N O V E M B E R 0 3 2 0 1 7 V O LU M E 0 1 I S S U E 1 7 A M E R I C A S LG B TQ N E W S S O U R C E LO S A N G E L E S B L A D E .

C O M

Kamala Harris an LGBT fave in 2020 Hillary trashes Trump at HRC dinner City celebrates Halloween

PAGE 16 PAGE 20 PAGE 36

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0 4 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM CO V E R ST O RY

Has the Weinstein restorm torched Hollywoods gay House of Cards?

Sexual harassment victims
nally speaking out
By KAREN OCAMB
kocamb@losangelesblade.com
Finally, the victims of sexual harassment
and assault are speaking outand nally
people are listening. The latest restorm
exploded Oct. 29, as out actor Anthony
Rapp told the world that Oscar-winning
actor Kevin Spacey had tried to seduce
him when Rapp was 14 years old. The
Star Trek: Discovery actor, now 46, told
Buzzfeed that he had been inspired to come
forward by the stories of all the women
leveling accusations of sexual abuse and
harassment at one-time powerhouse
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
And not to simply air a grievance, Rapp
told Buzzfeed News, but to try to shine
another light on the decades of behavior
that have been allowed to continue
because many people, including myself,
being silent. Im feeling really awake to
the moment that were living in, and Im
hopeful that this can make a dierence.
have been over 30 years ago. But if I did
behave then as he describes, I owe him
the sincerest apology for what would
have been deeply inappropriate drunken
behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings
he describes having carried with him all
these years, Spacey wrote on Twitter.
This story has encouraged me to
address other things about my life. I know
that there are stories out there about me,
and that some have been fueled by the
fact that I have been so protective of my
own privacy, Spacey said, adding I now
choose to live as a gay man.
Spacey was not welcomed with open
arms. Nope to Kevin Spaceys statement.
Nope. Theres no amount of drunk or
closeted that explains away assaulting a 14
year old child, Dan Savage wrote on Twitter.
Others were furious that Spaceys
coming out seemed designed to distract
from the allegation.
Netix cancelled Spaceys hit show
House of Cards after the upcoming
sixth season, which is currently lming in
ANTHONY RAPP has accused Kevin Spacey of trying to seduce him when he was 14.
Maryland. The decision was reportedly
made prior to the Spacey scandal. PHOTO BY VAGUEONTHEHOW; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Rapp said Spacey, then 26, invited the
young Broadway actor to a party at his
New York apartment in 1986. Finding
himself alone in Spaceys bedroom after all
the other guests had gone, Rapp recalled
that Spaceysort of stood in the doorway,
kind of swaying. My impression when he
came in the room was that he was drunk.
Without a word, Rapp recalled, Spacey
picked me up like a groom picks up the
bride over the threshold. But I dont, like,
squirm away initially, because Im like,
Whats going on? And then he lays down
on top of me.
He was trying to seduce me, Rapp
said. I dont know if I would have used
that language. But I was aware that he was
trying to get with me sexually.
Spaceys response was immediate. He
apologized and came out. Im beyond
horried to hear his story. I honestly do
not remember the encounter, it would
Hollywood has kept this mans gay
open secret and ignored whispers
about sexual harassment for years. But
people are coming forward now. Victoria
Featherstone, artistic director of the Royal
Court Theatre, was asked if she was aware
of Spaceys conduct when he served as
artistic director of the Old Vic in London.
I think that many people in the theatre
and in the creative industries have been
aware of many stories of many people over
a lot of years, and Kevin Spacey would be one
of the people that people have had concerns
about, yes, she told Radio 4 in England.
Nadine West tweeted: KS groped my
young male friend when they were both
working at the Old Vic. Was apparently always
known as one to avoid. Sadly unsurprised.
Out actor/playwright Michael Kearns
told the Los Angeles Blade that Hollywood
is a scalding cauldron of collusion, with
scores of players who participate in the
straight-gay charade.
Whats troubling is that a number
of Hollywood powerbrokers treat
homosexuality as a sin or immoral or
an abnormality that somehow is to be
hidden; they categorize it as a career killer
that could result in a loss of box oce
billing or revenue, he says. But they have
skin in the game (usually nancial) so they
collude. They lie, betray, falsify; they are
the immoral ones.
When Spacey was trolling the halls at
Burke Williams, camouaging himself by
putting the hood of his bathrobe up over
his head, he was not exactly embracing his
gayness, Kearns said.
Gay sexual harassment and the quiet
collusion to ignore it goes beyond Spacey.
Hercules star Kevin Sorbo alleged that
fashion designer Gianni Versace sexually
harassed him in 1984, specically because
he was a straight mans man. Sorbo said
he refused Versaces advances and the
two remained friends. Sorbo continued
to model for Versace but he didnt get a
major campaign hed hoped for. Casting
couches have always been around. I dont
play that game, nor do I care to, he told
The Hollywood Reporter.
Actor Terry Crews told Twitter on Oct. 10
about how a high level Hollywood executive
at an entertainment industry event in 2016
groped my privates. He thought about
confronting the man, who grinned like a
jerk, but then the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor
thought of the possible headline: 240 lbs.
Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho.
He assumed he would go to jail so instead he
and his wife just left the party.
The next day, the Hollywood honcho
CONTINUES ON PAGE 05
CO V E R STO RY
KEVIN SPACEYs House of Cards was cancelled this week in the aftermath of allegations against the
gay actor.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 04
called to apologize, but never really
explained why he did what he did, Crews
said. I decided not to take it further
because I didnt want to be ostracized
par for the course when the predator has
power and inuence.
The next night, Dawsons Creek star
James Van Der Beek, now 40, spoke
up. Ive had my ass grabbed by older,
powerful men, Ive had them corner me
in inappropriate sexual conversations
when I was much younger, Van Der Beek
tweeted. I understand the unwarranted
shame, powerlessness & inability to blow
the whistle. Theres a power dynamic that
feels impossible to overcome.
The current list of alleged sexual
abusersto which Spacey will be added
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
PHOTO BY VONORA; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK
contains few names of prominent bi/
gay menother than APA agent Tyler
Grasham. Grasham was red on Oct. 20
after allegations from lmmaker Blaise
Godbe Lipman that decades ago Grasham
fed him alcohol and sexually assaulted
him. Four other young other men came
forward alleging sexual misconduct, as well,
prompting important clients to leave the
agency. Late Sunday, The Wrap reported
that actor Tyler Cornell, 20, led an LAPD
police report Oct. 27, accusing Grasham of
sodomizing him earlier this year.
Former 80s child star Corey Feldman has
also reemerged with promises of exposing
a Hollywood pedophile ring that he says
abused him and raped his best friend,
actor Corey Haim, when Haim was 11.
(Haim died at age 38 in 2010, apparently
of an accidental drug overdose.) However,
Feldman wants $10 million to fund a lm
and provide him with security protection
before hell name names.
During an Oct. 30 interview with Megyn
Kelly on NBC, Feldman gave up one name
talent manager Marty Weiss. However,
Feldman already talked about Weiss in
his 2013 memoir Coreyography and
Weiss was featured in the documentary
An Open Secret about alleged pedophilia
and ephebophilia (adult sexual attraction
to youth ages of 14 to 19) in Hollywood.
Feldman also hinted at another person
as well, saying it was a man who ran a
childs club in Hollywood and now works
for the L.A. Dodgers, the Washington Post
reports, without immediate follow up.
An Open Secret (now free on Vimeo)
is a harrowing 2015 documentary by Amy
Berg that focuses on how male managers,
agents, and publicists inict abuse on
young, male clients. Central to the lm
are the power players and the star-
crazed boys and young men at the Digital
Entertainment Network (DEN) in the tech-
boom days of the late 1990s. Founded
by Marc Collins-Rector and his younger
partner Chad Shackley, with live-in friend
teen actor Brock Pierce, DEN signied
the Internet movie future, giving Collins-
Rector lots of money to spend.
There will always be a steady stream of
kids who want to be famous, Occidental
College Professor Caroline Heldman
says in the lm, and parents who push
their children in this industry. If we dont
speak out about it, then we are part of
the problem because we are contributing
to a culture that normalizes this. And
by normalizing something, it becomes
invisible as a problem.
And, says one impacted parent: Its
Hollywood. People do what they want in
Hollywood. And if youre a big enough
star, or big enough director or you making
enough money for these people, you can
do whatever you want.
Echoes of Apprentice reality TV star
and future President Donald Trump to
Access Hollywood host Billy Bush in a
video released on Oct. 8, 2016. You know
Im automatically attracted to beautiful I
just start kissing them. Its like a magnet.
Just kiss. I dont even wait. And when
N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 0 5
youre a star, they let you do it. You can do
anything, Trump says.
Whatever you want, says Bush. Grab
them by the pussy, Trump says. You can
do anything.
While examining the alleged sexual
manipulation by Marc Collins-Rector and his
cohorts at DEN, An Open Secret also seems
to implicate several high-prole investors.
But while experts in the lm say the
investors and partygoers should have known
what was allegedly going on at the DEN
estate, proximity and guilt by association
doesnt mean actual guilt. The LAPD made no
contemporaneous arrests and later lawsuits
against investors were dropped.
The term pedophilia is sometimes used
to tar everybody with the same brush,
Dr. Jack Drescher, Clinical Professor of
Psychiatry at Columbia University, tells the
Blade. Historically, people who are against
homosexuality have often associated
homosexuality with pedophilia.
Drescher notes that pedophilia is a
psychiatric disorder so sexual attraction
to post-pubescent youth is more of a
legal issue. We as a culture dont believe
that people under a certain age have the
legal right to give consent. So a person
whos an adult above the age of 18 who
has sexual relationships with a person
who, depending on the state, is below that
age is guilty of statutory rape, he says.
Its not that the younger person wasnt
consenting. The state is saying they dont
have a legal right to give consent.
Primarily, however, sexual harassment
is about the economics of consent.
Consent is a function of power, actress,
producer Brit Marling writes in The Atlantic
You have to have a modicum of power to
give it. In many cases women do not have
that power because their livelihood is in
jeopardy and because they are the gender
that is oppressed by a daily, invisible
war waged against all that is feminine
women and humans who behave or dress
or think or feel or look feminine.
A reckoning may be on the horizon.
Sexual harassment has become an issue
in the California Senate race in 2018.
Expect to hear the words complicit and
collusion a lot more this coming year.
LO C A L N E W S W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 0 9

