BLAZER MEDIA - LA Blade May 2017 Issue [Publication]

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LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

LA MAYOR ON SANCTUARY CITIES, LGBT RIGHTS — AND ALL THAT 2020 SPECULATION PAGE 3

Riots and the LGBT community

A tribute to Sandy Gallin

The return of Billy Masters

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Garcetti chooses LA over D.C. — for now Outspoken LGBT ally and feminist talks to the Los Angeles Blade

By KAREN OCAMB kocamb@losangelesblade.com Democrats scanning the landscape, looking for a savior to lead the 2020 charge against Oval Office occupant Donald Trump often alight upon Eric Garcetti. The popular Los Angeles mayor was reelected in March with a stunning 81 percent of the vote in a diverse sanctuary city with a population of more than 4 million.

Smart, hip and perpetually positive, Garcetti embodies the youthful wellspring of Democratic core values: he’s a walking Statue of Liberty, welcoming everyone with the voice of an intersectional, feminist Rhodes Scholar infused with Italian, Russian Jewish and Mexican heritage and values.

He’s also a committed LGBT ally.

On Tuesday, ABC7 cited a New York Times report that suggested Garcetti may be considering a run for the White House.

“Allies of Mr. Garcetti acknowledged that national donors had broached the subject of 2020 but said that was the extent of his attention to the race. Mr. Garcetti is weighing a campaign for governor of California next year,” The Times reported April 30.

The 2020 presidential speculation may have been fueled by a Politico story on March 8 entitled “Democrats planning first cattle call for 2020 contenders,” in which Garcetti’s name is included on the list of invited Democratic star speakers at the Center for American Progress’ (CAP) “Ideas Conference” on May 16.

Garcetti is going to the CAP conference — but to discuss ideas. And, he told the Los Angeles Blade in a May 1 phone interview, he is not interested in any other job than being mayor for the near future.

“Every day I hear of different things I’m running for from different people,” Garcetti says. “But when I have a conversation in

ERIC GARCETTI says serving as mayor of LA is his ‘dream job.’

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ERIC GARCETTI: FLICKR

my own head, it’s really being excited about my new job on July 1 when I get to be a second-term mayor.”

Garcetti describes being mayor of Los Angeles as his “dream job.”

“I love that we passed the largest infrastructure initiative in the nation’s history, times two, to build 15 rapid transit lines, passed two homeless measures to build housing and provide services to get our brothers and sisters off the street who are unhoused,” Garcetti says. “But the day after that, traffic was still bad, [homeless] tents were still in too many places in the city. So I truly am excited to see through the implementation of this work and that’s 100 percent what I’m focused on and new opportunities like bringing the Olympics back to L.A.” As a result of a change in election dates,

Garcetti’s second term will run five and a half years instead of four. “I think you can make a real impact on your city the longer you’re there,” he says. “There may be the time when I can serve my city in a different role, that also helps Angelenos even more.

But I’m not a person who’s very focused on my political future. I’m focused on my city’s needs.”

Garcetti’s critics don’t believe that.

“From the start of Garcetti’s time as mayor, there was speculation that City Hall would be a mere pit stop on his way to the governor’s mansion. The distrust isn’t unique to Garcetti—ambition and capability in a politician often seem at odds with trustworthiness—but it isn’t going away, either. Mitchell Schwartz wants the mayor to pledge that he would serve a full term if

reelected,” reports Gabriel Kahn in a long June 29, 2016 profile for Los Angeles Magazine.

“Garcetti is uncharacteristically awkward on the topic, telling me, ‘I have not yet sat down and done any hard thinking about governor,’ pausing as if unsure how to finish the thought. ‘But I certainly know that the work that I’m doing for L.A…. and leading a lot of coalitions statewide that provides California cities some of the common help they need. But right now I’m not,’” Kahn wrote.

Garcetti was far from hesitant, awkward or calculating with the Los Angeles Blade.

