LGBTQ Breaking News Service

February 19, 1942 – June 9, 2021

Gay Roughton Davenport, age 79, of Columbia, NC, passed away peacefully at home on June 9, 2021 after an extensive battle with cancer.

Gay was born in Columbia, NC to the late Morris Wesley (Mutt) Roughton and Dimple Spencer Roughton on February 19, 1942

Gay was a devout Christian woman who worked hard all her life to provide the best for her family. Gay’s interests included her family, her beloved hummingbirds, reading and genealogy.

A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m., on Sunday, June 13, 2021 at Cabin Swamp Church of Christ, with Gregg Brookins officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Mrs. Davenport is survived by Joseph Davenport, her husband of almost 21 years; her 4 children:  Michelle R. Swain of Raleigh, NC, Patty R. Spear and husband, Don, of Creswell, NC, Candace D. McNair of Creswell, NC, and Virginia D. Smith and husband, Todd, of Edenton, NC.

Gay is also survived by her beloved siblings, Wayne Morris Roughton of Columbia, NC and Teanie Roughton Armstrong, also of Columbia, NC, as well as eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren.

Visitation will be 2-3 p.m., Sunday, June 13, 2021, at the Cabin Swamp Church of Christ, Columbia, NC. The family will also receive visitors at the family home on Riverneck Road in Columbia.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Cabin Swamp Church of Christ at PO Box 269, Columbia, NC  27925.

The family of Mrs. Davenport wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the Cabin Swamp Church family, our extended family, Kathy Payne, and the Amedisys Hospice organization.

Arrangements are by Bryan Funeral Service, Columbia.

READ MORE OBITUARIES HERE.

Alisher Kadyrov, the head of Uzbekistan’s second-largest political party, has called for withdrawing citizenship from the country’s LGBT people and deporting them en masse to unspecified countries. He made the proposal in an interview published this month on the Alter Ego YouTube channel.

Kadyrov’s Milliy Tiklanish, or National Revival party, is the junior partner of the governing coalition, and controls 36 seats in the 150-seat Uzbekistan parliament.

LGBT issues were brought to prominence in Uzbekistan when an international coalition of LGBT groups called for the decriminalization of same-sex relations in the country earlier this year. Same-sex sexual relations remain illegal in the country, with a penalty of up to three years in prison.

Kadyrov cast his proposal to deport LGBT Uzbeks as a compassionate alternative to the violence they face in their home country, or the possibility of instituting capital punishment for gay sex, as in Iran or Saudi Arabia. He said that stripping LGBT Uzbeks of their citizenship would compel other countries to accept them as refugees, but he did not propose what countries he would deport them too.

In March, a prominent advocate for LGBT rights was hospitalized after a mob attacked him. The Interior Ministry put out a video largely laying the blame on the activist for “provoking” the attackers with his advocacy.

At the time Kadyrov called for expanding the criminal provisions against LGBT people in a statement he released on the Telegram messaging network.

Kadyrov wrote that the criminal code should prohibit “promotion of homosexuality, LGBT ideas in any form” with sanctions including “compulsory treatment, imprisonment, revocation of citizenship, and deportation.”

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It’s been five years since the country woke up to the news 49 people were gunned down in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida — an attack that ripped away the innocence of a community known for family vacations to Disney World and with it leaving the LGBTQ community on edge during a month of Pride celebrations. 

It was the nation’s deadliest mass shooting, a uniquely shocking and undesirable mantle that Orlando held for only one year before an attack left 60 dead during a country music festival in Las Vegas. In a country plagued by gun violence and an almost steady stream of mass shootings, the death toll in Orlando was shocking and thrust the city at the epicenter of conversations about gun control and terrorism. 

Survivors of the attack and those who lost loved ones at Pulse nightclub in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, are still grappling with the trauma of that night — an attack that targeted members of the LGBTQ community during a month dedicated to celebrating acceptance and gay Pride.