Mark Gonzalez: Trumps worst white supremacist nightmare

The young gay Latino
now heads the LA County
Democratic Party

By KAREN OCAMB
kocamb@losangelesblade.com

Does this administration think that

slavery is wrong? American Urban Radio
Networks reporter April Ryan asked Oct.
31 as White House press secretary Sarah
Huckabee Sanders scurried from the
White House brieng room, leaving the
question hanging with no response. Its a
fundamental Core Values question about
the embrace of diversity and opportunity
in America, something LGBT Californians
know a lot about.
Even with New York real estate
developer and Apprentice Reality TV
star Donald Trump playing President of
the United States, it is dicult to imagine
that in 2017 some Americans are actually
re-litigating the Civil War. But that appears
to be happening, as Trump us his
white nationalist basesaying there MARK GONZALEZ, new chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party
were very ne people, on both sides of PHOTOS COURTESY OF LACDP
the violent KKK and Neo-Nazis protest in
Charlottesville, Virginia last August that
left one woman dead and many injured. an honorable man, Kelly told Ingraham. rst shots were red in the Civil War. The real story, the great tragedy of the
A self-declared very intelligent person, He was a man that gave up his country The Founders, including Thomas coming of the Civil War, was that there
Trumps jaw-dropping ignorance of eighth to ght for his state, which 150 years ago Jeerson, thought the enslavement of was no middle left anymore in American
grade history may be fodder for late night was more important than country. It was the African was in violation of the laws of politics, David Blight, a historian at Yale
comedians but its no joke to Confederacy- always loyalty to state rst back in those nature and would eventually pass away. University, told the New York Times in
praising white supremacists. The Civil days. Now its dierent today. But the lack But the new Confederate government, he response to Kellys comments.
War, if you think about it, why? People of an ability to compromise led to the Civil said, is founded upon exactly the opposite While 2017 may not be as grave as the
dont ask the question but why was there War, and men and women of good faith on idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- Civil War era or as divided as the country
the Civil War? Why could that one not have both sides made their stand where their stone rests, upon the great truth that the became during the war in Vietnam, the
been worked out? Trump asked during a conscience had them make their stand. negro is not equal to the white man; that moral fabric of constitutional America
conservative radio interview last May. Historians pushed back, noting there slavery subordination to the superior race is splitting and many are looking to
Trumps Chief of Sta, retired Marine were several attempts at compromise but is his natural and normal condition. This, progressive California for help and
Corps Gen. John Kelly, heretofore nally the Civil War was fought over slavery our new government, is the rst, in the eventually, healing. And its coming. In
considered the adult in the room, and the Souths economic and moral beliefs history of the world, based upon this great additional to progressive congressional
doubled down during an Oct. 30 interview in white supremacy with the secession of physical, philosophical, and moral truth. leaders, today the California Democratic
with Fox News host Laura Ingraham when 11 Southern states. Alexander H. Stephens, Thats what Lee fought for, and the Party and the Los Angeles County
asked about the removal of a Robert E. vice-president of the Confederacy, states right to defy or break from the Democratic Party (LACDP) are both run by
Lee monument from a Virginia church. articulated that idea in his Cornerstone union to support the economic commerce
I would tell you that Robert E. Lee was speech of March 21, 1986, just before the slavery provided. CONTINUES ON PAGE 10
1 0 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM LO CA L N E W S

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 09

openly gay men, Eric Bauman and Mark

Gonzalez, respectively.
Bauman, who successfully ran the
LACDP for 17 years, literally passed the
torch to a new generation, the young man
he mentored, Mark Gonzalez. And on
Oct. 12, after years of working with the
grassroots and in the oces of elected
ocials, the 33 year old out gay Latino
chairs the largest local Democratic Party
in the country, with 2.2 million registered
Democrats in a county of 9.8 million
people in the minority-majority state. And
speaking of states rights, California recently
became a sanctuary state to try to protect
undocumented immigrants and DREAMers
who call the Golden State home.
The true progressive movement is
here in California, and it is here in the
Los Angeles County Democratic Party,
Gonzalez said after his election. The ERIC BAUMAN,Chair of the California Democratic Party and MARK GONZALEZ, Chair of the LA County Democratic Party
Democratic Partys principles are the PHOTO COURTESY OF LACDP
foundation of how America was built: The
Party of inclusion, of the hard-working
middle class. As the youngest person and the establishment wings of the California about because youre supposed toin my why its important to elect good people to
rst Latino ever elected Chair of this great Democratic Party. case marry a woman and have kids like my make sure those services are still provided
Party, I can tell you rsthand that those I think they wanted to vote for brothers did. Its that old fashioned thinking. for people like me today, especially with
Democratic Party principles are as alive somebody who could unify both sides, And while he thinks that old fashioned the cost of living being so outrageous in
and true as they ever were. We are going Gonzalez says. I get along with both sides thinking is evolving, hes also very aware some places.
to send the message throughout this and I think were nally starting to move of the intense homophobia that still exists. Gonzalez says being chair of LACDP is a
country that we are what we preach. forward. But I think there are people on I grew up on that weird kind of cusp. I huge undertaking but his election as the
I got involved in this party 16 years ago the Bernie side who know I actually do graduated from high school in 2003its rst Latino and the youngest to run the
as a teenager when I joined the Northeast agree with what theyve been saying and not that long ago, but at the end of the local party is a huge message about the
Democratic Club of Los Angeles in my home there are some of the establishment side day, its not socially accepted. Its getting direction in which LA Democrats want to go.
area of North East LA. Meeting folks like Eric, who know my work and my work ethic and better, but you still see and hear stories Im looking forward to it. And weve got a
my current boss, (Assemblymember) Miguel that they can work with me. I come in the of killing and attacks. Were lucky to live in lot of work to do, Gonzalez says, especially
Santiago, John Perez they were personal middle and my goal is to unify both sides California. I was born in Texas and visiting strategizing how to bring in new voters and
mentors of mine who inspired me to get which I think weve been doing because my brother there in Februaryits a very engage with current voters whove become
more involved, he tells the Los Angeles the newer activists, who are hungry to do dierent atmosphere out there. In Los apathetic. Im look forward to hearing
Blade. The 2004 presidential race between this, are just like me when I was doing this Angeles, were such a mixing bowl, were from people who are still red up and
George W. Bush and John Kerry inspired him 16 years ago. all so dierent and I embrace the diversity. ready to go. We want to build on that and
to take the plunge into politics. Gonzalezs experience growing up in But you have to realize, not everywhere is give people a voice at the table.
Gonzalez thinks it is his experience of North East LA also helps his broader grasp like LA. Its a culture shock. Gonzalez laughs when its point out that
literally working from the bottom up and of issues and helps him relate to LGBT Gonzalez also has experience needing he has automatically incorporated former
accruing over a decade of experience people, especially LGBT Latinos, who might government programs and is ready to President Obamas catch phrase without
in service of LACDP that helped him win not feel welcome in the Democratic Party. ght for them. I went to Head Start and even think about it. Its true, he says. I
election as party chair, especially after When youre Latino and you grow up in sometimes we needed food stamps so wake up in the morning and thats the goal.
the contentious race for state party chair a strong Catholic single parent household, we had to rely heavily on those kind of YeahIm still red up and ready to go!
between Kimberly Ellis, representing the being gay is not something that is always government services when I was young, A tale of two Americas: one tweets about
Berniecrats and Bauman, representing accepted, he says. Its not something you talk he says. So I know how it feels. And thats division, the other speaks about unity.
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1 2 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM LO CA L N E W S

JANET MOCK at MOP workshop

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISSY DODSON/LA LGBT CENTER

Janet Mock celebrates 25 years of The California-based Courage Campaign set up a digital billboard in the Bay area calling
for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. We are a grassroots organization. If we
Models of Pride are not calling for impeachment, given what has happened, who is? Courage Campaign
president and executive director Eddie Kurtz tells CBS SFBayArea.

Notable quotes
No one could have imagined in 1984 when Dr. Virginia Uribe started the small
gay dropout program Project 10 in her Fairfax High School science class room
that on Oct. 29, 2017, 1,942 people1,538 youth and 404 adultwould swarm
USC for her legacy, the 25th annual free, day-long Models of Pride skills-building
conference, organized by the LA LGBT Center.
The theme, Together We Rise, seemed especially poignant with trans author, A ROUNDUP OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT LGBTQ ISSUES
activist and icon Janet Mock, whose new book Surpassing Certainty just hit

Dont ask that guy he

bookstores, participated in the workshop, Them Presents: How to Get Glossy,
featuring Janet Mock. The Trans Chorus of L.A. also performed.

wants to hang them all!

Now more than ever is the time for us to unite and rise in celebration of our
diversityin deance of the forces that seek to divide and weaken us said Center
Associate Director of Education and Youth Development Kevin McCloskey. For President Trump referring to VP Mike Pences attitudes toward gays in
more, visitmodelsofpride.org. New Yorker article, which the White House disputes.
KAREN OCAMB

You are our truest leaders.

Scandal star and Inspiration Award honoree Kerry Washington to LGBT
students at GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Oct. 20.

