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Dock
of the Bay 2002 Honoree
LOUIS
TRAPANI:
 REBEL
WITH A CAUSE
by Jed
Ryan
What's the most rewarding part about being a gay activist?
According to Louis Trapani, one of our community's hardest
working members, one of the best things about activism is
that "You can make a difference without even knowing it, without
even seeing it. You may be reaching someone you don't know,
who you'll never meet... like someone who hasn't come out
yet." Louis Trapani is a rebel, but unlike other renegades,
he's not motivated by anger, discontent, or an attempt to
"find himself." His altruism and hard work has always been
in the best interests of our community as a whole, not his
own. And underneath it all is a free spirit with a fierce
desire to maintain his individuality and personal code of
morality. For Louis, this includes a dedication to human
rights as well as animal rights (he's a vegetarian and a
member of People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA]) as well as
a commitment to only taking on projects and jobs related to
a cause which he believes in. Louis has been closely involved
with Long Island's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered
community for almost 15 years. In addition to owning his own
business as well as selflessly donating his talents to many
organizations in our community, he's a guaranteed presence
at most of Long Island's GLBT cultural and fund-raising events,
most recently Miss Auntie
M's 2002 Pageant, the Long
Island Pride Parade, and the Nassau
County Lesbian and Gay Democrats Spring Brunch. Long
Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY), tapped into Louis'
artistic and computer talents by hiring him as Media Art Associate.
On Friday nights, after the work's done, Louis can be found
at Club LIGALY, the organization's teen-orientated social
gathering, where he serves as a chaperone and role model for
some of our generation's youngest members. He's quick to point
out that he gains just as much from his experiences with "the
kids" as they get from his experiences as activist. Motivated
by his creative side, Louis is ways looking for new sources
of inspiration and eager to get the perspectives and views
of our community's next generation of movers and shakers.
But no matter what day of the week or what time it is, Louis
Trapani is working, twenty-four seven. While you're sleeping,
Louis is working to connect the GLBT community-- starting
on Long Island, and branching out to the rest of the world,
most notably with his web site/"E-Zine" www.LickTheWeb.com.
While just over a year old, LICKtheWeb.com
has attracted visitors from all over the world and has become
the hands-down site for the best of our community's freedom
of expression
Louis Trapani is an artist, a fact that colors all of his
endeavors as gay activist. He supports himself with his business
Art Trap Productions,
a full-service graphic art and media company that, among other
things, designs web sites and print ads and also deals with
photography, video, and fine arts. "Art was part of who I
was-- it came easily to me, like playing ball for some kids,"
he states. His apartment, which Louis affectionately calls
"The Cave," is itself a form of his artistic expression.
Stepping into his place is like walking into a museum-- but
without the admission fee. Paintings and photographs-- some
his own, some by fellow artists he admires (Andy Warhol)--
decorate the walls. His entertainment center and vast collection
of videos, DVD's, and laser discs (LDs) take up a whole section.
A science fiction fan, "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" figurines
accent the apartment. Louis expounds, "There's a lot more
in the science fiction genre than just escapism. It allows
you to get into deeper issues. The original 'Star Trek' ,
starting in the late '60's, explored some issues that wouldn't
have made it on TV normally-- the Vietnam War, racial politics,
feminism, and more." And in the center of 'The Cave'
is the object which has become such an integral part of his
life: his computer [a Power Macintosh to be exact, among
other Macs - ed.]. "Through art, we always know where
we are as a culture. Before there was a written word, artistic
expression showed our history." This is one of the reasons
Louis is so dedicated to protecting free speech and free expression,
and is vehemently against any form of censorship. "Censorship
could affect me as an artist. It affects our society. Issues
of censorship, free expression, and free speech overlap in
the gay community" He uses the 1990 controversy in Cincinnati
over the notorious exhibit by artist Robert Mapplethorpe,
and the more recent hoopla over the June 18th airing of a
"Nick at Night" special about gay parents as an example.
"These things stop me from being someone who's content to
just watch the world go by," he adds. Louis designed
most of the covers for the magazine Outlook
Long Island, including one with a breathtaking portrait
of Matthew Shepard. "Out of all the 'Outlook' covers,
that one holds the most personal meaning. Matthew Shepard's
story struck a cord with everyone in our community." Indeed,
Louis was present at the Matthew Shepard Long Island vigil.
