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Stonewall Rising: Showing Support With Pride

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Last weekend’s Stonewall Rising march was an act of solidarity by Richmond’s LGBTQ community, which took this opportunity during Pride Month to march in support of Black lives.

On Saturday, June 27, Richmond’s LGBTQ community commemorated the last weekend of Pride Month with a march demonstrating solidarity with the Black community of Richmond and beyond. Stonewall Rising: LGBTQ March For Black Lives was organized by a variety of Richmond LGBTQ advocacy and support groups, including Diversity Richmond, the Richmond LGBTQ Chamber, Nationz Foundation, Black Pride RVA, VA Pride, Equality Virginia, Virginia Anti-Violence Project, Southerners On New Ground, Health Brigade, Minority Veterans of America, Richmond Triangle Players, Richmond Lesbian Feminists, and Stonewall Sports.

The march began with a gathering at Diversity Richmond on Sherwood Ave, where local LGBTQ activist Rebecca Keel rallied the crowd with a speech about how the LGBTQ rights movement began 51 years earlier — almost to the day — at Stonewall Inn with a riot against police oppression. After a few other speeches, the crowd formed up and began marching toward the Richmond Police Training Academy on Graham Rd, just over a mile away from Diversity Richmond.

Jennifer McClellan speaks at Richmond Police Training Academy.

The crowd, which numbered at least 1000 at the peak of the protest according to local LGBTQ activist Joseph Papa, carried signs featuring slogans like “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Pride For Black Lives,” as well as posters depicting Breonna Taylor and Marcus-David Peters. The protest was greeted at the Police Training Academy by a line of police in riot gear, but things remained peaceful. Several leaders spoke to the assembled crowd, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McClellan. Alexsis Rodgers, who is currently running for mayor of Richmond, was also in attendance. The evening ended with a march back to Diversity Richmond.

Here are some photos of the evening’s events, captured by Richmond photographer David Kenedy.

Rebecca Keel.

Supporting the Black Community During Pride Month

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It’s Pride month, and in a time of frustration and action over police violence, local LGBTQ organizations are focusing their advocacy and support efforts on helping and uplifting the black LGBTQ community.

Tear gas and pepper spray sting the eyes of protesters. Masked individuals of all demographics hold cardboard signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and quirky meme slogans. They are a perfect picture of the people who are lining the streets of America, but more specifically here in Richmond — a place where dozens of LGBTQ organizations are attempting to celebrate Pride month in a time of a revolution, and lest we forget, a global pandemic.

In a time where social injustice is finally being put in the spotlight, the intersecting struggles of minorities, especially those who are both black and members of the LGBTQ community, is being brought to light. What does it mean to be black in America right now? What does it mean to be black and a member of the LGBTQ community right now?

Various LGBTQ organizations around Richmond are attempting in different ways to bring attention to these questions while doing their part to support the black community. 

Side by Side, a local organization dedicated to offering support allowing LGBTQ youth to not only be themselves but also flourish, is speaking out, encouraging the city’s government to put the Marcus Alert into action and to implement the creation of a Civilian Review Board to oversee the Richmond Police Department. 

The Marcus Alert will mandate that mental health professionals accompany police during any calls of a mental health crisis or wellness checks, as well as reforming the Crisis Intervention Training provided to law enforcement. Creating a Civilian Review Board would form an independent body made up of community members, particularly Black and Latinx, in an attempt to hold police accountable for their actions.

“We really wanted to think of tangible next steps that our city could take to better protect everyone,” said Ted Lewis, executive director at Side by Side. “The Marcus alert and the Independent Civilian Review Board are pretty basic asks of our city and our police department that would ensure better mental health and safety for everybody.”

In addition to making calls to support the Marcus Alert and review board, Side by Side has also converted its (currently virtual) support groups into conversations surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings, and the protests.

“We have a youth of color group that meets every other week, and so that’s a space specifically for LGBTQ youth of color to process,” Lewis said. “But we’re also working in majority-white youth group spaces to focus on how to combat racism and implicit bias and work towards an anti-racism way of being, if you will.”

Photo by John Donegan

These support groups have provided a space where LGBTQ youth can talk about their feelings, whether that be scared, angry, frustrated, or anything and everything in between. Lewis said for many kids and young adults, social media has played a role in anxiety and fear surrounding the killings and protests. 