They represent their white,

cis gay pajama parties, they
represent everything that
liberation is not standing for.
- Lourdes Ashley Hunter, executive director of the Trans Woman of Color
Collective, part of zombie protest outside HRC National Dinner, Oct. 28.
1 4 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
RICHARD GRENELL is facing opposition in his conrmation process from Democrats.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GRENELL
Trumps gay nominee
facing Dem opposition in Senate
The rst openly LGBT nominee of President Trumps administration is
encountering opposition from Democrats, who are objecting to his history of
sexist comments.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly voted Thursday to approve
gay foreign policy expert Ric Grenell as U.S. ambassador to Germany on 11-10
party-line basis.
A Democratic aide said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spoke for Democrats on
Grenells nomination and expressed concern about his public commentary, including
degrading comments about the appearance of women. Those remarks, Murphy
reportedly said, could be a problem if Grenell becomes the U.S. representative to a
country led by arguably the most powerful woman in the world.
During Grenells conrmation hearing, Murphy raised concerns about
Grenells remarks on Twitter about the appearances of women. Grenell deleted
those tweets and apologized for them in 2012 during his brief stint of two weeks
on Mitt Romneys presidential campaign, which he noted during the hearing.
Anybody who knows me knows that I am a very caring person and very sensitive
and I also appreciate good humor, Grenell said in response. Unfortunately,
there are times where what was intended to be humorous turned out to be not so
humorous, and, again, that was never my intention and I regret that.
But Grenell has a history of making oensive comments about women long
before the advent of social media. A 1995 Washington Post prole on Grenell
quotes his fellow staer in the 1992 Bush-Quayle re-election campaign as saying
he once told a female colleague, Didnt your mother ever tell you only whores
and very small children wear red shoes?
The narrow vote in committee could spell trouble for Grenell when his
nomination comes to the Senate oor. If all Democrats vote against his nomination
and at least three Republicans vote no, his conrmation will be sunk.
The opposition to a gay nominee from Democrats marks a considerable
contrast to years past when Republicans would be the voice against presidential
gay appointments, citing objections to their sexual orientation. But Grenells
sexual orientation isnt the issue for Democrats.
CHRIS JOHNSON
NATIONAL NEWS
Alleged killers asked Iowa gender uid teen for sex
A federal prosecutor assigned by U.S. Attorney General Je Sessions to investigate the
March 2016 murder of an Iowa teenager as a possible anti-transgender hate crime revealed
in a motion led in court last week that one of the two men charged in the case solicited
the victim for sex and appeared to have targeted the teen because of his gender identity.
Kedarie Johnson, 16, whose mother says he identied as a gender uid male who
sometimes presented as a woman, was found shot to death in an alley in Burlington,
Iowa, hours after he was last seen by a friend while dressed as a woman, according to a
document led in court by federal prosecutor Christopher Perras, who specializes in civil
rights and hate crimes cases.
Perras led the document in the form of a pre-trial motion shortly before the start of
the trial in a county court in Keokuk, Iowa, of Jorge Sanders-Galvez, 23, one of two men
charged with rst-degree murder in connection with Johnsons death.
The state will oer evidence to show that defendant Sander-Galvez saw Kedarie leave
the Hy-Vee [convenience store in Burlington]; irted with Kedarie, believing that Kedarie
was biologically female; invited Kedarie back to 2610 Madison to have sex with him and
his co-defendant; discovered during the sexual act that Kedarie was biologically male;
became enraged; and then, over the next hour, suocated Kedarie by stung a rag down
his throat and wrapping a plastic bag around his head, threw him in their car, drove to
another part of town, dumped him in an alley, and shot him several times until he bled to
death, Perras motion states.
Perras reiterated that scenario in his opening arguments at Sanders-Galvezs trial on Oct. 26.
The Des Moines Register reported that Perras, pointing to Sanders-Galvez, who was
dressed in a suit and tie, said Sanders-Galvez and his cousin, co-defendant Jaron Purham,
26, shot and killed Kedarie and then afterward took steps to conceal their crime.
Sanders-Galvezs attorneys have said their client has been misidentied as the person
responsible for approaching Johnson at the convenience store, saying he was not the
person involved in the murder.
Iowa state prosecutors have said Johnsons murder could not be classied as a hate
crime under Iowa law because the states hate crimes law, which covers sexual orientation,
does not cover gender identity and expression. A bill introduced last year into the Iowa
legislature to add gender identity to the state hate crimes law died in the Republican
controlled state House.
The New York Times reported on Oct. 26 that local ocials disclosed that a federal grand
jury was being convened to investigate Johnsons murder as a possible hate crime, even as
defendant Sanders-Galvez was on trial on a murder charge not listed as a hate crime.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
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1 6 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017
Kamala Harris emerges as LGBT favorite for 2020
But some criticize her for
arguing against inmates
gender reassignment
By CHRIS JOHNSON
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was likely
chosen as a featured speaker at last weeks
Human Rights Campaign National Dinner
because shes quickly becoming a favorite
in the LGBT community among potential
2020 Democratic presidential contenders.
To recognize her popularity among LGBT
people, just nd the animated picture of
Harris making the rounds on Facebook at
the Senate dais brushing her hair back,
clasping her hands and blinking her eyes
wearily as shes cut o during a Senate
Intelligence Committee hearing. Also
check out the widely shared video of her
exchange with U.S. Attorney General Je
Sessions about his Russian connections,
which left the Trump ocial muttering he
felt nervous under questioning from the
U.S. Senates only black female senator.
But a look at her LGBT record reveals
one wrinkle on transgender rights that
may surprise her followers and that has
disappointed some trans people.
To be sure, Harris has a staunchly
pro-LGBT record. As California attorney
general, she declined to defend Californias
ban on same-sex marriage Proposition
8 in court. When the U.S. Supreme Court
restored marriage equality to California,
she ociated at the wedding of Kris
Perry and Sandy Stier, the rst same-sex
wedding after the ruling, and instructed
clerks to marry same-sex couples seeking
a license with no exceptions.
Also as attorney general, Harris in 2015
refused to certify a Kill the Gays ballot
initiative proposed in California that would
have (unconstitutionally) instituted the
death penalty for homosexual acts. Despite
a legal challenge, a federal judge agreed
to relieve her of duty to prepare a title
and summary for the measure before it
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
KAMALA HARRIS (D-Calif.) sought to block gender reassignment surgery for trans inmates on behalf
of California.
advanced to the signature-gathering stage.
Harris also co-sponsored a bill in
the California Legislature with former
Assembly member Susan Bonilla to
eliminate the gay panic defense in
cases of murder or violent crime against
LGBT people. Gov. Jerry Brown signed
the legislation in 2014, making California,
along with Illinois, one of two states in the
country to ban the plea.
Upon beginning her term as a U.S.
senator this year, Harris continued to
advocate for LGBT rights. A co-sponsor
of the Equality Act, Harris also demanded
answers from the Trump administration
on the decision to omit questions in
the U.S. Census allowing responders to
identify their sexual orientation or gender
identity. The Trump administration never
provided a direct response.
Harris has signed friend-of-the-court
briefs arguing transgender people should
be allowed to use the public restroom
consistent with their gender identity. As
California attorney general, she led briefs
in favor of Obama administration guidance
supporting transgender students and
against North Carolinas notoriously anti-
LGBT House Bill 2. As a U.S. senator, she
signed a brief before the U.S. Supreme
BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Court in favor of transgender student
Gavin Grimms case.
Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality
California, said Harris record on LGBT
rights in her capacities as attorney general
and a U.S. senator are nothing short of
impeccable.
Weve known her since she was the
DA in San Francisco, and then of course,
when she as attorney general was more
engaged than any attorney general has
been with us in the LGBTQ community,
Zbur said. [She] really engaged with us
and has a really strong commitment and
understanding of our issues.
On transgender issues in particular,
Zbur noted Harris as attorney general
appointed last year a transgender
woman of color, Mariana Marroquin, to
the California Racial & Identity Proling
Advisory Board.
Harris will likely tout her record on LGBT
rights during her remarks at the 21st annual
Human Rights Campaign National Dinner.
But one part of her record she might
avoid is her role as California attorney
general in 2015 in arguing on behalf of the
state to withhold gender reassignment
surgery from two transgender inmates
who were prescribed the procedure while
NATIONAL NEWS
serving out their sentences. Advocates
have made the case that transgender
inmates are entitled to receive the
taxpayer-funded procedure because
denying them medical treatment amounts
to cruel and unusual punishment a
clear violation of the Eighth Amendment
of the U.S. Constitution.
One case involved Shiloh Quine,
whos serving a term of life for rst-
degree murder, kidnapping and robbery.
The other case involved Michelle-Lael
Norsworthy, who was serving time in
prison in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione,
Calif., for second-degree murder. Both
were prescribed gender reassignment
surgery, but the California Department
of Corrections & Rehabilitation refused to
provide the procedure.
The process of the Norsworthy case
was quite public as it proceeded through
litigation. Although U.S. District Judge
Jon Tigar ordered California to grant
Norsworthy gender reassignment surgery,
Harris in her capacity as attorney general
appealed the decision to the U.S. Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals and fought to
reverse the decision.
One 29-page brief in the case, signed
by Harris, urges a stay on the court order
for Norsworthy because the hormone
treatment the inmate receives is sucient
at least for the time being.
The core of Ms. Norsworthys complaint
is that Defendants have not provided
the particular treatment she wants sex-
reassignment surgery and unspecied
additional treatment, Harris writes. But
the Constitution does not guarantee to
a prisoner the treatment of his choice.
The Eighth Amendment requires that an
inmate be aorded reasonable measures
to meet a substantial risk of serious harm
to her, not that she be given the specic
care she demands. The essential test is
one of medical necessity and not one
simply of desirability.
CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM
1 8 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017
Court halts Trump trans military ban, in part
The decision in the
rst of four lawsuits
upholds protections
By KAREN OCAMB
kocamb@losangelesblade.com
U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-
Kotelly put a hold on President Trumps
tweet-ordered ban on transgender
military service, ruling in favor of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights and
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, who
led Doe v. Trump on Aug. 9 seeking an
immediate injunction on behalf of ve
transgender service members.
In her decision, Kollar-Kotelly said
she believes that the plaintis will win
in proving that Trumps Directive is
unconstitutional. She says trans service
members should be considered a targeted
class under an intermediate level of
heightened scrutiny, as well as protected
under gender. The Court therefore ruled
that active duty trans service members
can continue to serve but the halt to the
accessions policy pertaining to recruitment
and promotion that Sec. of Defense Mattis
put in place will also remain in eect until
the constitutionality of the directive is
determined.
The eect of the Courts Order is to
revert to the status quo with regard to
accession and retention that existed
before the issuance of the Presidential
Memorandumthat is, the retention and
accession policies established in the June
30, 2016 Directive-type Memorandum as
modied by Secretary of Defense James
Mattis on June 30, 2017. In all other
respects, the Presidential Memorandum is
not enjoined, the judge wrote in her 76-
page decision.
The judge also tackled the long-
established argument that courts
traditionally give deference to the
military. Yes, she writes, but the Court
is not powerless to assess whether the
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
Judge COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY of the U.S. District Court, D.C.
constitutional rights of Americas service
members have been violated. She
also needled the Justice Department,
which is expected to appeal. Under
an intermediate level of heightened
scrutiny, the government must provide
an exceedingly persuasive justication
for the banand she didnt buy their
arguments.
[G]iven the deference owed to
military personnel decisions, the Court
has not based its conclusion solely on
the speculative and overbroad nature
of the Presidents reasons, the decision
reads. As far as the Court is aware at
this preliminary stage, all of the reasons
proered by the President for excluding
transgender individuals from the military
in this case were not merely unsupported,
but were actually contradicted by the
studies, conclusions and judgment of the
military itself.
A bare invocation of national defense
simply cannot defeat every motion for
preliminary injunction that touches on
the military, the Court continues. On the
record before the Court, there is absolutely
no support for the claim that the ongoing
service of transgender people would have
any negative eective on the military at
all. In fact, there is considerable evidence
that it is the discharge and banning of such
NATIONAL NEWS
individuals that would have such eects.
The Court also notes that fteen States
have led an amici brief indicating that
they and their residents will be harmed by
the Presidential Memorandum if it is not
enjoined.Moreover, the injunction that
will be issued will in no way prevent the
government from conducting studies or
gathering advice or recommendations on
transgender service. The balance of equities
and public interest accordingly weigh in
favor of granting Plaintis motion.
This is a complete victory for our
plaintis and all transgender service
members, who are now once again able
to serve on equal terms and without the
threat of being discharged, said Shannon
Minter, NCLRs Legal Director. We are
grateful to the court for recognizing the
gravity of these issues and putting a
stop to this dangerous policy, which has
wreaked havoc in the lives of transgender
service members and their families.
This court saw straight through the
smokescreen the government tried to
create to hide the bias and prejudice
behind Trumps change in military policy.
This clear, powerful ruling conrms that
there is no legitimate reason to exclude
transgender people from military service,
said Jennifer Levi, Director of GLADs
Transgender Rights Project. Fighting
discrimination isnt easy, and to all the
transgender members of the armed
forces or those looking to join, I want to
say thank you for your courage, not only
in ghting for our country, but in ghting
for the constitutional values of equality
and justice.
The court did deny, however, an
injunction against the ban on trans sex
reassignment surgery. More news on that
front is expected after a joint NCLR/GLAD
news conference.
A Pentagon source says this was
the expected outcome regarding the
Retention and Accessions policy. The
source also noted that this is just the rst
shoe to drop and is not the end of it.
 10.0 in.
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R. Plafker A. Lapuz R. OBrien S. Chabala

