Los Angeles
Stonewall to DA Jackie Lacey: Restore trust or resign
(Editor’s note: This is a different kind of report. The primary election for Los Angeles District Attorney next March is going to be hugely important. I attended the Oct. 28 Stonewall Democratic Club meeting with LA County DA Jackie Lacey in West Hollywood to see how she answered community questions about the notorious Ed Buck case. But Black Lives Matter and family members of young Black men shot by police showed up and confronted Lacey with such raw pain and anguish – to be met by such a cold, logical legal formality – I felt it was important to make a fuller record of the interaction. – Karen Ocamb)
Jackie Lacey was shaking. The District Attorney for Los Angeles County, the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation serving more than 10 million residents over 4,083 square miles, was surrounded by burley bodyguards and scores of Sheriff’s deputies with six squad cars standing by at the West Hollywood Library lest a scuffle broke out with the roughly 20 angry members of Black Lives Matter.
Lacey apparently expected a more traditional, parliamentary rules-driven meeting of the 44-year old Stonewall Democratic Club on Oct. 28. Facing a difficult re-election campaign, the LA DA came to the public political meeting to respond to a scolding Resolution that the LGBTQ-focused club was presenting for a membership vote.
Authored by Stonewall member Jasmyne Cannick, Legislative Action Chair Dr. John Erickson and Political Vice President Jane Wishon, the non-binding Resolution focused on the erosion of trust in the District Attorney’s office after allegations of “racial bias, unfairness, lack of communication, lack of public transparency,” and failure to meet publicly with communities of color; mishandling of the case against West Hollywood resident Ed Buck in the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean; failure to prosecute “police officers and Sheriff’s deputies who use deadly force against unarmed civilians, particularly African-American and Latino people; and for seeking the death penalty despite voters’ rejection and Gov. Newsom issuing a moratorium in March 2019.
Lacey was perhaps unaware that Stonewall stood with Jasmyne Cannick and the families of gay Black victims Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean as their families painfully expressed frustration and demanded action at numerous news conferences over what appeared to be the favored treatment of white Democratic donor, Ed Buck.
After establishing the caveat that she couldn’t say much because of the ongoing investigations, Lacey opened with an apology.
“I want to say something I should have said a long time ago. I’m sorry, to the Moore family and the Dean family for the loss of their loved ones,” Lacey said, interrupted by cat calls of “too late.”
Lacey tried to explain the required filing criteria in a criminal case. “We have to have legally sufficient and admissible evidence, and we have to have evidence of the identity of the perpetrator, and we have to make sure that the investigation is complete and thorough,” she said. “Finally, after looking at the prosecution’s case, we have to look at not just the evidence proving guilt, but also look at any sort of defense that may be plausible given our evidence. Here is the posture that we found ourselves in the Gemmel Moore case.”
The audience listened respectfully until she mispronounced “Gemmel.”
“Learn his name, that’s basic respect,” said one. “Wow,” said another.
While she appeared nervous before, now Lacey looked as if she was preparing to be pummeled. “Gemmel Moore. I’m sorry,” she said.
Lacey explained that state law required proof that “Buck injected meth” into both Moore and Dean resulting in their deaths. But there were mitigating factors: Buck called 911 and appeared to have attempted to administer aid. “He gave very self-serving statements that could not initially be rebutted by the physical evidence,” she said.
But the primary hinderance to prosecuting a case in Moore’s death on July 27, 2017 was that “the original sheriff’s deputies on the case were not homicide deputies. They were deputies from the station, and at first they treated it as though it were an overdose,” she said, which is what the coroner ruled in both cases – accidental overdose from methamphetamine.
But the deputies noticed a red toolbox they wanted to investigate and a “coroner’s investigator gave them information that turned out to be incorrect” – the misapplication of a government code, which meant they were not able to use the evidence of methamphetamine they found.
“So that presented a challenge and we continued to look for evidence in this case,” Lacey said. “At some point we began to hear that there were more victims of Mr. Buck. However, when those victims were interviewed after being granted immunity, there were things that we couldn’t corroborate because we knew that they were going to be cross-examined about some of the things that they said. For instance, sometimes the victim would say that he received medical treatment at a particular hospital and we would go to that hospital and not be able to get those medical records.”
In another case, Lacey said, “we would have a victim who said, ‘I made a police report,’ and we couldn’t find any record of that police report. It wasn’t until that third credible witness came forward that we caught a break in this case.”
In the meantime, Lacey said, “before that third victim came forward, the federal government, the FBI and the DEA began working with the sheriff’s department to see if they could prove a case under federal law, because under federal law you would not have needed to prove that Buck injected either of these gentlemen. You would just need to prove that he furnished the drugs.”
The third victim was found credible, had information they could corroborate, and was able to testify. That gave the DA sufficient evidence to file charges against Buck.
“The charges that we filed were a maximum sentence of five years and eight months and the bail, the maximum bail was going to be four million dollars,” Lacey said. “After searching Mr. Buck’s home and other things during his arrest, we discovered that four million dollars bail, he was able to make that bail, and we did not want him out. About that time the feds decided they would go ahead with their case and they asked us to relinquish Mr. Buck’s body so they could prosecute their case.”
Since federal prosecutors only had to prove that Buck furnished the drugs, not that he injected Moore or Dean and since could charge Buck with 20 years to life, with no bail, Lacey decided to turn Buck over to the feds.
“You will note though that the feds also had problems in the sense that originally in their complaint they said they had 10 victims, but when the grand jury indicted there were only five victims,” Lacey said. “Nevertheless, the case continues, and we are holding our case in the event they are not able to convict Mr. Buck. And that’s where that case stands.”
There were a number of unasked questions, such as what took Lacey so long to talk to the Black and LGBTQ impacted communities after Gemmel Moore’s death. Though the Sheriff’s Department launched several investigations, they failed to share information and only glancingly offered sympathy for Moore’s mother and friends. With the dearth of accurate, fully-explained information, the community relied on the media and stories emerging from others involved with Ed Buck.
Some of those accounts were detailed, such as the coroner’s report in Moore’s death that noted the evidence tainted for prosecutors, including “24 syringes with brown residue, five glass pipes with white residue and burn marks, a plastic straw with possible white residue, clear plastic bags with white powdery residue and a clear plastic bag with a ‘piece of crystal-like substance,’” according to the LA Times.
That Nov. 18, 2017 LA Times story also notes that a notebook had been collected by the coroner, which the paper reviewed. “Ed Buck is the one to thank,” Moore appears to have written, The Times wrote. “He gave me my first injection of chrystal [sic] meth.”
Lacey also made no mention of whether the federal civil rights lawsuit filed against her and LA County by Gemmel Moore’s mother, LaTisha Nixon, played any role in her decision to relinquish the case to federal prosecutors. Nor did she go into more about Buck’s finances regarding that $4 million that he apparently had to make bail and pay attorney Seymour Amster, who vigorously defended his client. Inexplicably, Buck apparently is now being represented by a public defender.
Lacey came prepared to specifically respond to Stonewall’s Resolution but she seemed unprepared for the encounter with angry family members of young Black men shot by law enforcement officers who screamed their agony at her, trying to hold her accountable, trying to get her to listen to them, to commiserate, to share their pain then take action.
In some ways, the Stonewall meeting was reminiscent of the early days of ACT UP when dying protesters or their loved ones screamed at blank-faced government bureaucrats who blandly explained that medications take a very long time to develop. At Stonewall, the Black Lives Matter families of murdered Black men screamed for justice and the prosecution of the officers involved in shooting their unarmed loved ones, calling out their names: Albert Ramon Dorsey. Grechario Mack. Ryan Twyman. Eric Rivera. Lee Jefferson. Christopher Deandre Mitchell.
Stonewall’s Wishon got Lacey to agree to meet publicly with the families and a small group from Black Lives Matter.
But Stonewall members voted to push Lacey even further in the conclusion of their non-binding Resolution:
“THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Stonewall Democratic Club recognizes that Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s actions and reports of alleged misconduct have eroded the trust of the public, the District Attorney Department’s governmental partners, and this body; we call upon District Attorney Jackie Lacey to take immediate actions to restore trust in her department and to meet publically with members of the black community, indigenous communities and the communities of color before the end of the calendar year or resign; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this resolution shall be communicated to the members of the County Board of Supervisors and all elected individuals who have endorsed her 2020 re-election campaign,” the resolution reads.
