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How Central VA’s LGBTQ Community Is Responding To Coronavirus

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Plans are changing. Alternate arrangements are being made. Around Richmond and central Virginia, LGBTQ organizations are adjusting to the restrictions required by coronavirus. Here’s what you need to know.

From the tediousness of sheltering in place to the terrifying implications of lost income to the frustrating experience that shopping for basic necessities has become, COVID-19, aka the novel coronavirus, is messing all of us up. Not only are members of the LGBTQ community at higher risk for infection by COVID-19, LGBTQ people are more likely to be on the lower end of the economic spectrum, and therefore to face unpleasant consequences of the current economic slowdown more quickly than most.

With all of this going on, we felt it was important to let everyone know what’s happening with the many LGBTQ advocacy and support organizations around Richmond, as well as all of our favorite LGBTQ-centered night spots and entertainment venues. Here’s what we know right now.

Richmond LGBTQ Chamber

In light of the need for social distancing, the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber (formerly known as Richmond Business Alliance) has cancelled all scheduled events for at least eight weeks. The upcoming volunteer meeting has been moved to a conference call. “In these difficult times it is imperative that we support one another,” said Richmond LGBTQ Chamber President Natasha Crosby in a statement. “We pride ourselves on the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber being YOUR chamber of commerce and want you to know that we are here to support you during this time.” The Chamber has created a relief fund for members of the Chamber experiencing financial hardship, and will be giving micro-grants starting mid-April. To apply for assistance, email [email protected] The relief fund is also currently accepting donations at Richmond LGBTQ Chamber’s website.

Diversity Richmond

All aspects of Diversity Richmond, including Diversity Thrift and Iridian Gallery, are closed for the next two weeks. Scheduled events are on hold, and Diversity will be monitoring the situation between now and the end of the month in order to decide on any further action. “Stay safe and help take care of your friends,” the organization said in a statement.

Richmond Triangle Players

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, Richmond Triangle Players have postponed the opening of their next production, Sugar In Our Wounds, until mid-May. However, gift certificates are available for purchase at RTP’s website, and are a great way to support the theater as it gets back on its feet. “As always, we are grateful for your ongoing support and hope to see you at the Theatre soon,” said RTP Executive Director Philip Crosby in a statement. “Stay safe. Stay home as much as possible. And wash those hands!

Equality Virginia

The first year of Democratic control in the General Assembly brought a slew of legislative victories for Virginia’s LGBTQ community, but unfortunately, coronavirus has prevented Equality Virginia’s celebration. The annual Equality Virginia Commonwealth Dinner, originally scheduled for Saturday, March 28, has been cancelled. If you bought a ticket, information on obtaining a refund is available at EV’s website. “We deeply empathize and share the disappointment our community will feel regarding this decision, especially our OUTstanding Virginians whose unique contributions to LGBTQ equality would have been celebrated at the Commonwealth Dinner,” the group said in a statement. “We honor their passion, dedication, and accomplishments which together help to build a stronger, more vibrant LGBTQ community in the Commonwealth.”

Side By Side

Virginia’s advocates for LGBTQ youth have made extensive changes in order to accomodate the ongoing situation where coronavirus is concerned. The organization’s office is closed for the foreseeable future, and all drop-in hours have been cancelled. All support groups for Richmond and Charlottesville have moved to online virtual groups using Zoom. New youth can still join — more information on joining support groups and on additional support available, including G-chat, individual counseling, youth support lines, and much more is available at sidebysideva.org/covid19.

Additionally, Side By Side is looking for volunteers to help show LGBTQ youth stuck at home with potentially unsupportive families some online love. “

“We are calling on our LGBTQ+ community and amazing allies to post a video showing your pride or your love for LGBTQ+ youth with #PrideAtHome and tag Side by Side to show your support,” the group said in a statement. “Let’s remind our youth that they are fabulous and loved and that being proud of who you are can happen anywhere!”

Health Brigade

Health Brigade has moved to remote operations. All events on-site have been cancelled until further notice. If you have an appointment for the medical clinic, staff will be in touch with you about alternate arrangements. New patients are not being accepted at this time. Individual therapy sessions are being held by phone; all groups have been suspended until further notice. Transgender Health Services is operating remotely, and is not accepting new clients, but is available for contact 9am – 5pm Monday through Friday. STI/HIV testing, comprehensive harm reduction/needle exchange, starting new patients on PrEP, Transgender Health Services intakes, and Ryan White Part B Intakes have all been suspended until further notice. More information on Health Brigade services during this time can be found at healthbrigade.org/covid19update/.