“I think that for black LGBTQ youth, there is the additional trauma and fear that comes with seeing the social media images of the killings, over and over again,” Lewis said. “While it’s important that that story be told, it can be traumatizing to see someone who looks like you die at the hands of someone who, in theory, is supposed to serve and protect you.”

Similarly to Side by Side, local LGBTQ organization Virginia Anti-Violence Project is also providing a safe space for members of the LGBTQ and black communities to unite and educate people during this time. Ebony Kirkland, program director at VAVP, said that, as an organization that’s staffed by black and brown people, it only seemed right to start conversations and provide a safe space for black members of the LGBTQ community.

Kirkland said it’s also VAVP’s duty to inform people about transgender black people who have been murdered by police, in addition to some of the more commonly known people that have been killed by police violence, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

“All black lives matter. All black lives matter,” Kirkland said. “That includes black trans lives, that includes all LGBTQ lives. It doesn’t just mean cisgender black lives.”

Zakia McKensey, executive director at Nationz Foundation, an organization supporting the LGBTQ community by providing access to  HIV and STI testing, also finds it imperative that people realize that all black lives matter — no matter their sexual or gender identity.

McKensey said Nationz Foundation hasn’t planned any events in the midst of the protests, but still supports the black community regardless of all that is happening now. The reason the organization hasn’t planned anything is due to her own personal feelings surrounding the current protest movement.

“Tony McDade was also killed on May 27, who was a trans man, and you don’t hear anything about that,” McKensey said. “Nothing is being said about his life that was taken by police officers. And then to actually see a video from Minneapolis, Minnesota of a trans woman [Iyanna Dior] being attacked by 30 black individuals who were supposedly protesting, in a store, is frustrating.”

McKensey, being a black transgender woman herself, said until the cis black community accepts the LGBTQ black community, she’ll have an issue with “the whole Black Lives Matter movement.”

Tony McDade (Photo via Facebook)

Over at Diversity Richmond, a long-running LGBTQ advocacy and support organization that funds other similar organizations, they’re using Pride month to not only support the LGBTQ community, but specifically the black LGBTQ community. They’re doing so by making all their newsletters and social media focus on race relations during the month of June. They’re featuring an annual event that they usually do in February as a part of Black History Month, their “Black and Bold” awards, where they recognize outstanding LGBTQ leadership of black LGBTQ leaders.

Diversity Richmond Executive Director Bill Harrison said that, while they’ve planned to continue to raise awareness and education through social media, they’re still brainstorming on what more they can do for the black community. Harrison said he’s dedicated to supporting this community and all intersections of it, but he’s always open to suggestions and ways to do better as a white man who will never truly understand the pain and fear black people go through on a daily basis.

“A few times in my life that I’ve been stopped by the police, I might have been mad with the cop because they caught me speeding, or I might have been mad with myself, but never once when I saw him approach me in my side-view mirror did I have a fear for my life,” Harrison said. “That is a very real thing that happens every day, and so when I hear white people say, ‘Just get over it. Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that?’ I just cringe, because I know that response is coming out of complete ignorance.”

While the nation is using this time to move forward and grow, ignorance is one thing that many leaders and executives are tirelessly attempting to extinguish. And ending ignorance takes effort, Kirkland explained. It’s not the job of the oppressed to educate those who aren’t being oppressed, but the other way around. 

“I think folks should also look for the information. If you have a desire to learn more, then I think you should also educate yourself and look for other resources to help you understand other perspectives,” said Kirkland. “And not just go straight to that black person or that brown person to do that work, that labor, for you. Be willing to do that labor yourself.”

Top Photo by John Donegan

How Richmond’s LGBTQ Nonprofits Prep For Pandemic Life

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Nonprofits dedicated to helping Richmond’s LGBTQ community contemplate reopening, having taken serious financial losses, all while developing new ways to reach those in need. 

On May 5, Diversity Thrift posted a photo to Facebook of employees Ivan and Darren, beaming behind face masks, holding up one of the store’s new plexiglass partitions. “We can’t wait to see you!” the post reads.

But as counties across Virginia tiptoe into Phase One of Gov. Northam’s plan for reopening, Richmonders will have to wait a bit before they go thrifting. “We aren’t going to reopen until we feel completely safe in doing that,” said Bill Harrison, Executive Director of Diversity Richmond.

