Set amongst the bustling crowds and underground karaoke clubs of Tokyo, WEST NORTH WEST explores themes of gender, sexuality, nationality, and religious identity through the complex desires of three women. The film is now featuring on PeccadilloPOD, a new On-Demand platform for LGBTQ+ cinema.
Beautiful Kei (Hanae Kan) works at a cocktail bar, and her girlfriend Ai (Yuka Yamauchi) works as a model. Fearing she’ll be ostracized by society, Kei chooses not to admit her sexual orientation to anyone, and, as a result, she becomes distressed and lonely. One day, randomly in a café, Kei meets Naima, (Sahel Rosa) a very religious Iranian student studying art in Japan. Despite their vast cultural differences Kei and Naima begin to enjoy each other’s company. Passionate Ai quickly becomes jealous of them and their budding relationship. Kei gradually becomes pessimistic as she thinks about a future with Ai, and Ai worries that she will lose Kei. In the meantime, Naima is having a hard time understanding what Kei wants despite growing closer to her. All three of them are embarrassed and insecure but eventually, they begin to share their emotions.
Actor turned award-winning director, Takuro Nakumura’s feature film takes us on a slow journey through modern-day relationships in Tokyo. Dark and gloomy cinematography complements a melodrama told through dialogue, the actors’ expressions, and long silences rather than action-packed scenes. We follow the three young women as they tentatively navigate their way through their developing relationships with each other, often inconclusively. The slow-burn scenes are intimate and intriguing, and sometimes confusing, reflecting today’s life for many early 20 somethings who don’t fit into a stereotypical relationship box.
Sahel Rosa gives a very convincing performance as the studious, very religious, Iranian Naima who has never even worn make-up before she encounters the very sophisticated Japanese Kei. Hanae Kan (Kei) and Yuka Yamauchi (Ai) are also strong actors with great chemistry, and the three hold our attention for the two-hour running time of the film. Director Nakumura wants us to appreciate that ultimately there are actually only very small differences between characters of different sexualities and different cultural backgrounds. This he achieves. A good film for the long winter evenings right now.
A Virginia lawmaker has introduced a bill that would ban transgender students from joining school sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity.
Senate Bill 766, which state Sen. Jennifer Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) introduced on Friday, would require “each elementary or secondary school or a private school that competes in sponsored athletic events against such public schools to designate athletic teams, whether a school athletic team or an intramural team sponsored by such school, based on biological sex as follows: (i) ‘males,’ ‘men,’ or ‘boys’; (ii) ‘females,’ ‘women,’ or ‘girls’; or (iii) ‘coed’ or ‘mixed.’”
“Under the bill, male students are not permitted to participate on any school athletic team or squad designated for ‘females,’ ‘women,’ or ‘girls’; however, this provision does not apply to physical education classes at schools,” adds the bill. “The bill provides civil penalties for students and schools that suffer harm as a result of a violation of the bill. Such civil actions are required to be initiated within two years after the harm occurred.”
Kiggans introduced her bill less than a week after Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin took office.
Youngkin during his campaign said he does not support allowing trans children to play on sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity. Elizabeth Schultz, an anti-LGBTQ former member of the Fairfax County School Board, has been named the Virginia Department of Education’s Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The General Assembly’s 2022 legislative session began on Jan. 12 with Republicans in control of the state House of Delegates. Democrats still control the state Senate, and they have pledged to thwart any anti-LGBTQ bills.
“Let’s be clear: This is part of an ongoing, nationwide effort to exclude trans people from enjoying the benefits of sports like their cisgender peers,” tweeted the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia on Friday after Kiggans introduced SB 766. “We won’t tolerate this.”
More than 120 German Roman Catholic priests and officials have jointly come out as LGBT+ and called on the church to do better by queer Catholics.
Presenting a fresh test for the church, which has long resisted calls to modernise when it comes to LGBT+ rights, 125 former and current priests, teachers, church administrators and volunteers came out on Sunday (23 January).
