rage notes


PUBLISHER Jay S. Jones jay@ragemonthly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Brad L. Hart brad@ragemonthly.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Joel P. Martens joel@ragemonthly.com ART DIRECTOR Cesar A. Reyes cesar@ragemonthly.com COPY EDITOR Bill Biss DISTRIBUTION Dax Carlisle


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“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride— and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high


but so are the rewards.” —Paul Bryant


What are you proud of? June is of course, Pride month. So along with all


of the itinerant rainbow-infused parades, events, rallies and parties, I always think to myself, “What do we have to be proud of?” We wanted to examine that question a little


deeper this year and so the themes featured throughout the magazine not only celebrate the actual events in Los Angeles and Orange County, but looks a little deeper into what we have to celebrate. One of the most important things to me as an


editor, is that the magazine not only provides content that is fun and entertaining, but that the interviews, stories and columns inside challenge you to think a bit, as well. This month we spoke to several community leaders and activists who should do just that...Inform you and hopefully make you think. Alexei Romanoff was such a great gift as an interviewee. His recollections around his more than 50 years of activism were incredibly gratify- ing to hear about and marvelously entertaining. He is the grand marshal for Los Angeles Pride’s #ResistMarch, a rebranding of the traditional parade format, which for 2017 is formatted as a more of a protest than a party. A needed change in today’s political climate and one he takes seriously, “I’m excited to participate in the #ResistMarch as Grand Marshal, it’s a great thing to be a part of. We are lucky here in California, we enjoy freedom in a way that other places don’t, but this is still a country where you can be killed or beaten if you are LGBT and we can’t allow that.” Bravo, Alexei, thank you for your guidance. I’ve wanted to do the a story that involved


asking questions of the exemplary leaders that head The LGBT Centers throughout California for a long time. Coordinating things like that is always a challenge and I’m grateful to L.A.’s Lorri L. Jean, San Diego’s Dr. Delores Jacobs, North County’s Max Disposti and Palm Springs’ Mike Thompson for their time and enlightening discussions about the role each of their centers


play in our lives. Dr. Delores Jacobs summed up what it’s all


about for me perfectly, “Community Centers have been and are, a powerful and vital resource for the LGBTQ movement. Community Centers all over the nation, are organizations whose mission is dedicated to building, empowering and serving the individuals and families in the LGBTQ community. Building community means building connections between people; it means having a sense that you are not alone and are instead a part of a growing, vital diverse group of people who you belong to and are a part of.” Mike Thompson summed up some of the great challenges we are facing since November’s election. “The current political climate and administration have many in our community living in fear: Fear of deportation and violence, fear of losing healthcare and the safety net that so many of us rely on. In many ways, the issues our community face are a mirror to what the rest of the country faces over the next several years. For those who live on the margins, whether because of class, race, gender identity, or socioeconomic status, anxiety is at an all-time high.” His statements are unfortunately accurate. The


only way to combat those fears, is to face it forc- ibly and stare them down. Lorri L. Jean eloquently reminds us about why power lay in our numbers and the importance of unity. “Show up: when we show up with large numbers, we make it clear that our community is robust and not to be taken lightly.” It’s time to show up and show your Pride, folks. As Fritz Tan, an old economics professor of mine used to say, “There is no free lunch!”


Joel Martens,Editor in Chief


“True equality means holding everyone accountable in the same way, regardless


of race, gender, faith, ethnicity or political ideology.”


— Monica Crowley


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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS David Auten, Blake Beckcom, Genevieve Berrick, Bill Biss, Chris Carpenter, Jorge Cruise, Greg Cason, Nisha Dedhia, Chris Donaghue, Lawrence Ferber, Stuart Furman, esq., Porter Gilberg, Jacob Glass, James Guay, Brad Hart, Jewels, William Kelly, Ken Knox, John Lake, Lisa Lipsey, Walter G. Meier, Ryan Meyer, Billy Nordmeier, Pat Magee, Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Angelica Osborne, Tim Parks, Kevin Plautz, Tony Reverditto, Cesar Reyes, Sasha Scarlett, Thom Senzee, Cutter Slagle, Barbie Z


CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Beth Biggs, Dennis Covey, Wander Aguiar, Jay Jones, Joel Martens, David Quintanilla Kimberly Rae and Lukas Volk


SUBSCRIPTIONS – One year (12 issues): $35.00 Direct all editorial and subscription orders to our office or website.


The Rage Monthly 3314 4th Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 Phone 619.255.0389 Fax 800.398.0962 Or contact us on the Web - ragemonthly.com - twitter.com/ragemonthly - facebook.com/theragemonthly


Rage Magazine dba The Rage Monthly. The Rage Monthly is a registered trademark. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or staff. Reproduction of any article, photo, listing or advertise- ment without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. The people, businesses and organiza- tions appearing in The Rage Monthly are supportive of the gay community. Mentions or photographs of any person, business, or organization are not a reflection of their sexual orientation. The Rage Monthly is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin, dis- ability, sexual orientation or gender identity.


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RAGE monthly | JUNE 2017


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