Photo via Diversity Thrift/Facebook

Employees at Diversity Thrift are doing everything they can to prepare, from setting up hand sanitizer stations to developing a system that will ensure the store never goes above 50 percent capacity. “[We’ll] have someone at the entrance counting the number of people coming in, and then when people leave we can let more in,” Harrison explained. 

If all goes as planned, Diversity Thrift will reopen in mid-June. This will mean renewed funding for Diversity Richmond, which relies on the thrift store as their main source of income. “We’ve lost significant revenue in the last five weeks, but I feel confident we’ll make that up,” said Harrison.

Without the ability to sell vintage sofas or host events like Drag Bingo, Diversity Richmond welcomes new ways to engage with the community. People can book appointments to raid Diversity Thrift’s fabric stash for face mask material, which Harrison is adamant about giving away for free. Recently, they got a different sort of request.

“One of our volunteers actually works with the Virginia Department of Health and he called and said, ‘Can the health department use the event hall for news conferences?’ And we were delighted to do that,” said Harrison. Soon after, the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts scheduled a free COVID-19 testing event at Diversity Richmond’s event hall on Sherwood Ave, which occurred on May 19.

Many nonprofits are seeing an increase in clients and a decrease in donations as unemployment rises in the country. Those who identify as LGBTQ are facing unique challenges and need the help of local organizations like Diversity Richmond, PFLAG, or He She Ze and We Richmond, which are working harder than ever to provide services.

Photo via Side By Side/Facebook

Side by Side, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting LGBTQ youth in Virginia, hosts seven support groups for youth of all ages and identities, four of which meet at their brightly-painted building just past Scott’s Addition. Since COVID-19, these groups shifted to meeting virtually on Zoom, which comes with its own set of challenges.

While Zoom is easy to use and doesn’t cost participants anything, not all youth have internet access or private space to participate. “We also recognize that a lot of our youth are on their computer all day for school, and Zoom fatigue is real,” said Ted Lewis, Executive Director at Side by Side.

To combat Zoom fatigue, Side by Side incorporates fun activities into the weekly support groups in addition to the usual curriculum. Activities include charades, Netflix Watch Party, and even a “virtual pet talent show,” which is mostly a chance for students to show off their pets.

They initially saw a decrease in participation among those without internet access or private space, but numbers have been steadily rising. “The ability to potentially hide who you are is easier when you’re not together all the time,” Lewis explained. “And so we’ve had families who have been supportive of their child coming out and have reached out to us… and then we’ve had youths who have reached out and said, ‘I came out to my family, and I’m looking for some help.’”

For safety reasons, Side by Side is in no rush to return to face-to-face support groups. Their Host Home Program, aimed at helping homeless LGTBQ youth, will likely be handled differently. “If there’s clear guidance that it’s okay to add someone to a household, we would potentially explore those options,” Lewis said. “Because that’s one person joining one household, vs. 40 young people coming to a youth center.”

“We’re already seeing an increase in young adults reaching out for support who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability,” they continued. If Virginia’s eviction ban lifts at the end of this month, that number will likely increase exponentially. Side by Side is in desperate need of host homes or volunteers with a spare room who can take in a young adult when this happens.

Photo via Nationz Foundation/Facebook

Side by Side partners with Nationz Foundation and the Virginia Anti-Violence Project to provide housing for youth. In addition, Nationz has an emergency housing program called the Aim to Inspire Project, which provides housing for the LGBTQ community at large along with transportation to medical appointments. 

Back in March, Nationz Executive Director Zakia McKensey was getting ready to open the newest addition to Nationz’s services: a three-bedroom house in the North Side, equipped with bunk beds for those who need them. 

“By the time contractors had started doing what they needed to do and we were beginning to furnish the house, that’s when COVID-19 hit,” she said. “We had to halt on what we were doing with the house to make sure that I kept the doors of my business open.”

You may have seen McKensey’s business in action, rolling through Richmond RV-style. Nationz’s mobile testing units can provide free HIV tests and food pantry services for up to 60 people a week. 

“The main reason for us having those is to keep people where they are, who may not have access to transportation, or who may be in areas where they need testing but it’s not really a priority,” McKensey said.

