

Issue VI, Volume XXV, No. 294 | February 2020

News and happenings for, by, about and affecting the LGBT Valley.
Project of Community Link, Inc: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Service Organization.
EST. September 1995

Community Link Projects

GRAY ALLIANCE NEWS FEBRUARY 2020
John Richardson
Gray Alliance is a group for LGBT seniors, and we get to twice a month for social functions.
The second Wednesday of the month we meet at different restaurants. Here are the next three restaurants we’ll be going to:
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February 12, Que Pasa, 3115 E Campus Pointe Dr., Fresno
March 11, Sa Bai Dee Thai, 5730 N First Suite 103, Fresno
April 8, Santa Fe Basque, 3110 N Maria, Fresno
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We have a potluck the final Sunday of the month at the First Congregational Church Fireside Room from 2-4 pm. It’s located at the south end of the campus at 2131 N Van Ness Blvd in Fresno. Please notes that although we are using a church facility, Gray Alliance has no religious affiliation.
If you have any questions, please call John Richardson at 559-260-1565. Hope to see you soon!
YOUTH ALLIANCE NEWS FEBRUARY 2020
David McGee
Punxsutawney Phil, the nation’s historic groundhog weather predictor, called for an early spring this year! Although Phil’s prediction may not be too noticeable on the East Coast, it has certainly been true for California, where balmy weather has hastened the arrival of beautiful flowers and bright green grass! Spring has arrived, and with it, the thoughts of our youth have turned to love!
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At a recent meeting of the LGBTQ Youth Alliance, at the Big Red Church, while our intrepid group leader, Banana, took the evening off to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her fiancé, the youth talked about their hopes for true love, and discussed their thoughts on relationships and marriage. For a group of generally non-traditional thinkers, our group members were rather traditional on their thoughts of love!
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And most of our attendees predicted that they would eventually marry! Some even reported that they are already planning the details of their marriages! Our atypical youth present typical views of love and marriage! Who knew?
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A few weeks ago, Banana brought Mardi Gras beads to our Friday night meeting and the members of the youth group cut and pasted small tags to add to Mardi Gras beaded necklaces, which will be handed out by Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade volunteers during the 23rd Annual Mardi Gras Parade, on February 23, 2020, in the Tower District. Our youth group members chatted it up as usual, but they still managed to get over eight dozen beaded necklaces tagged for the parade! When they saw how much they accomplished, our youth were proud of themselves for their accomplishment! Some of our youth also pledged to walk in the parade along with other volunteers from the Fresno Rainbow Pride committee! What a team it will be!
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We save the last Friday of the month for our world famous Youth Alliance Potluck! Last month, 20 young people showed up for the party! There was barely enough pizza and soda for all the participants! But there were a lot of chips and cupcakes for everyone, so no one went home hungry! It seems like the word has gotten around that we have free food on the last Friday of the month, and youth are coming out of the woodwork to attend, which is fine! We want the word to get around that our youth group is a fun and safe place for everyone to meet, and potluck Fridays are the most fun! Come one, come all!
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The Fresno LGBTQ Youth Alliance meets on Friday nights, at 7 PM, in the Fireside Room at the First Congregational Church (The Big Red Church), located at 2131 N. Van Ness, in Fresno. We welcome any and all LGBTQ youth and their allies, ages 14-25, to join us on Friday nights! Check out our Facebook page for reminders about the group! We usually post a reminder about the group meetings on Friday mornings! Just go to our Facebook page, “Fresno GLBTQ (yes, in that order) Youth Alliance,” to check it out!
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THE GRAND MARSHAL BALL
Paul Hernandez
Fresno Rainbow Pride will be hosting it's first ever “Grand Marshal Ball” to celebrate 30 years of our LGBT pride. The Grand Marshals Ball is scheduled to be held on March 14th 2020 at Bitwise Industries on Van Ness in Fresno, CA.
This event will be honoring the nine 2020 Grand Marshals, 3 for each decade, Bear, David Bonetto and Eric Gomez, Isis De Luna, Deja Skye, Dean Michelle Denbeste, Dean Del Hornbeckle, Zayn Anthony and Andrew Losh. Join us in honoring them and our past Grand Marshals of the first 29 years of Fresno Pride as we kick off our 2020 Pride fundraising season.
This event is scheduled to start at 5pm for a cocktail hour and leading into the ceremony at 6pm, light appetizers will be available. Bitwise is located at 700 Van Ness Ave, Fresno CA 93712. This event is open to the public and is an all ages event. At this event you can expect to see the 9 honorees receive their award as well as be entertained by some of Fresno’s finest talent.
A presentation of the awards will be concluded by previous Grand Marshals from the past 30 years. This event is dress to impress and tickets are available online or through contact Leilani Price at 559-273-1601. For more information please visit www.fresnorainbowpride.com
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We encourage one and all to attend this historical event!
Please purchase tickets in advance as we predict this event will sell out.
Leilani Price (Grand Marshal Chair / Sponsorship Coordinator).



