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VOICE
NEWS / CULTURE / HEALTH / COMMUNITY / TRAVEL / FASHION / FOOD / YOUTH / HISTORY / FEATURES
CO
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TIC
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FUR-EVER
Scot Haney
FRIENDS
WHAT TO KNOW
BEFORE ADOPTING
Gets Real
A PET
MENTAL HEALTH
IN THE TIME
ABOUT COMING OUT, OVERCOMING OF COVID
OBSTACLES AND LIVING HIS BEST LIFE HOW AND WHERE
TO GET HELP
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EDITOR’S NOTE // Visit us online at
www.ctvoice.com
Welcome to the fall issue of Follow us on Twitter
Connecticut VOICE! @ctvoicemag
Like us on Facebook
In this edition, well-known
facebook.com/CT-Voice
meteorologist Scot Haney gets
personal – sharing childhood
memories, his coming out story,
relationship regrets, and the highs and Connecticut VOICE™
lows of his personal and professional is published by Seasons Media
life. Haney is one of the most Publisher /Owner
recognizable television personalities in James Tully
the state, and many people feel as if Editor
they know him, but you likely haven’t Cara Rosner
heard the revelations and reminiscing Creative Director
he shares here. Stacy Murray
Doreen Chudoba
We also shine a spotlight on Sales & Marketing Executive
intersex individuals, a segment
Cover Photograph
of the community who often feel misunderstood, marginalized and
by Todd Fairchild
unrepresented. And we catch up with Jacob G. Padrón, the relatively new
leader of New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre, who is trying to bring new life
to the cultural institution.
With COVID-19 still dominating the news and our lives, we examine how
mental health issues can be exacerbated by current events, as well as
the importance of seeking regular medical care – even in the midst of a
pandemic. We’re also lamenting the 2020 Pride season that was largely
“LOVE IS NOT ABOUT HOW
upended this year, but are still able to share some reader-submitted
photos of how you embraced the spirit, even in these challenging times.
MANY DAYS, WEEKS OR
On the lighter side, we’re giving you tips on how to foster or adopt the Editorial Advisory Contributors
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Dawn Ennis
John Pica-Sneeden TOGETHER, IT’S ALL ABOUT
HOW MUCH YOU LOVE
Jeffrey Hoess-Brooks
As always, I invite you to join the conversation by connecting with us on Frank Rizzo
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Happy reading,
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Cara Rosner, Editor
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Photo by iStockphoto/Drazen_
4 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 5
IN THIS ISSUE //
16
SPIRIT
Danbury’s Gay-Straight
Alliance offers students a
safe place where they can
be themselves.
8 42 84
IN MEMORIAM HEALTH AND MEET
Remembering LGBTQ activist CT VOICE speaks to Claude Louis
and playwright Larry Kramer.
WELLNESS about the evolving meaning of
Even amid a pandemic, it’s
Pride and our community’s role.
important for transgender
10 patients to seek medical care
52 ARTS AND when they need it.
86
THE INTERVIEW CULTURE OP-ED
The Interview: WFSB Channel
Artistic Director Jacob Padrón
60 What is queer art? It may depend
3 meteorologist Scot Haney is
a familiar face to many, but few
has big plans for New Haven’s PERSPECTIVES on whom you ask.
Long Wharf Theatre. Connecticut’s intersex
know the personal journey - full of
ups and downs - he’s embraced.
population seeks to amplify its On the Cover:
voice.
22 Scot Haney discusses growing
up, coming out and moving on.
FEATURE 68
Mental health struggles that
many LGBTQ people face on TRAVEL
a daily basis are exacerbated We may all be stuck close
by the pandemic - but help is to home these days, but
available. these shows and movies still
transport us.
28
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eclectic and tasty? Look no
further than The Flying Monkey
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Before making the
in Newington. commitment to foster
or adopt a pet, there is
37 much to consider.
SPOTLIGHT
An anti-bullying play scheduled
Photo by Todd Fairchild
for October will make its debut
online.
6 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 7
S
eeing Larry Kramer’s primal scream challenging norms – and other gay men – with his
of a play “The Normal Heart” when 1978 novel “Faggots,” which pulled the curtain to
IN MEMORIAM // it premiered in April of 1985 was reveal the gay community as he saw it, and it wasn’t
a passionate, heartbreaking, and all pretty.
harrowing experience I’ll never forget. “We should get people – and ourselves – to stop
The play was meant to be an in- defining us by the sexual acts that we do,” he
your-face polemic with no place to told me.
hide. Theatergoers were surrounded In 1982, shortly after news began spreading of a
by walls scrawled with the names of those who “gay cancer,” he co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis
died of HIV/AIDS. Set in the early days of that (GMHC), the nonprofit AIDS service organization.
pandemic, which decimated the gay community, (Kramer resigned in 1983 due to his many
the play followed writer Ned Weeks – an outspoken, disagreements with the other founders.)
exasperating gay man who, like Kramer himself, An article Kramer wrote in 1983 for the New York
found himself rising to a historical moment in a role Native, titled “1,112 and Counting,” was a further
for himself he had never envisioned. wake-up call. “If this article doesn’t rouse you to
In the play – and in life – Kramer boldly named anger, fury, rage and action, gay men have no future
names, calling out New York City Mayor Ed Koch, on this earth,” Kramer wrote.
President Ronald Reagan, The New York Times and In 1987, Kramer founded the grassroots, more
even the gay community itself, for its lack of action militant group, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash
in the face of the growing scourge. He was the living Power), which took to the streets demanding an
embodiment of the war cry of the era: “Silence = acceleration in AIDS drugs research and an end to
Death.” discrimination against gay men and lesbians. Both
At that point, the disease had taken tens of organizations he started reshaped national health
thousands of lives. Hundreds of thousands more policy in the ’80 and ’90s.
would perish in the United States, and millions more By his own accounts, he should never had lived as
globally, by the time the play was revived in 2004. long as he did. He was HIV-positive since the ’80s,
When the drama finally made it to Broadway in 2011 and in 2001 he was dying of a liver disease until a
in a Tony Award-winning revival, and later became transplant allowed him to live into the third decade
a television movie on HBO in 2014, AIDS no longer of the 21st Century.
made headlines. It was an increasingly distant In a memorial piece written for The Guardian,
memory for some, and for a new LGBTQ generation, playwright Matthew Lopez (who wrote the epic “The
it meant hardly anything at all. Inheritance,” which spans several generations of gay
Larry Kramer, the Bridgeport-born, Yale University- men) recalled a panel that included Kramer last year
educated writer-activist, died May 27 at age 84 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall
of pneumonia. riots. When asked about the importance of that now-
I interviewed Kramer several times over the years hallowed 1969 event, Kramer said it wasn’t important
at his Manhattan apartment off of Washington at all. One can imagine the gasps and the clutching
Square, a home that he shared with his husband, of pearls.
