Washington Blade - September 9, 2005
Andrew Keegan

"We had options," Read said. "Sticking it out, going to a hotel near New Orleans or staying with friends. We had a hard time choosing the right game plan until we had one of those thunderbolt moments Saturday night and said, 'We need to leave - and now.'"

Within two hours of reaching that decision, the couple gathered their four dogs, packed a few belongings and headed for a friend's house in Lafayette, La., about 120 miles northwest of New Orleans.

Now they wonder what happened to their home and when they can return.

"We don't have any definite plans," Read said. "Like most New Orleans residents, we're in limbo. We actually feel kind of guilty being here. We'll probably be here between three to six months."

As Hurricane Katrina evacuees spread out across the country, gay and HIV-positive survivors of the storm may face particular hurdles as they seek shelter and begin the daunting task of rebuilding their lives.

Residents of Lazarus House, New Orleans' primary hospice for people with HIV, had no place to go to escape the storm, and many now have no place to go to recover from it, according to Robert Banks.

Banks, who lives in Phoenix, operates the organization's Web site, lazarushouse.net, while his mother Susan serves as director for the non-profit agency.

Hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents fled before the massive Category 4 hurricane slammed ashore Aug. 29 with winds at more than 140 miles per hour. But the 22 residents of Lazarus House, including several gay men, had zero options, Banks said.

"They were stuck," he said. "When you have people with this type of medical condition, no one wanted to take them."

Banks said he received a call from his mother three days after the hurricane hit.

"The National Guard had stopped by on Tuesday and told Mom they would come back in a day or two," Banks said. "She called me on Thursday, and said, 'Get us out of here.'"

'A difficult time' By Friday morning, Sept. 2, Lazarus House residents had been evacuated to various shelters, according to Banks.

"Staff members gave each resident enough medication for at least a week, and a schedule of when to take each one," he said.

Now they face the difficult task of locating temporary housing.

"We've paired a stronger person with a weaker individual to act as a buddy," Banks said. "But we are having a difficult time finding anyone to take two people in this medical condition. While we can always use monetary donations, we really need places for our residents."

Banks said the organization will pay for travel should out-of-state options become available. Donations, including offers of housing, can be made through the group's Web site.

HIV-positive people are especially vulnerable when displaced, according to Ron Valdiserri, deputy director for HIV, STD & TB prevention at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta.

"It's becoming apparent that health workers are just now beginning to grapple with HIV-positive individuals without their medication," Valdiserri said. "From a public health standpoint, you don't want patients missing their medication because it can lead to the development of resistance."

But HIV-positive residents from New Orleans would face even greater risks if they remained in the city, Valdiserri said, citing unsanitary conditions like no running water or sewers.

"That's a dangerous situation for those who have healthy immune systems," Valdiserri said. "It can be fatal for a person who is HIV-positive."

Currently, the CDC does not have information on what steps are being taken at individual shelters to provide for HIV-positive individuals, Valdiserri said.

Gay couples not 'spouses' Initial relief efforts in the three states slammed by Hurricane Katrina - Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi - focused on meeting individual needs for food, water, shelter and medical care. But when efforts turn from rescue to recovery, gay couples may find themselves at a decided disadvantage - especially those whose partners perished in the monster storm.

The Defense of Marriage Act, which became law in 1996, denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages and gives states the right to refuse to recognize gay marriages licensed in other states.

Widows and widowers from heterosexual marriages can receive surviving spouse Social Security benefits, which gay couples are denied because the federal government will not recognize their relationships as marriages.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, also bound by DOMA, excludes gay partners from certain family benefits offered to married couples, according to Jack Senterfitt, senior attorney with the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund's southern regional office in Atlanta.

"Some FEMA benefits are derived from what constitutes a 'family,' such as the loss of a spouse," Senterfitt said. "This just highlights the difficulties faced by gays because we're not all treated the same."

FEMA officials did not respond to repeated interview requests on how gay couples would be treated in relief efforts, such as whether gay partners would be allowed to accompany each other if evacuated for medical assistance or other issues.