Lacey has agreed to an interview with the Los Angeles Blade next week.
While Lacey has received a lot of notice and bad press around her handling of the Buck case – mentioned by gay veteran Deputy District Attorney Richard Ceballos as one reason he’s challenging her re-election – to most of LA County she appears as a tough-minded, no-nonsense career prosecutor. Even her critics give her props for her work in the area of mental health. A slew of elected officials – including out Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Assessor Jeff Prang, City Controller Ron Galprin, and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia -have already endorsed her re-election on June 2, 2020.
Lacey would seem to be a shoe-in, except Ceballos, out Deputy District Attorney Joseph Iniguez and now former San Francisco city and county DA George Gascon are knocking hard on that door of inevitability.
And then there are the grieving mothers, the members of Black Lives Matter whose cries of “Jackie Lacey must go!” rocked that West Hollywood community room with anger, pain and sense of betrayal.
Lacey was elected in 2015 as LA County’s first woman and first African American DA and has garnered many accolades as a prominent member of the Black community. Honored by the mainstay LA Sentinel for Women’s History Month in March 2017, she told Managing Editor Brandon I. Brooks that after more than 30 years in the prosecutor’s office, she wants her legacy as DA to be “the best.”
“I want them to look at the wall of District Attorneys, I’m number 42, Jackie Robinson’s number,” she told Brooks. “I want them to say, ‘she was the best district attorney we had. We may have not realized it at the time, but she made changes….she was good for the L.A. county.’”
There were moments during the Stonewall meeting when the screaming would subside, as if there was still a modicum of respect for the high achievement made by this Black woman. But with the respect came a sadness, a sense of betrayal that Lacey did not seem to grasp the depth of emotion and despair at the persistent injustice and racism suffered and endured by these women who, it seemed, the top prosecutor with more than 30-years experience would rather just go away.
Lacey addressed the issue of excessive force by police officers and the apparent reluctance to prosecute officer-involved shootings because it was raised in the Stonewall resolution.
Lacey said:
“Since I’ve been DA we have filed cases against 79 officers. They involve on-duty and off-duty conduct. They include everything from wage theft and workers’ compensation to rape and murder. We have filed criminal cases that allege excessive force against 13 officers, including an LAPD officer by the name of Mary O’Callaghan.
We are currently prosecuting the first case filed for an officer-involved shooting in 20 years. These are challenging cases and we have gotten convictions through guilty pleas and guilty verdicts, but some of the cases have resulted in not guilty verdict. These cases are challenging, and these cases are challenging because it is difficult to convict an officer in these cases. We have reviewed the officer-involved shooting cases from 2016, 2017 and 2018. Maybe some of the information I give you-…”
And that’s when the meeting started going off the rails, with family BLM members calling out names – Albert Ramon Dorsey and Grechario Mack killed in 2018.
“Can we please be respectful?” someone asked.
“You be respectful of these families whose loved one’s were killed by police. You shut up,” one leader responded. “To ask families whose loved ones have been killed by police to be polite while she sits here and lies in their faces is asking too much.”
“Justice for Ryan Twyman,” Twyman’s relative yelled as others joined in. “Shot at over 30 times.”
“By your police officers. I know you got that case. Even if it’s not on your desk, I know you’ve seen it, baby. 34 shots,” someone said. “Let’s talk about that. 2019 — but you know, you seen now, you seen it on the news, it hit your desk, you got a phone call. You know about it. Ryan Twyman. Address that.”
“Your Los Angeles sheriff officers who shot Ryan Twyman over 34 times, went back to the car reloading. I’m sure you’ve seen that video. Was that in you all policy and procedure? I think not. That’s how you all train your sheriff’s officers?”
The protesters quieted to let Lacey speak – but she just picked up where she left off.
“In 2016, there were 89 officer-involved shootings. 73 involved a person with a gun, a knife or a simulated weapon,” Lacey said, looking at her notes and just plowing through the presentation. “In 2017 there were 82 officer-involved shootings. 71 involved a person with a gun, a knife or a simulated weapon.”
“What’s a simulated weapon?” someone asked.
“A replica firearm,” Lacey said, barely acknowledging the interruption. “In 2018 there were 63 officer-involved shootings and 50 of them….”
“Eric Rivera,” a protester yelled.
“… involved a person with a gun, a knife and a simulated weapon,” Lacey continued.
“Right, Eric Rivera,” someone said.
“With regard to the officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths. Since I’ve been DA, we have put up all of the documents, all of the information that we have available, to try to understand what happened,” Lacey said. “I do have sympathy for the families of those who lost people to the hands of police. I do care. I do care. We are doing the absolute best we can, given the state of the law.”
The audience wanted her to discuss the deaths but she trudged on to answer the points raised by the resolution, closing with what seemed to be a pitch for her re-election, given her achievements in office.
“As the proud lawyer, I obtained the first race-based hate crime murder conviction in the state,” she said, urging Stonewall members “not to issue this resolution, but to look at the facts, follow the law and make sure that you have all of the information. The district attorney’s office, though not perfect, and I am not perfect, does an excellent job every day…”
“Is this a mea culpa?” someone asked.
“… of trying to make sure that the right thing is done for the right reasons,” she continued. I have presented you with the facts and I ask you to carefully consider that,” thanking Stonewall for the opportunity to come speak to the group.
But the audience was not having it, arguing that Lacey has avoided speaking to the Black community.
“We have asked you for two years,” the BLM leader said, “to speak to the black community and you’ve run from us. We had to come all the way — more than half of this audience is Black people from South LA, from Compton, from Inglewood, who had to come all the way out here for you to face us. You told me directly you were afraid that we would yell at you. You signed up to be yelled at. That’s what your job is. You are an elected official and you are shushing people who are the families of people who’ve been killed by police that you refuse to prosecute. Lee Jefferson. How long ago was Lee killed?”
“The day before Thanksgiving, 2011, when officers riddled my son with bullets. 23 years old,” said Stephanie Jefferson.
The room hushed for a moment. Then, as Wishon tried to asked submitted questions, the tone got dark. Not aggressive, no hint of violence – but dark, pain deepened by too many long days of having been neglected.
“It’s racism that you come here and not to black communities. That’s racism. You are a black face on white supremacy. And you should ashamed of yourself,” said one protester.
“You know you see us outside your office on Wednesdays,” said another.“You need to address that. That’s not cool while these people are out here every single Wednesday, at your office because we want to know why our families are being murdered and you’re not arresting these officers?”
“I am here to restate Ryan Twyman was murdered for no reason. 34 shots, opened the back door. Assault rifles. That don’t make no sense. And you’re not going to address it. You’re not going to prosecute nobody. You’re not going to do nothing about it. You just going to stand up there and act like that’s not a problem. Like your sheriff is supposed to be doing that. That is not a policy and procedure,” said the leader, a relative of Ryan Twyman.
Some Stonewall members pushed back, saying this was not BLM’s meeting and they were disrespecting everyone else.
“Not trying to disrespect her,” the leader said. “In our defense, we’ve been trying to talk to her for a very long time. Sir, I understand where you’re coming from, and we’re not trying to disrespect your meeting, but this is our first time being able to see her and address her with our problems. That we have a problem. This is some serious shit.”
“Okay. I regret that I walked out of the town hall two years ago. I should have stayed and listened,” Lacey said. “And prior to that I had been meeting with groups in the community, and I must admit that back then I wish I had stayed. I don’t know whether it would have changed anything.”
“We gave you chances to do it again and you refused,” said a protester.
What I want is a dialogue. That’s all I’m asking for. I will listen, you can scream,” said Lacey, trailing off. “I am regularly in the black community.”
“Not in an open meeting,” said Twyman’s relative. “Stop lying. We offered you, we asked you for a forum and a dialogue two years ago. You called me. I still have the text messages. And the voicemails.”
“I am willing to meet, as long as we can sit down and have a dialogue. That’s all I’m asking,” Lacey said.
“You’re asking families to be polite to you,” said the leader.
“The last time we met I was not given an opportunity. I felt I was never…,” Lacey said.