Local
TRANZ BALL NEWS
Zayn Anthony
THIS IS A COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER for The Fresno/Madera Imperial Dove Court! Show your support for the Transgender Community for the annual Tranz Ball of 2020 on Saturday, February 29th!
All ages event and all are welcomed!! Join us for dinner, a show and the crowning of 2020’s new Trans title holders with a rad Flashback to the 80’s theme! Join us as we host our annual Tranz Ball pageant and honor last years totally awesome title holders. We are excited to extend our Junior title to a second year! You won't want to miss as we watch contestants compete for the titles of Mr. Tranz Fresno (Identifying as male), Ms. Tranz Fresno (Identifying as female), Tranz X Fresno (identifying as both masculine and feminine; androgynous), and a Junior Tranz Fresno Title (Youth 20 yrs and younger).
Saturday, February 29th at 850 4th St, Clovis, CA 93612
Clovis Senior Center
Doors at 4 PM
Dinner at 4:30 PM
Show at 5 PM
$20 advance and $25 at door. $30 application fee to be a contestant.
Tickets available on our website www.idcfresno.org
Application to compete can be found by contacting our Emperor Jose Mo or Empress Victoria De Leon on Facebook Messenger.

LGBTQ AND 2020 CENSUS
Patrick Hall
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The census is important. That in itself sounds like a simple statement, but I do not mean for it to be understated. The census is important. The census is the tool used to properly allocate billions of dollars to our state, over $115 billion in fact. Medicaid, student loans, Pell grants, unemployment, even school lunches— these are all programs affected by census data. Getting counted is important, but for me, it’s also personal.
As a young gay man born and raised in Tulare County, it’s easy for me to feel invisible. We’re a conservative, agriculture-driven county - that’s just the way it is here. At times it can feel as though places like San Francisco and Los Angeles, typical havens for people like me, are so close yet so far away. It can feel a little isolating, and I’m far from the only one who sometimes feels this.
I am Vice President of the College of the Sequoias Pride Club, the LGBTQ club on campus. In this capacity I’ve encountered too many young LGBTQ students who have in the past, or are now experiencing, levels of isolation I have had the privilege of never having to experience. Isolation from family, culture, and from religious community. I’ve encountered too many of my fellow LGBTQ peers at risk of homelessness or experiencing a mental health crisis. The isolation these students are experiencing isn’t just isolation, it’s putting them into situations where they lack the resources to help themselves.
For many LGBTQ students who have the opportunity, they, like many other young people in the central valley, get out. Visalia, California is one of the least educated cities in the entire nation— a key reason being the flight of our educated young people, seeking sanctuary elsewhere.
There is a way to help tackle these intersecting issues— the marginalization of minorities, homelessness and mental health, the flight of educated young people— and that’s to get counted. For people like me and others who so often feel invisible, participating in the census is a way to feel visible, to have a voice. And it’s not just young people, or LGBTQ people, or young, LGBTQ people— it’s all of us. The census benefits the hundreds of millions of Americans, millions of Californians, and the each of the thousands of us in Tulare County. The census is an easy, secure way to bring resources to our valley. So, please, get counted.
WE WANT YOU TO RUN FOR UNITED STUDENT PRIDE!
United Student Pride is the oldest LGBTQ+ and Ally student group at Fresno State.
USP serves a vital need in providing support, connection, and advocacy for our LGBTQ+ community.
We are in need of Officers for next year!
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Gain leadership opportunities!
Create an inclusive campus and community!
Advocate for LGBTQ+ rights!
For more information about USP and becoming an officer, please come to our next USP meeting
February 24th
3:30 to 5:30
LGBTQ+ Pride Room(Located in the Thomas Building next to the Career Center)
ALL ARE WELCOME!
For more information, please email
Dr. Katherine Fobear
katherinefobear@mail.fresnostate.edu