“We have been receiving heart-warming inquires from our funders and the community at large. In a time of such uncertainty, people want to help their neighbors most in need,” Health Brigade Executive Director Karen A. Legato said in a statement. “The best way to help us is to DONATE. As a private, non-profit clinic, we do NOT receive federal funding. If you can give, we promise, we will put your gift into providing patient/client/community care.” That link to donate is here; many of the most vulnerable members of our community rely on Health Brigade for health care; if you’re in a position to help, we highly recommend that you do so.

Planned Parenthood

As of right now, Planned Parenthood is remaining open. They ask that if you have a fever, are experiencing symptoms that might be connected to COVID-19, or have traveled recently, that you call before any appointment and consult with staff on next steps. They also ask that clients come alone to appointments, in order to minimize risk to staff and other patients. But they are making a point to be as available as possible.

“One of the reasons you have chosen Planned Parenthood as your health care provider is because of one simple standard: our doors stay open,” said Virginia League for Planned Parenthood Medical Director Dr. Shanthi Ramesh in a statement. “We care. No matter what. We are open. We are here for you. We know that health care is a critical piece of your life and your community and that there are many things that are uncertain about the days and weeks ahead. We are open for services such as abortion care, urinary tract infections, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and urgent primary care concerns.”

“Just know that we are doing everything we can to make your life easier and get you the information and care you need. Whether we provide services online, by phone, in person or chat/text, we’re here with you.”

Nationz Foundation

Nationz Foundation’s current office hours are 10am – 5pm, by appointment only. They are continuing to provide HIV and STI testing during these hours, but are not accepting walk-ins in order to protect staff and clients. Appointments can be made by calling (804)716-7597. “We will continue to Aim to Inspire during these difficult times and encourage our community to as well!” Nationz said in a statement.

Babes of Carytown

Babes remained open for carryout and delivery throughout March, but as of April 1, have decided to close until further notice.

Godfrey’s

Godfrey’s has been doing Virtual Drag Brunches from 11am-2pm on Sundays, so you’re not entirely deprived of your drag brunch goodness — it just comes through Facebook and Instagram now. They’ve also been hosting Virtual Drag Shows on Wednesday evenings at 8pm; tonight’s will feature raffles for gift certificates to drag brunch when all this mess is over. So tune in and get your Paypal or CashApp ready to send in those tips!

Barcode

Barcode are offering their full menu for takeout orders, and have delivery available through Grubhub. To place an order, call Barcode at (804)648-2040. “We are practicing safety and caution for our staff and clients,” Barcode said in a statement. “Thanks again for your continued support.”

Fallout

Fallout is currently open from 6pm to 12am for takeout. Their full menu is available, and staff can meet you with food curbside by request. To-go orders can be placed by calling (804)343-3688. All events have been cancelled until further notice, including the regular Wicked Wednesday drag night. Fallout merchandise is available online for purchase, as are gift cards, and a portion of the purchase price for both will be reserved for employees.

“We are working out a way to support the staff as much as possible if a mandated shutdown/shift loss becomes a reality,” Fallout management said in a statement. “Please also consider supporting local artists, performers, sex workers. There are several orgs forming to give mutual aid, especially in the queer community, keep an eye out for those and donate where you can.”

VA Pride

While VA Pride hasn’t had to cancel any events as yet, they are currently working with The Holli Fund on a Virtual Happy Hour, to be held Friday, March 20 from noon to 7pm. The goal of the online event is to raise money for those from the food industry whose incomes have taken a hit due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. More information on that event, and how you can donate, can be found here.

“VA Pride is currently reaching out to local and state officials and is working with local relief efforts to see how we can best leverage our resources, networks and connections to help,” said VA Pride President James R. Millner II in a statement. “We will keep you informed of our efforts and will ask you to join us when the time is right. We are also going to be sharing information on relief efforts already underway so you can access them if you need to and support them if you are able. We are committed to do all we can to ensure the safety, health and well-being of not just our LGBTQ family, but of our entire RVA community.”

Would you like your organization included on this list? Does information on this list need to be updated? If so, please send an email to [email protected] We will be updating this list with new information as we receive it.

Top Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Our Attention May Be Elsewhere, But The Transphobes Never Sleep

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In Idaho, two bills attempting to roll back civil rights for the state’s transgender community are headed to the governor’s desk. Advocates urge him to veto both, but with the news consumed by coronavirus, will their pleas be heard?

There’s no denying it: coronavirus has got us all messed up. Whether we’re worried about friends, family, and ourselves coming down with the disease or panicking over the devastating effect social distancing-related closures are having on the economy, it’s hard to shake it from our minds and pay attention to, really, anything else.