“My brother wasn’t given a opportunity…..,” said the protester.
Lacey answered questions posed by Wishon with continued interruptions and comments. But it all came back to Lacey meeting with members of the Black community, perhaps at a public meeting hosted by a Democratic club in South LA.
Lacey agreed. Then she seemed to posit qualifications. “I want to make this offer one more time. Any victim — anyone who has had someone who has died in the hands of police, I’m making that offer. I’m willing to meet with individual families privately. I’m making that offer,” she said.
“No,” said a protester as another argued against a private meeting.
“Obviously you’re saying, ‘No thank you,’” Lacey said with a flash of snark.
“My brother was killed on the news. My kids are going to see that video,” argued a protester, to which Lacey replied that she didn’t put the video there.
After more back and forth, Lacey made another concession. “All right. I will meet with families privately and I will also meet with Black Lives Matter, but I want it to be a smaller group,” Lacey said.
The group insisted on a totally public meeting.
And then came this question: “When there is a situation with a civilian and officers are called, why are family members not allowed to help de-escalate the situation? Why are they kept away? And sometimes this turns into a big shooting.
“Only the police can answer that. I am not there when the shooting occurs and so I don’t think it’s right for me to give whatever the reasons are with regard to why that’s happening,” Lacey said.
“But you investigated. You signed off on it. So how come you can’t answer it? You investigated, you signed off. It’s your signature on the paperwork,” said the leader.
“We are not the lead investigating officers. We send our officers out there to look over…,” Lacey said before being interrupted. “The lead investigator are the internal affairs investigators who do the actual investigations. We have investigators, one investigator, one prosecutor, who show up at every officer-involved shooting and some in-custody deaths. We are not the lead agency in that particular matter.”
Lacey was explaining herself from the position of having spent 30 years in the prosecutor’s office.
Stephanie Jefferson, the mother of Lee Jefferson, responded with a mother’s eviscerated heart:
“I mean when it’s going down, when they had my son in that house, in the back house, hiding — how come they didn’t let his grandmother on that phone to talk to him? I was on my way there. He was killed less than an hour before I could even just talk to him. His grandmother was standing outside. Nobody could talk to him. They wouldn’t let no one talk to my son. They killed him. Murdered him…
They riddled him with bullets. 23 years old. You still have Kareem at home. I don’t have my son at home. You still have April. I don’t have that. He’s gone. Every day I have to live with this. I have to tell his daughter. His daughter knows the police killed him. His sisters know that. He has a lot of family. He has a lot of friends and he has a lot of people that love him. They tried to criminalize my son after the fact, to justify it, because they said he was a gang member. He didn’t ask to be killed…..
What is the negotiation tactic? There was no robot. There’s no tear gas to try to get him out if he posed a threat. How can someone pose a threat if they’re hiding?”
“I can’t disagree with you. I wasn’t there,” said Lacey.
“Well, if you can’t disagree, then why would you sign off? Why would you say that they were justified because he posed a threat to the public,” said Stephanie Jefferson. “He did not pose a threat to the public.”
“You were asking me about the tactics. I’m not going to argue with anyone who lost their son. I’m not,” Lacey said.
“You can’t. And you know what else they did? They also handcuffed him after he’s dead, with shots in his eyes and his heart, all over his body. How can he be handcuffed and his back be bruised from them stepping on him? Why step on a dead body?” Jefferson said. “Why did the detective have to be at the coroner’s office when they do the autopsy? They know why he died. They know what bullet hit him. He got shot 14 times. Eight of those shots were fatal. The day before Thanksgiving.”
“So how can officers found out of policy not be held accountable for murder?” Wishon asked.
Lacey said:
“Out of policy is different from criminal liability. With regard to out of policy, the standard of proof for out of policy is much lower than for criminal behavior. With regard to criminal behavior, we have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt with evidence that the person is guilty of a crime. And so oftentimes, it is not unusual for someone to find that it’s out of policy but we may not be able to prove that the officer committed murder or manslaughter.
And that’s the difference. And there’s a lot of confusion about that. I can understand where the confusion comes from, but that’s the difference between out of policy and criminal behavior. With criminal, you have to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone is guilty.”
But the officers, were “working the next day. Like come on Jackie, make this make sense, because you’re not making it make sense,” the leaders noted. “If this was your child, I would be doing the same thing in representation for you….We families out here, and we hurting.”
“You a cold, cold lady,” said one protester as the meeting was winding down. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
Lacey left shortly after Stonewall passed the resolution. None of the protesters followed her or tried to impede her path.
As she entered In the back of the room and outside when she left, Lacey was greeted by supporters, including longtime gay Democrat Ari Ruiz. The DA looked shaken, worn out, as if still grappling with why the rude protesters refused to give her the respect and deference usually afforded a woman of her station. Her demeanor seemed to say: If only they would let her explain how the law works. If only they realized that I really do care.
Inside, Cannick and other Stonewall members were shocked at how “disconnected” Lacey seemed from the community and the pain. Cannick said they intended to take the resolution to all the elected officials who’ve endorsed her for them to reconsider what seems like elected automatically endorsing another elected.
“Part of our approach at Stonewall is to hold our elected officials accountable – we endorse candidates who we believe will uphold our values of equality, justice, fairness, and respect for all. We are not a rubber stamp for incumbents who have not upheld those values,” Wishon told the Los Angeles Blade.
After looking at both the LA County Sheriff and the LA County DA and how their offices interact with the LGBTQ community and the greater LA County communities, “we found that we had questions and there seemed to be issues that ran counter to those values,” she said.
Stonewall wrote resolutions “calling upon the elected official to increase transparency, improve communication with the community, and restore the trust that had been lost,” and asked the elected to address those concerns. Both resolutions passed, but in the Sheriff’s case, the resolution was toned down while in Lacey’s case, the amendments asked her for action or to resign.
Wishon said this about the Stonewall meeting she facilitated:
“The pain and grief of the families who have lost their loved ones to officer-involved shootings was nearly overwhelming. Before the meeting I asked to be introduced to all the families – their pain is unimaginable for me, as a Mother. And their pain sometimes took verbal form – crying out to the DA for help in making sense of what had happened. They had serious questions, unanswerable questions at times, about why this had happened to their loved ones and why there was no justice.
For me, it was difficult to witness such raw pain and I felt it important to respect their grief and their loss by allowing them to express it. At the same time, we needed to hear the DA’s answers so it was a delicate balance between allowing the family members to speak and asking them to hold while the DA answered their questions. I do think it helped that we had the audience write questions that I read – I heard more than one family member say “That’s my question” with some pride and I hope it also brought some small bit of closure to them to hear their questions and concerns taken seriously by the Club and the DA.
The process last night was entirely separate from the endorsement process by intention. We will take up the DA race in January 2020.”
The Stonewall Resolution:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY JACKIE LACEY NEEDS TO RESTORE COMMUNITY TRUST IN HER DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS The Stonewall Democratic Club holds the elected officials we have endorsed to high standards in keeping with our values of equality and justice yet the trust in Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s department has been eroded by allegations of racial bias, unfairness, lack of communication, lack of public transparency and has failed to meet publically with members of the black community, indigenous communities and the communities of color; and
WHEREAS Jackie Lacey allegedly has mishandled and refused to press charges against Democratic donor Ed Buck for the 2017 death of Gemmel Moore and the 2019 death of Timothy Dean in Buck’s apartment claiming insufficient evidence. She has repeatedly refused to take a tougher stance in prosecuting police officers and Sheriff deputies who use deadly force against unarmed civilians, particularly African-American and Latino people. Her office has not filed charges against an officer in an on-duty shooting in more than 15 years; and
WHEREAS voters in her constituency, Los Angeles County, have repeatedly rejected the death penalty at the ballot box and California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the death penalty in March of 2019, putting a halt to all executions under his watch. Yet District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s office has continued to seek the death penalty in capital trials sending 22 people to death row, every single one of the 22 people was a person of color.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Stonewall Democratic Club recognizes that Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s actions and reports of alleged misconduct have eroded the trust of the public, the District Attorney Department’s governmental partners, and this body; we call upon District Attorney Jackie Lacey to take immediate actions to restore trust in her department and to meet publically with members of the black community, indigenous communities and the communities of color before the end of the calendar year or resign; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this resolution shall be communicated to the members of the County Board of Supervisors and all elected individuals who have endorsed her 2020 re-election campaign.
