Alexis Arquette Has Died

Very sad news to hear that transgender actress & activist Alexis Arquette has died at the age of 47. She was the sibling of actors David, Rosanna & Patricia Arquette & died on Sunday morning while listening to David Bowie's Starman. Arquette appeared in films including Pulp Fiction & The Wedding Singer as well as TV shows including Friends & Californication. She also appeared in the documentary Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother that played the film festival circuit including the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007. She went on to becoming an activist for transgender rights. When Michael Musto interviewed her in 2015 he asked how she felt trans people are represented in the media. Alexis stated, “I’m tired of the representation of trans people. It’s not black & white. There are so many gradations. I’m annoyed with people affiliating gender with sexuality exclusively. People want answers. “Oh, I was gay since birth.” I don’t have the answers. There are women who say, “I would not be gay if I wasn’t raped by my uncle.” I don’t know that that’s not true. Who am I to say? I don’t know if I was born this way or if my being transsexual has anything to do with my desires. I’m a hypsersexual person.” Boy George tweeted: "R.I.P my sister Alexis Arquette. Another bright light gone out far too soon. Love to the family & all that loved Alexis."
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Video: 9/11 Fifteenth Anniversary

Everyone has a story to tell of where they were fifteen years ago when it happened as our entire country went into shock. For the weeks to follow we were united in our grief. There were many LGBT people who were involved or died on that infamous day. Tom Ryan was a retired New York City firefighter who upon hearing of the attacks on World Trade Center called his firehouse & rushed to the scene. At the time Tom was the only openly gay firefighter in the FDNY. Father Mychal Judge was the gay Catholic priest who was killed by debris from the collapsing World Trade Center as he was caring for victims. Father Judge, 68, was a chaplain at the New York Fire Department & was known in the New York LGBT community for his work with AIDS outreach. His funeral Mass held at St. Francis of Assisi Church where he resided brought over 2,000 people. Tom Ryan was a pallbearer at Father Mychal Judge’s funeral. In the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan next door to the now closed St. Vincent’s hospital the LGBT Community Center offered immediate assistance to survivors & later counseling services for those grieving. More than 30 LGBT organizations held a memorial for victims of the World Trade Center attacks at the Center. In 2002 I produced & directed this music video tribute dedicated to those who perished on September 11th 2001. Michael Feinstein performs Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere" from "West Side Story" with Keith Lockhart & the Boston Pops. Fifteen Years Later... Let's Take a Moment to Reflect....
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Chicago LGBTQ Job Fair Event

This is the second WERQ! LGBTQ Job Fair & the first focused primarily on youth experiencing homelessness. This fair is open to all & will have special workshops focused on youth, transgender employment & seniors. The event takes place on Friday September 16th from 11A to 4P at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted in Chicago. More than 50 major corporations, small businesses, government agencies & nonprofits will be participating. The event is free & open to the public, is hosted by Windy City Times with Center on Halsted, Pride Action Tank, Chicago House, Association of Latino/as Motivating Action, Affinity Community Services, TransTech Social Enterprises, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Out & Equal Chicagoland, Lambda Legal, LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois & the Northalsted Business Alliance. The workshops are: Noon to 1P will be Getting Started (or Starting Again): Job Searching for "First" Timers with Kara Rosser, One Summer Chicago, One Summer Chicago youth participant, Sean Bush Silver Fork Coordinator & Silver Fork Alumni. From 1P to 2P will be Stronger & Wiser: Job Searching For LGBTQ Older Adults with Dan O’Donnell, AARP, Jonathan Tague, Senior Helpers, Britta Larson, Center on Halsted &Nora O’Malley, Lyric Opera. Then from 2P to 3P will be Transgender & the Workplace with Moderator Alexis Paige of Lambda Legal, Owen Daniel-McCarter, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, Sandra Wagner, Northern Trust, Alexis Martinez, activist &Channyn Lynn Parker, TransLife Center, Chicago House. The workshops conclude from 3P to 4P with From Resumes to Interviews: Making a Good First Impression with Moderator: Michael Erwin, Director, Global Corporate Communications & Social Media CareerBuilder & Julie West, CG Consulting.
For More Info… 
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Transgender Health Care Update