But that doesn’t mean that people with anti-LGBTQ agendas are ceasing in their efforts to roll back our rights around the nation. And if you needed proof of that, look no further than what happened in Idaho late last week, as the state’s legislature approved two bills that, if passed, will have a seriously negative effect on transgender people living in that state.

The first bill, the Fairness In Women’s Sports Act, seeks to ensure that high school sports programs for women “shall not be open to students of the male sex.” One would have to assume that this act is intended to bar transgender girls from participating in school sports programs, though this wording is based on a lot of assumptions, if you ask us. However, clearly the legislature knew this, as there is additional language within the bill requiring that any student disputing whether they should be barred from women’s sports activities at the high school level must submit a statement from a doctor that established their sex based on “the student’s internal and external reproductive anatomy; the student’s normal endogenously produced levels of testosterone; and an analysis of the student’s genetic makeup.”

Ah yes, that old “I can misgender you based on your chromosomes” argument so beloved by belligerent conservatives like Ben Shapiro. Of course, gender (and sex) are much more complicated than that, but once such things are written into law, those complications seek to have a legal relevance, regardless of whose rights get taken away.

Boise Senator Cherie Buckner-Webb called the bill “repugnant,” and said, “This bill is rooted in fear and misinformation,” according to East Idaho News, but she ultimately was unable to convince her fellow legislators to vote it down, and the bill passed by significant margins in both houses of the Idaho state legislature.

“Idaho has not seen any issues with trans girls competing in the girls sports,” American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho policy director Kathy Griesmyer told the Washington Blade. “This unconstitutional and mean-spirited bill prevents trans girls from finding community and self-esteem in sports and will certainly result in litigation to defend the civil rights of Idaho’s transgender community.”

Five former Idaho attorneys general actually sent an open letter to Idaho Governor Brad Little urging him to veto the bill, saying that it seems particularly vulnerable to legal challenges. “The Attorney General has opined that the legislation contains a number of legal infirmities, making it subject to invalidation in federal court proceedings,” they wrote in a letter published by the Idaho Statesman. “The more serious concern is apparent conflict with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but other provisions of federal law are implicated.”

Sam Brinton, head of the Trevor Project, called the decision to move forward with the bill “shameful,” especially during a global pandemic. “Our elected officials should be expanding opportunities for trans students, not further marginalizing a group already at high risk for bullying and discrimination,” Brinton told the Washington Blade. “At The Trevor Project, we hear from LGBTQ youth in crisis every day and we know that affirming trans youth in their identities is critical to their health and wellbeing. Denying trans youth the ability to participate in school sports, which have shown to have a positive effect on mental health, will increase the kind of social isolation and stigma that contributes to the risk of suicidality.”

Meanwhile, another more wide-ranging anti-trans piece of legislation is also winging its way to Governor Little’s desk. This one is known as the Idaho Vital Statistics Act, and it prohibits the changing of gender markers on birth certificates for any reason besides “fraud, duress, or material mistake of fact.” This would eliminate the ability of transgender people to change the gender markers on their birth certificates as part of their legal transition. At this time, only Ohio and Tennessee have an outright ban on transgender people changing the gender marker on their birth certificates.

Image by Theshibboleth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia

A variety of other states require proof of a medical procedure (gender confirmation surgery) in order to make this change; Virginia still does at this moment, but a bill currently before Governor Ralph Northam will end that requirement, assuming Northam signs it into law by the action deadline of April 11. Governor, if you’re reading, I trust you to do the right thing for us.

Back in Idaho, Representative Julianne Young, who sponsored the bill, told CNN that “safeguarding the accuracy of our vital records is a vital part of preserving the ability of the state to protect the public health and safety.” One assumes she considers it somehow inaccurate for a birth certificate to reflect a trans person’s actual gender identity.

The legislation follows a 2018 court order requiring Idaho to allow gender marker changes on birth certificates, and seems intended to overrule that order, though it could easily still be found unconstitutional by a future judicial ruling. Lambda Legal counsel Peter Renn, who worked on the 2018 case, was frustrated by the bill’s passage.

“Idaho lawmakers might as well try to tear down the federal courthouse if they have this much contempt for the rule of law,” Renn told the Washington Blade. “They are explicitly defying a court order and exposing Idaho taxpayers to footing the bill for significant financial consequences – all while putting transgender people back in harm’s way for harassment and even violence, and once again making Idaho a national outlier.”

Top Photo: Idaho state Capitol, by Maxbatt at en.wikipedia – Own work, Transferred from en.wikipedia, Public Domain, via Wikimedia

Putting The ‘Sparc’ Into Richmond

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Richmond non-profit organization SPARC uses art, music, and performance to help local youth, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, grow into creative, successful adults.

