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Digital GoGuide Magazine
| Summer Issue 2020 | Vol. 4; Issue 11 | Life + Cullture + Voice + Scene
Inside our BIG August summer issue 2020 #BlackLivesMatter #SummerOfPride2020 GoGuide’s SCENE in pictures; pages 8-9
Here is what watching on YouTube Page 10
Book Review | No extra heat needed at summer camp | “Camp” by L.C. Rosen | Page 16
Everybody needs a hug (socially distanced or otherwise)
GoGuide Visionaries
By Julia Freeman Page 20
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Summer 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the postponment of another event this fall The ad hoc organizing committe for Coralville PrideFest at Iowa River Landing has decided it’s in the communities best interest to postpone the September 6, 2020 event.
The new tradition starts now. Get ready for PrideFest September 2021
FREE - FAST CONFIDENTIAL, HIV & HEPATITIS C TESTING SERVICES IN JOHNSON COUNTY Who Should Get Tested? EVERYONE
August 2020 Editors note - this article aslo appeared in earlier issues
JOHNSON COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH (JCPH) offers HIV testing to all individuals. In addition, we provide rapid Hepatitis C testing to individuals who qualify. Walk-in testing services are available at the JCPH’s office location from 8:00am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday. In addition, we host several offsite evening clinics through well-established partnerships in the Iowa City community. For more information or to schedule an appointment please call our office at 319-356-6040. Funding for JCPH’s Integrated Testing Services is provided, in part, by Iowa Department of Public Health.
HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) is transmitted by blood-to-blood contact, breast milk, semen, or vaginal secretions. This virus attacks a person’s immune system, making them more susceptible to other types of infections. If left untreated, the virus can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Currently, there is no cure or vaccine for HIV, but improved medical treatment now allows People Living With HIV (PLWH) to experience full and healthy lives. Ways to Prevent HIV: • Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) • Use Protection • Receive Regular Testing • Get Tested
HEPATITIS C (HCV) is primarily transmitted by blood-to-blood contact. HCV is a national epidemic, and kills more people than the next sixty leading infectious diseases, combined. If left untreated, HCV can lead to more serious health problems, including, liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. Ways to Prevent HCV: • Avoid Blood-to-Blood Contact • Do Not Share Syringes and/or Injection Drug Equipment • Use Protection • Get Tested
Who Should Get Tested for for Hepatitis C? • Those who currently or have ever injected drugs • Those who were born between 1945 and 1965 • Those who received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992 • People Living With HIV.
For more information visit https://www.johnson-county.com/dept_health.aspx?id=4631
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Troy Price elected to Vice-Chair of the IDP Stonewall Caucus. July 2020 GoGuide By Tim Nedoba
Des Moines, IA - Troy Price, in a recent statement posted on Facebook, announced his election to the position of Vice-Chair of Iowa Democratic Party Stonewall Caucus.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me for Vice Chair of the IDP Stonewall Caucus. I am excited to take on this new role and give a voice to the LGBTQ+ community not only within our party, but across the state. Congrats to Chair Benton Renaud and Provisional SCC Member Abby Camp on their wins - I am looking forward to working with them, all members of the caucus, and our community. So, let’s get to work and let’s go win this thing,” said Price on Facebook. Price most recently served as Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party and is currently the political director at AFSCME Council 61 in Des Moines.
GoGuide Out-and-About
Vol. 4; Issue 11 August 2020 Summer of Pride #4 GoGuideMagazine.com Facebook.com/ GoGuideMagazine Publisher & Executive Editor Tim Nedoba Operations Gregory Cameron Photography GoGuide Media
Columnists Terri Schlichenmeyer Gregg Shapiro Erik Sosa Julia Freeman Erica Barz
Graphics/Cover Design GoGuide Media
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GREATER THAN AIDS, WITH SUPPORT FROM WALGREENS AND ORASURE TECHNOLOGIES, TO PROVIDE 10,000 FREE IN-HOME HIV TESTS TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS The Collaboration Expands HIV Self-Testing in High-Need Areas During COVID-19
Special to Digital GoGuide San Francisco, CA– With in-person health services limited due to COVID-19, Greater Than AIDS, a public information initiative of KFF, and Walgreens today announced a new program to provide 10,000 OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test kits to support expanded testing options in high-need areas. Local health agencies and community-based organizations will distribute the FDA-approved, self-administered tests at no cost to those unable to get tested in person.