2 0 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017
Clinton, Harris urge HRC supporters to rise against Trump
Express outrage over
trans military ban
By CHRIS JOHNSON
It wasnt the Human Rights Campaign
National Dinner that attendees anticipated
a year ago.
Hopes were high that Hillary Clinton
would be elected president and lead the
way on advancing LGBT rights in the United
States and around the world. Instead,
Donald Trump is president and LGBT
rights supporters are seeking to oppose
his administrations eorts to compromise
rights for the LGBT community.
But the atmosphere Saturday night at
the 21st annual Human Rights Campaign
National Dinner was far from depressed. In
fact, the dinners theme of rise, projected
on screen during the dinner and blasted in
neon colors in the lobby, captured a sense
of purpose and urgency given the new
challenges facing LGBT people.
Fiery in her remarks before the
estimated 3,600 people at the Washington
Convention Center in attendance was
Clinton, who lambasted Trump for his
anti-LGBT policies and urged push back.
Whether or not we are willing to accept
this bigotry and hatred speaks volume about
who we are as a country, Clinton said.
Expressing concern that LGBT rights are
nowhere near as secure as we hoped,
Clinton ran through a litany of Trump
administration actions harming LGBT
people, including Trumps announcement
via Twitter that transgender people would
no longer be able to serve in the U.S.
armed forces.
I was outraged when I read on Twitter
of all places that the president wanted to
ban transgender people serving in the the
military, Clinton said. You know and he
knows transgender people have fought
and died for this country. They are serving
in uniform with distinction right now. The
suggestion that transgender Americans
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
HILLARY CLINTON speaks at the HRC National Dinner on Oct. 28.
are unt to serve is insulting and wrong.
Making a reference to the Masterpiece
Cakeshop case before the U.S. Supreme
Court, Clinton said its just wrong in
2017 LGBT people can lose their homes,
be evicted from their homes or if this
administration get its way, be denied a
wedding cake simply because of who you
are or who you love.
Clinton also decried a U.S. delegation
vote at the United Nations against a
resolution condemning the death penalty,
which included a provision against its use
as a punishment for homosexual acts.
When I saw that, I thought maybe I had
read it wrong, that maybe Id somehow got
a double-negative mixed up, but, no, thats
exactly what our country voted against:
A resolution to condemn the use of the
death penalty for consensual same-sex
relationships, Clinton said.
The Trump administration insisted the
vote was about the U.S. position on the
death penalty in general, not its application
to same-sex relations. Clinton said the
State Department was forced to clarify
that vote after outcry from the Human
BLADE PHOTO BY TOM HAUSMAN
Rights Campaign and many others.
But the fact remains the United States
should not be shirking our responsibility to
defend the human rights of LGBT people
around the globe, Clinton said.
Clinton also lodged complaints with the
Trump administration and the Republican-
controlled Congress for non-LGBT issues,
criticizing their tax reform package for
seeking to nance tax cuts with cuts to
entitlement programs.
Embedded in this horrible,
irresponsible, cruel and mean-spirited
giveaway to the richest of Americans
called tax reform is a $500 billion cut in
Medicare and a $1 trillion cut in Medicaid,
Clinton said.
When the audience booed in response,
Clinton replied, That is exactly the
appropriate response. And dont boo, tell
the Congress and tell them you will not
stand for that.
Introduced at the dinner as a she-ro
by lesbian tennis legend Billie Jean King,
Clinton was well-received by audience
members, who stood for a standing
ovation as she took the stage. At one
NATIONAL NEWS
point someone at the rear of the room
shouted, We love you! prompting Clinton
to respond, Its mutual.
Arriving on stage, Clinton said the dinner
feels a bit like a family reunion, telling
attendees at the Human Rights Campaign
event, There is no one Id rather share my
initials with than you.
Clinton said shed have much preferred
to come to the dinner tonight from a
slightly closer residence.
Joking about the continued xation on
her in conservative media, Clinton said,
It does strike me that in the last few days
at least Fox News seems to think thats
where I live in the White House because
they spend a disproportionate amount of
their time impeaching me.
If theyd be willing to make a trade, Id
be willing, Clinton concluded.
If Clinton represented a look to the past
at the dinner and what could have been,
another speaker, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.),
represented what could be the future.
Introducing her was Proposition 8
plaintis Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, whom
Harris married in 2013 after the U.S.
Supreme Court restored marriage equality
to California.
Harris said the Trump administration
marks an inection point in the history of
our country.
I believe this is a moment when our
country is witnessing an assault on
our deepest values and ideals, where
people dont trust over government, its
institutions or leaders, Harris said.
Protesters block entrance
Outside the convention center, around
100 demonstrators aliated with No
Justice No Pride circled the convention
center in protest over the Human Rights
Campaign taking contributions from Wells
Fargo bank, which the protesters criticized
for helping nance private prisons.
CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM
2 2 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017
Disrespecting Rev.
Darlene Garner
MCCs restructuring forces
out longtime LGBT champion
By ROBIN TYLER
I am shocked and I am not easily
shocked! Too many powerful, competent
women have been attacked and vilied.
The best example, of course, is Hillary
Clinton. As qualied as she was to be
president of the United States, she was
considered pushy, suspicious, untruthful,
and other derogatory adjectives heaped
upon brilliant, successful women by men
and some women.
Another example is attorney Gloria
Allred. She is admired as much as she is
vilied. But men are never accused of
wanting or getting too much publicity.
Then theres Jill Abramson, the rst
female executive editor of The New York
Times. She was red after complaining that
her salary and benets were considerably
lower than the male editor she replaced.
So I know of the struggle that competent
women face.
But when I heard that after 41 years
of working at Metropolitan Community
Churches (MCC), my good friend Rev. Elder
Darlene Garner had been red on her
birthday, I felt stunned and shocked.
MCC called it restructuring. But that
usually means shifting people around, not
eliminating them without warning or seeking
possible alternatives. Instead, Darlene was
told goodbye with no warning.
This LGBT church says its core values are
Inclusion (love is our greatest moral value),
Community, Spiritual Transformation, and
Justice (standing with those who suer
under the weight of oppressive systems,
being guided always by our commitment
to Global Human Rights).
Excuse me? Discarding a 69-year-old
African-American lesbian like yesterdays
trash is justice? Of course, they wanted
her to sign a non-disclosure agreement
and since she has been the rst and only
black person as part of the MCC senior
WWW .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
sta since 1999, Im sure they are rushing
to nd African Africans to hire and put on
the board so they dont look bad. Too late.
But why was Darlene red? At the MCC
General Conference in Vancouver last
year, Darlene came in second when they
voted for moderator, the top position in
the organization. Shes popular and has
paid her dues.
Darlene joined MCC in 1976. She has
been pastor of churches in Baltimore,
Maryland, and Fairfax, Va., in the United
States and in Cape Town, Western Cape in
South Africa. First recognized as an MCC
spiritual leader in 1993, she was serving as
the Convener of the MCC Conference for
People of African Descent and as director
of the MCC Oce of Emerging Ministries
when she was dismissed.
Darlene started out as a senior adviser
to the mayor of Philadelphia in the mid-
to late 80s, including providing diversity
and HIV/AIDS training to city departments.
But after studying for her Masters in
Divinity, she focused on strategies for how
to provide governance, innovation, risk
and conict management and leadership
development to MCC, its global emerging
ministries and the religious and civic
organizations with which MCC dealt.
Darlene was a co-founder of the
National Coalition of Black Lesbians
and Gays; chair of the rst International
Conference for Gay and Lesbian People
of Color; president of the board of North
Virginia AIDS Ministry; and so much more.
Darlene attended Ohio State University,
Samaritan College, and Lancaster
Theological Seminary.
I worked for Darlene when she was
based in Los Angeles. I produced the 31st
anniversary of MCC. She is one of the most
competent, professional, fair, intelligent
women I have ever worked with. That is
when I learned what kind of person and
leader she truly is.
At the time of Darlenes dismissal, the
governing board of MCC was three white
men, one African-American man, one
white trans-masculine person, and four
VIEWPOINT
Rev. DARLENE GARNER
PHOTO COURTESY OF TYLER
white women. Two of the women and the
African-American man have now resigned.
Despite the good work of founder
Rev. Troy Perry and past Moderator Rev.
Nancy Wilson, MCC has had issues with
racism and sexism. MCC was started when
there was nothing for LGBT Christians to
comfortably participate in. Now that many
churches have changed their attitudes,
this primarily gay male, primarily white
organization has to be struggling. But this
is not the way to attract parishioners.
Darlene was going to retire next year
and would then have qualied for full
Social Security benets.
So it has happened again. After 41 years
of service to and with MCC churches,
without cause or consideration, a strong,
brilliant woman is discarded and her
legacy erased.
I hope God is watching. We are.
ROBIN TYLER is a longtime Los Angeles-based
LGBT rights activist.
VOLUME 01 ISSUE 17
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V I E W PO I NT W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 2 3

40 years of communicating for good

The signicance of
operating a socially
responsible business
R. CHRISTINE HERSHEY is founder of Hershey
Cause Communications, hersheycause.com.
When was the last time an ocial
county document sent a ood of emotions
to your heart? For me, it was on Oct. 17
when I read these words:
WHEREAS, R. Christine Hershey founded
Hershey Cause Communications in 1977 to
help nonprots, foundations, government
agencies, and businesses harness the power
of strategic communications and design
toward achieving a greater positive eect in
Los Angeles County; and WHEREAS, she has
served as an instrumental and pioneering
connector of causes and communities within
the County, resulting in local action that
reects and impacts the most pressing global
issues of the day.
The proclamation from the LA County
Board of Supervisors, presented
by longtime fellow equality warrior
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, goes on with a
bunch of WHEREASs about what weve
done using communications for the
greater good. I am humbled and grateful
for the recognition.
But when I founded Hershey Cause
Communications 40 years ago, I didnt see
it as an act of bravery. I saw it as an act of
necessity. I had seen men rise much faster
than their female peers in the workplace
and while I could never prove itbeing a
young, out lesbian created issues.
My best shot was to start my own
agency. 1977 was a time of upheaval
the rst National Womens Conference
was held, followed closely by the rst
NationalMarch on Washington for Lesbian
and Gay Rights. But that progress was
halted in the early 1980s with the advent
of the horric AIDS crisis.
It was against this backdrop that we
used Hershey Cause as a socially conscious
force for good and a tool for change,
advocating for the end of HIV/AIDS, more
eective child services and better mental
health services.
Because our craft is communications
strategy, marketing, branding, public
relationswe were often the rst to create
brand identities, produce events and help
found organizations that focused on
issues we cared about. Behind the scenes,
we enabled these causes to evolve, raise
funds, and grow, creating the look of the
LGBTQ movement by amplifying its voices
and visibility.
Over the years, weve provided counsel
and created identities, campaigns, and
raised funds for ANGLE, the LA LGBT
Center, NGLTF, Victory Fund, Power Up,
among others. And weve helped scores of
AIDS-related businesses and non-prots
gain visibility, from Pacic Oaks to The
Wall Las Memorias. We are also proud
of our innovative work promoting LGBTQ
youth and families, from Gay and Lesbian
Adolescent Social Services to RaiseAChilds
eorts helping same sex parents foster
and adopt children.
Early on, we also recognized that
we needed to put the power of smart
communications in the hands of everyone.
So in 2000, we wrote the rst edition of our
free Communications Toolkit, providing
expert guidance in communications
practices for nonprots worldwide.
I believe in doing well by doing good.
Small business is the economic driver that
can help our LGBTQ community and other
marginalized groups level the playing
eld. It provides opportunity not only for
individual gain but helps create a more
equitable world.
Thats why I became an LA County Small
Business Commissionerto advocate for
greater diversity in all of our small business
eorts for women, for the LGBTQ community,
for all underserved audiences. And I advocate
for business doing the right thing. When
businesses care about their workforce, their
communities and the impact they have on
the world, it is truly transformative.
There are several traits that many
women/LGBTQ/underserved individuals
are often quick to understandtraits
that, when adopted by business, vastly
improve many of the societal issues we
are struggling with today.
Values driven: We understand we need
to measure more than dollarsthat ours to shape.
people, prot and the planet all matter.
Play well with others: We network,
connect and advocate. We recognize that
dierent organizations provide dierent
values to us and our business.
Celebrate diversity: Most successful
women business owners create
organizations that are characterized
by inclusiveness and diversity, team
orientation, consultation, coaching and
individual development, and inspire
others to move toward a goal. We know
diversity makes us stronger.
Greater than themselves: Many small
business owners understand we live in a
global village on a fragile planet, that all
of us need to think ahead. It is important
that we make sure that small businesses
in every eld are thriving and being
recognized for the impact they are making
in the world.
As our current political climate drowns
out marginalized voices in profound and
devastating ways, the demand for clear
and powerful communications has never
been more urgent than it is right now.
I am proud that the agency I started 40
years ago has helped make the road a little
smoother for those who have come after
me. And at Hershey Cause, our hearts
are already directed toward the next 40
yearsa future informed by the urgency
of today.
There is still so much more to do.
My heart quickens at the thought of
what causes and impacts these next
uncertain years may bring. But I remain
resoundingly optimistic that the future is
2 4 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM VIEWPOINT