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief & Emergency Assistance Act, which FEMA adheres to when a disaster is declared by the president, protects individuals from discrimination based on several categories, including race and religion. It does not include sexual orientation.

Groups involved in the relief effort should be vigilant in monitoring situations in which sexual orientation is a factor, Senterfitt said.

"Some gay people may feel a heightened anxiety because their usual network of support is gone," he said.

Assessing how public and private agencies are responding to the needs of gay men and lesbians affected by Katrina, Senterfitt acknowledged, "it's still pretty early in the game."

Lambda Legal worked with gay couples seeking equal treatment from government compensation programs following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The group also participated in a meeting with the American Red Cross when the agency was criticized by some gay advocacy groups for a lack of written policies for dealing with gay survivors in the wake of the attacks. After the meeting, the Red Cross reaffirmed its commitment to including survivors from same-sex relationships.

The national headquarters of the American Red Cross did not respond to interview requests this week. But a spokesperson at the Red Cross chapter in Midtown Atlanta said Katrina evacuees are being treated equally.

Sexual orientation is "not an issue," Debbie McChesney said.

"As of today, Sept. 6, we are not aware of any specific requests from gay evacuees," she said.

The five Red Cross centers in Atlanta had processed more than 1,500 claims for assistance, according to McChesney.

The humanitarian agency does not have specific policies dealing with placing a gay couple in a shelter.

"If a problem arose, the staffer at that location would have to handle it," McChesney said.

'It's all bumbled' Meanwhile, simply navigating the relief system remains frustrating for gay victims like New Orleans evacuee Wayne Sizemore, who cited problems with organization, not discrimination.

A resident of New Orleans for the past 11 years, Sizemore left his home a day before Katrina hit. He has been staying with a friend in Atlanta while seeking assistance from the Red Cross.

"It's all bumbled," Sizemore said Sept. 6. "I waited in line all day Saturday [Sept. 3] at the Midtown Red Cross center, only for them to give me a ticket telling me to come back on Sept. 12, and they would let me know if they can help. A friend called me today and said I should get down to the Red Cross because they were giving out debit cards with cash."

Sizemore said when he arrived at the Midtown Red Cross, he was directed to a temporary center miles away.

"There were no signs or anything," he said. "I drove past it and had to stop and ask for directions. When I finally got inside, it was pandemonium."

Sizemore said evacuees were shuffled from line to line with no information from Red Cross personnel. After a day of standing in numerous lines, he was given a $600 debit card.

The money answers basic needs, but the now-unemployed production artist still worries about his future, and how to care for his dog Buddy and a cat Phoebe.

"Those of us who escaped New Orleans are staying with people who care for us dearly," Sizemore said. "But the truth is, it's very disruptive for their households, too. Besides, I have a lot of energy and need to focus on a future. I expect I'll be in Atlanta for at least four months."

Finding homes Like Sizemore, fellow gay New Orleans evacuee Rick Duplantier said he feels fortunate to have found a place to stay with friends outside of the disaster area.

Duplantier and his partner, Rob Clemenz, fled New Orleans for Houston the day before Katrina hit. Small waves are made by military trucks Sept. 4 as they pass through downtown New Orleans searching for stranded residents. (Photo by Gabe Hernandez/AP)

The couple's "dream" home, in the neighborhood of one of the levee breaks, is "probably a total loss," Duplantier said. "But we are defiant about rebuilding - somehow."

The couple roomed with Duplantier's brother for a few days until a neighbor who spends most of his time in Mexico City offered the use of his house.

"We now consider ourselves lucky," he said.

Recognizing that gay evacuees may feel particularly uncomfortable in some group shelters, gay people around the country have offered to open their homes.

David Silverman, a gay metro Atlanta resident, signed on to www.hurricanehousing.org to host four singles or two couples seeking shelter.

"I looked at other postings and noticed that others had entered information about being gay," Silverman said. "As a gay man, I'm not sure who I would turn to if I were in the same situation. I can't imagine having to find a place to stay and not be open."