ICCC KICK-OFF BREAKFAST
Please join Kaiser Permanente and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) on Tuesday, March 10 at the Kick-off Breakfast for the Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) program. Kaiser Permanente has partnered with ICIC to bring this program to communities like Oakland, Sacramento, Portland, Baltimore and more – and now we are bringing it to Fresno for the first time in the program’s history.
Date: Tuesday March 10, 2020
Time: 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Breakfast will be provided
Location: Valley Community SBDC (Herndon Campus) 390B W. Fir Ave., Suite 300, Clovis, CA 93611
The Breakfast provides an opportunity to learn more about the ICCC program and its mission to help small businesses in under-resourced communities achieve sustainable growth in revenue, profitability, and employment. The ICCC program is uniquely designed to provide three critical elements for sustainable growth: capacity-building education, one-on-one coaching, and connections to capital and capital providers.
The ICCC Kick-off Breakfast kick-off brings together organizations working directly with small businesses, in the economic development sector, anchor institutions interested in supporting this initiative, and business owners interested in the ICCC program.
We need your help to identify and recruit 50-75 small local businesses that are poised to take the next step in expansion and would benefit from education, coaching and connections.
To RSVP for the ICCC Kick-off Breakfast, please click the link to register on or before March 3.
Serop Torossian
Kaiser Permanente Fresno
Community & Government Relations Manager
Office (559) 448-4139 Tieline 8-454
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National
PETE BUTTIGIEG RESPONDS TO RUSH LIMBAUGH'S INSULTS
David McGee
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Pete Buttigieg appeared on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, on Sunday, February, 16, 2020, and commented on Rush Limbaugh’s recent homophobic comments about him, saying, “I’m not going to be lectured on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh or anybody who supports Donald J. Trump as the moral as well as political leader of the United States.” He went
on to say that America is ready to move on from their kind of “values.”
Source:lgbtqnation.com
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LILY TOMLIN TO BE IMMORTILIZED ON HOLLYWOOD BLVD.
David McGee
Hollywood legend and LGBTQ activist Lily Tomlin will be honored for her career and philanthropy as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival, on April 17, 2020. Tomlin will put her handprints and footprints in cement in the famous forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Tomlin’s career has spanned 50 years, thanks to her broad talent and vision. Tomlin turned 80 in September, 2019, and she has served as a role model and activist for the LGBTQ community throughout her career.
Source: advocate.com
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TRANS PEOPLE MAY HAVE "RARE" GENE VARIANTS RELATED TO BRAIN SEX DIFFERENTIATION
A new study compared the DNA of transgender people and cisgender people and found 21 gene variants that may be related to gender identity.
By Alex Bollinger
Reposted from lgbtqnation.com
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A new peer-reviewed study may have found genetic differences relating gender identity and brain development.
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Saying that many transgender people know their gender identity at a very young age, “we thought that there was almost certainly a biologic component to gender identity,” study co-author J. Graham Theisen, an obstetrician/gynecologist and a researcher at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, told Newsweek.
continue reading at lgbtqnation.com
WATCH BILLY PORTER GIVE US THE LGBTQ STATE OF THE UNION
Devin Randall
Reposted from instinctmagazine.com
Billy Porter gave yet another LGBTQ State of the Union and we loved it!
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Looks like when he’s not hanging out on Sesame Street, the Pose actor is getting official in front of another type of podium. Specifically, Logo posted its second annual “LGBTQ State of the Union” starring Porter. Together, Porter and the Logo shared messages of continual community and strength in the face of Donald Trump’s America.

