How the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles has been staying connected

Photograph: Courtesy Robyn Van Swank

Author, financial advisor and comedian | @gabyroad

During lockdown, I’ve been producing these queer live reads of “straight” movies with my queer friends and it has been such a delight. We did readings of Clue, 10 Things I Hate About You, Alien and Ocean’s 11, and it been wonderful to see the comments bringing all these queer fans together and to give my friends a chance to play roles that Hollywood would be too narrow to cast them as. Since we can’t gather in person, celebrating community via Zoom and being able to put on a show, which is how so much of Pride is shown—with live shows and performances—has been really fun and helpful.

Photograph: Rozette Rago

Member of the Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement | @jennicetguti

I am a community organizer at Familia: TQLM. In these challenging times, I am staying connected in the LGBTQ+ community by organizing community calls with our members and engaging in our #JusticeForRoxsana campaign. We have also organized multiple drag shows to bring entertainment and joy during the lockdown. We are mobilizing our base and members to engage and support the movement for All Black Lives.

Photograph: Rozette Rago

Queer herbalist and gardener | @lalobalocashares

My name is Loba and I am a Queer herbalist and gardener based in Tongva Land, also known as Los Angeles. During this pandemic I have continued to be active in the Queer and Trans BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community in many ways! Since quarantine started, I have organized with friends and neighbors to create mutual aid and affinity groups. We have been sharing food, plants, seeds and herbal medicine with each other.

This Covid-19 pandemic has really brought to light the importance of cultivating relations with neighbors. I have used Instagram and also Lex (the dating app, LOL) to organize with local Queers and figure out ways to support each other knowing that many of us do not have access to blood family.
I have also organized with a group of local herbalists to provide free herbal medicine to people most affected by the Covid-19 epidemic and participated in the current uprising for Black lives on and off the streets. I definitely want to encourage people, especially non-Black people, to engage and actively support this movement for Black lives! There are so many ways to do so, from going out to the streets and following Black leadership to organizing your community/family to mobilize resources. Our Queer community would be NOTHING without Black Trans Femmes. This is an important moment to show up!

Lastly, during this pandemic I have been providing sliding scale classes on gardening and herbalism. I think our community is realizing that we need to work on building skills that nourish us. I will be offering a free workshop on herbs for mental health in the next couple of weeks; herbs can be so good at holding us and also allowing us to create capacity to continue showing up for communities most affected by systemic violence.

Photograph: Rozette Rago

Hairstylist and founder of ProjectQ | @madinraylopez

As with many folks that have grown up in the margins (or that are used to going without) the halt of income, global pandemic and civil unrest has all been fuel to create future financial stability for myself and the youth that I service.

I created Project Qurls, a versatile hair product line specifically for queer folks of color with varying gender expressions. ProjectQurls has been the gateway for the beginnings of our partially virtual barber school. Our plan is to train the youth that have expressed interest in the artform of hair, and teach them how to be trauma-informed hair activists. Our goal at ProjectQ is always to use hair as a form of social justice, and we can think of no better way than by putting tools into the hands of
the next generation—and teach them to fight, with knowledge and worthiness.

We also heard from Sabine M. Lopez, director of programs for ProjectQ, to let us know what the organization has been up to.

As a direct result of Covid-19, our salon and community center was closed. We have been closed since March 17th and plan to reopen on July 1. During our closure, we have not charged our stylists any rent because they’ve been unemployed since we closed and that only seems fair. We also began creating and distributing food and hygiene boxes for the homeless LGBTQIA+ youth we provide services to, since we have not been able to provide regular services to them.

Photograph: Courtesy Vivi Rama

Gender-neutral footwear designer | @nikkacy

I’ve been keeping very busy during the lockdown, first with healing from Covid-19 in early March which left me bedridden for over five weeks and then another three to fully recover.

When I was healthy and non-contagious, I organized collections of PPE and drove to donate them to needy hospitals and facilities. I ran errands and did grocery shopping for friends in the community who are immuno-compromised. I took a lot of self-care and reflection time in quarantine and made a decision to pivot my business and to start building a secondary career.

I had to unfortunately cancel/postpone the Queer Prom event which I was producing due to Covid-19 restrictions. And Equality Fashion Week, which is the first LGBTQ-focused fashion week in L.A. (normally in October), may also need to be canceled or postponed depending on how the state of our pandemic is.

When the protests started, I spent a lot of time doing research and learning about the BLM movement and how I can be the best ally to my black and brown siblings.

Needless to say, there feels like there has not been a day that was not busy with some form of work—mentally, psychologically, physically, spiritually.

The last two weeks I’ve used my social media and personal platforms to help amplify for racial justice and watched a lot of films that have helped me understand a lot of the history with racism in this country. As an immigrant, queer, trans Asian, I’m no stranger to racism and bullying but watching these documentaries truly helped me understand the history of American racism to the black community. I highly recommend taking the time to educate ourselves and learning how we can make a positive impact for social systemic change. I also suggest supporting a local business by ordering takeout and watch and eat! It’s a great way to do good and feel good. Finally, we should fully utilize our time in quarantine by writing to our government officials and help affect change for black lives, for trans lives, for equal pay, etc.

Photograph: Courtesy John Fry/Tank’s Takes

Marriage and family therapist | @iml_2017

It’s been a challenge to stay connected these past months. As International Mr. Leather 2017, I have friends from all over the world. To combat loneliness in isolation, I created a video compilation with global leatherfolk in a myriad of languages to remind us that we are not alone. I also have been selling some of my gear online to raise funds for those of us in financial hardship due to Covid-19 with the Leather Heart Foundation. I’ve raised about $8,000 in the past 11 weeks. There are always ways to connect and be there for each other, even now. We are all stronger together. Happy PRIDE. xo RB

Photograph: Courtesy Zach Stafford

Host of AM2DM | @zachstaff

Lockdown for me has probably been the most still I have ever been in my life. Before we were all forced into our homes, my life was a bit dizzying at times. I spent the year before the virus hit as the EIC of The Advocate and host of the morning show AM2DM, and it felt at times like life was running right in front of me. And now due to this forced pause we’ve all had, I think I have a better appreciation for slowing down, not overbooking myself and knowing that focusing on me is not only good, but needed.

It’s funny I’m sharing this because within all of this being still, I’ve actually become a runner. I did some running in high school but ever since hated it. For example, I will skip CrossFit if it’s a running workout. However, for some reason, once the world slowed down, I began to find myself running in the streets with my mask on.

What’s been interesting during my short life so far as a runner is how it doesn’t get easier every day. There are some days where I feel like I can run forever, others where I can barely make it a block, and so on. I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot as the world begins to open back up and temptations to let my life begin sprinting again sits on the horizon. And what I think I now know—more than I did back in February—is the beauty of being in a body like ours. A body that has good days, that has bad ones, and has days it can’t even attempt to run a mile.

Because as someone who did get sick during all of this and does know folks who have sadly passed away, I’ve learned that at the end of the day, a body is all we’ve got—and it’s quite remarkable what it can do to stay alive. Especially when you give yourself space to sit still.