|
Friday, July 11, 2008
Andromeda
Transcultural
Health
will
hold
its
first
HIV
fundraising
event,
“Reflections
of
Life
and
Hope,”
on
July
25
with
performances
by
the
DC
Cowboys,
Zarzuela
Di
Si
and
El
Teatro
de
Danza
Contemporánea
de
El
Salvador.
Proceeds
will
benefit
two
weekly
HIV-positive
support
groups
Andromeda
hosts
for
black
and
Latino
gay
men.
Antonio
Pineda,
an
Andromeda
case
manager,
runs
the
two-year-old
gay
peer
support
groups.
The
event
will
raise
money
for
the
groups
and
recruit
new
members.
Unlike
most
support
groups,
members
collaborate
on
art
projects,
which
will
be
displayed
at
the
gala.
“They
wanted
something
different,
not
only
listening,”
Pineda
said.
Groups
were
booked
for
the
event
by
“just
knocking
on
the
door
for
everywhere,”
he
said.
The
DC
Cowboys
are
a
dance
company,
Zarzuela
Di
Si
is
a
traditional
Spanish
opera
and
dance
group
and
El
Teatro
de
Danza
Contemporánea
de
El
Salvador
is
a
Spanish
dance
group.
Most
are
donating
their
time.
Andromeda
receives
funding
from
the
D.C.
Department
of
Health
but
is
facing
funding
challenges,
Pineda
said.
He’s
hoping
to
raise
$10,000
from
the
gala.
David
Kiser,
a
52-year-old
black
gay
D.C.
resident
who’s
been
HIV-positive
since
1996,
said
the
support
group
has
been
exceptionally
helpful
to
him.
“I
was
like
a
lot
of
people,
thinking
HIV
was
this
big
doomsday
thing
and
I
was
quite
depressed,”
Kiser
said.
“But
this
support
group
has
been
amazing.
It’s
like
having
a
whole
group
of
best
friends.”
Andromeda
provides
health
services
for
people
living
with
HIV,
substance
abuse
problems
or
mental
health
problems.
Its
clientele
is
mostly
black
and
Latino.
The
event
will
be
held
at
Gala
Hispanic
Theatre
in
the
Tivoli
Building
Plaza
at
3333
14th
Street,
N.W.
Tickets
are
$50
and
available
by
contacting
Pineda
at
202-291-4707
ext.
127
or
apineda@andromedahealthcenter.org.
NICOLE
MORTIMER
HIV-positive
Va.
man
wins
early
victory
in
case
against
TGI
Friday’s
A
commission
in
Alexandria,
Va.,
has
unanimously
ruled
in
favor
of
a
gay
man
who
alleges
that
the
company
that
owns
TGI
Friday’s
restaurants
fired
him
for
being
HIV
positive,
meaning
a
lawsuit
against
the
business
could
be
imminent.
The
Alexandria
Human
Rights
Commission
on
June
30
announced
its
decision
in
favor
of
James
McCray,
a
Woodbridge,
Va.,
resident,
after
holding
an
open
hearing
on
the
matter
May
31.
Based
on
the
information
presented
at
the
hearing,
the
commission
found
that
Carlson
Restaurants,
which
owns
TGI
Friday’s,
violated
the
Human
Rights
Code
in
Alexandria
by
firing
McCray
from
his
position
as
general
manager.
McCray
said
he
felt
justified
when
he
heard
about
the
commission’s
decision
and
called
the
ruling
“just
one
more
feather
in
the
cap
in
the
road
to
federal
court.”
With
the
backing
of
the
commission,
McCray
said
he
intends
to
file
a
federal
lawsuit
against
Carlson
Restaurants
for
violating
the
Americans
with
Disabilities
Act,
which
protects
people
who
are
HIV
positive.
Amy
Freshwater,
spokesperson
for
Carlson
Restaurants,
said
her
company
is
“disappointed
in
the
outcome”
and
wholly
disagrees
with
the
commission’s
decision.
“We
absolutely
stand
by
our
position
that
we
did
nothing
wrong
or
unlawful
in
regard
to
this
allegation,”
she
said.
Carlson
Restaurants
terminated
McCray
on
July
26,
2006.
McCray
said
the
company
fired
him
the
day
after
he
disclosed
his
HIV-positive
status.
The
company
said
McCray
was
terminated
because
of
concerns
with
restaurant
operations
and
his
integrity.
CHRIS
JOHNSON
Trans
Awareness
Month
features
worship
services
The
second
annual
Transgender
Awareness
Month
is
underway
in
D.C.
Unity
Fellowship
Christian
Church,
a
largely
black,
gay
church
that
meets
in
Luther
Place
Memorial
Church
on
Vermont
Avenue,
N.W.,
is
sponsoring
the
series.
“This
is
a
chance
to
focus
on
transgenders
who
are
so
marginalized
even
in
our
own
community,”
said
Rev.
Abena
McCray,
Unity’s
lesbian
pastor
and
a
board
member
of
Transgender
Health
Empowerment
(THE).
Remaining
events
include
transgender-themed
worship
services
at
2:30
p.m.
each
Sunday
in
July
at
Unity;
a
showing
of
the
documentary,
“The
Believers,”
about
a
transgender
choir
from
San
Francisco
at
Unity
at
7
p.m.
on
July
22;
a
trans
talent
show
benefit
for
THE
at
7:30
p.m.
on
July
26
($5
admission)
at
N
Street
Village
(across
the
street
from
the
church);
and
a
trans-themed
town
hall
discussion
on
July
29
at
7
p.m.
at
Unity.
For
more
information,
call
Rev.
McCray
at
202-246-6299.
JOEY
DiGUGLIELMO
|
 |