Enough is enough!
Asian LGBT group
demands end to
anti-Muslim travel ban

By GLENN MAGPANTAY

President Trump, one week after his

inauguration, on Jan. 27, 2017, announced
a travel ban targeting people in seven
majority Muslim countries, attempting
to make good on an egregious campaign
promise to prevent all Muslims from
entering the United States. Ten months
later we have since seen three versions
of the ban, each blocked by the courts.
Recently in a thinly veiled eort to
disguise its discriminatory nature, Trump
inexplicably removed Iraq and Sudan from
the list, replacing them with North Korea
and Venezuela, two non-majority Muslim
countries and adding Chad.
Again the court banned the ban. On
Oct. 17, one day before it was to go into
eect, U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson
blocked implementation of the latest
version of the anti-Muslim travel ban. The
Washington Post reported in a 40-page
decision granting the state of Hawaiis
request for a temporary restraining order,
Watson wrote that the latest ban suers
from precisely the same maladies as its
predecessor . . . [The executive order]
plainly discriminates based on nationality
in a way that is opposed to federal law and
PRESIDENT TRUMPs travel ban is anti-Muslim.
the founding principles of this nation. BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Only Venezuela and North Korea were
exempted from the injunction.
At this moment LGBT and other travelers propaganda or violating obscenity or so- clearly face life-threatening circumstances in the legal challenges in court, organized
from six of the named nations are not called morality laws. and at the very least unbearable living a national series of awareness-building
banned from entering the Untied States. In Chad a new criminal code seeks conditions. actions in seven cities and continue to tell
Every nation listed in the travel bans to punish homosexual behavior as a It is time for the Trump administration the stories of LGBT Muslims in America.
presents a real and present danger to misdemeanor. In Venezuela and North to let go of the illegal Muslim travel ban We will ght the Muslim travel ban as long
LGBT people. The penal codes in ve Korea while the penal codes do not contain and cease any further appeals. Federal as necessary. Join us!
of the seven countries Iran, Yemen, laws directly discriminating against LGBT resources and taxpayer monies should
Syria, Libya and Somalia proscribe as people, anecdotal information tells us that not be expended in the useless pursuit of a
punishment for homosexual or same-sex LGBT lives are less then tolerable in these discriminatory travel ban which threatens GLENN MAGPANTAY is executive director
relationships 3-5 years imprisonment. repressive societies. Venezuela for example lives and destroys families. The court has of the National Queer Asian Pacic Islander
Alliance.
Iran and Yemen call for the death penalty. reported over 110 murders of transgender struck down the ban three times. Enough
In each of these ve countries a person people in less than a decade; the fourth is enough! The National Queer Asian Pacic Islander
perceived to be homosexual, may be highest ranked country according to Trans The National Queer Asian Pacic Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a nationwide federation of
LGBT Asian American, South Asian, Southeast
accused (and found guilty of) committing Murder Monitoring project. Alliance has led a national campaign in the Asian, and Pacic Islander (API) organizations.
unnatural acts, conducting or promoting Not one of these nations carries legal lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender We seek to build the organizational capacity of
same sex relationships, homosexual acts, protections for LGBT people. LGBT persons (LGBT) community protesting the ban. local LGBT API groups, develop leadership, and
expand collaborations to better challenges anti-
sodomy, buggery, lewd acts, promoting seeking refuge from these countries We have submitted an LGBT amicus brief LGBT bias and racism.
 Californias exclusively LGBTQ treatment center
LGBTQ people are nearly 30% more likely
than members of the general population to suffer from addiction.

The LGBTQ population are 60% more likely to relapse

following addiction treatment in traditional recovery programs.

The same trauma that the LGBTQ community faces in everyday life - the trauma that lurks beneath
the addiction - is replicated in traditional treatment because traditional treatment is
a microcosm of the world at large.

LGBTQ-specific treatment transforms the dangerous environment clients face every day and gives them
the safety to work through their shame and create connections and community.

Thats why we need LGBTQ-specific treatment, not only for drug/alcohol addiction,
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At Pride Recovery Los Angeles, were here to address shame and build pride.

Addiction Treatment for our LGBTQ Community. Covered by most insurance programs
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2 6 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 WWW. L O S A N G E L E S B L A D E . C O M

FULL OF CINEMATIC LIFE.

Combines elegy, tragedy, urgency and a defiant euphoria.
SHEER MUSICAL TALENT. The New York Times
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SEXY, INSIGHTFUL,
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KYLE RIABKO: A heart-bursting
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Queen Latifahs Star turn

THE MISTRESS OF HIP-HOP ON HER FOX SHOW AND GIRLS TRIP SUCCESS

By SUSAN HORNIK

QUEEN LATIFAH rules once again with Foxs Star on Fox.

PHOTO COURTESY STAR ON FOX INSTAGRAM

Queen Latifah is having a banner year,
starring in Universal Pictures comedy,
Girls Trip (just out on blu ray/dvd) and
Foxs Star, an emotionally powerful music
business drama, executive produced by
gay co-creator Lee Daniels (known for the world is sorely in need of that. I give 100 During the Fox TCA session, Daniels
lms like Precious and Monsters Ball). percent every time, Latifah told the Los acknowledged their collaborative
Girls Trip made $100 million at the box Angeles Blade at the Television Critics Press relationship.
oce, which thrilled the Oscar nominated Tour. You do your best. As long as I have
actress. It feels good to make people laugh, given my best, thats all I can do. CONTINUES ON PAGE 37
2 8 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM 2 0 G A Y Q U E ST I O N S F O R: M I C HE L L E P O L L I N O

queery MICHELLE POLLINO

By TROY MASTERS
tmasters@losangelesblade.com

The millions of viewers who watch Michelle Pollino on Fox News

and Sirius XM Fox News Headline News, where she is a popular
entertainment reporter, might not know that Michelle is bisexual.
Still, its not a secret shes been keeping. Philadelphians have
always known her to be an outspoken force, LGBTQ and, of course,
all things Philly.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOX NEWS
But now shes gone national and very West Coast, known her for
her joyful interviews with some of entertainments most vibrant and
famous personalities. She can light up any room and just about any
town that has glitz and a touch of glam: Michelle is at home on a How long have you been out and who was the If your life were a book, what would the title be?
Hollywood set, for sure, but you are just as likely to nd her chatting hardest person to tell? The Spiritual Evolution of US.
it up with country music superstars on the streets of Nashville or It just came naturally in my early 30s. I
megawatt Broadway stars in Manhattan. experimented in college then started having If science discovered a way to change sexual
Credit for her success must go to her versatility. exclusive relationships with women in my 30s and orientation, what would you do?
Pollino has always been entrepreneurially driven and knows rst- have dated both men and women since. Nothing.
hand the value of networking. As a budding lmmaker in Philadelphia
she helped create a collective of writers and actors that inspired her Whos your LGBT hero? What do you believe in beyond the physical
move to Los Angeles. You might say she has always been aimed this Maria Bello, Im a whatever too. world?
way. Since 2002, Pollino has produced and directed several critically Everything.
acclaimed lms, and worked with talent like Judd Nelson, Megan Whats Los Angeles best nightspot, past or
Mullally and Natasha Lyonne. present? Whats your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
And her latest project, a self-funded project that shes seeking public Im not a nightspot girl. Im a restaurant girl. I Listen to people you disagree with.
support for, D.I.Y. An American Love Comedy, stars Gates McFadden love nding new yummy places to explore in this
(Star Trek: Next Generation) and James Eckhouse (Beverly Hills 90210), amazingly diverse city. What would you walk across hot coals for?
is certainly a breakthrough into Hollywood project. The lm will present a I already did, twice for the hell of it
look at marriage from a queer perspective. The couple getting married is Describe your dream wedding.
a sexually uid pair who seek a unique way to make it ocial. Im not into marriage, Ive never wanted to be nor What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
Importantly, the lm, like Michelle, is more B or Q than L or G. dreamed of being married. The categorizing of ones sexuality as the most
Yeah, Im openly bisexual as I have dated and am open to dating important thing.
both men and women, she declares. What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate
Everyday I have the privilege to talk about the entertainment about? Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
industry on Sirius XM Fox News Headlines and Fox News. In my free Spirituality. Carol.
time, I write and podcast or vodcast about the same, only I mix it
with politics. Chances are you will nd me digging deeper into the What historical outcome would you change? Whats the most overrated social custom?
stories of the day, adding my own brand of humor and sensibilities I wish 9/11 and the Holocaust never happened. The air kiss.
to an already crazy world.
But, on Nov. 4, Michelle will be at home right here in West Whats been the most memorable pop culture What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Hollywood where she will emcee The Live Love Thrive Conference at moment of your lifetime? Connecting through storytelling.
City Council Chambers (www.360karma.com). This years conference The Internet.
has expanded to two days with the addition of SHE Tank on Nov. 3, What do you wish youd known at 18?
a live event where women entrepreneurs pitch their business plans On what do you insist? Self-forgiveness.
to female-run venture capital fund bosses. Both are being presented To be heard.
by 360 Karma and the City of West Hollywood. Why Los Angeles?
Michelle says diversity is what she hopes people get about her. We What was your last Facebook post or Tweet? The weather. Certainly not the drivers
all have unique points of views, wants and needs, she says. About Kevin Spacey accusations.
D I N I NG W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 2 9

Crossroads serves the dishes West Hollywood is craving

UNIQUE TWISTS ON TRADITIONAL FOODS, CALIFORNIA FARE

By SUSAN HORNIK

If you are a meat eater, prepare to

be shocked by Crossroads Kitchen, a
spectacular vegan restaurant that makes
all your favorite dishes taste greatsans
meat. Along with celebrity chef/founder Tal
Ronnen, gay executive chef, Scot Jones serves
up innovative cuisine to his culinary guests.
I love the diversity of our clientele.
Coming from Ohio, we didnt have that;
there are some very close-minded people
in the Republican state of Ohio. Out here
its more open and welcoming. Being a gay
chef in West Hollywood means I have got
the corner, people really respect me and
what we do here at Crossroads.
To mirror the diversity of the people
who come in, Crossroads has a wide-
ranging menu to satisfy any palate.
People love Crossroads because we have
great food. We change with the seasons,
four times a year. Were consistent; weve
got avor, texture and color. And it just so
happens that we are plant based.
Jones noted that not everyone who
walks in the door are vegan or vegetarian.
MATTHEW SWANN (left), a server at Crossroads Restaurant and executive chef SCOTT JONES (right).
I would say, 65 per cent of our clientele
are not plant based lifestyle customers, PHOTO BY SUSAN HORNIK