‘We still stand strong’:Congress passes legislation to make Pulse nightclub a national memorial

It was Latin Night at the club. Reggaeton blared. Clubgoers smiled and danced. Then came the pops that everyone thought was part of the music. Some attempted to escape the packed dance floor as bullets started to pour from the gunman’s rifle. Others didn’t have time to react.

Amid the trauma, years of recovery and new paths set by survivors and family members of those lost came a sense of community that brought the Orlando community together. And for some, the devastating anniversary converging with Pride Month serves as a mission and reminder of the need to continue pushing forward, not only for themselves but for the larger LGBTQ community.

A need to keep dancing

Orlando Torres still doesn’t feel safe in a public restroom.

He gets flashbacks to the black stalls that surrounded him that night, the gunshots, screams and the hours he was held hostage as the gunman called authorities, making clear his allegiance was to the ISIS terror group and threatening he had explosives. It took hours before Orlando Police officers were able to break through a concrete wall in the building, forcing a shootout between officers and the gunman.

Torres made it out through the breach after the gunman was killed.

Torres said fears that followed after the shooting didn’t prevent him from living. He’s been able to go back to nightclubs and finds support from other survivors.

“It wasn’t my time. It wasn’t that day,” he said. “We have that motto here that says, ‘Keep dancing Orlando,’ because if you don’t, they win, the terrorists win.”

The celebrations for Pride Month, which in Orlando is celebrated as Gay Days, are an important reminder, he says, that the LGBTQ community carries on more strong than ever.

“There are mixed emotions,” he said. “It’s difficult because of the emotion of what happened and it’s hard to do the things we did before to celebrate because of the tragedy of the shooting. But it’s important.”

More:Pulse Nightclub portraits: survivors, first responders and loved ones

Orlando victims: Their stories

Each year, the community holds remembrance ceremonies to honor those lost in the attack. Last year, due to COVID-19, events were done virtually. It’s a chance for Torres and other survivors to support one another on a day that connected them all forever.

“It’s going to be more emotional this year,” Torres said. “It’s hard to believe it’s been five years. It still feels like yesterday.” 

Proof that survival through the unimaginable is possible

Christine Leinonen plans to act like today doesn’t exist. She won’t go to memorial events to remember the attack and its victims. She has yard work to do and might go to bed early. 

It’s a day she says she wishes didn’t exist – the one that marks when her son, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, was taken from her at Pulse nightclub.

“If I could erase it as a day on the calendar, I would,” she said. “There isn’t any honor on that day. What am I going to? Kneel in front of his urn that’s sitting on my bedroom dresser filled with his ashes? I mean, is that is that what I should be doing?”

The morning of the attack, her tear-soaked face was plastered on cable news stations. She tried calling her son again and again but didn’t know for more than 30 hours that he’d died at the nightclub with his boyfriend, Juan Ramon Guerrero.

Leinonen says it’s hard to believe she made it five years and shows proof of perseverance after tragedy.

“I didn’t think I would survive a day, two days, a week, a month, a year. So, it’s insane to think that I survived five years,” she said, noting the episodes she’d have where she felt like her heart was ripping in half. “At the beginning, I thought this is never going to end. So why am I even here? Why should I even be alive?”

After the attack, she worked to help set up an LGBTQ advocacy foundation named after her son and attended Pride Month celebrations in New York and Orlando — something she never got the chance to do with her son when he was alive.

Leinonen said she was always supportive of her son being gay but never played an activist role, something she regrets now. She noted the years since his death have helped further the country’s understanding of the gay community.

“I didn’t realize how many kids were out there who didn’t have supportive communities. They didn’t have supportive parents or grandparents or family or friends. So that’s why they need pride,” she said. “After Christopher died, my eyes were just opened.”

“I realize now how important Gay Days and Gay Pride and all these parades are,” she said. “It isn’t just a fun celebration. It’s stating a message.”

More:On the anniversary of Pulse nightclub shooting, survivor remembers the stranger who took a bullet for her

More:Noor Salman, widow of Pulse nightclub gunman, acquitted of charges in 2016 attack

Scars that show resilience, strength

The scars are always there to remind Tony Marrero.