David Webster. My first visit was in 1986, when New But that was Kramer. Deliberately contrarian,
Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre presented its own wanting to shake people out of complacency and
production of “The Normal Heart” starring Tom Hulce easy narratives. Though Stonewall brought visibility,
(Academy Award nominee for “Amadeus”). it did not bring meaningful change, he said, adding
“Now AIDS has a human face,” Kramer told me that it took the scourge of AIDS to turn gays queer,
at the time. and to launch an unstoppable political movement
With a scruffy beard and big brown eyes, Kramer around the globe.
could be gruff, relentless, and exhausting but he was His mantra throughout had always been that until
also inspiring and, yes, funny gays came out of the closet,
and charming, too. He was a until people recognized the
teddy bear with teeth. LGBTQ community – not in the
Larry Kramer (1935 - 2020) Kramer first found success
in his early life in Hollywood as
abstract or as “the other,” but
as their sons and daughters,
Sounding the alarm, fighting for rights a producer and writer, earning
an Oscar nomination for his
brothers and sisters, fathers
and mothers, friends and
screenplay for 1969’s “Women neighbors – meaningful
By FRANK RIZZO in Love,” based on the D.H. change would not happen.
Lawrence classic. (And what Larry Kramer was right –
gay man then will forget the absolutely – and millions of
homoerotic nude wrestling LBGTQ people living today,
scene by firelight between survivors and descendants
Oliver Reed and Alan Bates?) alike, owe him their eternal
Kramer was a novelist, too, thanks.
8 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 9
ARTS & CULTURE //
Taking the Stage
J
Jacob Padrón plans dramatic changes for New Haven theater
By FRANK RIZZO
acob G. Padrón stands outside Long Wharf came out to about 15 years ago at Yale. “The fact that he
Theatre, located in the middle of the New Haven is gay did not become the sole way he defined himself, but
Food Terminal on the outskirts of the city. The rather contributed to this beautiful tapestry of identities that
building is closed and its large outdoor parking were already operating within Jacob.”
lot is nearly vacant. It’s oddly quiet on a sunny Padron says each part of his identity has informed his val-
summer afternoon, the silence broken only by ues and often complement each other – but not always.
the hum of the nearby highway and the oc- “I love the values the Catholic church has instilled in me
casional squawk of a seagull. We are meeting to take some but I also struggle with other parts of it,” he says. “The same
photographs and talk about his career, his evolution as a gay thing with being gay. There are aspects of the gay commu-
man, and these unexpected times. nity that I love and others I am challenged by – like the body
Outside the theater, a poster promotes a season that was shaming and the premium based on external factors. So, with
cut short in March by the pandemic. This wasn’t how Padrón each of those pieces of my identity there is both the good and
imagined his inaugural season when he became the the- the bad.”
ater’s new artistic director. But Long Wharf’s dire financial
struggles and the COVID-19 crisis decimated plans to trans- GROWING UP
form the Tony Award-honored theater from one that was on The son of a business inspector for the state and a book-
the verge of collapse into one that would hopefully thrive as keeper, Padrón grew up with an older brother and sister, and
it became rooted in and reflective of its city. a younger sister, in the conservative community of Gilroy,
“There’s sadness about not being able to be in the space, Calif., 80 miles south of San Francisco, self-promoted as the
but I also look at the promise of what is to come, too,” says “garlic capital of the world” and last year the site of a mass
Padrón, a soft-spoken, measured man whose seriousness of shooting at its annual festival. Jacob G. Padrón, shown here outside Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, never imagined he’d be guiding the organization through a
tone is balanced and brightened by a glistening smile. Padrón came of age in the ‘90s during the specter of HIV pandemic when he became artistic director. Photo by Frank Rizzo.
“He’s not an ostentatious kind of guy,” says Stephanie and AIDS.
Ybarra, a classmate of Padrón’s when both were students at “For my generation, to be gay meant to be sick or to have more friendly and safe. Though he took some directing classes when he went to
the Yale School of Drama and who is now artistic director of so much fear about sex and intimacy,” he says. “So much has His first experience in theater was when he was a boy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, his interest
Baltimore Center Stage. “Not in his personal life and not in changed now but yes, that was always a trauma for me, and I the Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose in “The Wiz” in college turned to social work. After he graduated in 2003,
his artistry. He is thoughtful, reflective and deliberate in his think it still lives in my body.” and “Peter Pan,” he recalls, “but it wasn’t a particularly Padrón joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and worked for a
leadership – and in his relationships.” Reflecting on his youth, he says: “I think I was outgoing, joyful experience because there weren’t a lot of people who year in North Carolina, providing support for those living
Like Ybarra, Padrón is one of many people of color or but I struggled with social pressures in terms of fitting in, looked like me. I remember the white kids being really with HIV and AIDS.
women who are part of a new wave of leadership at not-for- finding my way. I definitely didn’t have a great high school dismissive and already, at that young age, I was feeling the During an internship at Baltimore Center Stage, he felt
profit regional theaters across the country, one with a goal of experience – the way in which high schoolers now are able dynamics of microaggressions.” the pull of the theater – and the power in its storytelling. He
systemic change towards equality, diversity, and inclusion. to express themselves. There was a fair amount of teasing, It wasn’t until he experienced a different type of theater decided his passion for social justice and love of the theater
Padrón, 40, is a third-generation Mexican-American, a actually, which was really difficult. At that age, I’m not sure – the civic-centric, Latinx-based El Teatro Campesino in could be compatible.