Authored by
Jasmyne Cannick, Member, Stonewall Democratic Club
Dr. John Erickson, Legislative Action Chair, Stonewall Democratic Club Jane Wishon, Political Vice PresidentAdopted October 28, 2019
Los Angeles
LA Black Pride: ‘We are no longer waiting to be seen’
Joy as power, presence as protest, visibility that refuses to be diminished
As Los Angeles Black Pride (LABP) gears up for another saucy season of celebration, culture, and resistance, we are proud to announce a new six-week media partnership between LABP and the Los Angeles Blade. This collaboration is not just promotion but intention. It is about making sure Black queer voices are not just heard, but honored and amplified.
To kick it off, we are excited to announce that Saucy Santana will headline LABP’s Saturday night main stage. Known for their unapologetic energy, queer-centric bops, and fearless showmanship, Santana represents exactly what LABP is about — joy as power, presence as protest, and visibility that refuses to be diminished.
The theme for LABP 2025 is “Black Queer Futures Are Now: We Are No Longer Waiting to Be Seen.” Our partnership sets the tone for what’s to come. It is a shared commitment to telling Black queer stories, past and present, and investing in what’s to come.
What started as a party born out of necessity has now become a full-scale movement. LABP Executive Director Brandon Anthony, who began his journey throwing parties like Ice Cream Thursdays, recounts the roots of this project:
“It started off as something I felt was missing… a space that felt like us: where the music hit right, where the energy felt familiar, and where we could just be,” he says. “What began as a vibe we needed grew into a platform. Now, it’s a business, a brand, a movement, but at the heart of it, I’m still just someone who wanted to create space for my community to feel good, feel seen, and feel proud.”
From nightlife to nationwide recognition, LABP is proof that when Black queer folks create for themselves, the result is not just representation, it’s revolution. In a landscape where many Pride events still sideline Black and Brown voices, LABP has become a necessary act of reclamation.
“Because if we don’t, who will?” Anthony asks. “Too often we get left out or placed in the background. Our energy, our style, our voices — we drive the culture. When we center ourselves, it gives others permission to do the same. Joy is more than a feeling, it’s a form of resistance.”
That resistance has never been more needed. From limited funding to systemic erasure, LABP continues to thrive against the odds. But the message is clear: thriving should never necessitate struggle.
“We’re not just asking for visibility — we’re asking for the tools to thrive,” he explains. “Now more than ever, we need partners who are aligned with the people, not just the optics.”
With the 2025 theme of “Legacy and Leadership in Action,” LABP honors the trailblazers who paved the way. Icons like Jewel Thais-Williams, founder of the legendary Catch One, are celebrated annually through the Jewel Thais-Williams Award.
“Catch One wasn’t just a nightclub, it was a safe haven,” Anthony shares. “Legacy isn’t just about the past. It’s about lifting up the folks doing the work right now and keeping that energy alive.”
LABP continues that work through programming that extends far beyond June. Year-round initiatives include pop-up markets, health services, creative workshops, and political advocacy.
“One of the moments that really showed what we stand for was the All Black Lives Matter march in 2020,” he says. “We co-led it alongside Gerald Garth, and it was powerful to see thousands show up for Black Trans lives. That wasn’t just a moment – it was a movement.”
Whether it’s showcasing emerging artists on stage, uplifting Black trans creatives, or building platforms for new leaders, LABP is focused on making sure the next generation has room to grow.
“When people are given a platform to show what they can do, it creates more than visibility, it creates momentum,” he says. “That’s what keeps everything moving forward.”
And with names like Saucy Santana taking center stage, that movement is gaining speed. Santana’s headlining performance isn’t just a concert — it’s a declaration. It says that Black queer talent is main-stage worthy, every time. This partnership is not performative – it’s purposeful. It’s a bridge between platforms, audiences, and shared values.
“LA Blade has a huge reach, and by choosing to amplify Black queer voices, they’re helping bridge gaps and build deeper understanding,” says Anthony. “This isn’t about charity or tokenism. It’s about showing the world who we are, what we’re building, and why it deserves to be seen.”
In the words of LABP’s ongoing mission: We are no longer waiting to be seen. We are building what’s next.
a&e features
Cumbiatón returns to Los Angeles right in time for Pride season
‘Que viva la joteria,’ translates roughly to “Let the gayness live”
Healing and uplifting communities through music and unity is the foundation of this event space created by Zacil “DJ Sizzle Fantastic” Pech and Norma “Normz La Oaxaqueña” Fajardo.
For nearly a decade DJ Sizzle has built a reputation in the queer POC and Spanish-speaking undocumented communities for making the space for them to come together to celebrate their culture and partake in the ultimate act of resistance — joy.
Couples, companions, comadres all dance together on the dancefloor at Cumbiatón. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
Cumbiatón was created during the first Trump administration as a direct response to the erasure, racism, homophobia and xenophobia that was engrained into the administration’s mission for those first four years. Now that the second Trump administration is upon us, the racism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia are tenfold.
This event space is a ‘party for the hood, by the hood.’ It is led by women, queer and trans people of color in every aspect of the production process.
The recent fires that burned through Altadena and Pacific Palisades made DJ Sizzle decide to step back from marketing the event in Los Angeles, an area where people had just lost their businesses, homes and where their lives were completely thrown for a loop.
Now they’re back, doubling-down on their mission to bring cumbias, corridos and all the music many of us grew up listening to, to places that are accessible and safe for our communities.
“I started Cumbiatón back in 2016, right after the election — which was weirdly similar because we’re going through it again. And a lot of us come from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) movement. We were the ones to really push for that to happen along with the DREAM Act.”
DJ Sizzle says that she wanted to create a space out on the streets to celebrate life and come together, because of how mentally and physically taxing it is to be a part of the marginalized communities that were and still are, a major target for ongoing political attacks.
Edwin Soto and Julio Salgado pose for a photo at a Cumbiaton event in 2024. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
“We need these spaces so that we can kind of refuel and rejoice in each other’s existence,” said DJ Sizzle. “Because we saw each other out on the street a lot, but never did we really have time to sit down, have a drink, talk, laugh. So I found that music was the way to bring people together and that’s how Cumbiatón got started. It was honestly like a movement of political resistance through music.”
DJ Sizzle is an undocumented community organizer who aims to not only bring awareness to the issues that her communities face, but also to make space to celebrate the wins and bond over the music that brings people in Latin America, East L.A., Boyle Heights and the Bay area together.
Julio Salgado, a queer, visionary artist and migrant rights activist from Ensenada, Baja California with roots in Long Beach and the Bay Area, connected with DJ Sizzle over their shared passion in advocating for immigrant rights.
“Cumbiatón was created during the first [Trump] administration, where you know, a lot of people were really bummed out and so what Sizzle wanted to create was a place where people could come together and celebrate ourselves,” said Salgado. “Fast-forward to the second [Trump] administration and we’re here and feel a little bit more like: ‘oh shit, things are bad again.’ But, things have always been bad.”
Salgado is involved with Cumbiatón through his art. He is a mixed-media artist who creates cartoons using his lived experience with his sobriety journey, undocumented status and queer identity.
With a background in journalism from California State University, Long Beach, Salgado documents what activists do in the undocumented spaces he has been a part of throughout his life.
In 2017, Salgado moved back to Long Beach from the Bay Area, and at the time he started doing political artwork and posters for protests against the first Trump administration, but because the nature of that work can be very tiring, he says that he turned to a more uplifting version of his art where he also draws the joy and unity in his communities.
When he and Sizzle linked up to collaborate during that time, he thought he could use his skills to help uplift this brand and bring it to the forefront of the many events that saturate the party landscape.
DJ Sizzle doing her thing on stage, giving the crowd the music they went looking for. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
“We are familiar with using the dance floor as a way to kind of put the trauma a little bit away just for one night, get together and completely forget,” said Salgado.
Coming from an undocumented background, Salgado and Sizzle say that their experience with their legal status has made them very aware of how to go about the ID-check process at the door for their events.