With social distancing in place, they now serve only 10-15 in-office customers a week. “That’s the biggest hit that we’re taking,” she said. Luckily, Nationz did not have to lay anybody off, and has permission to redirect grant money however they see fit. They are the only non-profit in Central Virginia who continues to provide free HIV testing services through COVID-19. 

Patients who book an appointment will have the office to themselves. They will be provided a mask if they don’t have one, stand on a freshly cleaned floor, and get their forehead scanned by an infrared thermometer. Within 45 minutes, they’re good to go.

“When everything first happened, like everyone else, we were really up in arms trying to figure out what programming was going to look like,” McKensey said. Despite taking big losses, Nationz hasn’t skipped a beat. “I think it just gave us a way to think about how we provide services to people.”

Photo via Virginia Anti-Violence Project/Facebook

Richmond LGBTQ nonprofits keep in close contact. “We’re all partners!” said Ebony Kirkland, Program Director of the Virginia Anti-Violence Project, who is used to working with partner organizations to provide services like emergency housing and accompaniment. “Now, it’s more of a prep, ‘what can you expect while you’re there,’ and let’s follow up afterwards,” she said.

While the VAVP has a great variety of virtual support options (like Queer Healthy Love, their healthy relationship skills course), Kirkland reassured those in need. “You don’t have to be in an unsafe situation just because of the stay at home order,” she said. “We can book a hotel room for you and call a Lyft.”

She emphasized the importance of supporting organizations run by and dedicated to people of color, who often have access to fewer resources. “It’s a lot of times a challenge for smaller nonprofit organizations, especially those that are led by black people [and] brown people, to receive adequate funding and visibility within the communities that they’re working so hard within,” she said.

“We’re working with what we have, we could certainly stand to have more,” Kirkland added. She does, however, find hope in the transformative opportunity of pandemic life. “What do we want? Let’s make it happen! This is the time!” she said. “Let’s break it, and make it into what we know that it’s supposed to be.”

Without the ability to host regular fundraising events, Diversity Richmond, Side by Side, Nationz, and the VAVP all mentioned donations as one of their biggest needs. Donations keep the lights on, pay salaries, and provide employees with personal protective equipment. Consider donating in June, Pride Month, to help our friends and allies.

You can reach Side by Side’s youth support line at 888-644-4390. 
Apply for the Host Home Program on their website, sidebysideva.org. 
Make a donation by visiting their website or Facebook page.

Donate to the Nationz Foundation by visiting their website, nationzfoundationrva.org, or on their Facebook page. 

Donate to Diversity Richmond on their website, diversityrichmond.org, or on Facebook.

Donate to the Virginia Anti-Violence Project on their website, virginiaavp.org, where you can also request a training.

Top Image by Zoe Hall

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

The Valentine’s Newest Exhibition Reveals Untold Stories from Richmond’s AIDS Epidemic

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A new exhibition from the Valentine helps bring stories from Richmond survivors of the HIV/AIDS epidemic into the public eye.

The Valentine latest exhibition opened on Thursday, January 23. Entitled “Voices from Richmond’s Hidden Epidemic,” it displays black-and-white portraits of 30 different HIV/AIDS survivors in Richmond, paired with personal stories detailing their experiences living with the disease. 

Each of the subjects for the exhibition were interviewed by University of Richmond professors Patricia Herrera and Laura Browder. The pictures were taken by photographer Michael Simon.

“People in this exhibition range from people who are much, much older…to much younger people who are still experiencing the epidemic today,” said Browder.

Individuals displayed in the exhibition vary by more than just age, though. The exhibition shares unique stories from members of the LGBTQ community, victims of sexual assault, and undocumented immigrants, among others. Subjects are divided into different groups, such as “Relationships” and “Secrecy/Openness,” according to the ways that HIV/AIDS affected their lives.  

Despite the various lives and experiences of each subject, each portrait in the exhibition is shot exactly the same way — a front-facing, black-and-white close-up.

“I wanted to give everybody, no matter who they were… the same chance visually,” said Simon. “I wanted to strip away context… I wanted people to meet the portrait and give it a fair shot.”

However, the facial expression of each portrait was left up to the subject, resulting in a wide array of emotional tones across the pictures. 