Every child is different. They have different backgrounds, different family situations, and a different story to tell the world, good or bad. Some are in need of a safe space that school cannot provide for them. This is where Richmond-based organization SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community) makes its mark.

SPARC is a non-profit organization that helps children express their emotions and life challenges in a healthy environment through art programs. What makes SPARC perfect for a city like Richmond is that it gives children an outlet to express their emotions and creativity through art programs, allowing those children the opportunity to grow and add to the artistic community that makes Richmond the creative city it is.

“We really define our purpose as social and emotional learning through the arts,” said Ryan Ripperton, the Executive Director of SPARC. The difficult aspects of being a teenager — overwhelming emotions, not knowing how to explain the things you’re feeling, that persistent fear that no one understands — are what makes SPARC programs so important to these kids. SPARC successfully creates an environment that shows kids and teenagers how to express themselves and handle their emotions through the arts.

Photo via SPARC/Facebook

SPARC offers multiple opportunities for students to get involved, no matter their age or level in school. The “Stages” program, which works with the youngest students, offers kids the opportunity to enhance their language skills — to speak with confidence, pride, and clarity. 

“We send teachers into Richmond City schools, typically in the 2nd or 3rd grade, where we meet with those classes all year long,” says Brendan Kennedy, SPARC’s Program Director and “Captain of Curiosity.” “The idea of this program is to get into schools, again, that don’t typically have access to after-school activities.” With the help of these classes, SPARC says on their website, “program assessments show the average student improves oral language standards of learning by more than 44% within a single school year.”    

While “Stages” is geared toward a younger audience, “New Voices” is an intensive two-week program focused on high school students who want to try their hands at playwriting and having their plays performed.

“It is harnessing new playwrights’ plays and giving them an opportunity to work with a professional playwright and director to then see their work go from just their idea to an [actual] production,” Kennedy says. The students in the New Voices program live in VCU dorms during the two-week program, submitting their pieces and shepherding them through an in-depth process of read-throughs, rewrites, and performances.

“For those two weeks, they are living and breathing their play, and playwriting in general,” says Kennedy. “A play’s whole purpose is to be read in front of an audience, to perform in front of an audience … They get both sides of it… the revision and editing with professional playwrights and their peers, who are also working on their artwork.” 

Photo by Tom Topinka, via SPARC/Facebook

One of the most inclusive programs offered by Sparc is the “Spectrum” program. This program is offered to LGBTQ students to give them a safe and welcoming space to express their life experiences.

“[Spectrum] is completely focused on the LGBTQ student identity, and allies…of LGBTQ youth,” Ripperton explains. “[It] is all about the exploration and creation of identity and story and the acceptance of young people.” With the help of trained teachers, participation in different kinds of classes and exercises help students learn how to express and work through their life’s challenges in a creative and safe space.

To help protect their students, Ripperton says, SPARC follows a nationwide program created for Spectrum. “It’s all about creating that sense of belonging,” he says. “It’s advanced by a like group, like the Pride Youth Theater Alliance.”

Giving these kids a sense of safety and acceptance to express themselves is crucial to this program. Some of them endure bullying, family members not accepting them, or worse. Having the opportunity to participate in Spectrum provides helps make up for the love that they might lack in other parts of their lives.

“Talking about yourself, or talking about observations about the world, through an LGBTQ lens –for teenagers, that can be very vulnerable,” Ripperton explains. “So…we have recognized that everybody is going to have valuable things to say, and we’re going to honor all of it.” This way, SPARC helps to show these kids that they are talented, and that they can live in a world that will accept them for who they are.

Photo via SPARC/Facebook

Even though at this time, SPARC’s programs are mainly available in Richmond and Henrico, children in neighborhoods all over the state can benefit from these programs, which have strong potential to expand outside of these two areas. In fact, SPARC’s activities could be available to children elsewhere in the state as soon as this summer.

“We are very much in Richmond and Henrico primarily right now,” Ripperton says. “We’re planning on announcing a couple of weeks of summer programing that’s gonna be taking place down in Brandermill … and we have definitely been hearing the cry, especially from Chesterfield, so… we are definitely interested in growing.”

The expansion of SPARC to these new areas will open doors to a new generation of SPARC student, reaching students who don’t currently have access to the transportation needed to bring them to SPARC’s current facilities. SPARC also offers scholarships and reduced prices, so families from lower-income areas can afford them, and their kids can take advantage of an opportunity to grow and develop into the best they can be.