continue reading at instinctmagazine.com



International
ELTON JOHN DIAGNOSED WITH PNEUMONIA IN NEW ZEALAND
David McGee
Singer/songwriter Elton John, 72, managed to give a crowd in Aukland, New Zealand, an “indescribable” performance for more than 90 minutes recently, but had to leave the stage suddenly, due to exhaustion and feeling ill. He was later diagnosed with pneumonia. Even as he left the stage, concertgoers applauded him. John later posted on his social media, apologizing for leaving the concert early, but most Twitter responses poured out love and concern for the music giant.
Source: lgbtqnation.com
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PUTIN VOWS RUSSIA WILL NEVER LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
David McGee
During meetings to discuss changes in Russia’s constitution, President Vladimir Putin said he would not legalize gay marriage as long as he was in the Kremlin. He made it clear that he would not allow the traditional notion of mother and father to be subverted by what he called “parent number 1 and parent number 2.” He said, “As long as I’m president this will not happen. There will be a dad and mum.”
Source: huffpost.com

THE PUBLIC VOTES TO MAKE HOMOPHOBIA A CRIMINAL OFFENSE IN SWITZERLAND
The conservative and religious minority forced a referendum on the subject, but the overwhelming Swiss public has spoken.
Juwan J. Holmes
Reposted from lgbtqnation.com
A referendum in Switzerland passed today, officially amending homophobia to the country’s anti-racism laws as a form of discrimination. This is the first law in the country’s history to offer any kind of legal protection of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. A reported 63.1% of citizens were in favor of it.
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It confirms a 2018 law passed by the country’s parliament that made public homophobia “incitement to hatred and discrimination” illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison. After opponents to the law gathered enough signatures to force a referendum, this vote finalizes its inclusion into Switzerland’s federal law.
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Enlighten Me
RICHNESS OF HEART INSTEAD OF MATERIAL THINGS
Mark Langfeld
The expectations and desires we have tend to set us up for a big letdown. Media advertising tells us that we should expect to have it all. Unfortunately, the desire for all those material possessions is not only unrealistic, but it is also mentally unhealthy. The more material things we desire, the more frustrated and unhappy we are likely to feel.
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If you want to find inner peace, you may want to let go of those strong desires to own everything you see on the store shelves. Yes, we need to satisfy the necessities of life. However, there is a huge difference between needs and wants. You cannot possibly have every material object your heart desires (even though the media wants you to think so). The notion of having it all is an illusion that the marketing executives try to sell you. Don’t buy into it.
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As an alternative, it is possible to reach an emotional state where strong cravings for material things are not quite as intense. It is all about finding peace of mind, and many people throughout the world have done just that. They create an inner sense of calm by deciding not to purchase those things which they do not need. Instead, they let those things pass by without effort and without the desire to possess.
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Furthermore, people who have mastered their emotions also do not project their expectations onto the world. If they do not expect a particular outcome, they will not be disappointed. As a side benefit, people who have learned to not set themselves up for disappointment also keep a youthful spirit and attitude. And who doesn’t want that?
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This practice of letting go of materialistic desires is not an easy process. It takes time. One helpful suggestion is to place little to no value on worldly possessions. The paradox is to desire non-desire. It may seem strange at first but try it.