social activist, and a gay man who came out in his mid-20s. I even had cognizance of being different. If I was attracted to nearby San Juan Bautista – during his teen years that he felt
“Jacob’s journey is one of understanding and exploring other men, I wasn’t at all ready to acknowledge that.” a special connection, one in which he not only felt refuge COMING OUT
how that part of his gay identity intersects with his Latinx In his junior year of high school, Padrón moved in with and comfort but a sense of community and purpose. In 2005, Padrón arrived at the Yale School of Drama
identity, intersects with his Catholic upbringing, intersects his grandparents, who lived 25 miles away, so he could go to “That’s where I understood that theater could be a catalyst for its theater management program but still had not come
with his artistry,” says Ybarra, one of the first people Padrón another school which his cousins attended – one he felt was for social justice,” he says of the company. out as a gay man. He says he was “still in the questioning,
10 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 11
the center.” He says he is now in a the culture by advocating for artists
relationship. of color by asking critical questions
but it was painful work. The OSF
MOVING ON was probably where I felt the most
For the next 10 years, Padrón’s empowered with Bill Rauch. I felt he
career touched on some of the lead- really listened to me and was open to
ing institutions of American theater. feedback and critique.”
While still at Yale, Padrón so im- Padrón left Steppenwolf in 2013
pressed Bill Rauch, who was about to work at New York’s The Public
to take over at the Oregon Shake- Theater as senior line producer.
speare Festival (OSF), that he offered “One of the things I love most
him a job as associate producer on about The Public was that you were
the spot. never unclear about why you were
“I felt like we were in deep synch there, that it was about [founder] Joe
about the importance of equity, Papp’s mission of being in a theater
diversity, and inclusion,” says Rauch, company formed by the people and
who is now the inaugural artistic being deeply committed to social
director of The Ronald O. Perelman justice.”
Performing Arts Center in New York During his time there, the musical
City. “I thought Jacob had so much “Hamilton” was developed ahead of
positive energy and was so thought- its 2015 premiere. “That was really
ful about the kind of culture we exciting, and I got to go to those
wanted to create there – and for the early workshops and be part of that
American theater.” experience as a member of the artis-
But after four years in rural Or- tic staff.” Padrón also worked with
egon, Padrón yearned for an urban, his Yale classmate, playwright Tarell
diverse environment and went to Alvin McCraney, for a new play at
work at Chicago’s Steppenwolf The- The Public, “Head of Passes,” which
atre. There he oversaw the artistic starred Phylicia Rashad.
programming for the Garage, Step- “But it could also be very chal-
penwolf’s second stage dedicated to lenging there, too,” he says. “Even
new work, artists, and audiences. It at The Public, we have to do a
is a period that he remembers with better job of amplifying the voices
mixed emotions. of Latinx stories. It’s just not hap-
Despite some challenges on the horizon, Padron has a vision for Long Wharf Theatre. Photo by Frank Rizzo.
“It was really a difficult time,” he pening. New York City is a city of
says. “Martha [Lavey, the artistic Latinos, Dominicans and Puerto
director] was really tough on me. Ricans, and their stories are nowhere
She was smart and passionate but to be found.”
rather than accepting, stage. I was dat- the moment that I knew I wanted to live His father was asleep, but his mother my experience with her was that if It was at The Public in 2016 where
ing women, and even in college I had a freely and joyfully as a gay person and was in another room, awake. she didn’t believe you to be worthy Padrón had the idea for an initiative
pretty serious girlfriend whom I thought to really embrace my gay identity. It was “My sister sort of opened the door for of her intelligence, she didn’t engage which would become The Sol Proj-
I was going to marry. So it was a real also the time I told my family.” me and said, ‘So Mom, Jacob and I had with you. Steppenwolf is a predomi- ect, designed to amplify the voices of
pivot when I got to graduate school.” On the last night of a visit to Gilroy a really good night, and we talked about nantly white institution so navigating Latinx playwrights and build artistic
In his second year at Yale, Padrón had that year, he came out to his older sister a lot of things and he has something to that was really painful as a Latinx homes for artists of color nationwide.
an internship at Los Angeles’ Centre and brother-in-law. “They were very share with you. Jacob…?’” person, and as one of the few people “Once it was launched and it start-
Theater Group. “During that time, I supportive, and my sister asked me, Padrón gives a great grin at that mo- of color there. Nonetheless, I’m ed to take off, that’s when I decided
met this gentleman and when people ‘When are you going to tell Mom and ment of the retelling. “It went well,” he grateful for my experience there to leave The Public and focus on The
talk about falling in love and your heart Dad?’ It was around midnight and I told says. “My parents are very supportive. because I learned a lot.” Sol Project full time.”
really swelling, being really so happy to her I would tell them before I went to I come from a very religious fam- Padrón says it was frustrating try-
be in someone’s orbit – that, for me, was the airport in the morning and she said, ily and, like so many Latinx families, ing to change the institution solely FINDING HOME
the moment where I thought, ‘Oh, this ‘No, I think you tell them right now. very Catholic. But for my family, it’s from the inside. “I was trying to In early 2019, Long Wharf Theatre
is what it means to be in love.’ That was Let’s go! Let’s do it!’” about placing love and acceptance at bring my value system and to shift named Padrón its artistic director. Press photos by T. Charles Erickson
12 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 13
“... it really is going to be up to all of us working together,
working in partnership, around this vision of what it means to
be a theater company that is for the community.”
–Jacob Padrón
Press photos by T. Charles Erickson
Soon after, Hope Chávez was named artistic producer and Kit civic community.”
Ingui joined as managing director. (Padrón remains artistic Says Ybarra: “Jacob inherited quite a heavy lift but now he
director of The Sol Project and also teaches at the Yale School can do what he does best. Jacob sitting in the artistic direc-
of Drama.) tor’s seat carries with him, even among all of the scarcity, a
Padrón arrived at a time when the theater is in a financially spirit of abundance, joy, and hope.”
perilous state. Padrón had announced the 2020-21 season – its theater’s
“The board realized they could no longer do business as 55th – just as the pandemic began in March. That season
usual,” he says. “The organization was in crisis and it contin- will now jump a year and begin in late 2021. But Padrón is
ues to be so. I also walked into a culture that was unhealthy planning activity before then, with the theater leaving its safe
and unsafe. There was a lot that needed to happen.” haven on the outskirts of the city to present some program-
He adds, “The city has always had activism as part of its ming throughout New Haven.