While their students may not stick with music or art in the long term, the skills taught by SPARC are skills kids will take with them throughout life. “You know, when I talk to a SPARC alum who is now a teacher — or is a community leader, or a politician, or a doctor, or whatever their chosen career — they’re not saying… I’m so glad that you taught me how to sing an F sharp correctly,” Ripperton says. “What they say is, ‘I’m really glad that you taught me to be confident and comfortable with who I am, how to talk in front of people… and how to be… organized and have compassion and empathy for other people.”

Ripperton points out that the skills kids learn with SPARC stick with them regardless of the path they end up taking. “No matter whether a person decides to pursue the arts as a career or not,” he says, “the difference we feel like we make in the community is around the social emotional learning for young people, that’s going to benefit them forever.” SPARC is not just teaching kids to act; they’re building character and giving kids the tools they need to succeed in life.

Photo via SPARC/Facebook

Regardless of income, social class, or what side of the city someone comes from, they are welcomed at SPARC. “It crosses boundaries,” Ripperton explains. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s an affluent family in the West End [that] is signing up for a class, or if it’s work we’re doing in schools [in the] South Side… No matter what it is, these are skills that every single young person needs. We can use the arts as a tool to help teach it.”      

SPARC is determined to give every child in the Richmond and Henrico area the opportunity to bring their creativity to life and express themselves in a safe environment. SPARC helps kids take the emotions they are feeling and process them through expression. They might not realize it at the time, but these lessons provide kids with tools that help them deal with life’s challenges.

“The tie that binds them all together is the idea that the arts can do more than teach you how to be a good artist,” says Ripperton. “That’s our reason for being here.”

Top Photo: Katrina Boone, Gianna Grace Photography, via SPARC/Facebook

In Carytown, Tea and Sanctuary for Closeted Teens

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When you enter The Tottering Teacup, you’re immediately welcomed by displays of pride. Various coordinating colors string together to create a handmade knit hat on each of the workers in the tea shop. The hats’ color combinations symbolize a different identity, from bisexual to genderqueer. The way owner Anatash Werne describes it is, “We all have our own hats for our own flags.” And even if you don’t feel comfortable displaying your own flag as boldly, Werne wants you to feel welcome at The Tottering Teacup.

Opened in 2016 by Werne, The Tottering Teacup is a tea shop located in Carytown serving hot tea and small sandwiches, along with other drinks and foods. The shop offers a variety of teas including black teas, green teas, white teas, oolong teas, fruit teas, and herbal teas. Depending on how long you may be staying, you can order a single pot, either in small or large, or an endless pot, also featured in small or large sizes. And as the humidity continues into fall, hot tea isn’t the only thing one can get. There is also iced tea and iced coffee along with sandwiches and homemade baked goods.

Werne, who uses they/their pronouns, says that they’ve always been baking, ever since they were a child. But baking wasn’t the only childhood memory that convinced them to start their own shop. “My mom opened up her own business so I saw her go through that whole process,” they said. “I’m sure that kind of emboldened me.”

Childhood offers an enduring source of creativity that is often lost in adults. Pointing to their childhood experiences of baking as inspiration, Werne said, “I have always wanted to be a baker.” And now they are making such creative goods as lavender bread and Pride-themed macarons. Each year, during Pride month, the sales from their Pride-themed macarons go to Richmond LGBTQ youth outreach organization, Side By Side.

In the two years it has been open, the Tottering Teacup has had enough success that they are hoping to branch out with new events and new food. Every first Wednesday between 6pm and 8pm, they host an event called “Tea & Tarot,” in which three different tarot card readers are available to read your fortune. The business will be introducing salads soon, to help create a more inclusive menu for vegan patrons.

However, beyond the events, food, and even the tea, Werne would say their favorite part of running the business has been making connections with customers. “We have a lot of people who come in here who see the word ‘pride,’ and I think everyone expects a generic rainbow,” they said. But the Tottering Teacup goes far beyond the rainbow flag, displaying a number of other Pride flags that aren’t as well known.

“They’ll see the purple, grey, and white [asexual Pride flag], [and] they won’t necessarily understand what all the Pride flags mean,” they said. Werne is happy that they’ve been able to spread some “good, educational moments” about the lesser-known Pride flags within the LGBTQ community as a result of such conversations.

For Werne, the most important goal for the Tottering Teacup is to create a safe haven for young queer folks. Their hope is that LGBTQ youth who may not be comfortable being out yet will recognize the hats of the workers without having any of the paraphernalia boldly labeled with LGBTQ+ words or phrases. In this way, Werne hopes to make the Tottering Teacup inviting, without being overwhelming. Werne said, “I think this has been a long time coming.”