National
Remembering Sean Sasser
AIDS activist spent final year in D.C.; memorial is Saturday
Sean Sasser memorial service
Saturday at 11 a.m.
National City Christian Church
5 Thomas Circle, N.W.
Michael Kaplan and his late partner Sean Sasser had a circuitous romantic life.
The two met in 1991 and worked together waiting tables at the same bar in Minneapolis. But both were dating other people at the time and several months later, Sasser moved to San Francisco, a move that would prove life altering. While there, he met, dated and eventually married Pedro Zamora, a romance memorably captured on MTVās āReal World: San Franciscoā during its third season in 1994.
Kaplan and Sasser met again in 1996 at a conference and dated for about two years, some of which was long distance. They were apart for several years but reconnected in 2006 and spent the last six years living together.
Sasser, a long-time AIDS activist and pastry chef, spent his final years in Washington with Kaplan. He died Aug. 7 of HIV-exacerbated mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer Kaplan says Sasser was likely exposed to while working with asbestos fixing up old houses in his native Detroit decades ago. Sasser, born Oct. 25, 1968, was 45.
A public memorial service is planned for Saturday at 11 a.m. at National City Christian Church at Thomas Circle in Washington. āReal Worldā cast members Judd Winick and Pam Ling will speak along with Phill Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, and Douglas Brooks, chair of AIDS Unitedās Board of Trustees and a member of the Presidentās Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Kaplan is the president and CEO of AIDS United. He spoke with the Blade at length this week about his relationship with Sasser.
After many years of working various jobs and each being in different cities at different times, Kaplan and Sasser moved to Washington last fall. Alarmed by a health scare in May, the two got married in June. Kaplan says it was a ālong-term, committed serious relationshipā in which āwe both talked about and planned our futures together.ā At one point in Oregon, the two were foster parents of a child named Alice who lived with them from the time she was 4 to 6.
Sasser had lived with HIV for 25 years; Kaplan for 20. Kaplan says Sasser āwent quickly.ā
āHe probably lost 60 pounds in the last nine weeks of his life,ā Kaplan says. āHe was a real solid guy. On June 17, they confirmed that this thing in his lung was cancerous. By July, it was confirmed as stage four mesothelioma. He had one round of chemo, but it was just too aggressive. Doctors said he wasnāt strong enough for another round. And by Aug. 7 he was gone.ā
Kaplan says he has āa strong network of friendsā and is doing as well as can be expected.
āItās a lot of change right now,ā he says.
Sasser is survived by his mother, Pat Robinson Sasser, and a sister, Staci White. Both are expected to attend the service this weekend. Sasserās father died a few years ago.
After Zamoraās death in November 1994 ā just hours after the last episode of his season of āReal Worldā aired ā Sasser, whoād been rejected by the Navy for an HIV-positive test, traveled widely speaking at colleges about HIV. He worked with Health Initiatives for Youth, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign and the AIDS Alliance for Children Youth & Families. He was appointed by President Clinton to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Kaplan says after about four years of AIDS advocacy work, Sasser was ready to return to his first love ā cooking.
He says Sasser never mentioned to people he met that heād been on āReal World,ā but would confirm it if people recognized him and brought it up themselves. He had a few boxes of āReal Worldā mementos and a couple photos with President Clinton packed away. He took them with him each time he moved, but never unpacked them.
āHe didnāt hide it, but heād moved on,ā Kaplan says. āIn Portland especially, heād really built up quite a place for himself as a pastry chef at a hotel there, The Nines. They had two restaurants and he oversaw a lot of banquets and that type of thing there. ā¦ He loved the precision of baking and training others how to do it.ā
The topic of Zamora wasnāt taboo among them, Kaplan says, and Zamoraās name would come up occasionally. Kaplan recalls watching the 2008 biopic āPedroā with Sasser and remembers him saying how āhard it is to see someone else portray youā (DaJuan Johnson played Sasser in the film).
Although Kaplan says Sasser would have been shocked that so many media outlets reported his death, he says Sasser āwas quite aware of the visibilityā his āReal Worldā appearances had afforded him.
āHe definitely knew that it was a real landmark for this young, gay couple, two men of color with HIV, to be shown getting married,ā Kaplan says. āFor so many people, it was some of the first public faces of HIV theyād seen. They were the first face of many things as young, queer men of color. Sean totally understood the magnitude of that and never shunned it. He didnāt seek attention, but he knew that if having his face out there would make a difference, he was happy to do so.ā
Kaplan says one thing that might surprise people about Sasser was his love of children. He mentored several kids affected by HIV in both Portland and Atlanta.