DNA. I’m excited for Long Wharf to be part of the connective “One city, but many stages,” says Padrón. “But it really
tissue that brings neighborhoods together, for Long Wharf is going to be up to all of us working together, working in
to be held accountable to its community around the work of partnership, around this vision of what it means to be a theater
social justice and anti-racism, for the way in which we can company that is for the community. Art has a bigger purpose
all transform and grow together as a civic institution and as a to play, especially now.”
Frank Rizzo has written about the arts in Connecticut and nationally for
more than 40 years; for the The New York Times, American Theatre
Magazine and dozens of other outlets. He is also a theater critic for Variety.
Follow Frank’s work at ShowRiz.com and on Twitter @ShowRiz.
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
14 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 15
SPIRIT //
Safe Haven
G
Danbury’s GSA gives students a place to be their true selves
By DAWN ENNIS
iven the ongoing coronavirus pan- decision to shutter schools and cease in-person education
demic, educators and students across led to one disappointment after another, all in the interest of
Connecticut are experiencing school stopping the spread of COVID-19, and thereby saving lives.
this autumn in a way that is unlike But most straight and cisgender students have not experi-
anything they have seen before – enced the same consequences as their LGBTQ, nonbinary,
even compared to last spring. On gender nonconforming and asexual classmates.
March 13, uncertainty over the risk The students who take part in Gay-Straight Alliance clubs
of contagion abruptly forced most districts to move classes lost something essential when schools closed in March: not
online, creating homeschool alternatives that had immediate just face-to-face interactions, but the safe space in which
consequences for students and their families. they had them. High school is often a time of self-discovery
School sports: canceled. High school proms: canceled. and exploration, and that’s best achieved in a supportive
Field trips: canceled. And commencement ceremonies, from environment. A GSA provides exactly that, out of sight from
kindergarten through 12th grade, were also canceled. The less-than-accepting peers, siblings, and parents.
Zoom meetings, Skype,
Webex and Google Class-
room connections are a
poor substitute for the kind
of face-to-face interactions
that happen in a GSA.
And they also can pose a
danger for closeted kids,
says Kimberly D’Auria,
the teacher who leads Dan-
bury High School’s Gay-
Straight Alliance club.
“A lot of their parents
don’t know,” D’Auria
says. “So, if, God forbid,
their parents walk into
the room and we’re on a
conference call or Zoom
meeting or whatever, you
might just out them.”
“Before, we had a lot
of kids who couldn’t meet
after school because then
their parents would know.
So we would meet every
single Thursday, during
Teacher Kimberly D’Auria not only leads Danbury High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance ‘flex,’” says D’Auria. Ashley Corrie, an alum of Danbury High School and former president of D’Auria’s GSA, spoke at the Women’s
club, The Diversity Council, she is also active in civil rights, such as the Women’s March in March in Hartford in January 2019.
Hartford in January 2019.
16 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 17Chase Davis, a member of the Diversity Council who graduated earlier this year, identifies as non-binary. They took out
a yearbook ad to salute D’Auria, saying she “does her very best to fight for the rights of not only her students at DHS
but wherever she can find!”
“Flex” is a flexible period of 45 minutes during the school these kids are not out,” she says of her 15 or so students.
day in which students can attend club meetings, band “So this was a safe place.”
rehearsals, school plays, and the like.
To further protect closeted students, D’Auria says, the
But all that ended on March 13th when Danbury High
closed its doors. The Diversity Council went on hiatus.
Meetings held state-wide, visit ctglc.org for more info.
school dropped the name “GSA.” “We changed it from
GSA to Diversity Council so all kids can come and not tip
their parents off. I don’t want it to be a secret, but some of
Despite scheduling conference calls that no one joined,
and making individual wellness checks, D’Auria confess-
es she felt abandoned, and sad. INFO@CTGLC.ORG 860-612-8351
18 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 19major pursuing a degree in secondary industry; I’m a hat maker. This was in the mid-
education. Corrie identifies as bisexual. ‘80s when I did that.”
“For the longest time, as many bisexual The 1980s were, of course, when the world
people do, you come to terms with your first learned about AIDS, and D’Auria, now 56,
internalized homophobia,” she says. “And was living in one of the epicenters of that crisis.
then you get people who are telling you “I was hardcore, living in the AIDS crisis, and
that, ‘Oh, well, you just need to pick a being part of the whole social activism of the
side,’ or ‘Oh, you just don’t want the label. ‘80s in New York City,” D’Auria says. “My first
You don’t want the stigma that comes cousin died of AIDS … I was with him when he
with it.’ I’ve always just kind of had to passed. And it was the saddest thing I’ve ever
have that stance, ‘Well, you’re not me. experienced in my life. He didn’t want to tell
You don’t know how I feel. Therefore, you my aunt because we were a Christian family and
can’t tell me what I do and try and identify what was my aunt going to think because he’s
as.’” dying of AIDS? It was the whole crazy story
Both Corrie and rising Danbury High with my family with that.
School senior Viktoria Wulff-Andersen “I always wanted to keep his memory alive. I
say they’ve encountered pockets of anti- went through the whole journey with him, and
LGBT sentiment at their school, even that’s where it started,” she recounts. “And that
though most students are accepting. They was the turning point for me to say, ‘Hey, what is
say D’Auria has been key in giving them going on in this community?’ ”
tools to survive those who aren’t. D’Auria decided to pursue a master’s degree,
“There were kids who would come up the study of humanistic, multicultural education.
Kimberly D’Auria drove more than 200 miles to protest President
to us and call us slurs, or they would try She researched all the “-isms,” she says: racism, Trump and his administration’s cuts to Planned Parenthood when
to pick a fight,” recalls Corrie. “We had sexism, genderism, classism, all of which she she heard he was visiting her hometown of Utica, N.Y. Planned
people who would come and pretend to said led toward her goal “to make a change on all Parenthood is the number one health care provider in the nation for
transgender Americans.
join the club and then slander it and yell human rights, and it led me to do my penetrative
and make a big scene in front of every- research project on transitioning youth.”
body.” That was in 2007-2008, and D’Auria says that was Davis’ child, Chase, was a member of the Class of 2020.