but they love coming here because the

food is so damm good. The culinary family
here puts a lot of love into our dishes. We
enjoy pushing the envelope so that we
stay on top of things.
While many other restaurants have
multiple locations, Jones is happy with
just the one location at the crossroads of
Sweetzer and Melrose (8284 Melrose) in
West Hollywood.
To be consistent is very hard, if you
have ve restaurants. Tal and I dont want
that; we want this one that we concentrate
on, that people come to as the mecca of
great food. If Tal is not here, Im here.
Thats what makes a great restaurant.
Many celebrities have come in to
Crossroads. You name it, theyve been
here! Jones quipped. Its very humbling
to Tap and I that they enjoy our food so
much. We respect their privacy and they
know they can trust us. You dont see
paparazzi hanging out here, because we
built a $40,000 garage in the back.
Jones spent many years developing
his blend of Italian and Mediterranean
recipes, and is a rm believer that healthy
dining is not necessarily synonymous
with minimalist surroundings and quiet
contemplation.
Crossroads is just as much of a
neighborhood spot as it is a serious
restaurant, he said. The food were
creating is meant to be enjoyed both for
its ingredients as much as the way we
serve it.
It was rocker Chrissie Hynde of The
Pretenders who rst introduced Jones to
Ronnen, who, according to Jones, turned
a light switch on in my head that every
chef should have turned on about the
virtues of vegetable-based cuisine. Prior
to meeting Ronnen, Jones had started to
explore healthier culinary options as a way
to help keep him in shape, and discovered
that the enticing avors of many of his
favorite Italian dishes could be recreated
without using meat.
In his down time, Jones is very involved
with LGBTQ charities. I do a lot with the
LGBTQ Center in Hollywood. I back it and
do as much as I can for them, with events. I
also like to be involved with the AIDS Walk.
It usually goes right by us but this year,
they did another route this year. I asked
my husband the other day, when is the
date, as I like to give out food samples and
water while its happening, and hes like,
honey, it already happened!
Gay waiter Matthew Swann has been
working at Crossroads for six months. I
have seen more imagination in Chef Tal
Ronnens food than Ive seen over 20 years
of ne dining service, Swann swooned.
My favorite dish is his take on the crab
cake, fashioned from hearts of palm.
Chef Tal always adds the perfect
Hollywood ending: Its so good it could
make Hannibal Lecter a vegan!
3 0 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017
Fall release season brings LGBT lives to the big screen
Even in a diverse and progressive
metropolis like Los Angeles, any queer
cinema enthusiast can tell you that nding
big screen lm content targeted at the
LGBTQ audience is often a challenge.
Thankfully, the next few weeks bring several
opportunities to see some new and exciting
examples of LGBTQ-themed moviemaking.
The American Film Institute presents
its annual festival of international lms
appropriately called AFI Fest at various
lm theaters throughout Hollywood,
November 9 November 16. While this
years event oers dozens of movies that
would be of interest to any lm fan, there
are a few screenings that should be on the
must-do list for LGBTQ viewers.
The biggest title in the bunch is easily
the long-awaited screen version of
Andr Acimans 2007 novel, Call Me
by Your Name. Adapted by director
Luca Guadagnino, who co-authored
the screenplay with Walter Fasano and
James Ivory (one of the creative giants
behind Maurice), it debuted at the 2017
Sundance Festival to massive critical
and audience approval and is already
anticipated to be a major contender in this
years Hollywood Awards Season.
A sensual and transcendent tale of rst
love, set in northern Italy in the summer of
1983, its the story of Elio Perlman (Timothe
Chalamet), a precocious 17-year-old
American-Italian boy who spends his days
in his familys 17th-century villa transcribing
and playing classical music. One day, Oliver
(Armie Hammer), a charming American
scholar working on his doctorate, arrives
as the annual summer intern tasked with
helping Elios father. Amid the sun-drenched
splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver
discover the heady beauty of awakening
desire over the course of a summer that will
alter their lives forever.
Though the notorious social media
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
A ROUNDUP OF OFFERINGS AROUND LOS ANGELES
By JOHN PAUL KING
ARMIE HAMMER with TIMOTHEE CHALAMET in Call Me By Your Name.
kerfue between conservative actor James
Woods and lm co-star Armie Hammer
may have stoked this movies buzz, it is
doubtless the highly-praised direction by
Guadagnino and the performances from
its two handsome leads, that will make it
one of the years must-see lms. It opens
in limited release on November 24, but you
can get the jump on that by attending the
AFI Fest screening, which will take place
at the TLC Chinese Theater at 7:30PM on
Friday, November 10. This will be one of
the Festivals Centerpiece Screenings, so
its likely to be a hot ticket.
Also scheduled at AFI Fest is A Fantastic
Woman (Una Mejar Fantastica), a Chilean
lm featuring the debut of trans actress
Daniela Vega. She stars as Marina, who
works as a waitress while pursuing her
PHOTO COURTESY ALLSTAR/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
dream of being a torch singer. When her
factory-owner boyfriend and protector
unexpectedly dies, she nds her grief
stunted by cruelties hurled by both
ocialdom and family alike but she nds
in herself an undeterred resolve to see
through the mourning of her lost love, and
to write her own story in a world that will
forever regard her as an outsider. Written
and directed by Sebastin Lelio, it will
screen on Monday, November 13 at 9:30PM
and Tuesday, November 14 at 3:45PM.
Finally, the festival will present Thelma,
a gripping psychological thriller from
Norway, about a young woman with two
overprotective, devoutly Christian parents.
She decides to leave home and move to
Oslo, where she falls in love with another
girl awakening mysterious powers within
F I LM
her. Deploying modern horrors signature
tropes while also twisting them anew, the
latest work from Joachim Trier features a
star performance from Eili Harboe, and is an
entertaining, mind-bending allegory about
agency, power, gender and sexuality. It
screens Saturday, November 11 at 9:15PM
and Monday, November 13 at 1:00PM.
In addition to these Festival oerings,
there are a couple of other upcoming
opportunities to catch LGBTQ lms.
Morning After, a highly anticipated
coming-of-age short Queer drama delving
into the world of sexual uidity, has its Los
Angeles debut on November 4 as part of
the Studio City International Film Festival
at Laemmle Theatres North Hollywood
7, at 1 PM. Additional screenings will
take place on November 3 (Chinese
Theatre, Hollywood, as part of the FICG
in LA Showcase of highlights from the
Guadalajara International Film Festival)
and November 5th (at L.A. Film School,
free, donations accepted). For more
information contact the venues.
Finally, Uncle Gloria: One Helluva Ride
opens at select theatres on November 3,
and drops on November 7 in VOD form.
This unique and entertaining documentary
by Robyn Symon recounts the astonishing
true story of Butch, the macho owner of
a South Florida auto-wrecking company.
In a desperate search of a way to hide
from the law, he transforms himself into
a woman named Gloria but what starts
out as a trick to beat the system ends up
changing Butchs life forever. Now in her
80s, Glorias stranger-than-ction life has
been lled with risky surgeries, sex work,
family dysfunction, activism and a gender-
bending love story. Full of humor, warmth
and sass, UNCLE GLORIA is a rollicking ride
that must be seen to be believed. More
information on viewing opportunities will
be available on the Blade website.
F I LM
Todd Haynes latest will leave you Wonderstruck
Todd Haynes has a lot of his own history
to live up to.
After establishing himself as an audacious
talent with Superstar (which used Barbie
dolls to tell the story of Karen Carpenter),
he became a pioneer of the new queer
cinema with Poison, and broke through
to the mainstream by reinventing the
glossy Hollywood melodrama in Far from
Heaven. He has pushed the boundaries
of traditional narrative form, subverted
cinematic tropes to challenge denitions of
gay culture imposed by heteronormative
society, and given voice to otherness
through a medium in which it has
historically been repressed.
With a pedigree like that, it may come as
a surprise that, for his latest work, he has
chosen to make what is essentially a feel-
good family lm.
Such a pairing of director to material
might seem unlikely, at rst; but once the
lm starts rolling, it doesnt take long to
realize that Haynes and Wonderstruck
are a match made in movie heaven.
Through two interwoven stories, taking
place 50 years apart, its the saga of two
young runaways. In 1977, Ben (Oakes
Fegley) who has recently lost his mother
to a trac accident embarks on a quest
to nd his father, whom he has never
known; in 1927, Rose (Millicent Simmonds)
ees her tyrannical father and goes to
New York to seek out her favorite lm star,
Lillian Mayhew (Julianne Moore). As their
tales proceed, it becomes clear that the
parallels between these two children are
more than just a similarity of detail, and
that they are somehow linked across time
by the answers they pursue.
The conceit is inherently both literary
and gimmicky, but the director along
with author Brian Selznick, who adapted
the thoughtful screenplay from his own
2011 novel of the same name has turned
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
THE WORLD AS SEEN THROUGH AN UNMISTAKABLE QUEER SENSIBILITY
By JOHN PAUL KING
Director TODD HAYNES (left) and cast members brought the magic to #Wonderstrucks LA premiere.
Now playing in NY and LA.
both those qualities into building blocks
for pure cinema. Known for appropriating
vintage techniques in his work, Haynes
takes full advantage of the opportunity
to explore two widely dierent periods
in a single lm. Each story is framed in
the visual language of its era, utilizing
the gritty milieu and unmistakable
color palette of seventies cinema for
Bens segments and the richly evocative
black-and-white grandeur of the silent
screen for Roses. Both aectations, as
executed by cinematographer Edward
Lachman, are exquisitely realized, making
Wonderstruck, perhaps above all else, a
bewitching treat for the eyes.
Likewise, Haynes musical choices are
canny reections of each period. His
oft-noted love for seventies outre rock
PHOTO COURTESY OF TWITTER
nds expression in Bens timeline through
astute selections by David Bowie, Fripp
and Eno, and Sweet; for Roses silent
world, the near-constant orchestral
accompaniment (by Haynes regular
Carter Burwell) eloquently provides the
emotional cues made necessary by the
lack of spoken dialogue.
Equally on target are the lms
performances. The ever-luminous Moore,
a longtime muse for the director, proves
yet again that she is one of her generations
most gifted actresses with her virtually
wordless performance. Michelle Williams,
as Bens doomed mother, strikes a perfect
balance of warmth and melancholy.
Superb as these seasoned veterans are,
the lm rightly belongs to the trio of younger
actors around whom its plot revolves.
N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 1
Fegley and Simmonds both give mature,
eshed-out portrayals that engage our
empathy for the duration of the lm; and
the winning Jaden Michael is a joy as Jaime,
the lonely and sensitive boy who befriends
Ben, providing an emotional ground in the
here-and-now for a story which otherwise
deals in unrequited connections between
past and future.
It is the man behind the camera, however,
who is the real star of Wonderstruck.
Though this heart-tugging fable about the
enduring power of love might, in other hands,
seem sappy and manipulative, Haynes as
much chameleon as auteur embraces its
sentimental qualities and deploys them with
uninching sincerity within the framework
of his own distinctive style. Informed by
his fascination with semiotics, he explores
its themes through layers of meaning
intricately woven throughout its recurring
motifs. His use of the lms preoccupation
with architecture and museums is by itself
worthy of extensive commentary but the
riches of this cabinet of wonders are best
left to experience rst-hand.
As a side note, Haynes is an out lm
director who has reached a place of
prominence in the industry, and as such
carries the hopes and expectations of an
entire community on his shoulders. Although
Wonderstruck is a non-queer story, it is
told with unmistakably queer sensibilities. As
always, Haynes gives us a lm about societal
outliers trying to nd their place in a world
that has no room for them something
that goes right to the heart of the LGBTQ
experience, yet speaks to the yearnings of a
broader audience as well.
This universal appeal means that
most viewers will likely fall in love with
Wonderstruck. Not only is it Haynes
most accessible work to date, it is one of
those rare lms that truly deserves to be
called magical.
3 2 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM THEATER

Love is never easy, in Rotterdam

A QUEER LOVE STORY COMES TO SKYLIGHT THEATRE

By JOHN PAUL KING

Theres no shortage of theatre pieces

about gay men but if youre looking for
works that deal with the experiences of gay
women or trans people, youre going to be
hard-pressed to nd more than a few.
Fortunately, a play that explores both of
these subjects is soon to appear onstage
at the Skylight Theatre in Los Feliz.
Rotterdam is an import from the U.K.,
where it was rst produced in 2015. It
received a nomination for Best New Play
at Londons O West End Awards and won
an Olivier Award (Britains equivalent of a
Tony) for Outstanding Achievement in an
Aliate Theatre.
Written by Jon Brittain (who has
authored several critically-acclaimed
plays, as well as writing shows for Radio 4
and the Cartoon Network), its billed as A
(L to R) RYAN BROPHY, ASHLEY ROMANS, MIRANDA WYNNE and AUDRY CAIN in Rotterdam at the Skylight Theatre.
queer love story about all of us
The plot concerns a lesbian couple, PHOTO BY ED KRIEGER; COURTESY SKYLIGHT THEATRE

Alice and Fiona, who share a at in

Rotterdam. On New Years Eve, Alice
has nally found the courage to email
her parents and tell them shes gay. But
before Alice can hit send, Fiona reveals
that she has always thought of herself as
a man and that now she wants to live
as one. This bombshell announcement
sends their 7-year-old relationship into
a tailspin, setting the stage for a comedy
with powerful questions about love and
identity at its core.
Playwright Brittain says about the work,
Everything Ive ever written has had some
kind of comedic angle to it. To entertain
someone is an excellent way to open them
up to new thoughts. This story is an optimistic
one. Given whats happening in the world
today, I think we need a bit of optimism.
The production is directed by Michael A.
Shepperd, the Ovation-winning co-Artistic
Director of L.A.s Celebration Theatre
which he describes, accurately and with
great pride as the oldest lesbian/gay/
bisexual/transgender/queer/questioning/
intersex/two-spirited/allied/asexual/
cisgender/non-gender-binary theatre in
the country.
He says he was drawn to the play by
the fact that its a beautiful love story
about two women and we dont see that
onstage a lot.
He also like that its about having the
courage to be yourself. To live your
truth out loud can be dangerous, adds
Shepperd. But to take that step into your
authentic self can make you much more
powerful than anything the world can
throw at you. Rotterdam explores that,
as well as asking the question, Can we live
our true authentic selves and still be loved
by the people around us?
That question, as expressed in Alice and
Fionas dilemma, feeds into the shows
universal appeal.
At its heart, he says, Rotterdam is
really about change. In any long-term
relationship, theres a series of changes
you go through; and either you change
together, to move forward, or both of you
change and you move apart. It can be very
dicult sometimes and its something
that anyone can relate to.
Hes not alone in his enthusiasm for the
plays inclusiveness. Whats been very
cool is that Ive had people coming out of
the woodwork to help. I have ve trans
people working on the project, I have two
lesbians working with me to make sure the
scenes between the women are accurate
and honest; its been one of those things
where everyone who has read the script
has fallen in love with it and wants to be
a part of it which is what our community
should be every day.
As to how the show addresses our
current cultural climate, at a time when
we are seeing a rise in transgender stories
within our popular culture (Transparent,
Boy Meets Girl, Orange is the New Online at http://SkylightTix.com
Black), even as the regressive attitudes
of the Trump era threaten to push back
against our hard-won social progress,
Shepperd says Rotterdam takes a non-
confrontational approach. Its not a
political play. Its not about the trans or
lesbian or queer community. Were not
approaching as a trans play or a lesbian
play. Were asking, What is the story, and
what is the message that its telling us? But
I think that now, more than ever, these
types of stories need to be told, so that
people will see them and hopefully open
their minds about what other communities,
outside of their own, are like.
Rotterdam by Jon Brittain opens at 8:30pm
Saturday, November 11th and plays at 8:30pm
on Fridays and Saturdays; 2:00pm on Sundays;
and 8:00pm on Mondays through December11,
2017. Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 1/2 N.
Vermont Ave, LA, 90027. Tickets are $15 - $41.
Reservations: 213-761-7061 or or 866-811-4111.
OPERA W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 3

