By Ramy Eletreby

Crystal Meth Forum to Focus on Treatment

On April 11, West Hollywood Mayor-elect John Duran will moderate a free town hall forum focusing on treatment options for crystal methamphetamine.

"Cracking Crystal: Treatment and Care Options for Ourselves and Our Loved Ones" is Duran’s fourth panel discussion about the crystal meth epidemic in the LGBT community. City officials estimate that nearly 30 percent of people testing HIV-positive at West Hollywood testing sites reported using crystal meth within six months prior to testing.

Panelists include Dr. David Hardy, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Lauren Wolf of Rainbow Bridge Community Services; Phil Hendricks of AIDS Project Los Angeles; Sam Mongiello, 12-step participant; Dr. Matt Torrington, medical director of Prometa; and psychiatrist Bernard Beirman, M.D.

Prior to the panel discussion, three public service announcements on “Meth Mouth” produced by IN Los Angeles magazine on behalf of the X-Meth Alliance will be shown. The X-Meth Alliance is a loose alliance of individuals and organizations united in a community response to the LGBT crystal meth epidemic.

The event runs 6:30-9 p.m. at West Hollywood Park Auditorium, 647 N. San Vicente Blvd. For more information, contact (323) 848-6410. Hearing-impaired individuals can call (323) 848-6496. —Karen Ocamb

Amaechi Named L.A. Pride Grand Marshal

Former basketball star John Amaechi, the first National Basketball Association player to come out as a gay man, has been named the grand marshal for the upcoming Christopher Street West L.A. Pride parade.

“I'm inspired by John Amaechi's courage and conviction,” CSW President Rodney Scott told IN. “Despite personal risk, he opened himself up to the world and showed his authentic self. He's a catalyst for improving the lives of our youth and is a model for all if us. John Amaechi's courage encourages us to continue our quest for equality.”

L.A. Pride is slated for June 8-10 in West Hollywood. For more information, see www.lapride.org.

Lambda Legal Protects Orange County Man’s Invalid Domestic Partnership

Darrin Ellis’ dismissed petition for dissolution of his domestic partnership with David Arriaga is being appealed by Lambda Legal in an effort to improve state domestic partnership laws. In August 2003, Ellis believed he entered a domestic partnership with Arriaga but when their relationship ended in 2006, Arriaga informed Ellis that he never sent in the notarized Declaration of Domestic Partnership form to the California Secretary of State’s office. On Feb. 2, the court dismissed Ellis’ petition for dissolution after it was revealed that the partnership was never validated. According to Lambda Legal, state law should protect domestic partners in the same way men and women in committed relationships who believed they were married are protected by the state’s “putative spouse doctrine.”

“Without access to marriage, same-sex couples are left with an inferior, confusing system that causes people like our client to fall through the cracks,” said Lambda Legal’s Tara Borelli, in a statement. “People like Darrin Ellis have the additional burden of demonstrating to the state why they should be treated as spouses are when they honestly thought they were married, but for one technical legal reason or another were not.”

Over 500 LGBT Youth Rally in Sacramento on Queer Youth Advocacy Day

On March 26, more than 500 LGBT youth and their straight allies marked Queer Youth Advocacy Day at the state Capitol to call for an end to harassment and discrimination against queer youth in California’s public schools. Throughout the day, which was co-sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, and Bienestar, the youth held signs and a rainbow of balloons as they met with seven lawmakers and LGBT community leaders to raise their voices and educate the public about the need for safer schools in the state.

“Young people today feel more comfortable coming out in high school than ever before,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “While LGBT students still face adversity at school, they are making themselves visible and taking the lead in calling for change so future generations feel more protected and safe in the classroom.”

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives Contributes to Outfest Legacy Project

The Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation, a partnership between the UCLA Film and Television Archive and Outfest, announced that it will receive the entire moving image collection from the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. ONE is the oldest ongoing LGBT organization in the Western Hemisphere, and its archive contains more than 1,500 films and 3,000 videos. This deposit marks the largest moving image contribution ever to the Outfest Legacy Project, which already comprised the world’s largest publicly accessible collection of LGBT films.

For more information, see www.outfest.org/legacy.html.

Beaupre Interviewed Deutsch at Journalism Event

Openly gay broadcast journalist and Cal State professor Jon Beaupre interviewed famed Associated Press court reporter Linda Deutsch on March 14 at an event co-hosted by The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Los Angeles Press Club at The Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood.

Deutsch’s 40 years of reporting include his coverage of such notable trials as those of Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Manson, Patty Hearst, O.J. Simpson and the Menendez brothers.

Interviewed during “Sunshine Week,” Deutsch said she is concerned about the continued assaults on the First Amendment. —K.O.

Low-Cost Housing Development for LGBT Seniors Opens

Triangle Square, the nation’s first affordable housing development for HIV-positive, low-income, and homeless LGBT senior citizens, opened its Hollywood doors on March 22. Built by Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH) and developer McCormack Baron Salazar, the $21 million development features 104 units, covered parking, a pool, an open courtyard and an activity center.

“All parties went into this development with the belief that regardless of a senior's income, race or sexual preference, they are entitled to live in a decent, safe and friendly living environment,” said developer Tony Salazar.

Gay seniors face specific challenges that often leave them feeling lonely and isolated. Elderly care facilities usually do not allow same-sex partners to share a room and single gay seniors tend to lack the family support system that others benefit from. Furthermore, gay seniors are more likely to encounter prejudice from their straight counterparts. Many seniors who have lived openly for years are often forced back into the closet at assisted-living facilities. There are an estimated 442,000 LGBT people living in L.A., which is second only to New York City, according to a recent study by UCLA’s Williams Institute.

Gay Buyer Sought for Boom Boom Room

SAVE the BOOM!!!, a group dedicated to keeping Laguna Beach’s legendary Boom Boom Room from shutting down, is looking for a buyer to purchase the historic bar and keep it gay. Steven Udvar-Hazy, the Boom’s current owner and one of the top 100 richest Americans, according to Forbes, is reportedly planning to remodel the Coast Inn, the hotel in which the bar is located, resulting in the closure of the oldest continuous operating gay bar in the Western United States.

“We will spend as long as it takes, talk to as many people and contact as many companies as we can to try and find a knight in shining armor to come in and save the day,” said Fred Karger, founder of SAVE the BOOM!!!. “We have plenty of gay billionaires and centi-millionaires out there and we will appeal to as many of them as we can for help.”

First National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Held

The first annual National Native (American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian) HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was held on March 21, coinciding with the first day of spring, to promote a greater awareness of the high risks of HIV/AIDS to their communities. Despite the fact that American Indians and Alaska Natives represent only one percent of the entire U.S. population, they rank third in rates of AIDS diagnoses among all racial groups, according to the Indian Health Service.

“Stigma, silence and behavior are fueling this epidemic,” said Charles Grim, director of the Indian Health Service. “Although these are sensitive issues, we must begin to talk openly and honestly about HIV/AIDS in our communities. Every time we discuss HIV, we lessen the fear, decrease the stigma and eliminate the silence. We then have the opportunity to encourage others to protect themselves, know their status and promote a healthier community.”

The day also served as a commemoration for those who died, an acknowledgement of those who are infected and a call for increased resources for testing and treatment options of HIV/AIDS.