Wulff-Andersen, who was also a student the beginning of her journey to better understand life within After a gap year, they plan to attend the College of Culinary
in D’Auria’s psychology class, says, in the transgender community. “It was a calling,” she says. Arts at Johnson & Wales University.
the past, she’s kept her membership in the “It was like a spear. It’s like the craziest thing. I’ve met the “They were very confused internally,” Davis says of her
GSA a secret from some “conservative” most fabulous people in my life this way. I’m just following child. “And I’m very happy that the GSA helped Chase to
people. “Because I just don’t want to open this journey and it’s really paid off. It really honestly has. learn how to identify and learn how to relate with them-
up that can of worms.” D’Auria, she adds, It’s gotten to the point that my students, especially my trans selves better.”
empowered her and her fellow students in students, trust me.” At the time of our interview, Danbury’s administrators,
Chris Davis, seen here at the Women’s March in Hartford in January 2019, says
the Diversity Alliance. “I am proud to be a GSA advisor, but I’m not just an advi- like many across the state and the nation, were deciding
D’Auria and the Danbury High School GSA helped her child find their way as a
non-binary individual. “Kimberly is a champion for the cause and a protector of “We have to fight back,” says Wulff- sor; I am a community [leader] within our school. And I’m how to teach students this fall, and keep everyone safe from
the kids.” Andersen. “We have to continue getting proud of that, because it took many years to build that trust, the coronavirus. D’Auria says the memories of the sudden
our name and recognition out there; the to have that in my school with my students, my colleagues, shutdown in March still linger.
more you normalize homosexuality and and my administrators,” D’Auria says. “It was like we were not prepared for this,” she says. “I
“Well, I think we all abandoned each other at one point,”
the LGBT community, the more you can fight the stigma and “Kimberly is a champion for the cause and a protector don’t think anybody’s had a reality check. And the reality
she says. “I felt like my students and my GSA were more
the heteronormativity of a society.” of the kids,” says Chris Davis, the mother of a nonbinary check is: we didn’t go back on that Monday and we didn’t
connected. But they were going into situations that were the graduate of Danbury High. “She is an advocate to the ex-
Corrie also credits D’Auria for helping her find her way. go back on that Tuesday. And we are where we are right
unknown. And that was my biggest fear, because I’m like a treme. And I’m really, really proud to know her.” now.”
“Honestly, if Miss D’Auria hadn’t been there my freshman
mama bear.”
year, I am absolutely certain I would not be the person I am
“Miss D’Auria is just the example of what an ally should
today,” Corrie says. “She welcomes anyone. You can be like a
be,” says Danbury High School alum Ashley Corrie. “She
roach on the ground and she’d be like, ‘Oh yes, please come Dawn Ennis is an award-winning journalist who hosts the talk show “RiseUP with Dawn Ennis”
doesn’t care, on God’s green earth, who you are or what you in, make yourself comfortable.’” and co-hosts the “Before the War” podcast. Ennis was America’s first transgender journalist in a
are, as long as you are just a whole-hearted human being. Miss D’Auria, who is married to a man and identifies as a straight TV network newsroom when she came out six years ago. Follow her @lifeafterdawn on Twitter,
D’Auria accepted anybody into that room with open arms.” Facebook and Instagram. Ennis and her family reside in West Hartford, Connecticut.
ally, says the story of how she became Danbury High School’s
Corrie was president of the Diversity Council for two years. GSA leader is “crazy.”
She graduated in 2019 and is now a sophomore at the Mas- “I wasn’t an educator at first,” says D’Auria. “I was a crazy
sachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where she is an English person! I was a fabric designer. I was working in the garment
20 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 21according to the research conducted by the Williams Institute Unfortunately, this situation may not be resolved anytime
FEATURE // at UCLA in 2016, and a study released this summer by The soon. “We know that there are many [college-age] youth
Trevor Project found more than half of trans and nonbinary who find their greatest amount of freedom living on campus,
Mental Health in
youth considered taking their lives at some point. for example, and many of those colleges and campuses have
“That is something that we obviously worry about for shut down. And youth don’t know when next they’ll be go-
this population, especially during these tough times, with ing back to them,” she says.
the Age of Coronavirus
COVID, due to isolation,” says Dr. Fenwick. “So for Pick, who identifies as a cis lesbian woman, says another
us, it was really about trying to [increase their] sense of concern is “the intersectional way that the broader issues of
connection with other people by trying to get them outside COVID specifically affect LGBTQ youth unemployment,
the house one time per day – even if it’s just going on a walk uncertainty about the future of their finances, housing. These
by themselves or with a friend.” This increased connection, are all areas where we know that LGBTQ people experience
These days, many in the LGBTQ community
S
he says, “reduces the feeling of loneliness, hopelessness, and discrimination. They experience greater degrees of poverty
need help more than ever
By DAWN ENNIS
everal months into the pandemic, we have who said she’s “been open about the real me” for more than
settled into our new ’Rona Reality. two years. “I am in therapy for schizoaffective bipolar disor-
We’ve all memorized the symptoms, der and gender disorder,” she says.
what experts say we should and should not Dr. Laura Saunders, PsyD, AABP, assistant director of
do to avoid the spread of coronavirus, and psychology and the
what to do if you feel you or someone you clinical coordinator of
love has become infected. Can you even Young Adult Services
recall a time when you didn’t take a mask with you when at Hartford Hospital’s
you left your home? When was the last time you attended Institute of Living,
a concert or some other huge public gathering? Remember says, “we had par-
flying or cruising to faraway places? ticular concern with
Sure, this is a reality shared by everyone in Connecti- the LGBTQ popula-
cut, no matter if someone is gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, tion” as COVID hit.
transgender or nonbinary, or straight. And the experience Saunders plays a key
A study released this summer by
covers all age ranges. But experts in helping LGBTQ people role in training cam- The Trevor Project found more
cope with stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness say that pus staff who care for than half of transgender and
COVID-19 hit our marginalized community in a way unlike those patients. nonbinary youth considered
taking their lives at some point.
any other, right from the very start of the pandemic. “They have higher
Connecticut VOICE asked LGBTQ people who have rates of suicidal
struggled with mental health if they would be willing to talk ideation in behavior,
Dr. Laura Saunders depression – and decreases that suicidal and homelessness. And COVID-19 is
about their challenges during the pandemic. Two shared their depression, social
ideation – in this population.” amplifying that effect.”
