex". Local activists confirm that it is to be tabled on October 28, 2019.
World Congress of Families to Boost Export of LGBTIQ-phobia in West Africa
October 9, 2019 - The World Congress of Families (WCF), designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, announced last week that a regional conference would be held on October 31 and November 1 in Accra, Ghana, marking an expansion of its right-wing fundamentalist agenda in West Africa.
Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Landmark LGBTQ Discrimination Case
WASHINGTON - October 8, 2019 - The American Civil Liberties Union appeared before the Supreme Court today in oral arguments for R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC & Aimee Stephens and Altitude Express v. Zarda (a third case, Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, had been consolidated with Zarda), cases that could chart the future of workplace anti-discrimination protections in the United States.
Newsom Signs Historic Bill Expanding Access to HIV Prevention Medication
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - October 7, 2019 - California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Asm. Todd Gloria's (D-San Diego) SB 159 - co-sponsored by Equality California - on Monday, expanding access to life-saving HIV prevention medication. When SB 159 goes into effect on January 1, 2020, California will become the first state in the nation to authorize pharmacists to furnish at least a 30-day supply - and up to a 60-day supply - of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and a complete course of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) without a physician's prescription. The legislation also prohibits insurance companies from requiring "step therapy" or prior authorization for anti-retroviral drugs, including PrEP and PEP. The bill is a key step in California's work to eliminate HIV and delivers on Newsom's campaign pledge to take aggressive action to end the HIV epidemic.
Palm Center Statement about Tonight's 2020 Presidential Candidate Debate on LGBTQ Issues
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Palm Center is pleased to release an updated guide to each 2020 presidential candidate's position on the military's transgender ban.
Health
World Aids Day Recognition Program - Monday December 2nd
On Monday December 2nd, The Erie County HIV Task Force will proudly host a World AIDS Day Recognition Program in order to raise the community's awareness of HIV. This year's program will highlight a HIV Peer Survivor Story, community speakers on the importance of HIV prevention and the program will conclude with a candle light service to remember those that have lost their lives due to HIV. The program starts at 5:15 pm in the Admiral Room at the Blasco Library, 160 East Front Street, Erie.
Love, Sex and Grindr
This column originated in questions that I've gotten from my clients, such as: Is it true that too much Grindr or Scruff sex makes you numb? Does Grindr encourage sex addiction? My friend met his husband on Grindr: why can't I? Has Scruff replaced dating and going to bars?
STDs continue to rise in the U.S., reaching all-time high
New CDC data show that combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia continued their record-breaking rise in 2018. Multiple factors are contributing to the overall increase in STDs, including drug use, socioeconomic status, decreased condom use, reduced access to health services, and cuts to STD programs at the state and local level.
Letters, Columnists and Opinion
Real political power and you
Have you ever thought about combining politics and a hobby with community service, and at the same time being a cog in the wheel that could bring us all equality? Well, here's how you can do just that.
The Amazon Trail: Damned if I Know
Damned if I know whether or not all the rabble rousing of the last sixty years has done us a lick of good. I thought the issue of our rights was pretty much settled, but on October eighth, 2019, Stanford Law School professor Pamela Karlan argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that gay employees are already protected from job discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964 federal civil rights law.
Contests
Enter to win In The Shadow Of The Bridge by Joseph Campbell!
Enter to win In The Shadow Of The Bridge by Joseph Campbell! To enter the contest, fill out the form below between Friday, November and Friday, December 6.
Enter to win A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir by Edie Windsor with Joshua Lyon!
Enter to win A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir by Edie Windsor with Joshua Lyon! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, November 12 and Tuesday, December 3.
Enter to win Papi Chulo DVD from Breaking Glass Pictures!
Enter to win Papi Chulo DVD from Breaking Glass Pictures! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, November 8 and Friday, November 29.
Enter to win Shine of the Ever by Claire Rudy Foster!
Enter to win Shine of the Ever by Claire Rudy Foster! This also includes a handwritten horoscope by the author. To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, November 5 and Tuesday, November 26.
Enter for the chance to win Gravity by Gryffin!
Enter to win Copa 181 DVD from Breaking Glass Pictures!
Enter to win Copa 181 DVD from Breaking Glass Pictures! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, October 29 and Tuesday, November 19.