In a Change.org petition, the group wrote that while some have “bravely and dared” to come out in the past, others have only “just taken the step”.
“We no longer want to remain silent,” they wrote.
Jointly, the group is demanding that church leadership bring an end to “outdated statements of church doctrine” when it comes to sexuality and gender.
“We want to be able to live and work openly as LGBTIQ+ persons in the church without fear,” the statement read.
The initiative, called Out In Church, posted Sunday evening a lengthy list of demands addressed to the Roman Catholic Church.
LGBT+ Roman Catholics must have access to “all fields of activists and occupation in the Church without discrimination”, they said.
Out In Church also took aim at Church employment rules that consider being openly queer as a “breach of loyalty or a reason for dismissal”.
“Defamatory and outdated statements of church doctrine on sexuality and gender needs to be revised on the basis of theological and human scientific findings,” the officials continued.
“This is of utmost relevance especially in view of worldwide church responsibility for the human rights of LGBTIQ+ persons.”
Among the group’s other calls is a plea for the church to give LGBT+ people of faith access to God’s blessings and sacraments, and to oppose LGBT+ discrimination in all its forms.
Above all, the group urged church leaders to shoulder accountability for the institution historic discrimination of LGBT+ people.
“In dealing with LGBTIQ+ persons, the church has caused much suffering throughout its history,” Out In Church concluded.
“We expect bishops to take responsibility for this on behalf of the church, to address the institutional history of guilt and to advocate for the changes we call for.”
It’s the latest example of Catholics challenging the Vatican’s increasingly mixed messages on LGBT+ inclusion.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith said that it does not “discriminate” but that God “cannot bless sin”.
The Vatican even objected to a proposed bill in Italy that would protect queer people from discrimination, with the unprecedented intervention sparking outrage.
Francis himself has flip-flopped on the issue of LGBT+ rights. While he once appeared to suggest support for civil unions, he has previously said that parents of queer children should “consult a professional” and referred to “gender ideology” as a “move away from nature”.
The NCAA has adopted a sport-by-sport approach for transgender athletes, bringing the organization in line with the U.S. and International Olympic Committees.
Under the new guidelines, approved by the NCAA Board of Governors on Wednesday, transgender participation for each sport will be determined by the policy for the sport’s national governing body, subject to review and recommendation by an NCAA committee to the Board of Governors.
When there is no national governing body, that sport’s international federation policy would be in place. If there is no international federation policy, previously established IOC policy criteria would take over.
“Approximately 80% of U.S. Olympians are either current or former college athletes,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a release. “This policy alignment provides consistency and further strengthens the relationship between college sports and the U.S. Olympics.”
The NCAA policy is effective immediately, beginning with the 2022 winter championships.
NCAA rules on transgender athletes returned to the forefront when University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas started smashing records this year. She was on the men’s team her first three years, but she is competing for the women this season after transitioning.
The Board of Governors is suggesting NCAA divisions allow for additional eligibility if a transgender student-athlete loses eligibility based on the policy change. That flexibility is provided they meet the NCAA’s new guidelines.
“We are steadfast in our support of transgender student-athletes and the fostering of fairness across college sports,” Georgetown President John DeGioia said in a release. “It is important that NCAA member schools, conferences and college athletes compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment and can move forward with a clear understanding of the new policy.”
Sunday January 30 @ 3 pm. Duo Quartet at Occidental Center for the Arts. The Duo Quartet brings together the stellar talents of Nina Gerber and Chris Webster in concert with another dynamic duo, Pam Delgado and Jeri Jones of Blame Sally. With a beautiful set of original music mixed with surprisingly original takes on a few choice covers, Duo Quartet brings to the stage a band that is greater than the sum of its already impressive parts.Tickets are $30 General / $25 for OCA members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org . Proof of COVID Vaccine is required for this event, please bring your vaccine card and ID. OCA’s facilities are accessible to people with disabilities. Fine refreshments available, masking required when not eating/drinking per current County Health Ordinance. OCA Art Gallery open for viewing/gift purchase.Become an OCA Member and get discounts/free admission. OCA is a non profit performing and fine arts center located at 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465.
