This Just in from the Ocean State
Open Door Health opens
Back in early March, the official ribbon was cut at a grand opening ceremony for Rhode Island’s first LGBTQ health clinic—Open Door Health, located at 7 Central Street in Providence.
Prior to the reception and open house house, speakers included the center’s Executive Director Dr. Amy Nunn, Governor Gina Raimondo, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman David Cicilline, Mayor Jorge Elorza and other city dignitaries, the center’s Medical Director Dr. Philip Chan and Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg.
Open Door Health aims “to improve the health and quality of life for LGBTQ Rhode Islanders, many of whom face disparities in access to health care and health outcomes, by providing high-quality, culturally congruent health care to RI’s LGBTQ population.” [RP]
RI Pride delivers
Also in March, and in response to COVID-19, Rhode Island Pride initiated a collection drive to help community members in need. The group’s board members and volunteers gathered donations of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies, which community members delivered to many others in need. The community stepped up and donated funds for volunteers to shop for requested supplies. [RP]
Queer vespers
The Rhode Island queer community has gathered mostly in the virtual world for the past few months. Social media has been a critical way to connect. An online ecumenical service, for example, has been held every Thursday evening, led by Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn Howard. A Providence resident and local activist in the LGBTQ community, Howard has led the group in prayer/meditation, reading, singing and short homilies. Speaking not only from her own tradition, Gwendolyn’s liberal religious community has a long history of openness to other faith traditions. More: email queer.vespers@gmail.com.
Oral history listening party
The Providence Public Library is working on a new LGBTQ+ history collection, and the Queering Oral History class at Brown University has begun to collect oral histories for the archive. To kick off Pride month and this new project, attendees listened to audio clips and shared resources and tips for doing their own oral history interviews. More: Provlib.libcal.com.
Scandalous conduct
As editor of the Providence Journal a century ago, John Rathom exposed a 1919 homophobic Navy entrapment scheme that came to be known as the Newport Sex Scandal. Now, the team of Matthew Lawrence and Jason Tranchida have created a series of public programs related to this “largely forgotten but hugely important moment in the history of LGBTQ+ rights.” A Zoom event was organized in late May to begin the inquiry into this century-old occurrence. More: scandalousconduct.com
Virtual drag nights
AIDS Care Ocean State has taken all of the glamour of gay bingo and brought it right to everyone’s laptop with Virtual Drag Nights. Hosts Haley Starr and LaDiva Jones spent last month’s event honoring all the brides that can’t have their dream-weddings this summer. More on future events: Aidscareos.org
What’s up with the bars?
Rhode Island’s gay bars, of course, had to close in March. In an effort to stay connected to their patrons, several establishments have hosted Facebook Live DJ performance events like happy hours or house parties. A GoFundMe account was established for The Stable to support the staff, and their Facebook page has continued to be active. Live videos appear on a regular basis, asking customers and fans to post photos taken at the bar. Some venues have outdoor seating, like the Dark Lady and the Alley Cat, which have opened for outdoor enjoyment only on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Masks are required, and seating is limited. In June, the proprietors assured the community that they were in full compliance with the provisions of the Providence curfew.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