Win a Kelsea Ballerini "Miss Me More" (Summer Mix) prize pack!
Enter now to win a "Miss Me More" (Summer Mix) prize pack including a copy of the hit single from Grammy Award nominated country pop sensation Kelsea Ballerini plus an exclusive "Miss Me More" hat! To enter the contest. fill out the form below between Friday, October 25, and Friday, November 15.
Enter for the chance to win Echoes of War by Cheryl Campbell!
Enter for the chance to win Echoes of War by Cheryl Campbell! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, October 22 and Tuesday, November 12
Enter to win Getting Off: The Unlikely Chronicles of a Solosexual on PrEP!
Enter to win Getting Off: The Unlikely Chronicles of a Solosexual on PrEP ! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, October 18 and Friday, November 8.
Enter for the chance to win Somewhere Along the Way by Kathleen Knowles!
Enter for the chance to win Somewhere Along the Way by Kathleen Knowles! To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Tuesday, October 15 and Tuesday, November 5.
Win Mika's new album My Name Is Michael Holbrook!
Win Mika's new album My Name Is Michael Holbrook!To enter the contest, fill out the form here between Friday, October 11 and Friday, November 1.
History
For museum curators, garments offer stylish storytelling
Curators working with the Oakland Museum of California on its first major LGBT exhibition, dubbed "Queer California: Untold Stories," displayed a blue sequined jacket created by San Francisco designer Pat Campano and worn in 1985 by the gender-bending gay disco diva Sylvester.
Alfred Kinsey "was our Stonewall." - Samuel Steward
There was a time when 1 out of every 2 Americans Gallup polled knew Alfred Kinsey's name, and to gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals he was a living hero. Sadly, for the last quarter century or so, calling Alfred Kinsey "the man who made the homosexual movement possible" has come not from that movement but from the Antigay Industry.
Diaries reveal hidden worlds for museums
"Damn I'm going to be a gorgeous man," Lou Sullivan wrote 40 years ago in one of his personal diaries.
Stonewall 50 finally gets our history right
Something very strange happened during last June's celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The LGBT community, especially those of us from Gay Liberation Front New York realized how the history we created from 1969 to 1971 was being distorted by those who had recorded it. Even LGBT organizations, whose mission is to give resources and information to mainstream media, fell short and had to be corrected by the mainstream media it was supposed to assist.
HED: Charlotte Cushman's passions on stage and off
Charlotte Cushman (1816-1876) was the greatest American actress of her era, a theatrical superstar and a gender-nonconforming lesbian who worked on stages in the U.S., Britain and Rome throughout the mid-19th century. For over four decades, she was seen by millions. Tall, strikingly handsome and highly charismatic, Cushman charmed women across two continents from the stage and her drawing rooms. During the time when women frequently played both men's and women's roles, Cushman became known for her "breeches roles," playing men on stage. Her Lady Macbeth launched her career, but it was her portrayal of Romeo in Shakespeare's most popular play, "Romeo and Juliet," that was considered one of the greatest of any actors, male or female, of her era.
The rise of the ballroom scene through the ages
The first time Jacen Bowman attended a house meeting, he had no idea what LGBTQ ballroom culture was.
Mayor Pete Speaks On LGBT History, Historic Campaign
Pete Buttigieg, who has served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana since 2012, came out as a gay man in a self-penned essay published by the South Bend Tribune. This past April he declared his candidacy for President of the United States. Mayor Buttigieg and I spoke on the phone about his campaign, his values, and who he looks up to in the LGBTQ community.
Miscellaneous
Acquiring the Down Payment for Your First Home
Saving for your first home can be a daunting task. From assessing your current spending habits to diving deep into your finances to determine exactly how much you can afford to spend, the saving process isn't always a pleasant one. But the end result, of course, is more than worth the sacrifice.
The Frugal Gay: 5 Money Saving Tips for Financial Freedom
In our society, it is not easy to live a frugal life. We are surrounded by influences which may cause us to do things that aren't quite financially responsible. From fancy dinners to exotic vacations, the LGBTQ community loves to flaunt our fabulous life. Unfortunately for some, they are piling on debt just to keep up appearances. I used to be the exact same way until I realized that I didn't care what others thought of me, or my Target shirts.