Even during this month when he tries to distract himself from the memories of five years ago. The pops. The intense pain when bullets hit him. The lengthy period he played dead praying the gunman would leave him alive.

But over time, those scars and memories became something else: proof of strength and resilience.

“That night, that specific night, everybody was having such a good time and everybody was just dancing. So let’s continue dancing and remembering them,” he said. “We cannot let one tragedy hold us back. We cannot let a tragedy like this define, you know, the future of the LGBTQ community. On the contrary, it needs to push us forward. It needs to make us stronger.”

Marrero still prepares an emergency exit plan when he enters a building, something he’s done since that night when he was readying to leave Pulse nightclub and the attack began. He was separated from his friend, Luis Vielma, when the shots started. 

He later learned Vielma died in the attack.

But the trauma hasn’t stopped Marrero from living, or from going to a nightclub again.

After being shot four times in the back, the path to recovery was long. Marrero says he had a choice: get up and take back his life or don’t and let this attack define him.

“I’ve trained my brain to focus on moving forward, and still remembering those we lost that night. But continue to live life to the fullest because I get a second chance at life. I like to focus more on that aspect of the tragedy,” he said. “If I don’t, I’m just going to get depressed and I’m not going to get out of the hole. My scars are always gong to remind me but I’ve taught my brain that those are not just scars, those are my battle wounds. And they just remind me of how strong I was and how strong I am.”

Last year, Marrero got engaged. He’s now planning his wedding.

Love, Victor

Season 2 Episode 5

Editor’s Rating 4 stars ****

Photo: Greg Gayne/ HULU

“What is the perfect level of gay that will keep everyone happy?”

That is the biggest question on Victor Salazar’s mind, as he grapples with his evolving identity as an openly gay (former) star athlete at Creekwood High. After reaching a major milestone in his relationship with Benji, Victor — who was told last season that “there’s no one way to be gay” — is forced to confront another loaded question: Is he willing to sacrifice a part of his identity to forge a new one?

It’s just a day away from the first game of the basketball season, and Andrew has made one thing clear: He wants Victor back on the team. (Correction: He needs him back on the team.) But with no one willing to compromise or have a change of heart, the team is as good as chopped liver. So when Andrew, who also happens to be the desperate team captain, sets out to win Victor back, he misses the mark … more than once. First, it’s acting all fake-nice and proclaiming himself a “queer ally” — without actually standing up for Victor publicly. Then, at Benji’s after-school “family and friends concert,” it’s calling Victor “the least gay gay person alive.”

And while that line might be enough to unnerve anyone, it’s actually Benji and his musical friends who sow the most doubt in Victor’s mind. During a preshow meet and greet with the band, Benji jokes in front of his bandmates that Victor is “in the early stages of jock recovery” and “just escaped the cults of cheap body spray and casual misogyny,” implying that he doesn’t think Victor should return to the team. When a bassist named Stevie (Kevin Norman) jokes that Victor — with his athletic physique and “church boy haircut” — is Benji’s “perfect straight-boy fantasy,” Benji laughs and admits to being relieved that he doesn’t “have to sit with the basketball girlfriends and do the whole ‘go Grizzlies!’ dance.”

Victor, understandably, can’t seem to shake the feeling that he doesn’t belong anywhere and leaves the concert early, and Andrew later finds him shooting hoops at an empty public court. “Please tell me what’s the exact level of gay I should be,” he tells Andrew. “Because apparently, I’m too gay for the locker room, but I’m not gay enough for Benji and his friends. So where do I belong?” When Andrew insists that he belongs on a basketball court, Victor asks what would happen if he returned but then decided to change the way he dressed or dyed his hair pink? “Well, then, I think you should do it. If anyone has a problem with it, they can answer to me,” Andrew says before Victor rightfully confronts him about not wanting to “risk your reputation for the gay kid.” (I was expecting to see a story line like this in season two, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see the writers confront the double-edged nature of allyship, because a lot of people like to claim the title of “ally” without actually working to advance a culture of inclusion.)