Just ahead of the 25th anniversary of National HIV Testing Day (June 27), the announcement comes at a critical time with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating that HIV testing is down 50 to 70 percent since February. “As COVID-19 continues, we are seeing how it threatens other health responses,” said Tina Hoff, a senior vice president at KFF, which directs Greater Than AIDS. “This program aims to support frontline HIV service organizations as they transition to new ways of providing care during these difficult times.” Walgreens is providing a donation for the purchase of 9,000 OraQuick HIV test kits with an additional 1,000 donated by OraSure Technologies, Inc., the manufacturer of the rapid oral swab HIV self-tests. KFF, through Greater Than AIDS, is managing distribution of the test kits to community partners.
“While HIV testing efforts may look different than in years past, we’re honored to collaborate with Greater Than AIDS in our 10th year of working together to highlight the critical role testing plays in prevention and care,” said Luke Sauter, vice president, specialty pharmacy, Walgreens. “Walgreens continues to advocate for HIV testing, education and care in the communities we serve with over 3,000 HIV-trained specialists in our stores.”
A record 325+ community partners, including health departments and HIV service organizations, in 215 cities in 47 states had signed on to provide free HIV testing in Walgreens stores across the country as part of the 2020 Greater Than AIDS/Walgreens National HIV Community Partnership when the in-store activation was put on hold due to COVID-19. These community partners -- including those in the 48 counties in the Federal Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America -- will be prioritized to receive the free HIV self-tests through this program. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued new information about the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test to support wider use, and a Dear Colleague Letter from the CDC in May encourages offering HIV self-testing to PrEP clients during COVID-19. Quarterly HIV testing is required as part of the prescribing protocols for PrEP, the HIV prevention pill.
“When it comes to eradicating HIV, the first step is to know your HIV status. On this year’s National HIV Testing Day, we are honored to work with Greater Than AIDS and Walgreens to provide OraQuick In-Home HIV Tests to allow testing at home or wherever is convenient,” said Stephen S. Tang, President and Chief Executive Officer of OraSure Technologies. “COVID-19 has interrupted so much of ‘normal’ life. Let’s make sure it doesn’t halt the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
Greater Than AIDS and Walgreens will also provide community partners with informational materials and digital promotions to support awareness and outreach.
For more about the Greater Than AIDS/Walgreens National HIV Community Partnership and other efforts to expand HIV testing, go to: greaterthan.org/walgreens. GG
Pictures by Tim Nedoba
Layout illustration by GoGuide Media
#BlackLivesMatter #SummerOfPride2020
UI Campus
#BlackLivesMatter #SummerOfPride2020 Downtown Iowa City
Towncrest neighborhood
Coral Ridge Mall
Here’s what we’re watching on Youube this month Reflections on Intersectionality A conversation with Black LGBTQ Millenials GoGuide’s “Summer of Pride 2020” series
Iowa City – This week, we’re listening and watching millennials. Precisely, we’re following a playlist on YouTube that features conversations with black LGBTQ+ millennials. The playlist titled “reflections on intersectionality.” Below we highlight one of the contributors, and that person is Tarek Ali. The playlist can is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbpi6ZahtOH784jF-_ UIbH2cT9l1C_ecA
Safer Sex - How to Avoid Getting or Giving an STD • Talk with your partner about sex & STDs before you do it! • Use a condom every time you have sex. • Limit drug & alcohol use, choices made when drunk or high may not be what you would do if you were sober. • Get tested regularly, not all STDs have symptoms. • Take PrEP, a once a day pill to protect against HIV.
MOST STDs ARE CURABLE & TREATABLE
NEED CONDOMS? HAVE QUESTIONS? July 2020
MyIowaCondoms.org StopHIVIowa.org
Iowa City’s only gay bar reopens Iowa City, IA - In my lifetime, I never expected to see a global pandemic like this one. The number of people sickened and have died is beyond comprehention. Sadly, we’re still fighting the virus. In many locales, we’re seeing the highest number of cases since the pandemic began its attack on the U.S. and the world. The pandemic has also affected our daily lives and our ability to provide for our selves and family. The rush to reopen the economy is working for some and causing trouble for others. Studio 13 saw a new spike coming and voluntarily closed for a second time. Studio 13 believes the time is right to reopen again. However, this time they’ve added enhanced precautions in order to protect staff and customers Editors note - Photo illustration taken from Studio 13 Facebook page. Photo of Studio 13 building by Tim Nedoba
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Community
Voices
The 2020 Census is Gayer Than Ever… But It Should be Gayer
A column by Erica Barz Editors note: This column first appeared in our May 2020 issue
2020 is the first year I’ve had the opportunity to fill out the census. It’s something my fiancée and I waited to do until the first weeks of social distancing had passed, saving it for a moment when we both needed a mood boost. We were excited to take this step together. The first time we’d tell the federal government that we were a team, we took on the rest of our lives as one family unit.