An opera of biblical proportions

PLCIDO DOMINGO CONQUERS ANOTHER LANDMARK ROLE IN NABUCCO

By CHRISTOPHER CAPPIELLO

Nabucco runs through Nov. 19 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Details at www.laopera.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LA OPERA

In the month of November, LA Opera
takes audiences on an action-packed
journey with Thaddeus Strassbergers
inventive staging of Giuseppe Verdis
biblical drama Nabucco, starring opera
legend and LA Operas general director
Plcido Domingo.
Verdi was 28 years old when his third
opera debuted at Milans La Scala in 1842,
and the piece catapulted him to stardom.
Set in ancient times during the Babylonian
captivity of the Hebrews, the opera is
based on events described in the Book of
Jeremiah. Because it is an Italian opera,
however, Verdi also added an invented
love triangle to spice up the proceedings.
The title is an Italian shortening of the
name of the ancient king of Babylon,
Nebuchadnezzar, who has conquered and
exiled the Hebrews from their homeland
at the top of the show. Nabucco has two
daughters, the older, ery Abigaille, and the
younger, sweeter Fenena, both of whom
love the handsome young Hebrew Ismaele.
Nabucco is one of Verdis great baritone
roles, and since Maestro Domingo decided
several years ago that, rather than retire as
one of the worlds greatest tenors, he would
continue to sing by exploring baritone parts,
he has sung the role in some of the worlds
greatest opera houses. I rst sang the
title role of this exciting work in 2013, he
says, and have relished the opportunity to
revisit this Biblical king several times since
then. As a younger man he sang the tenor
role of Ismaele to acclaim, but now relishes
the chance to take on the complicated and
psychologically challenging title role, which
includes a mad scene that takes place
after Nabucco has declared himself god of
the Hebrews and gets struck by lightning.
Mad scenes in operas are usually sung by
sopranos, the playful legend says, but this
role nally gives me the chance to have my
own mad scene, something I never expected!
At 76, Domingo is once again taking
on Nabucco with Ukrainian soprano
Liudmyla Monastyrska singing the
powerhouse part of Abigaille opposite
him. One of the reasons Verdis early piece
is infrequently staged is because the role
of Abigaille is so dicult, requiring such
wildly varied styles and skills from a singer.
Monastyrska has made the challenging
part her own, and has performed the piece
with Domingo at the Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden and at the Met Opera last
year in an acclaimed staging that had critics
raving about the pair. I am delighted to
introduce Liudmyla Monastyrska to Los
Angeles in her signature role, he says.
Another hallmark of Nabucco is Verdis
exceptional use of the chorus. While there
are gorgeous chorus selections throughout,
the piece includes one of operas most
famous choruses, Va, pensiero, in
which the exiled Hebrews long for their
homeland. When Verdi wrote the opera
in 1842 Italy was in the beginning of the
risorgimento, the resurgence of interest
in Italian unication. Northern Italy, where
the opera premiered, was under Austrian
rule, and Va, pensiero became a beloved
anthem of patriotic pride for Italians in the
mid-19th century and beyond.
Director Strassbergers production
attempts to capture the feeling of the
1842 premiere by placing opera boxes on
the sides of the stage with 19th-century
characters watching the opera while
Austrian soldiers stand guard. While
we many never know exactly what it felt
like to experience that national pride
while under foreign domination, we can
take great pride in the world-renowned
Plcido Domingo continuing to expand
his repertoire and challenge himself at his
cultural home of LA Opera.
3 4 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017
Rapp bludgeons Kevin Spacey and House of Cards folds
The whole time I was working there, I
didnt know Andy Cohen wanted to be me.
- Kathy Grin on her long and, apparently,
unhappy tenure at Bravo. Watch what
happens, indeed!
Just as we went to press, a story broke
that weve already re-written - twice.
Anthony Rapp, original cast member of
Rent and currently starring on Star
Trek: Discovery, accused Kevin Spacey of
making sexual advances on him when he
was 14! In 1986, Rapp was on Broadway in
Precious Sons and Spacey was in Long
Days Journey Into Night. After a party at
Spaceys home, the two were alone. Kevin
allegedly laid Anthony on the bed and
then, as Rapp says, He lays down on top
of me. He was trying to seduce me. I dont
know if I would have used that language.
But I was aware that he was trying to get
with me sexually. Anthony got himself
out of there fast, while Spacey stood in the
doorway reportedly saying, Are you sure
you wanna go?
He didnt tell anyone about this until
he was in Six Degrees of Separation
on Broadway between 1990-92. I can
corroborate the timeline because when
I met Anthony in 1991, he told me about
this incident. He even tried to go public in
a 2001 Q&A with The Advocate, although
Spaceys name was redacted from the
story. So why speak up now? Not simply to
air a grievance, but to try to shine another
light on the decades of behavior that have
been allowed to continue because many
people, including myself, being silent. Im
feeling really awake to the moment that
were living in, and Im hopeful that this
can make a dierence. But can one voice
make a dierence?
Within moments of Rapp going public,
Spacey made his own statement - too
lengthy for the connes of this column
- but you can read it in its entirety on
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
AND KATHY GRIFFIN TORCHES ANDY COHEN AND BRAVO
By BILLY MASTERS
KATHY GRIFFIN is back and has a lot to say, but shes still holding that head.
BillyMasters.com. He apologized to
Anthony without admitting any guilt. He
also nally said that he is indeed gay.
While it doesnt excuse his past behavior,
its a start. Just goes to show, the power of
one voice. Bravo, Anthony.
By morning, Netix had killed Spaceys
bread and butter. House of Cards folded.
You all know Kathy Grin was dumped
from CNNs New Years Eve with Anderson
Cooper and replaced by Andy Cohen. Well,
TMZ ran into Cohen at LAX, congratulated
him on the gig, and asked if hes talked
to Kathy about it. Andy innocently said,
Who? The reporter (and I used that
term loosely) then claried, Kathy Grin.
Kathy Grin. Andy simply said, I dont
know her. The cameraman was most
certainly ummoxed - well, he would
SCREENSHOT VIA TMZ
have been if he knew what ummoxed
meant. Obviously Andy knows Kathy - in
fact, shes the one who introduced us! I
suspect Cohen was simply playing dumb.
Unlike most showbiz friendships, Andy
and Anderson are actually best friends.
So, who did you expect him to side with?
Kathy wasted no time in clapping back
(as the kids say). She tweeted: Even
when its on tape, there are doubters? He
is NOT kidding w paps. Was my boss for
10 years. Treated me like a dog. Deeply
misogynistic. But Kathy wasnt nished.
After her Tweet, Harvey Levin of TMZ
called - likely to see if she wanted to
make a comment on the clip. Instead, she
posted a 17-minute video that is surely
the denition of viral. Kathy also exposes
Levins close ties with Trump, calling him
G O SSI P
the gay version of Kellyanne Conway!
She reveals that Trump and Levin speak
several times a week. She also claimed
that all of TMZs stories about women are
ones that make them look bad or where
they physically look bad. As opposed to all
those positive stories about men!
As to Andy Cohen, she says he was a
miserable boss for all those years. She also
states how loathsome Bravo is to women -
both the women behind the scenes and the
women on the shows. Easy to say now that
she doesnt have a show on the network,
which is the double-edged sword everyone
is tiptoeing around. She says, I didnt know
that when they ended The D-List and I
desperately wanted to do a talk show,
Andy Cohen would be the rst television
executive in the history of television to give
himself a talk show that seems to get picked
up every season. Grin claims that the two
times she was on Watch What Happens
Live, Andy Cohen privately asked me in an
oce...if I wanted to do blow. She predicted
Andy would say he was just kidding. And, she
was right - Cohen Tweeted, I am completely
stunned by this story. It is 100% false and
totally made up.
Kathy also says that because of the
Trump investigation, shes been on the no-
y list, the Interpol list, and that shes been
detained alone at every single airport Ive
gone to. Kathy wraps it up by saying, So
when I go to Singapore, if I dont return,
I just want you guys to know thats why.
Since we ran long, I barely have
time to remind you to check out www.
BillyMasters.com - the best bargain on the
web. If you have a question - preferably
one that leads to nudity - send it o to
BillyMasters.com and I promise to get
back to you before Kathy announces her
(mandatory) residency at the Singapore
Hilton! So, until next time, remember, one
mans lth is another mans bible.
CA L E N DA R
E-mail calendar items to
tmasters@losangelesblade.com
two weeks prior to your event. Space is
limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic
events or those with LGBT participants.
Recurring events must be
re-submitted each time.
NOV. 08
Reception with WeHo City Council
supporting Assessor Je Prang, MON Nov
8 @ 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Sunset Marquis (1200
Alta Loma Road). Join leaders of the West
Hollywood government for an exceptional
evening honoring Jerey Prang, LA Countys
Assessor and former Mayor of WeHo.
Support his candidacy for re-election,
mingle, mix and get show the ag.
NOV. 09
Transgender Job and Resources Fair,
THU Nov. 9 @ 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at
West Hollywood Park Auditorium (647
N. San Vicente Blvd.). Presented by the
Los Angeles LGBT Centers Transgender
Economic Empowerment Project (TEEP),
this job and resources fair caters to the
LAs transgender community, providing
access to a multitude of companies
and businesses participating this year,
including the Los Angeles Blade. The
event will include a variety of job training
resources, a mock interview clinic, and a
photo booth for professional headshots.
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender
Survey, nearly one-third of trans people
are living in poverty, compounded by
the statistic that they experience a 15%
unemployment rate which is three times
higher than the unemployment rate in the
U.S. population (5%). The unemployment
rate among trans people of color is
worsefour times higher than the nations
unemployment rate. Jan Perry, General
Manager of the Los Angeles Economic and
Workforce Development Department will
deliver this years keynote.
Built in Brews at Grindr, TUE Nov. 9 @
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Grindr Corportate
oces (725 North San Vicente). Finally you
have a chance to meet that provocative torso
from 40 feet away. Get him a beer and see
what happens! Grindr invites you in for a
night of networking, demos, and cold drinks
W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM
The British Council and British Film Institute presents #FiveFilms4Freedom 2017, MON Nov. 13, 5:30-7:30 PM at UCLA Dodd Hall.
for Novembers Built In Brews, a monthly
startup happy hour hosted monthly by the
gay tech company every month. Get an inside
look at some of the citys hottest tech oces,
meet with inspirational entrepreneurs, and
mingle with the employees behind the magic,
they promise.
NOV. 11
Em:Powered, IN:clued, SAT Nov. 11
@ 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Village At Ed
Gould Plaza, Los Angeles LGBT Center
(1125 N McCadden Pl). Em:Powered will
explore ideas around sexual orientation
and gender identity for LGBTQ+
identied youth. Activities could include a
community scavenger hunt, poetry slam,
discussion about all sorts of relationships,
and appreciation of members of the
groups unique strengths. INclued aims
to empowere LGBTQ+ young people with
a clear understanding of sexual health
and developing condence. INclued
peer educators teach about sexual safety,
and how to talk to a doctor about sexual
health needs. Contact 323-860-7388 or
lifeworks@lalgbtcenter.org.
NOV. 12
Legendary Bingo Beneting The
Valley Film Festival, TUE Nov. 14 @ 6:00 to
8:00 PM at Hamburger Marys WEHO (8288
Santa Monica Boulevard). Join us for a
night of Legendary Bingo (aka Drag Queen
Bingo) to benet The Valley Film Festival.
Be one of the at least 50 conrmed guests
and you may win some awesome prize
packages. Theres drag queen auction, so
start saving up your pennies for a new wig.
NOV. 13
British Council and British Film
Institute presents #FiveFilms4Freedom
2017, MON Nov. 13 @ 5:30 to 7:30 PM
at UCLA Dodd Hall (315 Portola Avenue).
#FiveFilms4Freedom is the worlds rst and
largest digital LGBT lm festival. Following
its success at BFI Flare, the British Council
and British Film Institute brings important
online lms to the big screen. These UK
productions mark the 50th anniversary
of decriminalization of homosexuality in
Britain a landmark moment for human
rights. Featured are Crush (directed by
Rosie Westho), Where We Are Now
(directed by Lucie Rachel), Heavy Weight
(directed by Jonny Ru), Still Burning
(directed by Nick Rowley), and Jamie
(directed by Christopher Manning). Guest
speakers include lmmakers Johnny Ru
and Rosie Westho, and BAFTA LA CEO
Chantal Rickards.
NOV. 14
Pride Real Estate Professionals
Mixer, TUE Nov. 14 @ 6:00 to 8:00 PM at
Granville West Hollywood (8701 Beverly
Boulevard). LGBTQ and LGBTQ friendly
Architects, Attorneys, Lenders, Title Reps,
Designers, Contractors, Realtors, Insurance
Brokers and other real estate aliated
professionals get together to exchange
N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 5
IMAGE PROVIDED BY BRITISH CONSULATE LOS ANGELES
ideas and tips. Oh, and dont forget the
delicious drinks and treats from Granville..
NOV. 15
Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Los
Angeles & The L Project November
Mixer, WED Nov. 15 @ 6:00 to 9:00 PM
at Bar 10 (8933 Santa Monica Boulevard).
Women are some of the most gifted folks
in technology, yet there are far fewer
than there should be, accounting for 1 in
15 in STEM elds, according to Lesbians
Who Tech. So, this monthly gathering
of women in the queer tech community,
chatting over drinks, is an important
mingle. Whether you work at a tech
company, have a technical job or just love
technology or just obsessed with every
new app...come out!
NOV. 16
34 Annual West Hollywood Creative
Business Awards, THU Nov. 16 @ 6:00
PM to 10:00 PM at The Jeremy Hotel (8490
West Sunset Boulevard). West Hollywood
Chamber of Commerce (WHCC) is set to
host its most prestigious and longest-
running event, the West Hollywood
Creative Business Awards with a reception
and silent auction sponsored by Beverly
Center. Honoring creative approaches
and entrepreneurial solutions, the event
is a truly community based awards
ceremony with winners selected by
membership online ballots. Hundreds of
local businesses will be in attendance.
3 6 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM PHOTOS