As President Biden, Vice President Harris and advocates across the country continue to push for federal action to safeguard the freedom to vote, Equality California announced its endorsement of California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber on Tuesday. Secretary Weber is running for a full four-year term in 2022, after making history last year as California’s first Black Secretary of State — following her appointment to the position by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“As other states attempt to roll back voting rights, Secretary Weber has used her office to protect and expand the freedom to vote — here in California and across the country,” said Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang. “LGBTQ+ Californians are lucky to have such a dedicated partner in the Secretary of State’s office. Throughout her career, Secretary Weber has been a committed ally and a champion for full, lived equality, and we look forward to helping elect her to a full term this November.”
Weber has helped lead the nationwide fight to protect voting rights — joining lawsuits against voter suppression efforts with other secretaries of state and advocating for the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — in the face of undemocratic attempts to limit access to the ballot box. In the Assembly, Weber was consistently one of the most outspoken champions for LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice, helping to secure key nondiscrimination protections, criminal justice reforms and laws requiring LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum in public schools.
“I’m honored to be endorsed by Equality California, with whom I have had a strong relationship for many years –– as an Assemblymember, and now as Secretary of State,” said Secretary Weber. “I firmly believe California’s strength lies in our diversity, and our shared commitment to equality for everyone who calls our state home –– no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity or anything else. I am a proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community and a proud partner of Equality California. I look forward to fighting for the civil rights of every Californian alongside EQCA’s leadership and membership for years to come.”
Weber is the daughter of sharecroppers from Hope, Arkansas, who moved to California after her father was threatened by a lynch mob. Weber’s father did not have the opportunity to vote until he was in his 30s, and her grandfather never had the chance to cast a ballot. Although her family moved to California when Weber was three years old, it was her family’s experience in the Jim Crow South that has driven her activism and legislative work.
In addition to Equality California, Weber has been endorsed by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla Governor Gavin Newsom, Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis; Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Controller Betty Yee, the California Legislative Black Caucus and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, among dozens of elected and community leaders and progressive organizations.
After Vice President Kamala Harris left the U.S. Senate in January 2021, Governor Newsom appointed then-California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve the remainder of Harris’ U.S. Senate term; and then Newsom appointed then-California State Assemblymember Weber to fill the remainder of Padilla’s term. The primary election for the Secretary of State position will be June 7, 2022.
For a complete list of Equality California’s 2022 endorsements, visit eqca.org/elections.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
The French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler has died at the age of 73. His death was due to “natural causes” according to his agent.
On his official Mugler Instagram page, a statement said, “We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday January 23rd 2022. May his soul Rest In Peace.”
Mugler was born and raised in Strasbourg, where he trained in his teens as a ballet dancer for six years. He relocated to Paris at the age of 24 and launched his eponymous fashion line in 1973. He opened his first boutique in 1978 and his fame skyrocketed in the 80s, with his broad-shouldered, theatrical designs perfectly chiming with the power-dressing ethos of the times.
Diana Ross, David Bowie and Grace Jones were among those he dressed, and celebrities flocked to his spectacular runway shows.
In later years, besides his clothing, he became just as known for his perfumes, including Angel and Alien.
Mugler sold the rights to his name to Clarins in 1997. He retired from his label in 2002 but continued to design occasional outfits for big-name clients. This included Lady Gaga, Cardi B, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian’s Met Ball outfit in 2019. He was creative director for Beyoncé’s I AM world tour in 2010.
Mugler was an out, gay man. After retiring from his label, stepped away from the limelight and went by his real first name, Manfred. A longtime fan of bodybuilding, he transformed his body with the help of a trainer and bulked up, becoming quite unrecognizable from his former self (although this was partly due to reconstructive facial surgery he also underwent after a bad motorbike accident).
In a 2019 interview with Fashion, Mugler said he’d never had a problem with being gay, only with the reaction of others to it.