After we completed the census survey online (which took less than ten minutes), I joked on Facebook that I “didn’t realize I’d get to tell the federal government how gay I am on the census.” Granted, this ended up being primarily due to a technicality: only same-sex couples that live together and/or are married got to answer a question that came remotely close to sharing our lived reality.
While that may be progress, the current administration soundly rejected efforts to add questions that would allow LGBTQ people to provide accurate information about their sexual orientation and gender identity. Even so, counting same-sex married couples and couples who live together will still provide us with new information about the number of same-sex couples with children, where same-sex couples live, and the race and ethnicity of people in same-sex couples. This new data will be invaluable in helping organizations that serve the LGBTQ community make a stronger case when applying to foundations, corporations, and the government itself for funding to do their essential work. Because LGBTQ people aren’t meaningfully counted in the census, LGBTQ organizations have had to develop their own studies to learn critical information about the communities they serve. These studies sap limited resources from these organizations and can be viewed as illegitimate since they don’t come from a “neutral” source like the census (the census is absolutely not neutral either, and that’s a can of worms that could be an article on its own). Despite the census’s shortcomings, it’s still critically important for LGBTQ people to fill out the survey. Census data is used to disburse funds for programs like Medicaid, public housing, and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), all of which LGBTQ people are more likely to use than non-LGBTQ people. It is also used to redraw districts for federal elections and determine how many House representatives each state should have.
LGBTQ people also exist within all the populations that have historically been undercounted and underserved by the census like people of color, disabled people, and poor people. LGBTQ people who are part of these groups increase the political power of those groups by filling out the census. All marginalized communities strengthen the case for a more comprehensive count in 2030. So please, fill out the census this year, then Google “Queer the Census” to find out what you can do to fight for the queer census of tomorrow. GG
www.GoGuideMagazine.com
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No extra heat needed at summer camp “Camp” by L.C. Rosen c.2020, Little, Brown $17.99 | 374 pages
Book review by by Terri Schlichenmeyer: The Bookworm Sez
No, the evening was balmy; it had been all day, but you needed to watch the embers. There’s
something about a campfire that’s relaxing, isn’t there? Something romantic about it, too, which means things can heat up or, as in the new novel “Camp” by L.C. Rosen, things can go all up in flames.
Sixteen-year-old Randall Kappelhoff had been thinking about his plan all winter. This year at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens, everything would be different. He’d cut his hair and change his name – no more “Randy,” he’d be “Del” at camp. He’d act totally masc, sign up for sports, and he’d reluctantly give up performing in the annual play. And at the end of the four weeks of camp, Hudson Aaronson-Lim would be Randy – um, Del’s – boyfriend. He’d been hot for Hudson every summer for years. This plan had to work. And it does. At first.
Hudson is everything Del wants: he’s solid, sweet, and his kisses are ah-may-zing. And as much as Del wants to “get naked” with Hudson, he knows he has to wait. Every past summer, while he lusted after Hudson, he watched Hudson find some random boy, let the boy fall in love with him, and then he’d dump said boy within two weeks. That was not going to happen to Del. Hudson would be permanent; he just didn’t know it yet. But staying in character was not easy. Del’s cabin-mate, George, brought nail polish to camp but while Randy would wear nail polish, “Del” could not. Everyone in Del’s cabin was really into theatre and they were all looking forward to the camp show but “Del” was too masc for singing and dancing. Still, Hudson was worth it.
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Almost everyone in camp knew about Del’s rom-com plans – everyone, that is, except Hudson. Del knew that he’d eventually have to tell Hudson the truth but by that time, he was sure Hudson would be in love with him and nothing else would matter. The plan had to work. Until it didn’t.
Okay, this: “Camp” is adorable. It’s all puppyish first love and awkward kisses and fumbling virginity loss. It can also feel long. That may be the first thing you notice, since author L.C. Rosen jumps right into the beginning of Randy’s first week at camp, and the plan. That doesn’t leave much literary foreplay and it makes for a rough opening; fortunately, it doesn’t last and it doesn’t drag. To the good, the teen angst inside this book is perfect, as is the authenticity of its language. There’s also a great mix of LGBTQ+ characters but the story’s neon-sign is the thing most readers will celebrate: to wit: be true to yourself... but be careful. Read the book. As if the ending of it isn’t surprise enough.
Camp author L.C. Rosen Photo by Rachael Shane
Beware: this is a cute story with a strong message, but also contains some pages of explicitness. For older queer teens who need to read, though, “Camp” is just-right, with a little heat. GG
One Iowa Gala Limited edition t-shirt in collaboration with RAYGUN is available now! Courtesy One Iowa Summer 2020
When you buy this shirt, not only are you supporting the fundamental message of intersectionality within the LGBTQ community, 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated back to the One Iowa Gala to help fuel our work to improve the lives of LGBTQ Iowans.