His talents with computer skills and web design are well known
in our community. "I've always been on the cutting edge of
technology-- when I can afford it!" Even before he was on
the Net, Louis published a printed newsletter called "The
Rag" which featured contributions of creative material--
including photography, art, and poetry. "The Rag" didn't
shy away from gay themes. Louis has been on the Internet since
1992. "The Internet was first established in 1969, but was
only accessible through universities and government agencies.
It wasn't until the early '90's that we've had the Internet
in the home. As a result, we've become a more global community.
Before then, there were local bulletin board systems (BBS's)
with limited communication." Sure enough, Louis tapped into
the technology, operating a BBS called "The Machine"
(later renamed "Trapped Online," a take-off on his
name). There was a section within the service called "The
Rainbow Room" which was dedicated to the GLBT community
and included local information. From 1997 to 1999, he moderated
and facilitated a "real time," interactive virtual discussion
group via the Net called Serendipity. Louis chose the
topics and featured guest speakers for some discussions. People
from any location (Serendipity had members from Italy
and Hong Kong!) could participate in the discussions, which
included subjects such as gay marriage and facing gay stereotypes.
The benefit was that a member who was closeted and living
in middle America, for example, could have a safe outlet for
expression-- possibly a precursor to coming out. More than
a chat room, Serendipity implemented a virtual reality:
you could express yourself not only through real voices, but
also in a nonverbal way, actually represented by an icon on
screen! Louis made the difficult decision to end Serendipity,
due to the fact that new members who joined would not have
access to all the benefits that the older members had, due
to changes in the software.
Louis' first forays into gay activism were first motivated
by a broad ambition to "make the world a better place to live"
He comments, "I've always believed in standing up and fighting
for what you believe in, and standing up to injustices." He
started as a self-described "armchair activist," making phone
calls and sending faxes voicing his opinion in situations
of homophobia. One of the earliest examples that he remembers
was when, the chain store Wal-Mart refused to display a mainstream
magazine that featured a cover dealing with a gay issue. At
that time, Louis was "behind the scenes," not "out there."
In college, he was a member a gay group at his alma mater,
The New York School of Visual Arts. It was the 80's, and the
group was in its earliest stages. It was to be Louis' first
membership in a gay organization. In 1991, he was invited
by a new friend to march in Manhattan's Gay Pride Parade with
The Pink Panthers, a New York City group. Louis remembers
at that time that there was not a visible gay community on
Long Island. "There was a gay community, but it was hidden,"
he states. Louis' Long Island involvement in the early '90's
was mainly going to bars and clubs, but in late 1994 he took,
in his own words, "a more proactive role," including going
to the 1996 Long
Island Pride Parade and joining the Parade Committee shortly
afterward. In 1997 he was contacted by a member of P-FLAG
in Canada. "She wanted to get T-shirts for her P-FLAG chapter
in British Columbia. While trying to get her the information
on P-FLAG shirts from the Long
Island chapter, he was asked to be involved with P-FLAG'"
Subsequently, Louis became editor of P-FLAG Long Island's
newsletter [for about a year -- ed.]. To this day,
he remains involved with P-FLAG (Long Island) as web site
Administrator and Manager.
Louis took to activism in a big way. From 1997 to 2000, he
sat on the Executive Board of the Long
Island Pride Parade, serving as Executive Secretary and
Chairperson of The Arts and Publications Committee. In 1999,
he was named "Best Activist - Best of Long Island" by the
"Long Island VOICE" when staffers from that newspaper
noticed his dedication to GLBT causes. Another group that
Louis became involved with was the Long Island Center, a group
who envisioned a space on Long Island which would serve as
a meeting place and a drop-in center inspired, by the GLBT
Community Center in Manhattan. Louis felt the idea of such
a place in Long Island was a great idea. Shortly afterward,
a group of men and women who would eventually become the founding
members of CHOLI (Community House of Long Island) which had
different approach to obtain the goals of the Long Island
Center. Subsequently, the two groups went their different
ways. Although upset by the rift, Louis appreciated the mission
of CHOLI and ended up serving on CHOLI's Board of Directors.