āIf Sean had had his way, we would have had three kids and a house,ā Kaplan says. āHe loved music, he loved baking, he loved traveling and he loved children. He was an incredibly humble person and he was just all about living his life.ā
Donations to the Sean Sasser Endowment Fund can be made at seansasserfund.aidsunited.org.
U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court declines to hear lawsuit against Montgomery County schools gender guidelines
4th Circuit last August dismissed parents’ case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a lawsuit against Montgomery County Public Schools guidelines that allow schools to create plans in support of transgender or gender nonconfirming students without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
Three parents of students in the school district ā none of whom have trans or gender nonconfirming children ā filed the lawsuit.
A judge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last August dismissed the case. The plaintiffs appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) reintroduced legislation to increase access to needed services and resources for LGBTQ seniors who live in rural areas this week.
The Elder Pride Act would bolster the capacity and ability of Area Agencies on Aging located in rural communities to better serve and support LGBTQ seniors who often require affirming care, services, and supports that are often underfunded and scarce in many parts of the country.
Recent surveys show that between 2.9 million and 3.8 million LGBTQ people live in rural American communities.
āLGBTQ+ elders and older people living with HIV live in every part of this nation, including rural areas. We all deserve to be able to age in our communities with the services and supports we need to remain independent,ā SAGE CEO Michael Adams said in the press release announcing the reintroduction of the legislation. āWe commend Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Sharice Davids (D-KS) on reintroducing the Elder Pride Act. And we honor the contributions of our many LGBTQ+ trailblazers whose tireless advocacy allowed us to reintroduce this critical bill. We look forward to working alongside Reps. Bonamici, Pocan, and Davids, and our LGBTQ+ pioneers nationwide to pass this legislation.ā
āLGBTQI+ seniors should be able to access services and care that meets their unique needs, regardless of where they live,ā said Bonamici, chair of the Equality Caucusās LGBTQ+ Aging Issues Task Force.āThose who live in rural areas frequently face increased barriers, which Congress can break down. The Elder Pride Act will increase resources for programs and services that will improve the lives of LGBTQI+ elders.ā
āThe Elder Pride Act will improve the overall health and social and economic well-being of LGBTQI+ older adults and seniors living with HIV in rural areas by better equipping senior service providers with resources to address the unique needs of these communities. Iām pleased to introduce this important legislation with my colleagues and co-leaders on the Equality Caucus, Reps. Pocan and Davids,ā Bonamici added.
āRural LGBTQI+ seniors have been lacking access to necessary services and care for too long,ā said Pocan, co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. āThe Elder Pride Act creates opportunities for LGBTQ+ seniors in rural communities, benefiting everyone in the region. I look forward to advancing this important legislation.ā
āMany of our LGBTQ+ elders fought tirelessly for equality in a world that refused to accept their identity,ā said Davids. āWhile they overcame tremendous odds to give future generations the rights they deserve, our elders, particularly those in rural communities, continue to face discrimination when accessing long-term care and healthcare. I am proud to support the Elder Pride Act because who you are and who you love should never increase your risk for isolation, poverty, and poor health outcomes as you age.ā
The Elder Pride Act complements the Older American Act, which was updated under Bonamiciās leadership, by establishing a rural grant program designed to fund care and services for LGBTQ seniors. The grant would also support programs that:
ā¢ Provide services such as cultural competency training for service providers;
ā¢ Develop modes of connection between LGBTQI+ older adults and local service providers and community organizations;
ā¢ Expand the use of nondiscrimination policies and community spaces for older adults who are members of the LGBTQI+ community or another protected class; and,
ā¢ Disseminate resources on sexual health and aging for senior service providers.
A fact sheet on the legislation can be found here, and the full text can be found here.
State Department
State Department travel advisory warns of potential anti-LGBTQ violence
FBI issued similar warning this week
The State Department on Friday issued a worldwide travel advisory that warns of potential violence against LGBTQ people and LGBTQ-specific events.
“Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” reads the advisory. “The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.”
The advisory further urges U.S. citizens to:
- Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons.
- Enroll in theĀ Smart Traveler Enrollment ProgramĀ (STEP)Ā to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.
- Follow the Department of State onĀ FacebookĀ andĀ Twitter.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Homeland Security Investigations earlier this week issued a similar advisory.
The advisory notes June 12 will mark eight years since the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
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