The next day, Victor receives an emergency text from Andrew, urging him to come to the locker room. There, Victor discovers that Wyatt — presumably the teammate who filed the original complaint about Victor changing with the rest of the team — was kicked out and the rest of the team, including the eccentric coach, has dyed their hair pink. “This is our way of saying that you can be as gay as you want, in whatever way that you want, and we will forever stand [by] you,” Andrew says, before the other teammates ruin the moment (but, hey, at least they are trying!). Victor’s presence on the court is immediately felt by everyone, as the team goes on to dominate their first home game with Benji in attendance. (Full disclosure: Seeing Benji do the “go Grizzlies” dance with the other “basketball girlfriends” might have been the highlight of the episode for me. What can’t George Sear do?! The man is easily a triple threat.)

Back at the Salazar house, Isabel and Armando both can’t stop thinking about what happened the other night, and Isabel suggests that they have dinner the next day to discuss their future together. Later that day, as Armando attends another PFLAG meeting and chats openly with a woman named Shelby, Isabel pays a visit to Father Lawrence (Sean O’Bryan) — and the contrast in the way they are handling Victor’s coming out is striking. While Isabel insists that one of the root causes of their marital problems is Armando’s inability to talk about his emotions, Armando tells Shelby that he feels way more in touch with his feelings ever since he began to attend these meetings. While Armando says that he thanks God “for giving me the courage to come here and to love my son for who he is,” Father Lawrence tells Isabel that she is right to express her disapproval if she wants Victor “to know God’s love.” This highlights one of the most glaring reasons for Isabel’s reluctance to accept Victor’s sexuality: The traditional religious values that have become so ingrained in her conflict with the seemingly unconditional love that she has for her son, and she doesn’t know how to talk about it.

When they sit down for dinner at a fancy outdoor restaurant the next day, Armando says that he thinks their marital issues started long before Isabel’s affair with his former boss. They were stuck in a never-ending pattern of fighting and guilt-tripping, and in order to break the cycle, he wants her to attend PFLAG meetings with him. The idea that the (newly separated) parents are not on the same page could not be more clear when Isabel brings up her conversation with Father Lawrence: “He said, ‘If Victor chooses this path … he will never know God’s love.’ And I’m thinking, How can that be? He is such a good son. He is such a good person. Why is this happening to him?” In response, Armando insists that nothing is “happening” to Victor: “It’s just who he is. You know, this whole thing with Victor, it’s made me really look at myself and really try and change. But if you’re not gonna change with me, I don’t know what the future holds.” (Ana Ortiz and James Martinez have always been able to use their own experiences as actors and parents to lend gravity and credibility to this show, but I really appreciate how the writers have given them stronger and more difficult material to work with this season.)

Meanwhile, Felix decides to take another major step in his relationship with Lake by introducing her to his mom, Dawn, who is doing a lot better on a new medication and has begun decluttering the apartment. The three of them have a lovely dinner together, but things quickly take a turn for the worse when Lake says that she has to get going and politely declines to have dessert. Dawn begins to experience a manic episode and seems insistent on giving Lake all of her fancy plates, which are family heirlooms. When Lake tries to deesclate the situation, Dawn drops a cardboard box and breaks most of the plates before fleeing the scene, leaving Felix and Lake to clean up the pieces. Deflated, Felix realizes that nothing has really changed. But when Lake suggests that he get some professional help for Dawn, Felix says that he has “been handling this alone for years” and forces Lake to promise that she will never speak of this. Yet when her mother Georgina (Leslie Grossman) notices that something is up, Lake decides to tell her the truth, which will only set off a series of unfortunate events.

Finally, after the game, Andrew shows up at Mia’s doorstep and tells her that Lucy broke up with him. “For as long as I can remember, any time I wanted to take the easy way out, there was always this annoying voice in the back of my head, pushing me to do better, to be better,” he tells her, using his reconciliation with Victor as an example. “Even when you’re not around me, I always hear you. So when Lucy ended it, I figured, ‘Hey, I’ve taken a million shots with you, but I’m about to take a million … and one.’” The ensuing kiss that literally sweeps Mia off her feet was a long time coming, but man, it was worth it.