“When you’re undocumented, you have something called a [High Security Consular Registration (HSCR)] and it’s kind of like your ID and many of these heterosexual clubs would see that and say it was fake,” said Salgado. “But at the gay club, they didn’t care.”
Just being conscious of what that form of ID looks like and knowing that it’s not fake, helps many of the hundreds of people who come through for Cumbiatón, feel just slightly more at ease.
Edwin Soto, who is another community activist and leader in the undocu-queer community, is also involved in the planning and organizing of the event.
In the long journey of making Cumbiatón what it is now, they say that they have all been very intentional about who they bring in, making sure that whoever they are, they also understand the experience of being undocumented and accepted anyway.
“Something that Sizzle and the team have been very intentional about is making sure that [the security at the door] knows that someone might be using their consulate card,” said Soto.
Bringing together this event space is no easy task, considering the fact that their events are deeply thought out, intentional and inclusive of not just people of color, but also people with differing abilities and people who do not reflect the norm in West Hollywood clubs.
“We created the space that we were longing for that we did not see in West Hollywood,” he said. “[Cumbiatón] is what life could really be like. Where women are not harassed by men. Where people are not body-shamed for what they’re wearing.”
When it comes to their lives outside of Cumbiatón and partying, Sizzle says that it does get exhausting and planning the event gets overwhelming.
“It is really difficult, I’m not going to lie,” said DJ Sizzle. “We are at a disadvantage being queer and being undocumented because this administration triggers us to a point that, anyone who is not a part of those identities or marginalized communities would ever be able to understand,” said Sizzle. “There are times where I’m just like: ‘I’m going to cocoon for a little bit’ and then that affects the marketing and the communication.”
Usually, the events bring in hundreds of people who are looking for community, safety and inclusion. (Photo courtesy of Cumbiatón).
That’s a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes — which really shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone who is out there fighting for basic human rights, while also making the space to party and enjoy themselves.
“I’m really trying to find balance and honestly my life raft are my friends and my community,” she said. “Like, being able to share, being able to have this plática, and be like ‘bitch, I see you and I know its fucked up, but we got each other.’”
Cumbiatón was made with the purpose of making space to include and invite the many different people in these communities who are otherwise sidelined in broader conversations and in party scenes where they are not as inclusive or thoughtful about their attendees.
“How beautiful is it to be queer and listen to rancheras and to norteñas and cumbia, and to just own it,” said Soto.
To join Cumbiatón at their next party, visit their Instagram page.
California
LA Pride 2025 announces grand marshals and parade theme
The parade will also pay tribute to the city’s first responders, relief organizations, agencies, officials and others who stepped up during the January fires
The theme for the parade set to take place on Sunday June 8, at 11 a.m., will fittingly be “Pride Marches On,” and this year’s parade grand marshals will be Niecy Nash-Betts and wife Jessica Betts, Andrew Rannells, and Trino Garcia and Adam Vasquez, who are also known as ‘TrinoxAdam.’
Rannells, a Grammy-winning, two-time Tony-nominated actor celebrated for his work on stage, screen, and television, is this year’s LA Pride Celebrity Grand Marshal.
“I’m truly honored to be this year’s Celebrity Grand Marshal of LA Pride,” said Rannells. “I don’t take it lightly and I just hope in some small way I can reflect the strength and resilience of the queer community, especially in times like these.”
Rannells made his TV directorial debut with Amazon’s “Modern Love” and is widely recognized for his role as Elijah Krantz on HBO’s “Girls,” which garnered a Critics Choice nomination. He recently appeared on Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” and Showtime’s “Black Monday,” earning him yet another Critics Choice nomination. Rannells is also an author, director and Broadway actor.
Nash-Betts, one-half of this years Vanguard Marshals, is a multi-talented Emmy Award-winning actress, producer and director who has captivated audiences on many projects across the big screens. Soon, she will be making a big appearance starring opposite Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor and Glenn Close, in Ryan Murphy’s “All’s Fair” Hulu TV series about an all-female legal firm.
Chicago native Betts will join her wife Nash-Betts as the other half of this years Vanguard Grand Marshal’s of the parade. Betts is an acclaimed singer-songwriter known for her original electric and acoustic rock and soul music. The two have been married since 2020 and in 2022, they made history as the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of Essence magazine, receiving a nomination for a GLAAD Media Award.
“We are thrilled to have Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts as this year’s Vanguard Grand Marshals,” said Gloria Bigelow, CSW board member. “As individuals and as a couple, they exemplify the beauty of living authentically and embracing love in all its forms. Their presence serves as a shining example for our community, reminding us to celebrate who we are, love fiercely and never back down from our Pride.”
TrinoxAdam will be this years Community Grand Marshals. The two are a loving gay couple who have dazzled the queer, Latin community with their content showcasing how they reclaim the cholo, or ‘xolo’ identities. They went viral on social media after sharing a romantic kiss on a bridge overlooking the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles. Now famous on social media, the two make content about their love, challenging traditional perceptions of masculinity, sexuality and Chicano culture.
“Pride is about loving yourself and accepting yourself for who you truly are,” said Trino Garcia and Adam Vasquez. “Being this year’s LA Pride’s Community Grand Marshals is the biggest honor and our greatest accomplishment, knowing we’ve made an impact and helped people find acceptance within themselves and finally feel the true meaning of Pride.”
This year, the parade will also pay tribute to the city’s first responders, relief organizations, agencies, officials and others who stepped up during the fires that devastated Altadena and Pacific Palisades, in a special “Heroes of the Wildfires” section in the lineup.
Los Angeles County Fire Department marches in the 2024 LA Pride Parade. (Photo courtesy of LA Pride)
“This year LA Pride marks a pivotal moment for both the Los Angeles and LGBTQ communities,” said Gerald Garth, CSW board president. “Despite facing unimaginable challenges, our community has always emerged stronger. This year’s theme, ‘Pride Marches On,’ symbolizes the strength of our community, and no matter the fire, hate or fear, Pride will always forge ahead. We look forward to embodying this spirit while celebrating resilience, hope and togetherness.”
The parade will be hosted by “Good Morning America” Saturday and Sunday co-anchor and ABC News transportation correspondent Gio Benitez and “ABC7 Eyewitness News” anchors Ellen Leyva and Coleen Sullivan.
After the Parade, LA Pride will host LA Pride Village on Hollywood Boulevard. Now in its fourth year, this free street festival will feature programming on two stages, welcome over 80 booths with local vendors and nonprofits, dozens of sponsor activations, giveaways, games, scores of food trucks, and two 21+ full-service bars.
For the third year in a row, LA Pride will also be featuring “Ballroom Battle,” the voguing competition created by New York City’s Black and Brown LGBTQ+ communities made famous by the documentary, “Paris is Burning,” Madonna, and the FX show “Pose.” LA’s premiere ballroom houses such as House of Miyake Mugler, House of Ninja, and House of Gorgeous Gucci will compete in front of celebrity judges, including Margaret Cho, who will also be in the parade, riding with longtime LA Pride alumni Project Angel Food.
A curated art exhibition called “Bring the T” will feature works in multiple media by trans artists that represent and explore themes around trans discrimination and erasure but also activism, determination and fearlessness.
The parade is set to broadcast live on Sunday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT on ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles.
The live broadcast will include comprehensive coverage from ABC7 news reporters David González, Sophie Flay and Kevin Ozebek, who will be reporting directly from the parade route, capturing all the festivities.
Features
Meet the new co-presidents of the NLGJA LA Chapter
The National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association’s LA Chapter under new leadership
An award-winning documentary filmmaker and a news producer make up the dynamic duo who now run the Los Angeles chapter of the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists.
NLGJA is a nationally recognized affinity group meant to unite journalists from dozens of different industries, who identify as members of the LGBTQ community.
The national chapter recognizes the work and contributions of LGBTQ journalists who work to further the narratives by queer, trans and gender non-conforming people.
Hansen Bursic, 27, pisces, is one half of the dynamic duo who now run the L.A chapter.
Katie Karl, 30, gemini, forms the other half.
Last year, Bursic and Karl took over as interim co-presidents and have been able to grow the local chapter to include a diverse and wide range of voices on the Board of Directors and on the membership list.
The chapter has hosted a long list of events that include collaborations with other local and national organizations with roots in Los Angeles, such as GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and the Asian American Journalists Association.