It was at this time that Louis possibly experienced his first
feeling of being overburdened with his activities in our community.
"I was serving on the Boards of three organizations, and it
was just too much." He stepped down from the Board of CHOLI,
although he still sponsors CHOLI's web site. "It was just
time for me to step down," he adds.
Louis currently spends a great deal of time working with the
Long Island Pride eGroup,
and as Moderator of the Long
Island Pride Discussions eGroup, the first of which he
founded in September 1999. With the original intent to "bridge
the geographical gap between Long Island's gay community,"
the L.I. Pride eGroup now boasts just over 500 subscribers,
and is THE best way to stay up to date with what's
going on. As anyone who is a subscriber knows, the L.I. Pride
Discussion group has become the the site of many provocative
and even controversial discussions-- a true melting pot of
the varied opinions of our community. (Some members of which,
as we know, have a LOT to say!). The time he spends
with the eGroups is "nothing," however, compared to the "tremendous"
amount of time he spends with LickTheWeb.com
(Long Island Community Konnection), his labor of love which
features news, movie and theater reviews, links, photos, creative
submissions by members of our community, and much more, available
worldwide, 24/7. "It's a phenomenal amount of work. I spend
up to 12 hours a day on the site," Louis adds. Unfortunately,
Louis' creative endeavors have met with hard reality: the
quest for funding. Louis often works on updating and improving
the site with time that could be spent on paid jobs. Advertisers
have not yet tapped into the infinite exposure that their
businesses would get by advertising on the site, and banner
ads haven't generated much revenue. "There's currently no
one to solicit ads." While optimistic about LICKtheWeb's destiny
and encouraged by the site's increasing visibility, Louis
makes no bones about the site's future. "LICKtheWeb.com
will not survive as a free service without financial support."
He encourages everyone to first check out LICKtheWeb.com...
and if they feel it's worthwhile, to consider supporting it.
Working so closely with the gay community for so long, Louis
has seen all sides of our community-- the good, the bad, and
the ugly. Which of course, just goes to show that like the
rest of the world, our community is only human, flaws and
all. Does Louis ever feel under appreciated for his efforts,
or harbor negative feeling for bad experiences with certain
groups or individuals? "I don't let one individual taint an
organization or our community as a whole," he responds. "Some
groups may have individuals who mismanage, who mishandle things,
or are not up to the task. You'll have a percentage of people
who are progressive and move towards the group's mission.
You'll have some people with good intentions who don't know
how to use their abilities. These people just need direction.
Unfortunately, you'll also have some dead weight, and those
with their own agenda who use the group as a guise to propel
their own mission. All organizations should stand by their
mission statement. If a group serves a purpose and serves
the needs of the community, it's a good thing. If they aren't
serving the community, maybe they should redefine their mission,
or reconstruct themselves. Every organization needs leadership
that will steer people in the right direction. The leaders
then serve as a role model." .
Does Louis have any advice for future activists? "You can
start just by being out! I don't know what's best for everyone.
I can only speak for myself. But I believe in asking everyone
for their opinions and talking to people. I always ask myself,
'How can this best serve the community? Make a difference
in something you believe in, whether it's civil rights, environmental
causes, or anything you've got a passion for." He adds, "Don't
go the way the tide goes... put your own oars in the water!"
After the interview, I asked Louis if he'd be going to the
Manhattan parade. With the demeanor of a kid left by his mother
for his first day of kindergarten, he responds, "I'll be going,
but this is the first time I'm not marching with any group.
I'll be just watching!" I point out to Louis Trapani that
maybe for the first Parade in 11 years, this was his year
to finally sit back, relax, and watch the celebration of our
community's accomplishments-- which were largely achieved
through the efforts of dedicated activists like himself.
Check
out
To
subscribe to the L.I. Pride
eGroup, send a blank e-mail to LI-Pride-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
To subscribe to the L.I. Pride
Discussions eGroup, send a blank e-mail to LI-Pride-Discuss-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Art
Trap Productions
P.O. Box 36
Oceanside, N.Y. 11572-0036
www.ArtTrap.com
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