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You may have noticed that during the times in your life when you chased after more money your life became more stressful. That is because you cannot buy inner peace. When you seek happiness outside of yourself, like money, you lose the inner-happiness in yourself. It’s as if the pursuit of one cancels out the other.
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It’s what you have on the inside that counts—your character. Look at it this way: you may cook with a big kettle; however, the food inside the kettle is what counts. You can construct a house of worship; however, it is the people who congregate inside that matter. You have material comforts in your home; however, reaching a state of peacefulness is what you truly want.
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Does this mean you need to give up all of your worldly possessions and live under a bridge somewhere? Of course not. It does mean that you need to realize that you are the one who owns the things, not the other way around. Don’t let all your material possessions control your time and money.
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We are talking about a mental state, here. It is how we think about our belongings which make the difference between having and possessing. We can have things without holding onto them so tightly that we cannot ever dream of living without them. Our belongings do not need to dominate our lives.
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As you move toward a life which is less materialistic, it may help to tone down some of your emotions. Relax your tension, calm your anger, soften your words, and look at others with gentle eyes. In other words, let your emotional smoke clear. You may have better personal insight.
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Too many distractions in life can dull your natural senses. Think about how the advertisers bombard you with stimuli. It’s stimulus overload. Just take a stroll through the mall sometime and notice the bright colors, loud music, foods of every flavor, and messages jumping out from every side. After a few hours of shopping in such an overloaded sensory environment, you feel numb. All that lust for glittery/shiny things can shrivel the soul. It’s all part of the great marketing seduction.
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Do you want to be rich? If so, there is nothing inherently destructive about wanting richness. By itself, richness is neither good nor bad. It all depends on what you do with it. Sometimes success can be more destructive than failure. It is actually about what meaning you attach to those terms. You could choose to see the situation as a learning experience. Then the so-called “failure” actually serves to make you a little bit wiser.
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On the other hand, there are cases where success has brought an otherwise kindly person to ruin as that person became self-centered, insensitive, and lost in the never-ending quest for acquiring material possessions. Things might have gone differently if the misguided individual viewed true success as an inner state of serenity which stems from the absence of desire.
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There are many different forms of success. Financial success can be very precarious. You may have the strong desire to climb the proverbial, “ladder of success.” However, have you stopped to consider just how unstable that ladder is? Far better it would be if you just stood firmly with earthly feet that are well grounded in your principles. (Ahhh, now there you will find some stability.)
Something to meditate on today. So many people are running about frantically trying to find fulfillment by stuffing their lives with…well, stuff. Here is a radical idea: how about not? Try not chasing fulfillment of materialistic desires. (I know it sounds crazy, but give it a try.)
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Just try it for one day and see how it feels. I bet it will rock your spiritual world. You might find you are more aware of the present moment. You might even talk to your family—I mean deeply talk heart to heart. (Dare to imagine it!) This type of spiritually rich life is possible when you acknowledge that you already have all you need for the richness of heart.
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Uncle Barbie

