What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1263710
JUNE 28-JULY 4, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 9 perspective: While not an Arkansan, Percelay is a gay man who grew up in the South, holds a master's degree in mental health counseling, completed his internship at a community center that serves LGBTQ people as well as those with mental illness, and, as a resident of New York City for nearly the last decade, rode out the city's status as one of the virus' most severe hotbeds in the world. "The thing about LGBT organizations is that they do span across a lot of different platforms because there's health care, there's housing, there's employment stuff, there's the peer mental health piece," Percelay enumerates. But there's also the communal piece where, like the community center he worked for, some organizations serve as the only place a person can go and truly be themselves, be part of a safe community. "I think about that as what people are possibly missing out on due to covid. And it's just expanding the already-existing disparities in health care — who accesses what, which communities are affected most," he says. The "double whammy," Percelay goes on, is hitting LGBT people of color as, according to the Centers for Disease Control, "current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups." "And then for LGBT people of color who may be isolated, who may not be out with their families, who may be quarantining with families that are homophobic…" Percelay demonstrates, "and even if they're not out, that has a negative impact on one's mental health. So I think it's a big challenge for communities to ask, 'How can we help at this time?'" In the spirit and celebration of PRIDE, maybe one of the ways we can help during this time is by sharing our space. We at What's Up! wanted to lift up some of the voices of our own LGBTQ and gender non-conforming community to ensure them they are not alone, we see you, we hear you, and that we're all in this together — whatever "together" looks like in the face of this pandemic. Helen Chase, photographer and new mama (Courtey Photos) Photographer and new mama Helen Chase reflects on how the world has changed in the short time since her daughter was born: The world we are living in feels strange and sad so much of the time right now. Our daughter was born in November, and we have been isolated due to covid since March. This has meant that our families and our circle of loved ones, many of whom are part of the LGBTQ+ community, have not been able to be present in her life the way we expected. On top of that, we were so excited to take her to her first Pride, which obviously is not possible this month. People have still shown up for us, and her, in many other beautiful ways, but it's not the new parenthood my wife and I anticipated. We are all coping with grief and uncertainty on an unprecedented scale. It's hard not knowing what will happen or how the situation might change month-to-month, or even year-to-year. I struggle with sitting with uncomfortable feelings on the best of days, and so I have been trying to embrace the ways I can be present during this. Our daughter is so young that she doesn't know the world is any different than it was a few months ago, and her joy at even the smallest things is a reminder of what we have. My wife and I spend as much time outside with her as possible. Advocating for social change, therapy, journaling, video calls with our friends and family, and cookies also help. Artist and photographer John Rankine His self-portrait is titled: "Pride in a Pandemic — a Homage to the Past, Present and Future." Artist and photographer John Rankine speaks to how the coronavirus has affected his relationship with his community, as well as what helps him maintain hope: It being Pride month, it was hard not to be able to reach out to everyone because of this pandemic. Not being able to participate in Fayetteville's Pride Parade and all the canceled events in Eureka Springs was frustrating and sad, but well understood. This pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests over George Floyd and police violence are a little reminiscent of the AIDS crisis and the panic, fear and activism the LGBTQ community faced in the '80s and early '90s. We were on the streets fighting for our lives. We lost so many talented and wonderful people. Of course, all the people like myself that survived the first plague are now in that high-risk group for covid-19. Racism and homophobia are not inherent in the human psyche. It's learned behavior and I think white people are finally understanding that it's not enough to just say you are not a racist — that you need to stand up to racism — just like many straight people are saying no more homophobia and standing with their LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Eureka Springs is a wonderful, progressive place to live in Arkansas. The city has had a domestic partnership registry since 2007 and has made health insurance coverage available for domestic partners of city employees since 2011. HB 2223, a non-discrimination ordinance, passed with over 70 percent of the vote, and of course we were the first to perform legal marriages in Arkansas, a day full of drama and joy that I will never forget. See Pride Page 10