The Big Easy holds a special place for restaurant owner Ria Pell, who owns Ria's Bluebird on Memorial Drive near Grant Park in Atlanta.

"I spent a lot of time in New Orleans growing up and almost opened the Bluebird down there," Pell said. "I just love that city."

Pell and her partner, Kiki Carr, are offering housing for displaced gay men and lesbians. Pell also recently hired a New Orleans resident to work at her restaurant, and jumped at the chance to help when St. Paul's Methodist Church enlisted her help to provide food for evacuees at its sanctuary.

"It's tough staying positive given the government's response," Pell said. "But I don't think any place is ready to handle this amount of people."

Gay men and lesbians are also utilizing craigslist.com, a centralized network of online urban communities, to volunteer housing.

Gay relief funds Since the hurricane, several gay relief funds and efforts have been quickly organized.

Under One Roof, a San Francisco-based AIDS service organization, formed the Above & Beyond Fund to assist HIV/AIDS service organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi. The group operates a retail shop in the Castro with proceeds benefiting Bay-area HIV agencies.

"All too often people with HIV are the last ones thought about in situations like this," said Mike Marshall, the group's executive director. "Our goal is to make sure they receive the treatment they need."

Marshall indicated that 100 percent of donations go to HIV service providers and the organization is "eating any administrative costs."

Donations can be made at www.underoneroof.org.

More than half-a-dozen national gay organizations joined the National Youth Advocacy Coalition in Washington D.C., in launching the Hurricane Katrina LGBT Relief Fund.

"The next few days are critical," said Craig Bowman, executive director of the non-profit, which works to end discrimination against gay youth.

"No amount is too small to make a difference," he said.

Bowman said the tax-deductible contributions will be used to "support humanitarian relief for LBGTQ youth and families from the devastated areas."

Donations made at the agency's Web site, nyacyouth.org, will be forwarded to local organizations dealing with evacuees, according to Bowman.

'It may sound selfish' Donations made through Rainbow World Fund, rainbowfund.org, will provide food for gay and straight victims, said Jeff Cotter, the organization's founder.

The gay nonprofit, founded in 2000, is no stranger to disaster relief, raising more than $250,000 in aid, Cotter said, for victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia, killing more than 140,000 people.

"It matters how we [gays] see ourselves," he said. "We have a long history of contributing positively to the world. Our projects always focus on helping those in need. It's not contingent on people supporting our civil rights."

The Rainbow Fund has raised more than $150,000 to aid victims of Katrina, noting the entire amount will go to America's Second Harvest for food-aid to assist survivors, Cotter said.

But Jody Renaldo, executive director of Equality Mississippi, said in a Sept. 6 e-mail that he opposed donations funneled through the Rainbow World Fund based upon concerns that the money could be distributed in areas outside the three states hit by Katrina.

"It may sound selfish, but we need that money here in Mississippi and we need it now without having to wait for it," Renaldo wrote.

Renaldo asks for direct donations to Equality Mississippi's Web site, www.equalityms.org/hurricanerelief.

"That's ridiculous," Cotter said when asked about Renaldo's e-mail. "The most important thing for people to do is donate - period. And they need to select the organization they are most comfortable with. It's not a competition."

Cotter said Rainbow World Fund operates with volunteers and funds administrative costs mostly through grants.

"As soon as donations come in, they are sent out for direct field service work," Cotter said.

Camp Sister Spirit, a lesbian feminist retreat in Ovett, Miss., suffered extensive damage, according to an e-mail from owners Wanda and Brenda Henson. The storm downed trees and power lines, blocking roads and damaging roofs, wrote Wanda Henson. She estimated power won't be restored for nearly six weeks.

The nonprofit organization is seeking donations through its Web site, www.campsisterspirit.com.

Katrina is also spurring relief efforts from philanthropists and celebrities.

Tom Gill, founder of the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, pledged a $1 million matching grant to the Red Cross for Katrina disaster relief. Gill's foundation matches individual donations from Colorado residents up to $250; the Web site is www.gillfoundation.org.

___

Laura Douglas-Brown contributed to this report.

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