Your Intellectual Whore
"An effervescently gay
advice columnist."
Disclaimer: Although the author of this syndicated column holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, the tongue-in-cheek advice given is for entertainment only and is not a substitute for therapy. Barbie responds to all emails...whether you deserve it or not. Send your questions to Uncle Barbie at:
askunclebarbie@aol.com
VERBAL VOMIT IN ALPHABET SOUP
Dear Uncle Barbie,
I understand that you, Uncle Barbie, hold a doctorate in clinical psychology. This is commendable of course, but I'm wondering if one of the reasons you decided to become proficient in this area might have been to learn enough to justify your perverted lifestyle to others as well as yourself.
While watching Monty Python recently it came to me that in a strange sort of way, they are helping people who must go mad. Instead of a mental hospital which is sort of a re-servicing factory for human breakdowns they are providing an outlet for people who have traveled further and consequently, may be more lost than psychiatrists and other sane people, can find their way further into inner space and time, and back again. Instead of the degradation ceremonial of psychiatric examination, diagnosis and prognostication, we need, for those who are ready for it...an initiation ceremonial through which the person will be guided with full social encouragement and sanction into inner space and time, by people who have been there and back again. Psychiatrically, this would appear as ex-patients helping future patients go mad. When a person goes mad, a profound transposition of his place in relation to all domains of being occurs. His center of experience moves from ego to self. Mundane time becomes merely anecdotal, only the eternal matters. Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be breakthrough. It is potentially liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death.
Signed: Whomever
Hello Who?,
Wow, you said a mouth full. It took me quite a while to muddle my way through your longwinded composition. (You make run-on sentences a work of art.) I must say, I got lost trying to swim the murky waters of your vocabulary. Reading your complex sentence structure is like trying to make out words floating in a steamy bowl of alphabet soup--the letters may be there, but they just don't say anything! Are you trying to impress me with your "big words?" I couldn't help but notice that there was a stylistic discrepancy between the first paragraph in your letter and the second. The "mood" was different between the two. The first part used rather plain and simplistic terminology. Then, in the second part, you suddenly launch into a frenzy of sophisticated syntax. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed frolicking in your little linguistic festival and colorful metaphors, but I think it was a bit overdone. It’s similar to driving 100 MPH down the freeway with your head out the window. It’s just too much! I must say, though, your letter is a good example of literary demolition of sorts. So, this is what it feels like to be chained to the grammatical wrecking ball--God, I love clichés. (Somebody stop me. I’m out of control!)
I get the feeling that you are using the text from someone else. Are you quoting something clever from a Monty Python script? (It sounds like their style.) If you are...you really should put quotation marks around it and cite your source. Otherwise, it is considered plagiarism. (On the other hand, I could be totally mistaken, and maybe you DID create your entire letter from the dark chambers of your own mind.) But enough of all that. Let me answer your question. Oh, wait...that's right...you didn't ask me any questions! This gives more credence to my original thought that you really only wrote this letter because you wanted to dazzle me with your glittery self. Well, relax. You don't need to work so hard to gain my approval. I have pretty low standards to begin with. Let's face it...my advice column is like a sympathetic ear to those in our society who can't find anyone more civilized to listen to them.
The closest thing that comes to a question in your letter was when you pontificated on my motivation for earning a doctorate in clinical psychology. You wrote, “…I'm wondering if one of the reasons you decided to become proficient in this area might have been to learn enough to justify your perverted lifestyle to others as well as yourself.” As a person who studies human behavior, I need to be open to self-examination--without bias. So, I concede that you may have a point. I do have a tendency to intellectualize sexual behavior (in myself and others). However, just to give you a little history behind all of this…I believe the whole counseling profession originated from prostitution. (Actually, it’s been said that prostitution is the oldest profession, so perhaps all careers evolved out of that--hmmm.) Historically, people would visit a prostitute not only for sex but also for a little understanding, emotional comfort, sympathy, advice, and human interaction. To this day, men and women make appointments to see therapists for “human contact.” It’s not sexual contact but think about it: the client is still paying the therapist for a little understanding, emotional comfort, sympathy, advice, and human interaction. (Sound familiar?) Although the counselor is not physically touching the client, we are still “touching” them with our words.
Since you seem to favor language and fancy words (based on your letter), have you ever done any research on the origins of the word, therapist? (This should blow your mind!) If you put a slash mark between the e and the r in the word, therapist, you will see that the term becomes two words--the/rapist. This is because therapists “penetrate” the mind. (Ya gotta admit, when a person goes in for a psychological evaluation, there is a lot a “probing” going on.) It’s not a physical thing…it’s more of a mind f**k. I can’t speak for all therapists, but quite frankly, I tend to think of myself as simply being a polished intellectual whore. (It keeps me humble.) So, I tip my hat to you for successfully analyzing this advice columnist. Congratu-f**king-lations! Now you can sit back, revel in your brilliant idioms, and bask in the glowing radiance of your self-importance. (Or maybe I’m just projecting.) Wrap your mind around that!
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Your Intellectual Whore, Barbie