“I didn’t have a problem with my sexuality or identity. I had a problem with my family, and I had a problem with the world. I was feeling out of place, and I was feeling very miserable. I was in the ballet for six years, and no one in my family came to see me onstage; I was the ugly duckling who left the theatre alone. I guess I was too bizarre. I would watch the skies at night and look for the blue star and know that I had to hold on.”
“He was timeless and ahead of his time,” supermodel Jerry Hall told the New York Times in 2019. “He knew all about gender fluidity and his clothes reflected the heat and sexuality of the late 70s and early 80s.”
Among those to pay tribute to the designer was Diana Ross.
Casey Cadwallader, the current creative director at the house of Mugler, wrote on Instagram, “Manfred, I am so honored to have known you and to work within your beautiful world. You changed our perception of beauty, of confidence, of representation and self empowerment. Your legacy is something I carry with me in everything I do.”
Welcome to the Rainbow Connection of the Sebastopol Senior Center! And don’t let that word “Senior” fool you, think of us as the Sebastopol FUN Center!
We are expanding our offerings to adults of ALL ages. We are a place to come to if you wish to THRIVE! Read on if you want to hear about local events offered by us (and others) for our Sonoma County LGBT+ community. Especially notice, that after a two year wait, we are hosting our famous Mardi Gras dance again on February 26th.
Check out these LGBT+ activities you can put on your 2022 calendar. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me if you need anything! Also, click HERE, for those of you new to this blog, and you can read a longer introduction about me and our LGBT+ goals. AND contact me if inquire about volunteering at our LGBT+ events or if you want to drive seniors to their doctors appointments.
Please note that all our Sebastopol Seniors Center events are subject to modification based on the state of the pandemic. As such, our dining room has closed for the month of January, but meals are still available for pick up.
Sincerely,
Scotty King Manager of Special Services Volunteer Driver Program ∙ LGBT+ Liaison 707-827-8429 direct 707-829-2440 main Sebastopol Senior Center 167 N. High Street Sebastopol CA 95472 “Remember when Giving a Ride was the Neighborly Thing to Do? It Still Is!”
LGBT+ Friendship Mixer Come meet your LGBT+ Friends and Neighbors
What: LGBT+ Friendship Mixer When: Monday February 7th, 2 – 4pm Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person Why: Meet new LGBT+ folks Cost: Free to members, $5 non-members Go HERE to register This event is for everyone wanting to make a new friend. We will spend the first hour in a structured activity, “speed friending,” where you will get to talk with 10 new people (both men and women, all are LGBT+). You will spend 5 minutes in a 1 on 1 conversation where you can get to know each other a little better. After 5 minutes, when the bell rings, participants will move on to their next 1 on 1 conversation. During the 2nd hour, there will be an informal mixer game. You will be provided questions to ask other folks of your choice.
LGBT+ Mardi Gras DANCE
Come be Dazzled and Energized Outstanding Dance Music, Video DJ Wear Your Mardi Gras Fun Clothes
Snacks Provided Beer and Wine for Sale $5
Must show proof of vaccination at the door.
What: LGBT+ Mardi Gras DANCE When: Saturday February 26th 6:30 to 10 PM Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person Why: Meet new LGBT+ folks & HAVE FUN
You must register in advance, as spaces might sell out. Go HERE to register (Available after January 6th) Email Scotty if you have any questions, Scotty. (scotty@sebastopolseniorcenter.org)
Cost: Pre-Purchase – $15 Each for Members; $20 for non-members
If you would like any information about volunteering for this dance, please email Scotty
Redwood Rainbows Square Dance Club Let’s Dance!
Come LGBT+ dancing with the largest Gay Square-Dancing club in the country! Meets in Sebastopol * Everyone is welcome * No partner needed. Beginners class is starting January 12th 2022 Give it a try—the first class is free! Gently exercise your body and mind while moving to music and having fun. Dance either role! For more information visit this website or email them at contact@redwoodrainbows.org
The 10 Warning Sings Of Alzheimer’s
This Alzheimer’s Talk is presented by an out gay man, (and Golden Guy), Gene Girimonte. He lives locally and is a Volunteer Community Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. All LGBT+ folks VERY welcome. This program will help you recognize common signs of the disease in yourself and others and next steps to take, including how to talk to your doctor.
