This Just in from the Ocean State
RIP TC
TC Rogers, 46, of Providence, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 13. TC was the wife of Andrea Dougherty and the mother of Samantha Dougherty-Rogers.
A strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, TC (they/them), earned a BA in communications from Regis College in 1998, an MA in English literature from the University of London in 2003, and an EdD from Northeastern in 2014.
They served in many capacities, including board president, at Options Magazine. They were politically active in the Rhode Island community, as well as at the Gordon School and the Wilbury Theatre Group.
You can make a donation in TC’s memory to the Human Rights Campaign at thehrcfoundation.org/support.
Hate group disrupts story hour
On Jan. 14, during Drag Queen Story Hour with Monica Moore at the Taunton Public Library, masked protestors who identified with the neo-Nazi hate group NSC-131 entered the room and began making vulgar, demeaning and threatening comments to attendees.
NSC-131 members also disrupted the Drag Queen Story Hour with Ms. Gloria in Fall River that same morning.
At a Jan. 17 Taunton City Council Meeting, council members heard victim impact statements and pleas from South Coast LGBTQ+ community members to work together in securing future events from such behavior. Eileen Dugas, executive director of The South Coast LGBTQ+ Network, reminded the council that American youth who experience anti-LGBTQ+ victimization report more than twice the rate of attempted suicide compared to those who did not have any of these experiences.
Historic first
Just after the first of the year, Councilmember Rachel Miller, who represents Ward 13 (Federal Hill, part of the West End and the Valley District), was unanimously elected president of the Providence city council. Council President Miller’s election is historic, as she is the first leader of the city council from the LGBTQ+ community.
She has pledged to put equity at the forefront, and to address issues of public safety, the quality of our schools and equitable access to city services.
SAGE becomes Pride in Aging
As of Jan. 1, the organization formerly known as SAGE-RI has a new name. This initiative was prompted by a change in the relationship between SAGE/USA and its former affiliates to enable a more diverse and inclusive network of partnerships.
As Pride in Aging RI, the important work done as SAGE-RI will continue: service, advocacy, education and training.
More: prideinagingri.org
New Dem Women’s chair
The Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus elected Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson as their new chair. Dr. Anderson, a transgender woman, is the former executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. She is active in social justice issues of race, poverty and gender and ran for State Senate in a recent primary. She is also cochair of the Rhode Island Commission on Prejudice and Bias, and former cochair of the State Advisory Committee for the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Dr. Anderson currently serves as Pastor at Pilgrim United Church of Christ (UCC) in New Bedford, Mass., and lives in Providence.
Foster Parents needed
Currently there are not enough foster families to provide safe homes for Rhode island’s most vulnerable youth. Every day, children are removed from their families due to abuse and neglect with no place to go. Family Service of RI is looking specifically for foster parents from the LGBTQIA+ community, as there are many LGBTQIA+ youth in state care who need supportive, understanding and loving homes.
More: pereirajh@familyserviceri.org; 401-999-2962.
Clue redo
Who killed Boddy Black? Now you can solve the mystery in a suspenseful and newly reimagined Clue board game, which has just been released by Rhode Island–based Hasbro. The iconic mystery-solving board game Clue received a refresh that combines classic Clue gameplay with rich new takes on the original storyline, an intriguing diverse cast, highly stylized game pieces (in rainbow colors), and the glamorous Tudor Mansion.
Recently referred to as having been “yass-ified,” the new characters have caused a stir on social media. Where the character called Miss White was once portrayed as an older woman wearing a maid uniform, for example, the new character is Chef White, with undercut hair, tattoos, Doc Martens and cuffed trousers. One journalist tweeted, ‘Hasbro’s new version of Clue officially comes out today and I look forward to a generation of kids pointing to Chef White as their sexual awakening.’ Another tweeted: ‘Where can we find a Miss Scarlet in real life?’
HRC equality leader
Rhode Island — along with the other five New England states — earned tops scores on Human Rights Campaign’s most recent State Equality Index.
This index delivers a comprehensive state-by-state report on laws and policies that affect LGBTQ+ people and their families across the country. Scores are broken down into the following categories: Active Laws & Policies; Parenting Laws; Hate Crimes & Criminal Justice Laws; Non-Discrimination Laws; Religious Refusal & Relationship Recognition; Youth Laws; and Health & Safety Laws.
Find out how the Ocean State scored in each at hrc.org/resources/state-scorecards.
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