It became the first time in the Los Angeles chapter’s history that there was such a shift in leadership, with two people taking over the leading role.
“It was just too big of a job for one of us to do, especially in rebuilding. So we decided to get together and come on as co-president’s, which was recommended by the national president, Ken Miguel,” said Karl.
When it comes to the chapter’s mission, Bursic says it’s a two-fold goal.
“We want to build a sense of community for queer and trans journalists in Southern California and we also want to advocate for those journalists any chance we get by building the spaces where journalists can meet each other, breaking down barriers and trying to reduce gatekeeping of opportunities for our members so they can thrive and find a place in Southern California newsrooms,” he said.
Many of the events that are hosted by the NLGJA LA Chapter are free and open to the general public through RSVP. One of the common misconceptions the affinity group faces, is that many people feel as though their work may not directly correspond to the work pursued by current members of the group. However, that is not the case.
“Together, we really want to make sure that everyone feels included,” said Karl. “I’m in broadcast and Hansen is in documentary and together we really push to make sure that no matter what kind of journalist you are, you know there is a space for you and you feel welcomed.”
The organization welcomes members and people to attend their public events, who work in industries that are adjacent to the work journalists do and those who might just be creatives with multi-hypenated titles.
Bursic has a full-time day job in communications for a nonprofit, but his creative work extends far beyond his work in communications. His energy and passion lie in documentary filmmaking. Bursic recently directed and produced “Trans Heaven Pennsylvania” (2024). The 12-minute documentary is about the 2010s in Pennsylvania, where each year, a group of trans women would take over a small American town for a week-long party. The documentary was funded through the Creative Hope Initiative, an incubator for emerging LGBTQ filmmakers sponsored by Traverse32 and Outfest Film Festival.
The film most recently screened internationally in London, at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. Its next screening will be at the Grandview Theater Drafthouse & Cinema in Columbus, Ohio on May 3rd.
Bursic has a notable list of accomplishments, including making the 30 under 30 list at Temple University in 2023. He has also been named a DOC NYC Documentary New Leader, has had a spot in the Ford Foundation Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellowship and Sundance Film Festival Press Fellowship.
Karl was born and raised in the Greater Los Angeles area, is a dedicated news producer with extensive experience in live news coverage and team coordination. Currently a freelance writer and producer at KABC, she brings years of experience from her work at stations like KPNX, KHQ and KEYT.
Karl, says the experience of connecting with the members more, has been really rewarding.
“Going forward, my goal is to grow the chapter in name and recognition,” said Karl. “I want our [reach to get] across other organizations in other areas of journalism and that’s why I joined the board in the first place.”
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Blade names new publisher
Alexander Rodriguez brings deep media, business experience to outlet
The Los Angeles Blade, Southern California’s leading LGBTQ news outlet, today announced the appointment of a new publisher, Alexander Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has a long background in queer media, business development, and a deep commitment to the Los Angeles community. He has worked as a lead writer and podcast host for Metrosource Magazine and for GED Magazine; content director for FleshBot Gay; and as host and producer for the “On the Rocks” podcast. On the business side, Rodriguez spent years working in business development in the banking industry throughout Los Angeles. He also has an extensive background in event planning and management and has served on the boards of many LGBTQ non-profits. As a TV and radio personality, he has served as emcee for LGBTQ events around the nation.
“I’m excited to bring my diverse media and business experience to the Los Angeles Blade,” Rodriguez said. “We will continue the Blade’s mission of serving as our community’s news outlet of record during these challenging times and work toward building bridges within our community and beyond.”
Rodriguez starts in his new role on Monday, Feb. 3.
“We are thrilled to welcome Alexander to the Blade team,” said Kevin Naff, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Blade. “His multimedia and business side experience will help us grow the Blade in L.A. and continue our commitment to best-in-class journalism serving the LGBTQ community in Southern California.”
Rodriguez becomes the Los Angeles Blade’s second publisher following the unexpected death of founding publisher Troy Masters in December. Masters served in the role for nearly eight years. The community will come together for a celebration of Masters’s life on Monday, Feb. 10, 7-9 p.m. at the Abbey.
“Troy’s legacy is in good hands with Alexander at the helm alongside our new local news editor, Gisselle Palomera,” Naff added.
The Los Angeles Blade, launched in 2017, celebrates its eighth anniversary in March. It is the sister publication of the Washington Blade, founded in 1969, which offers unmatched coverage of queer political news and is the only LGBTQ outlet in the White House press pool and the White House Correspondents’ Association, and the only LGBTQ outlet with a dedicated seat in the White House briefing room.
Alexander Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected].
Los Angeles
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS donates $500K to wildfire relief effort
Four local organizations received emergency grants
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on Monday announced it has awarded $500,000 in emergency grants to organizations that are responding to the Los Angeles wildfires.
A press release notes the Entertainment Community Fund received $250,000, the California Fire Foundation Wildfire and Disaster Relief Fund received $100,000, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank received $100,000, and Project Angel Food received $50,000.
“All of these organizations are providing much-needed, on-the-ground support for residents and first responders,” said Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
“Our compassionate community knows the power of coming together in times of need,” added Broadway Cares Executive Director Danny Whitman. “Because of the generosity of the theater community — those onstage, backstage and in the audience — these emergency grants will immediately provide meals, shelter, medical care, clothing and emergency financial assistance, all first steps on the long road toward recovering, rebuilding, and healing.”
Los Angeles
The dedicated life and tragic death of gay publisher Troy Masters
‘Always working to bring awareness to causes larger than himself’
Troy Masters was a cheerleader. When my name was called as the Los Angeles Press Club’s Print Journalist of the Year for 2020, Troy leapt out of his seat with a whoop and an almost jazz-hand enthusiasm, thrilled that the mainstream audience attending the Southern California Journalism Awards gala that October night in 2021 recognized the value of the LGBTQ community’s Los Angeles Blade.
That joy has been extinguished. On Wednesday, Dec. 11, after frantic unanswered calls from his sister Tammy late Monday and Tuesday, Troy’s longtime friend and former partner Arturo Jiminez did a wellness check at Troy’s L.A. apartment and found him dead, with his beloved dog Cody quietly alive by his side. The L.A. Coroner determined Troy Masters died by suicide. No note was recovered. He was 63.
Considered smart, charming, committed to LGBTQ people and the LGBTQ press, Troy’s inexplicable suicide shook everyone, even those with whom he sometimes clashed.
Troy’s sister and mother – to whom he was absolutely devoted – are devastated. “We are still trying to navigate our lives without our precious brother/son. I want the world to know that Troy was loved and we always tried to let him know that,” says younger sister Tammy Masters.
Tammy was 16 when she discovered Troy was gay and outed him to their mother. A “busy-body sister,” Tammy picked up the phone at their Tennessee home and heard Troy talking with his college boyfriend. She confronted him and he begged her not to tell.
“Of course, I ran and told Mom,” Tammy says, chuckling during the phone call. “But she – like all mothers – knew it. She knew it from an early age but loved him unconditionally; 1979 was a time [in the Deep South] when this just was not spoken of. But that didn’t stop Mom from being in his corner.”
Mom even marched with Troy in his first Gay Pride Parade in New York City. “Mom said to him, ‘Oh, my! All these handsome men and not one of them has given me a second look! They are too busy checking each other out!” Tammy says, bursting into laughter. “Troy and my mother had that kind of understanding that she would always be there and always have his back!
“As for me,” she continues, “I have lost the brother that I used to fight for in any given situation. And I will continue to honor his cause and lifetime commitment to the rights and freedom for the LGBTQ community!”
Tammy adds: “The outpouring of love has been comforting at this difficult time and we thank all of you!”
No one yet knows why Troy took his life. We may never know. But Troy and I often shared our deeply disturbing bouts with drowning depression. Waves would inexplicitly come upon us, triggered by sadness or an image or a thought we’d let get mangled in our unresolved, inescapable past trauma.
We survived because we shared our pain without judgment or shame. We may have argued – but in this, we trusted each other. We set everything else aside and respectfully, actively listened to the words and the pain within the words.
Listening, Indian philosopher Krishnamurti once said, is an act of love. And we practiced listening. We sought stories that led to laughter. That was the rope ladder out of the dark rabbit hole with its bottomless pit of bullying and endless suffering. Rung by rung, we’d talk and laugh and gripe about our beloved dogs.