When: Tuesday, January 18th, 11 – 12:30pm Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person Why: Delay cognitive decline as long as possible Cost: Free to members, $5 non-members Go HERE to register
New GBT Men’s Group Forming in Oakmont Give Mike a call if you want to find out more and when the next potluck is happening. What: Silver Guys Where: East Rec Center, Oakmont Who: Mike Sotak 707.291.9724 sotak.michael@yahoo.com
Rainbow Women of Oakmont
A large number of lesbians live in the Oakmont community, about 200. For more information about this women’s group, please call: (707) 623-9097 Educational, social and community service group for residents of Oakmont Village in Santa Rosa.
Live Theater in Sebastopol: The Glass Menagerie
I am super excited to see this at our local live theater, Main Stage West! The manager there was so gracious to let me know that on Thursday nights, they have “Pay What You Can” or “2 for 1” night for those of us on budgets. The Glass Menagerie Jan 21 – Feb 12, 2022 Thurs, Fri, Sat @ 8pm; Sun @ 5pm Click here for more: Main Stage West
Senior Peer Counseling Starting in Sebastopol Needs More LGBT+ Folks!
I am very excited about this! They are looking for more LGBT+ folks to join the new class starting in late January 2022.
From: Melissa Fike, MFT Senior Adult Counseling Division Director West County Community Services
“West County Community Service’s Senior Peer Counseling Program has this VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY. Are you interested in giving back to the community while helping a population in much need of support & compassion? Consider becoming a volunteer Senior Peer Counselor. Our peer counselors, ages 55+, are compassionate individuals who give their time to help their peers navigate the challenges of aging. Isolation, grief, and depression are common struggles facing seniors. Our training program is provided by licensed clinical staff and is designed to give participants the tools necessary to recognize and assist with the stresses and transitions seniors experience.
Ongoing training and supervision are also a critical component for this program. West County Community Service’s Senior Peer Counseling Program reaches out to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Seniors to ensure these valuable services are also available to the LGBT+ community. LGBT+ community member volunteers enrich these services. We are currently recruiting for our next Senior Peer Counselor training which will begin in late January 2022. The training will run from late January through mid-May (35 hours total). We only offer this training every other year, and the class is limited to 8 participants. We have a great group of volunteers – compassionate and caring individuals who bring a wealth of experience from their own lives to the work. Some have experience in the counseling area, some not at all. They are people who want to learn and grow themselves, are interested in exploring their own aging process, and want to give back to the community. We have a lot of fun too. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Melissa Fike via email HERE, or call 707-823-1640 ext. 301″
LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1947-2000. Wednesdays 1:30-3pm. Online via Zoom. Spring semester 2022 begins January 19! Looking forward to seeing you there! Please contact me to enroll in this FREE class and receive a Zoom invite: cdungan@santarosa.edu
SRJC’s “Aging Gayfully!” From Gary “Buz” Hermes His next class will meet on zoom, on Saturday’s 11 am – 1 pm January 22 – May 28, 2022 For more information go to Gary “Buz” Hermes or contact Buz, or call (707) 227-6935 AND, Buz suggests this documentary film about LGBT+ Seniors “Hi! I thought you might enjoy this 14 minute film of Interviews of LGBT elders. LGBT+ seniors have demonstrated great resilience of humanity over hardship throughout the years, paving the way for a better and more accepting future for generations to come.”
Not Another Second – is the first in a national series of cultural campaigns from Watermark Retirement Communities – and tells the untold stories of 12 LGBT+ seniors and explores the years they lost due to societal constraints.
