This Just in from the Ocean State

Cicilline Honored with Hope Harris Award

On October 5, AIDS Project Rhode Island (APRI) honored Congressman David Cicilline as the recipient of the Hope Harris Memorial Award, as part of this year’s AIDS Run/Walk for Life. Named after former APRI board member Hope Harris, the award recognizes persons or organizations exemplifying service to the communities APRI serves, and dedication to the fight against HIV.

For this year’s Run/Walk for Life, celebrating APRI’s 35th anniversary, participants were invited to create their own 5K (3.1 mile) route, either in their own neighborhoods or farther afield. Funds raised went to support APRI programs like their food and personal care item pantry—which has seen a 140 percent increase in demand in the last six months—as well as APRI’s HIV and Hepatitis C testing program and health education efforts.

A Gay High Court Justice for Rhode Island?

A potential exists for Gov. Gina Raimondo to nominate the first openly gay high court justice—and the second openly gay judge in the state. Appellate litigator John E. Roberts, a partner with the Boston firm Proskauer Rose LLP, is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Legal Issues Committee.

There are only 11 openly gay, lesbian or bisexual Supreme Court justices in 10 states nationwide, according to Ethan Rice, senior attorney for the Fair Courts Project at Lambda Legal. Regionally, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New York have all seated a gay, lesbian or bisexual justice on their high courts.

Although he is less well-known than some of the big names also vying for the coveted Supreme Court seat, Roberts has argued complex civil appeals in appellate courts across the nation and has twice represented parties at the U.S. Supreme Court.

He started his career in journalism at WRNI, Rhode Island’s first National Public Radio-affiliated radio station, and went on to help launch NPR’s On Point news program. He graduated from NYU law in 2008 and returned to Rhode Island to clerk for 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Senior Judge Bruce Selya in 2011.

Roberts and his partner, Michael Lyons, a 2005 Rhode Island School of Design graduate and artist best known for his watercolors, returned to Rhode Island in 2014 after two years in New York. They married in Newport five years later.

Scandalous Conduct

Brown University’s Brown Arts Initiative (BAI) has awarded a Community Development Grant to Matthew Lawrence and Jason Tranchida. The pair, known for publishing Headmaster Magazine, are now working on a project called Scandalous Conduct. It is based on the events and characters of the Newport Navy Sex Scandal of 1919, which began as a Navy-sanctioned raid on homosexual activity in Newport, and gained national attention when sailors and civilian men alike were targeted in a covert operation against “immoral acts.” As part of the operation, young men were recruited to engage in sexual acts with other men and then report their findings back to an officer.

Scandalous Conduct is included in the first year of programming for Remaking the Real, BAI’s three-year theme which launched in September 2020.

More: scandalousconduct.com.

Virtual Drag Night with LaDiva and Haley

While raising much needed funds for programs and services, AIDS Care Ocean State is bringing the fun of drag bingo into the living rooms of Rhode Islanders with their monthly virtual show. For a small donation, viewers can join in the hijinks by playing games on their phones or computers, enjoy the raucous humor of queens LaDiva Jones and Haley Star (shows are for those 18 and older), and compete for, as they say, fabulous prizes! The next shows are November 19 and December 17. 

More: aidscareos.org

Former Speaker Fox Hired by Crossroads RI

In 2010, Rhode Island’s Gordon Fox became the nation’s first openly gay House speaker. He resigned in March 2014, and was sentenced shortly thereafter to three years in prison after pleading guilty to bribery, wire fraud and tax evasion. Released to a halfway house in 2017, he has been hired by Crossroads Rhode Island, the largest homeless program in the state.

In a statement, Crossroads spokesman Michael Raia offered these words: “Crossroads has a longstanding commitment to helping people start over and get back on their feet, and we support efforts that give formerly incarcerated individuals opportunities to pursue meaningful work.” The former speaker’s “skills and experience in development,” he continued, are well-suited for Crossroads’ efforts to prevent homelessness in the local population by helping people find a safe, affordable place to live.