stories via Facebook. isolation, and social
That’s also the goal at The Trevor Project, What can people in the community do
“We sought a trans-affirming therapist for my FTM son,” anxiety. The restric-
the nation’s leading organization providing when their situation becomes unmanage-
wrote Cynthia Rahill Zschack of Orange, the straight cisgen- tions for COVID, which made sense to reduce the spread of
crisis intervention and suicide prevention able? The Trevor Project operates a life-
der mother of a trans boy and another child who identifies as the virus, only further isolated members of the community,”
services to LGBTQ young people under line that is available by phone as well as
part of the community. She works in education. she says. “The difficult part was refocusing them on safe
the age of 25. In addition to other chal- by text and online. Pick says the organiza-
“We found someone who was a lesbian, and pretty good, ways to reintegrate back into communities after such a long
lenges that the pandemic has imposed on tion realized as far back as January that
but when we switched to a therapist who was himself trans, period of isolation.”
these young people, says Casey Pick, the it needed to be able to provide support
it was a much better fit,” she wrote. “Also, for myself as the It’s a particular challenge for patients who identify as
organization’s senior fellow for advocacy remotely, as the pandemic worsened.
parent of kids who are LGBTQIA+, I’ve had a very difficult transgender, according to Saunders’ Institute of Living col-
and government affairs, “many of them find But, she says, something far more
time finding a good therapist who takes my insurance. They league Dr. Derek Fenwick, a post-doctoral psychology fel-
themselves at home for extended periods personal can also make a big difference:
tick the box (in Psychology Today) that they are LGBTQIA+ low. That population’s rate of suicide ideation is higher than
of time, sometimes with families that are kindness.
affirming, but then once they start misgendering your kids, other members of the queer community, and far higher than
not accepting – which can range from the “I would call on people to be kind, be
you know they are not.” straight, cisgender Americans. More than 40 percent of trans
refusal to use the correct name or pronouns, giving to each other,” says Pick. “Check
Danielle Lee Thompson is a trans woman from Winsted adults have thought about, planned, or attempted suicide, Casey Pick
on over to physical abuse.” in on your friends, check in on the youth.
22 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 23They may not have the connections that they used to have, so really reach out and es-
tablish those connections. I would also tell folks to model good self-care. Now is a time
where everybody is under a tremendous amount of stress, and if you treat yourself well,
that gives permission to others to treat themselves well.”
Pick also calls on community leaders to “remember sexual orientation and gender
identity when you are thinking about providing needed resources, access to health care,
doing data collection on who is being affected by COVID-19, and telehealth.”
Dr. Saunders calls access to telehealth “the silver lining” of the pandemic. Through
telehealth, doctors can conduct a house call over the internet, using video conferencing
technology. She and Dr. Fenwick discovered through their work that the pandemic has
opened up new pathways to treatment that might not have been used as much, if not for
the lockdown.
Dr. Fenwick adds that telehealth has also “allowed us to increase communication
between LGBTQ youth and their family members.” He says it offers care providers an
opportunity to visit patients at home and view the family dynamic in a way that may not
have been possible if patients were coming on their own for in-person appointments. This
has enabled the team to help patients “work through some of the rejection that they felt
from family members.”
Dr. Saunders says through the Institute of Living’s LGBTQ support group, the team is
also able to reach people who may live too far away to visit in person, including previous
patients who now live out of state and may feel alone and unsupported. “Previous mem-
bers who are now in New Hampshire or in other places have been able to reconnect with
us,” she says. “We’ve also been connecting with families of younger folks from New
London and Fairfield County – people we would never have been able to access without
telehealth.”
“When patients get on telehealth, they witness a mirroring from other individuals in
the community, so that they can see that they’re not alone,” says Dr. Fenwick. “And that
really helps them.”
If you are a TRANS OR GENDER-
NONCONFORMING person seeking help,
Trans Lifeline can be reached at 877-565-8860.
LGBTQ YOUTH (ages 24 and younger) can
Doctors work to re-establish “a sense of
reach The Trevor Project Lifeline at 866-488-7386.
connection with other people by trying to get
them outside the house one time per day – ANYONE can contact the National Suicide
even if it’s just going on a walk by themselves
or with a friend,” says Dr. Derek Fenwick at Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255,
Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living.
24 hours a day.
24 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 2526 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 27
DELICIOUS //
A Taste for Adventure
The Flying Monkey’s menu and vibe draws a growing clientele
By CARA MCDONOUGH / Photography by TODD FAIRCHILD
They’ve got a saying at The Flying Monkey. “Let your monkey fly,” recites Junior
Baez, owner of the Newington restaurant. “Just be yourself. Here, we are big
believers in everyone being treated the same. We have a very diverse clientele, and
we all get along.”
At this American fusion restaurant, the vibe includes place included stints at The Hawthorne Inn, Carmen
treating regular customers like family and treating Anthony, and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, never veering
every visitor to the innovative, fresh, and simply fun far from his Hartford roots.
dishes that The Flying Monkey Grill & Bar does best. His education in the fine dining industry is what
“We take traditional dishes and we recreate them,” helped him craft the fare at The Flying Monkey, which
says Baez. The Flying Monkey first opened at 2016 at he calls “casual with upscale touches.” That refers to
the Hartford-Brainard Airport – which is why its name both the food served and the service provided.
and many dishes are aviation-themed – and moved to The move to Newington was a result of the institu-
its current location on the Berlin Turnpike in Newing- tion’s growing popularity. The Flying Monkey now
ton last fall, where it’s now open with special seating, seats nearly double the amount it did at the airport,
increased outdoor space, and other precautions due to says Baez, and with a building nearly five times the
the pandemic. size of its original location, there is plenty of room to
Baez’s love of food and cooking began early. His keep growing. That means many years of taking care
father worked at a produce market and he remembers of and increasing its lively, diverse and loyal customer
learning the ropes as a child by watching his dad. He base.
was so into the scene, in fact, that he opened his own “Some people say I take it all too personally, but
fruit and vegetable stand in his hometown of Hartford a lot of my customers have become family,” says
when he was only 16 years old. Baez. “They followed us all the way from Hartford to
“I loved the fast pace of it,” he remembers. “I’ve Newington.”
always had a passion for food.” And that “let your monkey fly” attitude extends to
He’s always had a passion for the Hartford area, too. the menu, as well, which is innovative and enticing.