Creek Secrets:

• After Victor and Andrew both leave Benji’s after-school concert, Lucy has an interesting chat with Mia, where she admits to being surprised that her relationship with Andrew lasted as long as it did. Mia later reveals that she and Andrew had hooked up a long time ago, but instead of getting angry, Lucy admits that she doesn’t feel weirded out in the slightest and implies that she didn’t really feel much for Andrew at all. Part of me thinks that there is more to Lucy than meets the eye … and it might have to do with her (lack of) attraction to Andrew.

Love, Victor

Season 2 Episode 5

Editor’s Rating 4 stars ****

Photo: Greg Gayne/ HULU

“What is the perfect level of gay that will keep everyone happy?”

That is the biggest question on Victor Salazar’s mind, as he grapples with his evolving identity as an openly gay (former) star athlete at Creekwood High. After reaching a major milestone in his relationship with Benji, Victor — who was told last season that “there’s no one way to be gay” — is forced to confront another loaded question: Is he willing to sacrifice a part of his identity to forge a new one?

It’s just a day away from the first game of the basketball season, and Andrew has made one thing clear: He wants Victor back on the team. (Correction: He needs him back on the team.) But with no one willing to compromise or have a change of heart, the team is as good as chopped liver. So when Andrew, who also happens to be the desperate team captain, sets out to win Victor back, he misses the mark … more than once. First, it’s acting all fake-nice and proclaiming himself a “queer ally” — without actually standing up for Victor publicly. Then, at Benji’s after-school “family and friends concert,” it’s calling Victor “the least gay gay person alive.”

And while that line might be enough to unnerve anyone, it’s actually Benji and his musical friends who sow the most doubt in Victor’s mind. During a preshow meet and greet with the band, Benji jokes in front of his bandmates that Victor is “in the early stages of jock recovery” and “just escaped the cults of cheap body spray and casual misogyny,” implying that he doesn’t think Victor should return to the team. When a bassist named Stevie (Kevin Norman) jokes that Victor — with his athletic physique and “church boy haircut” — is Benji’s “perfect straight-boy fantasy,” Benji laughs and admits to being relieved that he doesn’t “have to sit with the basketball girlfriends and do the whole ‘go Grizzlies!’ dance.”

Victor, understandably, can’t seem to shake the feeling that he doesn’t belong anywhere and leaves the concert early, and Andrew later finds him shooting hoops at an empty public court. “Please tell me what’s the exact level of gay I should be,” he tells Andrew. “Because apparently, I’m too gay for the locker room, but I’m not gay enough for Benji and his friends. So where do I belong?” When Andrew insists that he belongs on a basketball court, Victor asks what would happen if he returned but then decided to change the way he dressed or dyed his hair pink? “Well, then, I think you should do it. If anyone has a problem with it, they can answer to me,” Andrew says before Victor rightfully confronts him about not wanting to “risk your reputation for the gay kid.” (I was expecting to see a story line like this in season two, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see the writers confront the double-edged nature of allyship, because a lot of people like to claim the title of “ally” without actually working to advance a culture of inclusion.)

The next day, Victor receives an emergency text from Andrew, urging him to come to the locker room. There, Victor discovers that Wyatt — presumably the teammate who filed the original complaint about Victor changing with the rest of the team — was kicked out and the rest of the team, including the eccentric coach, has dyed their hair pink. “This is our way of saying that you can be as gay as you want, in whatever way that you want, and we will forever stand [by] you,” Andrew says, before the other teammates ruin the moment (but, hey, at least they are trying!). Victor’s presence on the court is immediately felt by everyone, as the team goes on to dominate their first home game with Benji in attendance. (Full disclosure: Seeing Benji do the “go Grizzlies” dance with the other “basketball girlfriends” might have been the highlight of the episode for me. What can’t George Sear do?! The man is easily a triple threat.)