The quote used on the shirt “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us,” is often used to describe the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson. At the center of the Stonewall Riots, she stood tall as a Black, Trans woman in the face of police brutality against the LGBTQ community. We stand on the shoulders of giants like Johnson who paved the way for the future generation of advocates. We can’t wait to see you rocking this new tee and to celebrate with you at the Gala on August 22nd. You can buy the shirt at OneIowa.Org.
LADY GAGA’S CHROMATICA OUT NOW Lady Gaga release her highly anticipated sixth studio album Chromatica via Interscope Records July 24, 2020 Special to GoGuide Magazine
The album features col-
laborations with Ariana Grande, Elton John and Blackpink. Chromatica is executive produced by BloodPop and Lady Gaga. The album’s current single “Rain On Me”, a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, marked the biggest Spotify debut of 2020, reaching #1 on the Global and US Spotify Charts upon release and peaking at #1 on the iTunes charts in 29 countries and #1 on the Apple Global Chart. It also set a record for the most single-day streams from an all-female collaboration in Spotify history. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande released two brand new remixes of “Rain On Me” - featuring mixes from Purple Disco Machine and Ralphi Rosario The first single from the album, “Stupid Love,” which debuted at #1 on iTunes in 58 countries, has over 235 million streams worldwide since release and marks Lady Gaga’s 16th Billboard Top 10. The video, which was shot entirely on an iPhone 11 Pro, skyrocketed to number #1 trending on YouTube worldwide upon release and currently has more than 85 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=AoAm4om0wTs#action=share
On Iowa! Get ready for a special print edition of GoGuide Magazine this September! Don’t worry; the magazine will still be available online for your reading pleasure.
Community Voices
Meet our latest Visionary: Dawn Stephens Editors note - This is the final column in GoGuide Magazine and our last in multi-issue series on local visionaries. This column was conceived and written by Julia Freeman. Julia has been a valued writer, editor, and contributor to GoGuide Magazine, and outstanding writing skills and ability to connect with the audience will be missed. GoGuide wishes Julia all the best in her future endeavors.
Everybody needs a hug
Summer issue 2020 By Julia Freeman
(socially distanced or otherwise)
Dawn Stephens
For Dawn Stephens, founder of Hug Squad, love is love. Whether that is her full-fledged support of her daughter,
who is in a relationship with a same-sex partner, or her daughter who identifies as pansexual, she establishes a foundation for each that made it fun to ‘come out’ due to her acceptance of all identities. Stephens wholeheartedly believes in leaving things better than when she found them, whether it is society or fostering dogs or restoring homes.
Stephens’ spirit is thanks to her grandmother, who would greet every passing person from her front porch, that was frequently giving back to her community. The Hug Squad founder was so impacted that she recently moved her own house within a few blocks of that same porch. Stephens said her mother embodies the same mentality. Hug Squad, which offers up complimentary hugs to whomever self identifies as needing or wanting that level of connection and gesture, was founded out of an interaction at a Women’s Brass Festival between Stephens and an attendee. The recipient of the hug meant everything to feel that sentiment of love since ‘coming out’ and helped spark the rainbow heart logo that adorns Hug Squad’s clothing and stickers. Such interactions help motivate Stephens, and her partner, Greg, who is often seen breaking out of his comfort zone and distributing his helpful hugs at events, to continue filling people’s cups and empathizing with others. Although there are also obstacles such as protesters and opponents of letting people be who they are, that rarely derails the aspirations and hope of Hug Squad and its founder.
Safety for all with a lack of judgment on who does and does not deserve grace is her most significant priority in being a visionary in the community service sector of Linn County. Stephens is aware that anybody is one decision away from being in an unfortunate circumstance at any given time, including herself. This is why she and the Hug Squad members seek out and volunteer at many LGBTQ events throughout the area, along with supporting caregivers at activities such as ALS and Alzheimers Association walks. She advises people to “be the person you always needed when you were younger.”
Hug Squad’s statement of identity is ‘The loving clutch that means so much. Life is hard. Sometimes you need a hug. That’s what we’re here for. Our logo is a symbol of peace, acceptance, care, support, and recognition. We see you. We are here to give you a hug and hopefully, some assurance that things will be ok. But mostly to say that we see you. You matter. Thanks for what you do to make the world a better place. We accept you. You are worth it. Bring it in.’ Stephens and the rest of the all-volunteer Hug Squad followers can be found on Facebook at Sumer 2020 Hug Squad. She wants people to be kind, be empathetic, and try to see where other people stand. GG
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