After going to college for nursing, and then study- The restaurant is perhaps known best for its wide
ing business, he ended up in the industry he’d always variety of wings served with an unusual, irresistible
At The Flying Monkey restaurant
liked best. Baez’s 20 years working in fine dining roster of sauces. The lineup includes traditional BBQ in Newington, owner Junior Baez
establishments before eventually opening his own and buffalo, honey soy ginger, Thai peanut sauce, and his staff make everyone feel
welcome.
28 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 29garlic parmesan and its most popular sauce:
the “spicy monkey,” made with a sweet chili
base and a touch of honey.
The Flying Monkey’s eclectic menu
Other highlights include Chairman’s Re-
has something for everyone.
serve steaks, wild-caught fish, and chicken
“We take traditional dishes
dishes, as well as vegan offerings. Its sig-
nature eggrolls feature combinations you
won’t find anywhere else, including its Bacon
and we recreate them.”
Cheeseburger, Buffalo Mac and Cheese, and
Steak and Cheese. Of course, you can’t go
wrong with crowd pleasers like the Lobster
BLT or the classic charcuterie board, either.
And Sunday brunch is sure to please every-
one, with everything from Bananas Foster
Waffles to Butter Poached Lobster Bennies.
All ingredients, says Baez, are brought in
fresh, never frozen.
With wittily named offerings like The Clas-
sic Lindberg Burger, The Charter Chicken,
and the Pineapple Pushback (one of many
house-crafted cocktails, this one a mix of
vanilla vodka, Cointreau and pineapple) the
restaurant pays homage to its airport-inspired
roots at its new location.
It’s been a journey, both literal, from
Hartford to Newington, and figuratively. Baez
says his personal journey – learning the ropes
starting at such a young age, and staying
loyal to his hometown roots – as well as his
identity as a gay man, has affected the way he
runs his restaurant. He makes sure that their
atmosphere is open and accepting to every
single customer who walks through the doors,
meaning the customer base at any given seat-
ing represents a range of backgrounds. This
isn’t a restaurant known for a certain “type”
of crowd; it’s a hangout where every single
customer feels they belong.
“My journey is to try to make a comfortable
space for all, no matter financial status, politi-
cal views, religion, race, or sexuality,” he
says. “I strive to make our restaurant environ-
ment as comfortable as possible.”
His passion for doing what’s right over
what’s easy became even clearer at the outset
of the pandemic. As Connecticut shut down
in March facing the threat of coronavirus, The
Flying Monkey kept its doors open for take-
out, committed to providing customers their
Restaurant staff are favorite dishes during a turbulent time, even if
working to keep they couldn’t serve them in-house as usual.
themselves and diners
safe with increased “We thought we needed to be here for the
precautions amid the community, plus some of my staff didn’t want
pandemic.
to stop working,” Baez says. Taking adequate
30 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 31“Our staff looks
after each other.
I ’m grateful.
If it wasn’t for our staff,
Had an HIV Test we wouldn’t have the
Recently? kind of place we have.”
precautions, including that all staff wear
1 in 7 people who have HIV masks during their shift and wear gloves
don't know they have it.* when handling food and drink, he was
able to take care of his customer base with
meals to lift their spirits, and take care of
staff with regular paychecks.
But Baez went even further. He offered
all of his team members gift certificates to
the Public Market of Newington, a lo-
REQUEST cal grocery store, to help them through
the tough time, and started a GoFundMe
page for staff to ensure those who weren’t
making regular wages had a little extra
THE TEST from well-wishers. He made sure that staff
members who were suffering under even
greater financial strain were fed and taken
care of, taking funds from his own pocket
when needed.
“It was tough times,” he says. “Our staff
looks after each other. I’m grateful. If it
wasn’t for our staff, we wouldn’t have the
kind of place we have.”
He was thankful, too, for the loyal cus-
tomers who would call to simply check in
Scan this QR Code to get your FREE In-Home HIV Test Kit. on the restaurant during those early weeks
and has been happy to see them return over
the past few months.
As the state began a slow re-opening
#RequestTheTestCT this summer – backed by the town of
WWW.PPCT.INFO Newington, which was a big proponent of
helping local businesses get back on their
feet – Baez and his team prepared to open
in the new normal forced by the ongoing
pandemic.
Food, fun and flair:
The Flying Monkey
They expanded seating outside on their
*https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/ offers it all. patio, with room for 98 people outside, and
statistics.html tinyurl.com/RequestFreeHIVTestCT another 98 inside. They added partitions
at the bar and four “sanitation stations.”
32 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 33OPEN HALF
PAGE
Beyond safety
Staff moved furniture to help with in use, the additional measures ensured
distancing and attended an hours-long The Flying Monkey team was ready
measures,
course on how to properly clean, serve to safely welcome guests back their
food, and deal with guests in the safest establishment.
manner possible. In addition to the Beyond safety measures, says Baez,
masks, gloves, and other gear already the restaurant was able to welcome back
the restaurant was live music. Jazz and blues bands play
able to welcome outdoors two or three times a week,
a much-loved tradition at this upbeat,
back live music. Jazz laid-back eatery.
As for Baez, he can’t deny it’s been
and blues bands
an unusually busy, unpredictable few
play outdoors two or years, with a major move, a pandemic,
and new guidelines.
three times a week, a But he’s in it for one reason above
much-loved tradition all, and that keeps him going through
the tough times and the happy ones,
at this upbeat, laid- and will keep him going through what-
ever comes next.
back eatery. “It’s all about the customers,” he
says. “It makes me happy when some-
one leaves happy.”
Junior Baez
Cara McDonough is a freelance writer who lives in Hamden with her
family. You can find more of her work at www.caramcduna.com.
34 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020®
SPOTLIGHT //
B R I N G I T. F E E L I T. S U P P O R T I T. Creating A Kinder World
Collaborators on Connecticut-born musicals
S AT U R D AY hope to put an end to bullying
VIRTUAL EVENT
NOV.