Proust wrote “Perfume is that last and best reserve of the past, the one which when all our tears have run dry, can make us cry again!” The Perfume Thief by Timothy Schaffert offers a vivid and striking story that exemplifies this observation. A whiff of a scent conjures up an event in the past, transporting one to that moment where a smell becomes indelible in the catalog of one’s senses. In a novel imbued with deception hidden in plain sight, perfume emerges as the most powerful and truthful presence in this redolent tale of Nazi Occupied Paris during World War II.
It’s six months since the Nazis took over Paris. An American ex-pat lesbian, seventy-two-year-old Clementine, spends her days creating perfumes on the first floor of her house, formerly a school for young gentlemen, which serves as her laboratory and shop. At night, Clem dresses in her best menswear to move around the dingier side of Parisian nightlife. Accompanying Clem on her nightly excursions is Blue, named after his stunning blue eyes, a twenty-one-year-old gay Frenchman, who escaped his abusive uncle to find the school. Most nights Clem and Blue, in matching tuxedos, head to Madame Boulette’s, a brothel that hosts a lively and seedy cabaret. At Madame Boulette’s, they visit their friend, Day Shabillée, an American singer known for a sentimental hit twenty years ago.
As Clem’s reputation as a perfumer precedes her, Madame Boulette also hires our hero to produce signature fragrances for her girls. With a candid first-person voice, Clem’s empathy, tinged with cynicism, establishes itself in her relationships. Day summons Clem to Madame Boulette’s in hopes of convincing her to help her friend, Zoë St. Angel, the daughter of a famous Jewish perfumer, Monsieur Pascal.
… the novel evokes a tapestry of smells and their obscure origins. Paris is wistfully recalled through the scents of each character’s freedom before the war.
The Nazis have taken Pascal away and a superior intelligence officer, Oskar Voss, is ensconced in his house. Zoë receives a note from her father adorned with a special symbol which she knows is the key to finding her father’s perfume secrets, including the formula of the eponymous perfume he created for her. Faced with the reality of the Occupation, she wants to reconcile with her father after a seventeen-year absence. She asks Clem to help her find his book before it falls into Voss’s hands. Voss believes the diary contains a perfume recipe that can disguise the use of a fatal gas which he hopes will solidify his worth in Hitler’s estimation. Clem herself has an ulterior motive for finding Pascal’s book: she thinks it will confirm her suspicions that Pascal stole a perfume from her.
When Voss hears about Clem and her talent for recreating any scent, he orders her to his house so they can partner in the search for the book. Voss, close in age to Clem, flirts with her with invitations to parties and excursions including a grotesque free reign shopping spree in a department store housed with goods taken from the Jews of Paris. He finds Clem so enigmatic because she was mythologized in a tawdry exposé, The Perfume Thief, penned by a detective that spent his career chasing after her. Voss challenges her gender expression by sending over dresses for her to wear on their outings. Clem demonstrates her agility to code-switch as she strings Voss along with stories of her thieving escapades and revealing to him about the great love of her life, M. Clem learned from M about tea concoctions that elicit sickness. She uses this knowledge to make sachets “stitched together [from] a smoky blend of noxious herbs and pernicious weeds that would be fatal only to a kitten,” and passes them off to Voss as healing teas. What ensues is a high-stakes strategic and intellectual game of cat-and-mouse with consequences that could result in death for either of them. Their relationship is complicated further by their flourishing respect for each other’s survival skills.
As the novel pulses forward, the narrative is infused with impending danger as Clem struggles to protect everyone. Through interspersing chapters, Clem narrates the memories of her past triggered by her present life. Clem’s intelligent narrative voice and her upfront tone captivate with its honesty and acuity. Through Clem’s perspective, the novel evokes a tapestry of smells and their obscure origins. Paris is wistfully recalled through the scents of each character’s freedom before the war. As secrets and truths are revealed of all, the destiny of each character—and the choices they make—cause reverberations in the lives of the others.
Small acts of bravery during the Resistance may be less known, but this novel gives imagination to the courage of queer lives during the Occupation. Clem embodies the wisdom of a fully-rendered life, filled with deception, compassion, and transformation.