In addition to these portraits, the exhibition also displays “The Cascading Books,” a series of connected scrapbook-esque pieces created by members of St. Paul Baptist Church, the Nia Community Advisory Board, and students at University of Richmond. The piece is inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt; each piece of “Cascading Books” is unique, displaying everything from personal pictures to original stories and poems from the creators, all having to do with their experiences with HIV/AIDS.

Work on the exhibition started in 2017, and was expanded upon when Browder learned that Richmond had one of the top 20 highest HIV infection rates in the country. 

“[Curator Meg Hughes] reached out to me,” said Browder. “She asked if I could do a few oral histories of people who survived AIDS. Once I started working on that, I realized that this was a really big story that deserved a much bigger venue.”

The exhibition also received support from several Richmond organizations, such as VCU Health, Wellcome MD, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, and Virginia Humanities, who helped partially fund the exhibition.

“Voices from Richmond’s Hidden Epidemic” opened to the public on Jan. 23, and was accompanied by free on-site HIV tests provided by the Nationz Foundation. The exhibition is slated to run until May 25, 2020 at The Valentine on 1015 East Clay Street. More information can be found on The Valentine’s Website.

Photos by Jonah Schuhart

TDOR 2019: Commemorating Those We’ve Lost, Celebrating Those Still With Us

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Today on Transgender Day Of Remembrance, commemorations around Virginia will memorialize members of the transgender community who lost their lives over the past year due to anti-trans violence.

November 20 is the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), and today marks the 21st annual commemoration of this solemn occasion. First observed in 1999 to commemorate the murder of Rita Hester, TDOR has become an important way for members of the LGBTQ community to come together and remember those who’ve lost their lives to anti-trans violence over the previous year.

The week leading up to TDOR is known as Transgender Awareness Week, and this week, it began on Wednesday, November 13 with a commemoration held in the VCU Police parking lot. In March 2017, in an effort to bridge the gap between Richmond’s transgender community and local police forces — who’ve often been considered a threat by marginalized trans people, especially of color — the VCU Police came together with local TDOR organizing committee TDOR RVA to plant a cherry tree in the VCU Police parking lot, dedicated to transgender victims of violence. It was at that tree that the Transgender Awareness Celebration, hosted by GLSEN and Nationz Foundation as well as the VCU Police, was held last Wednesday.

At the beginning of Transgender Awareness Week, Transrespect vs Transphobia Worldwide released their annual Trans Murder Monitoring update, which is intended to, according to transrespect.org, “join the voices raising awareness of this day regarding hate crimes against trans and gender-diverse people, and to honour the lives of those who might otherwise be forgotten.”

The Trans Murder Monitoring project has recorded 3314 cases in 74 countries since beginning on January 1, 2008. This year’s update added 331 trans and gender-non-conforming people who’d been murdered between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019. That full list can be found here.

In the United States, Human Rights Campaign has documented at least 22 transgender or gender-non-conforming people killed by violent means so far in 2019. It is those names that will be read at Transgender Day Of Remembrance commemorations around the state today.

Here in Richmond, Nationz Foundation will be holding their annual Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience observation at the Main branch of the Richmond Public Library tonight at 6 PM. Nationz has been holding this event since 2017, when they created it to try and bring a less downbeat tone to the annual commemoration of transgender and gender-non-conforming lives lost to violence.

“We wanted to do something a little different than the normal TDoR by also honoring the resiliency of the transgender community and the individuals who are still with us now,” Nationz Foundation director Zakia McKensey told GayRVA in a 2017 interview. “And not making the event so morbid and depressing by celebrating those lives that were lost, and also uplifting ones that are still with us.”

This year’s event, which will be held in the library’s main auditorium, will commemorate the lives lost, but also “celebrate the strength and resiliency of our community,” according to a statement from Nationz Foundation. Expect music, poetry, food, and community conversation from this event, which will both remember those we’ve lost and celebrate those who remain here with us.

The Richmond Public Library’s Main Branch is located at 101 E. Franklin St in the downtown area. The Transgender Day Of Remembrance and Resilience event will begin tonight at 6 PM. There are quite a few other Trans Day of Remembrance events taking place around the state tonight as well, from Hampton Roads to NoVA to Roanoke, the Eastern Shore, and more. For a full list of these events and their locations, visit Equality Virginia’s website at equalityvirginia.org/tdor/.