2020
14 FREE ADMISSION By CAROL LATTER
SUPPORT
H A RTF O R D
GAY & LESBIAN
H EALTH COLLECTIVE
O N E B I G E V E N T. O R G
Our Biggest Sponsor:
Our Seriously Big Sponsor:
nyone can be the victim of bullying: bullying play have been working to change all of that.
young or old … rich or poor … people They have written and produced an evocative musical –
of any race or ethnicity … those with one that they hope will one day appear on Broadway and
Our Really, Really Big Sponsors: disabilities or without. eventually be seen across the country. Emmy-nominated
But for those in the LGBTQ+ com- singer, songwriter and producer Jill Nesi and Spotlight
munity, bullying is almost a given. A Stage Company founder and director Christopher Zullo
huge number of LGBTQ adults report hope that the play, “Stand UP: The Musical” will change
being bullied – either online or in person – as they were the culture of bullying that has persisted for decades –
growing up, and many face continued discrimination and give peace and resolution not only to young victims
today. and their parents, but to bullies as well.
Our Really Big Sponsors: The picture continues to be dire for American teens. The pair first developed a condensed “showcase”
Bullying is rampant in schools, despite efforts to reduce version, suitable for younger audiences. The produc-
it, and studies show that LGBTQ youth are more likely tion, featuring young people from across the state who
to be bullied and report suicidal thoughts as a result than responded to local casting calls, toured middle schools
their straight peers. across the state to rave reviews.
But the Connecticut-based co-creators of an anti- Nesi and Zullo planned to present the first public
36 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 37Home, sweet
The premiere of the video is now just weeks away. In early
October, anyone – not just children and teenagers – will be able to
“Zoom” their way to a front row seat to the showcase by visiting
wp.cga.ct.gov/cwcseo.
performance of the full-length musical, intended for adult and to surround herself with allies who can help put an
and teenage audiences, on May 16 in North Haven. When end to the bullying. In the process, she is also able to show
COVID made that impossible, the play’s world premiere compassion and kindness to the perpetrator, a young girl
was moved to October. who has been bullied and mistreated by her own mother.
But with COVID-related restrictions persisting, the Both the showcase and the full-length musical are part
state’s Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity of an anti-bullying initiative called Stand Up and Speak
& Opportunity (CWCSEO) – a non-partisan arm of the Out. The mission is to raise awareness about today’s global
Connecticut General Assembly and a supporter of this bullying epidemic “by building connection and empathy
endeavor – approached Nesi and Zullo with a Plan B. The through the arts.”
showcase version of the production would be videotaped, The whole effort got its start a few years ago, after Nesi’s
using the same cadre of young actors, and made available seventh-grade daughter revealed she was being bullied in
Safety, security and camaraderie— for free online.
The premiere of that video is now just weeks away. In
school. Nesi – who had been writing and performing inspi-
rational music for nonprofits and created a healthy lifestyle
that’s life with LifeCare at Duncaster. early October, anyone – not just children and teenagers –
will be able to “Zoom” their way to a front row seat to the
program for kids called the VITA 4 – not only intervened
in that situation but wrote a song about it. She shared that
showcase by visiting wp.cga.ct.gov/cwcseo. song in a meeting with State Rep. Noreen Kokoruda (R-
Steven Hernández, Esq., executive director for the com- Madison), a panel of school superintendents, and Steven
mission, says an updated practice guide developed in col- Hernández. “And from that song came 14 other songs,” she
Here’s a laboration with Nesi’s “Stand Up and Speak Out” organiza- says.
really sweet offer: tion (standupspeakoutct.com), Central Connecticut State Nesi got help on several of them from Guilford musician
•Estate and asset protection safeguards your University’s Center of Excellence in Social and Emotional Nick Fradiani, Sr. The result was a musical called “Her
y & Secu
family’s future.
Learning (ccsu.edu/seps/socialEmotionalLearning.html), Song,” which debuted at the Ivoryton Playhouse in May
et and Social Eyes (social-eyes.org) will also be available on 2017, and was funded entirely by Nesi. “We had seven
•Assurance of health care and personal
f
rit
Starting
Sa
the CWCSEO site in early October. He describes the guide shows there. Four were school shows – there were probably
y
services at predictable costs safeguards you. at only – “Building Kindness and Empathy Online Activity Guide: over 1,000 kids – and then three public shows, which all
•An active, engaged community and staff lets
you live life your way with renewed energy,
$ 138,000 A Virtual Enrichment Experience for Middle and High
School Students” – as an important resource for teachers
and home-schooling parents who want to discuss bullying
sold out,” she recalls.
More than two years and several rewrites later, the
production has morphed into the showcase that has been
friendship and purpose. with their students and children. touring schools as well as the full-blown stage version –
L if
e C a re Hernández says teaching young people to build their thanks in large part to Zullo, who was brought in last year
social and emotional skills, and to treat one another kindly, as the musical’s director and ended up rewriting much of
is part of the commission’s ongoing efforts. “We’re expand- the show, with plenty of input from Nesi.
ing all the ways we can promote empathy and understand- “It’s been an amazing collaboration,” says Zullo. “I never
Call (860) 735-4503 to schedule a personal or virtual tour of our beautiful ing,” he says. He and members of the commission have considered myself a writer.” The subject matter speaks to
long been staunch supporters of Nesi and Zullo’s live him. He is gay and was bullied in school as well.
park-like setting. Visit duncaster.org/virtualtour to see our rarely available productions, and they welcome the chance to continue that He says the response to the shorter school-oriented
featured residences. alliance. showcase has been amazing – with everyone from students
to parents to politicians loving every minute of it. He notes
STANDING UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT that audiences have been moved by the messages of com-
In the play, a high school sophomore who is bullied by her passion, empowerment, and hope in the productions, and
classmates at school and on social media is visited by the the student actors – whether they’ve been bullied them-
ghost of a gay, African-American teen, in scenes reminis- selves or not – have gotten a fresh outlook on the topic.
cent of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Nesi couldn’t agree more. “For the people who have
The ghost, who committed suicide after being bullied viewed this, or been part of this, I see a change. And that
himself, urges her not to give up hope. He encourages her alone is just amazing,” she says.
40 Loeffler Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 • (860) 380-5006 • Duncaster.org to stand up and speak out on behalf of herself and others, “There’s one girl who tried out for the play and she was
38 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 CT VOICE | AUTUMN 2020 39You can also read