I shared my 12 Step mantra when I got clean and sober: I will not drink, use or kill myself one minute at a time. A suicide survivor, I sought help and I urged him to seek help, too, since I was only a loving friend – and sometimes that’s not enough.
(If you need help, please reach out to talk with someone: call or text 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They also have services in Spanish and for the deaf.)
In 2015, Troy wrote a personal essay for Gay City News about his idyllic childhood in the 1960s with his sister in Nashville, where his stepfather was a prominent musician. The people he met “taught me a lot about having a mission in life.”
During summers, they went to Dothan, Ala., to hang out with his stepfather’s mother, Granny Alabama. But Troy learned about “adult conversation — often filled with derogatory expletives about Blacks and Jews” and felt “my safety there was fragile.”
It was a harsh revelation. “‘Troy is a queer,’ I overheard my stepfather say with energetic disgust to another family member,” Troy wrote. “Even at 13, I understood that my feelings for other boys were supposed to be secret. Now I knew terror. What my stepfather said humiliated me, sending an icy panic through my body that changed my demeanor and ruined my confidence. For the first time in my life, I felt depression and I became painfully shy. Alabama became a place, not of love, not of shelter, not of the magic of family, but of fear.”
At the public pool, “kids would scream, ‘faggot,’ ‘queer,’ ‘chicken,’ ‘homo,’ as they tried to dunk my head under the water. At one point, a big crowd joined in –– including kids I had known all my life –– and I was terrified they were trying to drown me.
“My depression became dangerous and I remember thinking of ways to hurt myself,” Troy wrote.
But Troy Masters — who left home at 17 and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville — focused on creating a life that prioritized being of service to his own intersectional LGBTQ people. He also practiced compassion and last August, Troy reached out to his dying stepfather. A 45-minute Facetime farewell turned into a lovefest of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Troy discovered his advocacy chops as an ad representative at the daring gay and lesbian activist publication Outweek from 1989 to 1991.
“We had no idea that hiring him would change someone’s life, its trajectory and create a lifelong commitment” to the LGBTQ press, says Outweek’s co-founder and former editor-in-chief Gabriel Rotello, now a TV producer. “He was great – always a pleasure to work with. He had very little drama – and there was a lot of drama at Outweek. It was a tumultuous time and I tended to hire people because of their activism,” including Michelangelo Signorile, Masha Gessen, and Sarah Pettit.
Rotello speculates that because Troy “knew what he was doing” in a difficult profession, he was determined to launch his own publication when Outweek folded. “I’ve always been very happy it happened that way for Troy,” Rotello says. “It was a cool thing.”
Troy and friends launched NYQ, renamed QW, funded by record producer and ACT UP supporter Bill Chafin. QW (QueerWeek) was the first glossy gay and lesbian magazine published in New York City featuring news, culture, and events. It lasted for 18 months until Chafin died of AIDS in 1992 at age 35.
The horrific Second Wave of AIDS was peaking in 1992 but New Yorkers had no gay news source to provide reliable information at the epicenter of the epidemic.
“When my business partner died of AIDS and I had to close shop, I was left hopeless and severely depressed while the epidemic raged around me. I was barely functioning,” Troy told VoyageLA in 2018. “But one day, a friend in Moscow, Masha Gessen, urged me to get off my back and get busy; New York’s LGBT community was suffering an urgent health care crisis, fighting for basic legal rights and against an increase in violence. That, she said, was not nothing and I needed to get back in the game.”
It took Troy about two years to launch the bi-weekly newspaper LGNY (Lesbian and Gay New York) out of his East Village apartment. The newspaper ran from 1994 to 2002 when it was re-launched as Gay City News with Paul Schindler as co-founder and Troy’s editor-in-chief for 20 years.
“We were always in total agreement that the work we were doing was important and that any story we delved into had to be done right,” Schindler wrote in Gay City News.
Though the two “sometimes famously crossed swords,” Troy’s sudden death has special meaning for Schindler. “I will always remember Troy’s sweetness and gentleness. Five days before his death, he texted me birthday wishes with the tag, ‘I hope you get a meaningful spanking today.’ That devilishness stays with me.”
Troy had “very high EI (Emotional Intelligence), Schindler says in a phone call. “He had so much insight into me. It was something he had about a lot of people – what kind of person they were; what they were really saying.”
Troy was also very mischievous. Schindler recounts a time when the two met a very important person in the newspaper business and Troy said something provocative. “I held my breath,” Schindler says. “But it worked. It was an icebreaker. He had the ability to connect quickly.”
The journalistic standard at LGNY and Gay City News was not a question of “objectivity” but fairness. “We’re pro-gay,” Schindler says, quoting Andy Humm. “Our reporting is clear advocacy yet I think we were viewed in New York as an honest broker.”
Schindler thinks Troy’s move to Los Angeles to jump-start his entrepreneurial spirit and reconnect with Arturo, who was already in L.A., was risky. “He was over 50,” Schindler says. “I was surprised and disappointed to lose a colleague – but he was always surprising.”
“In many ways, crossing the continent and starting a print newspaper venture in this digitally obsessed era was a high-wire, counter-intuitive decision,” Troy told VoyageLA. “But I have been relentlessly determined and absolutely confident that my decades of experience make me uniquely positioned to do this.”
Troy launched The Pride L.A. as part of the Mirror Media Group, which publishes the Santa Monica Mirror and other Westside community papers. But on June 12, 2016, the day of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., Troy said he found MAGA paraphernalia in a partner’s office. He immediately plotted his exit. On March 10, 2017, Troy and the “internationally respected” Washington Blade announced the launch of the Los Angeles Blade.
In a March 23, 2017 commentary promising a commitment to journalistic excellence, Troy wrote: “We are living in a paradigm shifting moment in real time. You can feel it. Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Sometimes it’s toxic. Sometimes it’s perplexing, even terrifying. On the other hand, sometimes it’s just downright exhilarating. This moment is a profound opportunity to reexamine our roots and jumpstart our passion for full equality.”
Troy tried hard to keep that commitment, including writing a personal essay to illustrate that LGBTQ people are part of the #MeToo movement. In “Ending a Long Silence,” Troy wrote about being raped at 14 or 15 by an Amtrak employee on “The Floridian” traveling from Dothan, Ala., to Nashville.
“What I thought was innocent and flirtatious affection quickly turned sexual and into a full-fledged rape,” Troy wrote. “I panicked as he undressed me, unable to yell out and frozen by fear. I was falling into a deepening shame that was almost like a dissociation, something I found myself doing in moments of childhood stress from that moment on. Occasionally, even now.”
From the personal to the political, Troy Masters tried to inform and inspire LGBTQ people.
Richard Zaldivar, founder and executive director of The Wall Las Memorias Project, enjoyed seeing Troy at President Biden’s Pride party at the White House.
“Just recently he invited us to participate with the LA Blade and other partners to support the LGBTQ forum on Asylum Seekers and Immigrants. He cared about underserved community. He explored LGBTQ who were ignored and forgotten. He wanted to end HIV; help support people living with HIV but most of all, he fought for justice,” Zaldivar says. “I am saddened by his loss. His voice will never be forgotten. We will remember him as an unsung hero. May he rest in peace in the hands of God.”
Troy often featured Bamby Salcedo, founder, president/CEO of TransLatina Coalition, and scores of other trans folks. In 2018, Bamby and Maria Roman graced the cover of the Transgender Rock the Vote edition.
“It pains me to know that my dear, beautiful and amazing friend Troy is no longer with us … He always gave me and many people light,” Salcedo says. “I know that we are living in dark times right now and we need to understand that our ancestors and transcestors are the one who are going to walk us through these dark times… See you on the other side, my dear and beautiful sibling in the struggle, Troy Masters.”
“Troy was immensely committed to covering stories from the LGBTQ community. Following his move to Los Angeles from New York, he became dedicated to featuring news from the City of West Hollywood in the Los Angeles Blade and we worked with him for many years,” says Joshua Schare, director of Communications for the City of West Hollywood, who knew Troy for 30 years, starting in 1994 as a college intern at OUT Magazine.