Back at the Salazar house, Isabel and Armando both can’t stop thinking about what happened the other night, and Isabel suggests that they have dinner the next day to discuss their future together. Later that day, as Armando attends another PFLAG meeting and chats openly with a woman named Shelby, Isabel pays a visit to Father Lawrence (Sean O’Bryan) — and the contrast in the way they are handling Victor’s coming out is striking. While Isabel insists that one of the root causes of their marital problems is Armando’s inability to talk about his emotions, Armando tells Shelby that he feels way more in touch with his feelings ever since he began to attend these meetings. While Armando says that he thanks God “for giving me the courage to come here and to love my son for who he is,” Father Lawrence tells Isabel that she is right to express her disapproval if she wants Victor “to know God’s love.” This highlights one of the most glaring reasons for Isabel’s reluctance to accept Victor’s sexuality: The traditional religious values that have become so ingrained in her conflict with the seemingly unconditional love that she has for her son, and she doesn’t know how to talk about it.

When they sit down for dinner at a fancy outdoor restaurant the next day, Armando says that he thinks their marital issues started long before Isabel’s affair with his former boss. They were stuck in a never-ending pattern of fighting and guilt-tripping, and in order to break the cycle, he wants her to attend PFLAG meetings with him. The idea that the (newly separated) parents are not on the same page could not be more clear when Isabel brings up her conversation with Father Lawrence: “He said, ‘If Victor chooses this path … he will never know God’s love.’ And I’m thinking, How can that be? He is such a good son. He is such a good person. Why is this happening to him?” In response, Armando insists that nothing is “happening” to Victor: “It’s just who he is. You know, this whole thing with Victor, it’s made me really look at myself and really try and change. But if you’re not gonna change with me, I don’t know what the future holds.” (Ana Ortiz and James Martinez have always been able to use their own experiences as actors and parents to lend gravity and credibility to this show, but I really appreciate how the writers have given them stronger and more difficult material to work with this season.)

Meanwhile, Felix decides to take another major step in his relationship with Lake by introducing her to his mom, Dawn, who is doing a lot better on a new medication and has begun decluttering the apartment. The three of them have a lovely dinner together, but things quickly take a turn for the worse when Lake says that she has to get going and politely declines to have dessert. Dawn begins to experience a manic episode and seems insistent on giving Lake all of her fancy plates, which are family heirlooms. When Lake tries to deesclate the situation, Dawn drops a cardboard box and breaks most of the plates before fleeing the scene, leaving Felix and Lake to clean up the pieces. Deflated, Felix realizes that nothing has really changed. But when Lake suggests that he get some professional help for Dawn, Felix says that he has “been handling this alone for years” and forces Lake to promise that she will never speak of this. Yet when her mother Georgina (Leslie Grossman) notices that something is up, Lake decides to tell her the truth, which will only set off a series of unfortunate events.

Finally, after the game, Andrew shows up at Mia’s doorstep and tells her that Lucy broke up with him. “For as long as I can remember, any time I wanted to take the easy way out, there was always this annoying voice in the back of my head, pushing me to do better, to be better,” he tells her, using his reconciliation with Victor as an example. “Even when you’re not around me, I always hear you. So when Lucy ended it, I figured, ‘Hey, I’ve taken a million shots with you, but I’m about to take a million … and one.’” The ensuing kiss that literally sweeps Mia off her feet was a long time coming, but man, it was worth it.

Creek Secrets:

• After Victor and Andrew both leave Benji’s after-school concert, Lucy has an interesting chat with Mia, where she admits to being surprised that her relationship with Andrew lasted as long as it did. Mia later reveals that she and Andrew had hooked up a long time ago, but instead of getting angry, Lucy admits that she doesn’t feel weirded out in the slightest and implies that she didn’t really feel much for Andrew at all. Part of me thinks that there is more to Lucy than meets the eye … and it might have to do with her (lack of) attraction to Andrew.