Horoscopes

ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 19)
Hard work, spending money, people getting on your nerves. Feels like too much. Take time away from it all and pamper yourself. It's what works now.
TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20)
Over confidence is your problem here. It's going to come back to bite you, so slow down and try not to be pushy. You are coming across that way so be aware of other's feelings. Everyone will be happier for it.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 21)
You go along in the life then it gets like there is no direction. Keep plugging in there until something new pops up. Opportunity here. Go for it.
CANCER (June 22 - July 22)
You are feeling the heat during this period. This is a time of revelation. Bide your time and pamper yourself for relief.
LEO (July 23 - Aug 22)
Time to take care of your body in a good check up, workout or a day at the spa. Expand your horizon and let the world in.
VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22)
You are in a pretty good place right now. Its time to reflect on your life and friends and make adjustments accordingly. Very creative time still.
LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 22)
You need to remain strong here. You're being pulled in different directions and it can get on your nerves. Be realistic know your boundaries and be up front about everything. There is a reward in the end.
SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
You can really get the ball rolling now. Energy is on your side to do what you want so do it while you can and have some fun while you're at it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Concentrating is not one of your strong points this month. Be open about everything and with everyone. This will pave the way for a clear vision.
CAPRICORN (Feb 22 - Jan 19)
You're working hard and enjoying the benefits then there is more hard work. You are going through a transformation and it is quite a pony ride.
AQUARIUS (Jan - Feb 18)
To play or not to play. First you need to take care of some past problems that keep cropping up. It can be confusing but you will get through it.
PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
Your intuition is spot on here. Others may not like what you have to say but you call it the way you see it. Very attractive to others during this period.



Not To Be Missed
Escape to Margaritaville
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LA
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Escape to Margaritaville will be presented at the Kodak Theatre, in Los Angeles, on March 1-8, 2020. Escape to Margaritaville is a musical that was first performed in 2017, featuring Jimmy Buffet songs. The plot revolves around a part-time bartender and singer who falls for a career-minded tourist. The Kodak Theatre is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA, 90028. Tickets for this show start at about $40, but go as high as $200, depending on the day and date. For tickets, go to your favorite ticket seller, such as ticketmaster.com.
HAIR
LA
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Come celebrate the return of HAIR, the iconic American Tribal Love-Rock Musical! The Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center is thrilled to present an all-new production of HAIR and has put together an award-winning team to create the show. More than ever, it’s time to Let the Sun Shine! Shows are at 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 7 PM on Sundays, from March 27-April 26, at the Davidson/Valenti Theatre, located at 1125 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA, 90038. Tickets for this event are $35. For tickets or more information, go to lalgbtcenter.org.
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Richard Marx
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SF
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Richard Marx will perform An Acoustic Evening of Love Songs at 8 PM, at the Great American Music Hall, in San Francisco, on March 1, 2020. Marx is an American contemporary and pop singer, songwriter, and producer, known for his love songs. The Great American Music Hall is located at 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco, CA, 94109. Tickets for this event start in the $80 range and are expected to sell out quickly. For tickets for this event, go to your favorite ticket seller, such as vividseats.com.
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Mark Anthony
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San Jose
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Mark Anthony will perform his Opus Tour at the Shark Tank (SAP Center), in San Jose, on March 1, 2020, at 7:00 PM. Anthony is a Puerto Rican American singer, songwriter, actor, and producer. He is billed as the top-selling tropical salsa artist of all time. Mark Anthony was married to Jennifer Lopez from 2004-2014. The Shark Tank is located at 525 W. Santa Clara, San Jose, CA, 95113. Tickets for this event start in the $80 range. For tickets, go to your favorite ticket seller, such as ticketmaster.com.
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Mardi Gras Parade
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Fresno
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Last minute notice! The Fresno Tower District Mardi Gras Parade will be held on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at 1:00 PM! The parade is sponsored by the Tower Marketing Committee. This year’s theme is “Music Through the Decades.” There will be an array of floats and walkers that represent all the genres of music. The parade will travel down Olive Avenue, starting at Palm Avenue and ending at Van Ness. The Fresno Rainbow Pride Committee is planning to have a float for the parade! Come join in the fun!
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Chinese New Year Parade
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Fresno
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The 21st Annual Fresno Chinatown Chinese New Year Parade is set for March 7, 2020, from 10 AM to 4 PM, in Fresno’s Chinatown! Go see the parade, and stay for the festival! The festival includes food, drinks, and vendors! The Fresno Rainbow Pride Committee is planning to walk in the parade! For more information about this event, contact Fresno Chinatown Preservation, Inc., at 559-201-8696.
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News and happenings for, by, about and affecting the LGBT Valley.
Project of Community Link, Inc: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Service Organization.
EST. September 1995