“Like so many of us at the City of West Hollywood and in the region’s LGBTQ community, I will miss him and his day-to-day impact on our community.”
“Troy Masters was a visionary, mentor, and advocate; however, the title I most associated with him was friend,” says West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson. “Troy was always a sense of light and working to bring awareness to issues and causes larger than himself. He was an advocate for so many and for me personally, not having him in the world makes it a little less bright. Rest in Power, Troy. We will continue to cause good trouble on your behalf.”
Erickson adjourned the WeHo City Council meeting on Monday in his memory.
Masters launched the Los Angeles Blade with his partners from the Washington Blade, Lynne Brown, Kevin Naff, and Brian Pitts, in 2017.
“Troy’s reputation in New York was well known and respected and we were so excited to start this new venture with him,” says Naff. “His passion and dedication to queer LA will be missed by so many. We will carry on the important work of the Los Angeles Blade — it’s part of his legacy and what he would want.”
AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein, who collaborated with Troy on many projects, says he was “a champion of many things that are near and dear to our heart,” including “being in the forefront of alerting the community to the dangers of Mpox.”
“All of who he was creates a void that we all must try to fill,” Weinstein says. “His death by suicide reminds us that despite the many gains we have made, we’re not all right a lot of the time. The wounds that LGBT people have experienced throughout our lives are yet to be healed even as we face the political storm clouds ahead that will place even greater burdens on our psyches.”
May the memory and legacy of Troy Masters be a blessing.
Veteran LGBTQ journalist Karen Ocamb served as the news editor and reporter for the Los Angeles Blade.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters dies at 63
Longtime advocate for LGBTQ equality, queer journalism
Troy Masters, publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, died unexpectedly on Wednesday Dec. 11, according to a family member. He was 63. The cause of death was not immediately released.
Masters is a well-respected and award-winning journalist and publisher with decades of experience, mostly in LGBTQ media. He founded Gay City News in New York City in 2002 and relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. In 2017, he became the founding publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, a sister publication of the Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ newspaper.
His family released a statement to the Blade on Thursday.
“We are shocked and devastated by the loss of Troy,” the statement says. “He was a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community and leaves a tremendous legacy of fighting for social justice and equality. We ask for your prayers and for privacy as we mourn this unthinkable loss. We will announce details of a celebration of life in the near future.”
The Blade management team released the following statement on Thursday:
“All of us at the Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade are heartbroken by the loss of our colleague. Troy Masters is a pioneer who championed LGBTQ rights as well as best-in-class journalism for our community. We will miss his passion and his tireless dedication to the Los Angeles queer community.
“We would like to thank the readers, advertisers, and supporters of the Los Angeles Blade, which will continue under the leadership of our local editor Gisselle Palomera, the entire Blade family in D.C. and L.A., and eventually under a new publisher.”
Troy Masters was born April 13, 1961 and is survived by his mother Josie Kirkland and his sister Tammy Masters, along with many friends and colleagues across the country. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
Los Angeles
Ysabel Jurado claims victory: A new era for Los Angeles City Council District 14
The LGBTQ+ candidate maintained steady lead over incumbent Kevin De León, eventually declaring victory
Ysabel Jurado, the Highland Park resident and tenants rights’ attorney, is now Councilmember of Council District 14 after a battle for the hot seat against incumbent Kevin De León.
“Today, I am humbled to officially declare victory in the race for Los Angeles City Council District 14. This win is not mine—it belongs to our community,” said Jurado shortly after the win was announced.
Jurado makes history as the first Filipino American to serve on the Council and has expanded LGBTQ+ and women’s representation too.
In her celebratory statement after Thursday’s win, she stated that De León used Trump-like tactics and she is glad the city did not play into it.
“Trumpism has no place in CD-14– and we proved that by resoundingly rejecting the divisive tactics deployed by our opponent–tactics adopted directly from the Trump playbook,” said Jurado. “Like Trump, our opponent thumbed his nose at the law—from his racist gerrymandering scandal that likely violated the Voting Rights Act– to the current open investigation into his campaign for money laundering.”
Jurado is the new hope for a city that has been marred by racial and phobic remarks by those previously and still in positions of power.
Other news outlets are reporting that this marks another fallen Latino leader after the leaked L.A. City Council audio recording went viral in 2021 and led to the resignation of Los Angeles City Council president Nury Martínez.
De León’s goal during his term was to retain and expand Latin American political power.
With De León out, that leaves Latin Americans taking up only four out of the Council’s 15 seats, in a city that has a majority Latin American population. The city’s biggest Mexican American communities like Boyle Heights and El Sereno will not have a Latin American leader for the first time in nearly 40 years.
During De León’s campaign, he urged voters that if Jurado were to be elected, it would come at the expense of Latin American voices.
Last month, Eastside voters received a text message from De León’s campaign saying: ‘Forty years of Latino political power is under threat.’
Jurado secured her victory after placing first in the March primary, with support from Latin American politicians like Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, L.A. Unified School District trustee Rocio Rivas, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who replaced incumbent Gil Cedillo after he was also caught on audio making racist and defamatory remarks.
“These are heavy times, but Ysabel Jurado’s win is an incredible cause for hope,” said Hernandez in a congratulatory post on Instagram. “She has proven again and again that our city has not just the capacity to dream of a better future for ourselves, but that we demand it.”
De León tapped into the pathos of Eastside residents during his campaign, resorting to political tactics that attacked Jurado directly, rather than tackling the key issues at hand.
“Like Trump, he relied upon fear mongering, red-baiting, misogyny, and racial dog-whistling in an effort to divide us. But unlike Trump, his tactics failed.”
Los Angeles
Los Angeles opens nation’s first transgender vote center
Activists, local officials attended opening
In a landmark development for electoral accessibility, Los Angeles County has opened the doors to the nation’s first general election Vote Center located within a transgender establishment. The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center officially launched its voting facilities today, inviting the local trans community and all registered voters in Los Angeles County to participate in the democratic process.
The Vote Center at CONOTEC will operate for early voting from Nov. 2 – Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters in Los Angeles County can cast their ballot at CONOTEC, regardless of their residential address. This initiative not only creates a safe and affirming space for marginalized voters but also aims to foster broader community engagement.
During the grand opening, Los Angles County Registrar Dean Logan and West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson, celebrated this significant moment.
Logan said, “The county and everyone in my office know that we need to make voting as accessible and welcoming as possible in every corner of the county. The CONOTEC leadership has done a great job preparing this Vote Center, and we thank them for opening their space to their community and all of the LA County residents who chose to vote here.”
Queen Victoria Ortega (at podium), president of FLUX International, addressed the need for more action.
“We are tired of everyone discussing our safety while doing nothing about it. Now, we are taking matters into our own hands,” Ortega said. “We, the trans community, have created a safe space for the most marginalized to vote, and when you do that, you create a safe place for all. We are honored and duty-bound to be the first presidential election Vote Center in America at a transgender establishment.”
Queen Chela Demuir, executive director of the Unique Women’s Coalition, emphasized the historical legacy of trans rights activists.
“In the spirit of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, we honor our transcestors and carry their legacy forward,” she said. “This voting center stands as a safe and welcoming space for our trans siblings, while also embracing all allies and residents of Los Angeles County. It’s a space where everyone’s voice matters, uplifting and empowering our community.”
Bamby Salcedo, founder and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. (Photo by Troy Masters)
Bamby Salcedo, founder and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition, expressed her support for the initiative, stating, “My sisters at CONOTEC have done a great service to our community by securing this Vote Center. We all look forward to casting our vote in our community and appreciate the support as we work towards equality for all.”
Michael Weinstein, president and CEO of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the world’s largest and most influential AIDS Service organization, pointed out that around the world voting is a perilous adventure for LGB and particularly trans people. “AIDS Healthcare Foundation is in 47 countries around the world and in so many of those countries, the right to vote does not exist,” he said. “It turns my stomach to see on TV political ads targeting the trans community.” hightlighting the need for safe voting spaces like the CONOTEC.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised CONOTEC’s efforts to empower LGBTQ+ voters. “With our vote, each of us has the chance to write the next chapter of this nation’s story. And the nation’s story is incomplete without each one of us. When we show up, equality wins,” Robinson remarked, emphasizing the importance of collective civic participation.
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