Small acts of bravery during the Resistance may be less known, but this novel gives imagination to the courage of queer lives during the Occupation. Clem embodies the wisdom of a fully-rendered life, filled with deception, compassion, and transformation. A luminous character invented to populate the queer history that was lost. Once she’s allowed herself to love others, she deceives one last time for those she loves.
The Perfume Thief
by Timothy Schaffert
Doubleday
Hardcover, 978-0385545747, 368 pp.
August 2021
“When was the last time anybody said ‘wow!’” a friend asked me.
I couldn’t remember the last time anyone I know (including me) had any “Wow!” moments. Until I heard about trans woman and software engineering manager Amy Schneider’s 29-game winning streak on “Jeopardy.”
You wouldn’t think anything could dispel our COVID exhaustion and political divisiveness. Yet, news about a champion on “Jeopardy,” a quiz show that has been on TV since 1964, has broken through our gloom.
In our culture, there are few things that everyone loves. But, “Jeopardy” is beloved by many, from theater geeks to 80-year-old sports nuts. A progressive friend was over the moon when his brother was a “Jeopardy” contestant. A buddy, a hetero (non-Trump) Republican, is a “Jeopardy” fanatic and a gay librarian pal is a “Jeopardy” freak.
Many of us daydream about being on “Jeopardy.” But we know that we wouldn’t have a chance on this legendary quiz show with its deceptively simple format: You give the answer to the (often incredibly hard) clues in the form of a question. You have to have a strategic military commander’s and a world-class athlete’s coordination: so you can press the buzzer to answer the clue.
The game’s categories run the gamut from opera to mountain ranges. Most of us, mere mortals, would be lucky to know even one category in the first round of the game. Let alone in the “Double Jeopardy” round or the “Final Jeopardy” clue. I might jump on clues about Katharine Hepburn movies or M&Ms. But that would be it for me.
It’s exciting to watch a “Jeopardy” contestant become a long-running champion. You marvel at the player’s intelligence, endurance, and nerve. It’s thrilling when the contestant on a winning-streak is part of your community.
Many of us LGBTQ “Jeopardy” fans are thrilled by Schneider’s record-setting winning streak. As I write this, Schneider has won more than $1 million in 29 games of “Jeopardy.” She is the fifth millionaire in “Jeopardy” history, and only the fourth player to reach this milestone in the regular season. She has won more than any other female “Jeopardy” contestant.
Schneider, like so many of us, doesn’t want to be defined by her gender identity or sexuality. Schneider’s life is multi-faceted; she has many interests. Schneider lives with her girlfriend Genevieve. They have a cat named Meep.
Yet, Schneider doesn’t want to hide that she’s trans. On “Jeopardy,” Schneider brilliantly dealt with this dilemma. She didn’t make a big deal about being out. She just wore the trans Pride flag pin.
“It was something that I wanted to get out there and to show my pride in while not making it the focus of what I was doing there,” Schneider told the New York Times. “Because I was just there to answer trivia questions and win money.”
As a cisgender lesbian, I can’t speak to how Schneider’s record-setting “Jeopardy” streak feels to transgender people.
But, as a trans ally, I’m cheering for Schneider. Kudos for her bravery! At a time when many states are passing anti-trans laws, it takes guts to be out on TV and the Internet.
Few things are as mainstream as “Jeopardy.” I bet that many “Jeopardy” viewers who are frightened at the idea of trans people, will become more comfortable with transgender people after watching Schneider on the popular quiz show. Because folks on TV come into our living and bedrooms and we feel as if we know them after watching them for a while.
“Amy looks like everybody else,” my neighbor said when I told her Schneider was trans. “She doesn’t act odd. She’s not strange.”
Transgender people encounter violence and discrimination in everything from housing to health care to employment.
I know Schneider’s “Jeopardy” triumph won’t end transphobia. But her winning streak will go a long way toward jumpstarting a change in hearts and minds.