Halloween was spooky all over

IT WAS CERTAINLY A TRICK AND A TREAT, FROM WEHO TO DTLA AND DODGER STADIUM

Halloween mixed it up this year and was gayer than ever. From Sober-Ween to Halloweenie,
Wehos famous Carnival to the Grandslam-o-ween at Dodger Stadium, LA went nuts!
The Los Angeles Blade went trick or treating for photos of the big event and here are a few.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HALLOWEENIE 12 PHOTO COURTESY OF HALLOWEENIE 12

PHOTO BY ROLLENCE PATUGAN FOR JENNIFER EMERY FOR VISIT WEST HOLLYWOOD PHOTO BY ROLLENCE PATUGAN FOR JENNIFER EMERY FOR VISIT WEST HOLLYWOOD

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCARY SEXY SOBER HALLOWEEN WAREHOUSE PARTY PHOTO BY CHAD GOLDMAN
A R T S & EN TE RTA I N MENT W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 7

Queen Latifah returns to TV in Star

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

This is what bonds Latifah and I together,

that we both have a mutual understanding
of what its like in the streets and a mutual
understanding of what its like with fame
and the marriage of both and a compassion
for both. Because its lonely. Fame dont
mean that you are happy. Far from. And
money doesnt mean that youre happy. Far
from. And its really powerful to have her
right here next to me because she knows
the walk. Shes walked it with me.
In Star, now in its second season,
Latifah plays Carlotta, the mother of
a sassy transgender daughter, Cotton
(Amiyah Scott), whose sexuality she has
trouble accepting.
That was also one of the big draws of
Carlotta, she told Parade.com. Carlotta is
completely dierent than Queen Latifah,
but they cross over in certain ways. The
topic of being trans is very topical. More
importantly, the thing that Lee and I talked
about when we developed the concept of
this show, and what we were interested
in about this, was the fact that everybody PHOTO BY JEFF SEER; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK

doesnt know the right thing to say. Its a

new experience for a lot of people and if
we communicate about it, people could
grow to understand each other.
Latifah continued: Youll nd that
theme along a lot of lines in this show, but
this particular thing is very important to
us, especially since our whole relationship
in beginning this movement came after
we were at the afterparty for Precious.
We hung and we got on the topic of
(trans documentary) Paris is Burning
and how much we both loved that movie,
and how some of the people were high
school classmates of mine or friends that
I knew from hanging out in the clubs in
my teenage years. In Lees younger years,
he crossed a lot of the same places. We
wanted to build that understanding.
At the same time, you cant always fault
people for what they dont understand.
You have to try to build a bridge. We
wanted to show the conversation.
We hear about those conversations,
especially when [Bruce] Jenner became
Caitlyn Jenner. It became a huge topic of
conversation, but some of it was sort of
trivialized or stereotyped or overblown.
The characters struggle for her mothers
acceptance is something Scott was used to.
Being transgender was something
dierent for my parents to accept,
acknowledged Scott, when the show rst
premiered. I was an only child. Well, Im
my mother Chinas only child. My father
has daughters. But I think that by me
being the third, I was then his only son. We
have certain expectations in my life, and
my life was supposed to go a certain way,
and thats the course that I was on. So to
almost just realize all of a sudden that that subject. But shes not shy and has often
wasnt who I am and to alert my parents been seen sharing aection with her
of that, it was something dicult to deal partner, Eboni Nichols.
with. We did struggle. Latifah, a hip hop pioneer, was recently
Im blessed enough to have parents who recognized by VH1s Save the Music
who at least loved me enough to think Foundation for her contribution to music
about what I wanted and to keep that in and her work providing low income students
mind. No, my father wasnt pleased at the opportunity to pursue an education.
rst, but the silver lining is now he calls To strip faculties of music and artwork
me Princess. So I think that shows like this is like stripping your personal soul, Latifah
and growth and seeing dierent things said during her acceptance speech. Some
can open up your mind. And I think that individuals discover out what they need to
sometimes, though you may feel a certain be in life by way of music and artwork
way, like, about a certain subject at rst, Typically music and artwork can park one
things can change. thing in you that awakens your thoughts
As for her sexual orientation, Latifah is and allows you to know you can attain
perhaps more guarded than some fans additional and assume additional.
prefer, especially given the debate around Just so yall know, the Queen already has
Kevin Spaceys 30 year caginess on the a star on Hollywood Boulevard.
3 8 NO VEMB ER 0 3 , 2017 W W W .LOS ANG E LE S B LADE .C OM BU SI N E SS

Meet a rising star of WeHos home furnishing design community

GAURAV NANDAS BEND GOODS RE-IMAGINES MID-CENTURY MODERN

By REBEKAH SAGER

Furniture designer Gaurav Nanda has

made a successful business out of turning
a classic on its ear.
Inspired by the mid-century modern
design aesthetic he saw on vacations with
his family to Palm Springs, and Italian-
born American artist, sound art sculptor,
and modern furniture designer, Harry
Bertoia (and the chair he made famous),
Nanda took a leap of faith seven years
ago, quitting his job with General Motors
and launching a furniture line called Bend
Goods, based in Los Angeles.
Nanda, 45 and single, works out of one
of two houses he owns in West Hollywood.
He initially launched his furniture collection
with ve pieces two dining chairs, two
GAURAV NANDAs designs are unmistakably West Hollywood style.
lounge chairs and one drum table, but the
collection has grown to dozens of oerings PHOTO COURTESY BEND GOODS LOS ANGELES

from chairs to stools, to sofas and beds,

to sculpture and plant stands.
At the time nobody was doing what we
were doing, Nanda told the Los Angeles
Blade.
Although originally inspired by the
Bertoia Chair, Nandas chairs have more
angles and less wire than the original.
Sculptural, with elegant geometry, the
new take on the old design has more
approachable lines and a softer feel.
I set out to nd a way to reinvent the
wire chair concept that was dierent and
edgier, with a lot more intricate detailing
that make our designs immensely more
comfortable, Nanda says.
He adds that he placed the wires of the
seat closer together to build more comfort
and beat out his competition. The rst
thing we hear people say when they sit in
our chairs is Its so comfy!
A talent for industrial design and
entrepreneurship obviously runs in the
family. Nandas sister, Gauri Nanda, is the
creator of Clocky -- the alarm clock that
jumps and rolls until you get out of bed.
Nanda left his job at GM and moved to
L.A. in 2008. In 2010, he poured his savings
and investment money from family into
Bend Goods.
The line started in retail brick and
mortar stores such as A+R Store and
Weego Home, but, since the retail market
has changed and people are shopping
online more and more, Nanda branched
out to trade shows in Paris and NYC, and
pushing product online via social media,
with Instagram as the biggest eort.
Were constantly creating new products,
and working on being creative and unique
with our imagery and video content. We
need to stay creative and oer intriguing
content, Nanda says.
He says his inspiration comes from
everywhere and it continues to change.
It might start with a shape of an
interesting coee cup or old Amish barn.I
sketch out some rough concept drawings
of what the furniture might look like. I play
around with scale and shape, and once I
have some solid ideas we build them in
3-D, Nanda explains.
Working at GM was an amazing learning
experience, but Im not really not a car guy,
so it wasnt the right environment, Nanda
adds. It was very corporate. Id always
been interested in furniture, he says.
He says hes also been inspired by
architect John Lauthner, BuckminsterFuller,
who created the geodesic dome, lmmaker
Wes Anderson, and his fairytale aesthetic,
and even his mothers handmade macram
plant-holders.
In a way the patterns used in my work
can be traced to my Indian heritage, as an
homage of sorts to my thriving culture.
Nandas parents were born in Bombay
and New Delhi. He says being an Indian
family, they were confused when he
came out to them in his late 30s. Theyve
given up on him marrying a nice girl, and
even moved from Michigan to Los Angeles
2 years ago.
Despite his parents understanding, he says
the furniture design world isnt overowing
with gay people or people of color.
I feel at times that Im part of this
community, and at times I feel like Im not.
Maybe thats everyone. Theres a sense
of community in the furniture world, and
we meet at trade shows and we share
stories, and sometimes I feel like Im being
excluded from some things, but maybe
thats just me, Nanda says.
Nandas goals for Bend Goods are lofty.
He says hes hoping to design pieces that
become classics rather than remain trends.
Disposable furniture may have its place
in some situations, but I am not a fan due to
its negative impact on the environment and
wasteful nature. We like to make products
that you can pass on to your children - from
generation to generation, he says.
Bend is looking to build a showroom or studio
space where the sta of eight can experiment
with dierent materials and processes.
We hope to oer one-of-a kind pieces
but also increase our product line for the
commercial market by creating pieces in
various price levels so that more people
can have access to Bend, Nanda says.
W WW .L OS A NG EL ESB LADE .CO M N O V E MBE R 0 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 9
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