The Boston LGBT health org Fenway Institute has released “What the new Affordable Care Act nondiscrimination rule means for providers & LGBT patients” a policy brief outlining the significant impact a new rule of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is expected to have on the ability of transgender people to access health care. Tim Wang, MPH, LGBT Health Policy Analyst at the Fenway Institute & lead author of the report stated, “Numerous studies have shown that transgender people frequently face discriminatory treatment in health care facilities, including being subjected to rough or abusive treatment from providers, being blamed for their health conditions, or being denied service altogether. The Section 1557 rule will be essential for addressing this widespread discrimination against transgender people not just in health care but also in discrimination in insurance coverage. One critical component of the new rule is that it expressly prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for medically necessary services related to gender transition if those services are covered for people who are not transgender.” Stephen L. Boswell, MD, FACP, President & CEO of Fenway Health concluded, “This new rule comes at a critical time when strong federal leadership to defend & advance equitable access to affirming health care for LGBT people is needed. In 2016 alone, nearly 200 restrictive bills targeting the LGBT community in terms of access to healthcare & access to public spaces such as bathrooms have been filed in 32 states & have passed and been signed into law in Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee & North Carolina. As federal law, the Section 1557 rule would override elements of these discriminatory anti-LGBT state laws.” Implementation of the new Section 1557 rule, issued by OCR in May 2016 began on July 18th. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in health care facilities and programs receiving federal funding. The new rule also explicitly protects people who are non-binary or intersex.
To Download Full Policy Brief…
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Harbor To The Bay AIDS Ride

Harbor to the Bay is a one-day bike ride from Boston to Provincetown, Massachusetts on September 17th with 100% of all pledges going directly to fight HIV/AIDS. Harbor to the Bay began in 2003 with an idea by the late Michael Tye, a group of Boston’s Club Café staff & dedicated friends who shared the dream to launch the 126-mile AIDS bike ride. Their idea was simple, a one-day ride from Boston (Harbor) to Provincetown (Bay) staffed completely by volunteers & a commitment that all rider pledges go directly to defeat HIV/AIDS. With millions of dollars being raised over the last 12 years, this year their goal is $500,000. So far over 262 riders have signed up and over 120 volunteer crewmembers. Riders also have the unique option of riding the complete or any part of the 126-mile route. Jim Morgrage, Harbor to the Bay President stated, “We are half way to our goal, Harbor to the Bay has reached $250,000. Just a reminder we have CYBER Friday coming up this Friday September 9th & our goal is $14,000.00 for our 14th year. I’m so excited to see everyone in just 10 days. Let us acknowledge that our fight is not yet over. Without an increased effort on our part, we risk having to take steps backward & begin to turn away those who need our help most. Thousands of you have honored the life of Michael Tye & the thousands of New Englanders who have lost their lives to HIV. We also know that those who look down on us are smiling & grateful for all you have done over these past 13 years. This year let’s raise more money, double our efforts & ensure that no one who needs our help is turned away.” All proceeds from Harbor to the Bay will support Fenway Health, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Community Research Initiative, AIDS Action Committee & The Harbor to the Bay General Fund.
For More Info: harbortothebay.org
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Free Hillary Clinton

In two months the 2016 presidential election will take place. The polls are showing Hillary leading in most surveys with Trump too close for comfort trailing by digits. The Trump campaign has been successful at keeping Hillary on the defensive & this needs to end. Clinton has to stop talking about Trump & address the issues facing our country. Her political team is making major errors by producing political ads that show more about Trump’s inability to lead than her capabilities. When Clinton talks one on one she shines & that’s what we need to see more of. We all have witnessed how foolish & dangerous Trump can act so let’s not succumb to his level & rise above. Let’s focus on ways that we can support Hillary to let her know that she is not alone & we are behind her every inch of the way. This is America & we can’t start going backwards with a Trump presidency after all the work that has been accomplished over the last fifty years to achieve equality in this country. Let’s keep America going forward & reach the dreams that we’ve been dreaming instead of making the error of allowing a small-minded ruthless man the chance to create an embarrassing nightmare that will have global consequences for generations to come.
For More Info: hillaryclinton.com
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Provincetown Honors Pulse Victims

The Provincetown Community Compact (The Compact) will memorialize the 49 Orlando victims at a special ceremony at Provincetown Town Hall on Tuesday, September 6th at 1P. Each person's name will be inscribed on a black Prayer Ribbon then read aloud & attached to the 2,800 Prayer Ribbons accumulated over 25 years at the annual Provincetown Swim for Life. An additional ribbon will be inscribed for those injured in the Orlando attack. Jay Critchley, Founder of Provincetown Community Compact stated, "Like communities across the country, Provincetown was shocked & outraged by the recent massacre at a gay Orlando nightclub. Since the early 1980s, Provincetown has mourned the loss of hundreds of people to AIDS & has responded with compassion & action. We share a kinship with the Orlando community & honor their strength & resilience." After the ceremony at Town Hall the Prayer Ribbons will be carried in procession to the Provincetown Public Library front lawn to be displayed through Friday, September 9th. They will then be installed at the Boatslip Beach Club deck for the Swim for Life on Saturday, September 10th. The public will also be invited to inscribe ribbons to honor victims of violence from communities across the US. The Provincetown Community Compact, Inc. was established in 1993 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization by Jay Critchley as a community-building and philanthropic organization to support living artists and the vitality of the arts community. The Compact is looking for 49 individuals to participate in the ceremony.
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