In fact, he was brimming with enthusiasm, which raises the question about how words like “ambition” and “leader” are CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

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Life after the riots for LGBT Angelenos Relationship with police improved dramatically after reforms

By KAREN OCAMB kocamb@losangelesblade.com “Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty, not guilty.” Los Angeles was stunned on April 29, 1992 to hear the verdicts in the case of four white LAPD officers accused of assault in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King a year earlier.

How could anyone, even the white pro-police jurors in Simi Valley, refuse to acknowledge what minority communities had complained about for years – the brutality of the LAPD. The verdicts lanced the festering wounds of injustice and riots broke out in South Central. And LGBT people were involved at every juncture.

The LAPD vice squad was infamous for mistreating gays. No one cared. Even before anti-gay Ed Davis became chief in 1969, police harassed gays through bars raids, entrapment and selective enforcement, as well as violence with no fear of accountability. For instance, cops purportedly dangled a young gay man over a cliff to get him to reveal names of a supposed pedophile ring.

Then on March 9, 1969, two vice officers raided the bathhouse-style Dover Hotel in downtown L.A. looking for “faggots.” They claimed that Howard Efland, a slightly framed male nurse, groped them so they beat him, arrested him, and dragged his naked, bleeding body by his feet down a flight of stairs as he screamed for help. Once on the street, the officers kicked him, kneedropped onto his stomach and continued to beat him, according to witnesses. Efland later died at LA County Hospital, with police telling his parents he had died of a heart attack. The coroner later ruled his death an “excusable homicide,” a justification accepted by the mainstream media. The L.A. Advocate, however, reported the

real story, “radicalizing” gays like The Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, who led 120 marchers to the Dover to protest Efland’s death under color of authority. Such consistent LAPD abuse drove gays to unincorporated West Hollywood where they were treated slightly better by the L.A. Sheriffs.

But LGBT civilians weren’t the only victims of LAPD abuse. In 1988, LAPD Sergeant Mitch Grobeson courageously filed an historic employment discrimination lawsuit against the department.

Tough guy LAPD Chief Daryl Gates had publicly proclaimed that “homosexuality is unnatural” and rejected gay officers because “Who would want to work with one?” It was later revealed that Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker ran a secret “God Squad” that fast-tracked the careers of like-minded anti-gay Christians.

“After he was outed and harassed at work, falsely accused of misconduct, and had his life put at risk when members of the department intentionally refused to send backup to assist him in a life-threatening situation, Grobeson felt he had to take action, even knowing that doing so would surely lead to further character assassination,” says Jon Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal who worked with civil rights lawyer Dan Stormer on Grobeson’s behalf in what turned out to be 25 years of litigation.

“Grobeson didn’t want what happened to him to happen to anyone else,” Davidson notes: the LAPD settled Grobeson’s 1988 suit in 1993 for $770,000; agreed to revise its nondiscrimination, recruitment, training, and complaint policies and practices; and allowed Grobeson to return to the force. But Grobeson then faced “appalling retaliation for having sued” as the LAPD ignored most of the agreed-upon changes.

Grobeson sued again in 2006 and a second settlement of Grobeson’s nonmonetary claims was reached in 2007, this time including detailed new training materials and recruitment procedures

Prior to the 1991 LA riots, the Los Angeles Police Department classified gay domestic dispute situations ‘NHI,’ as in ‘no human involved.’

PHOTO BY MICK TAYLOR; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

backed up by amendments to the L.A. City Administrative Code. The legal back and forth continued until 2013.

But out of the L.A. riots came historic change. Mayor Tom Bradley set up the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, which became known as the Christopher Commission, named for its renowned leader, attorney Warren Christopher.

“The Christopher Commission looked broadly and deeply into the LAPD’s culture and discriminatory practices, including receiving a detailed report I authored on the force’s anti-LGBT history and receiving testimony from numerous stillcloseted LAPD officers,” says Davidson.

“The commission’s recommendations and the consent decrees secured by the Department of Justice were essential to bringing about a department that, although still not perfect, is barely recognizable as the successor to the one Grobeson joined in 1981.”

One of the details from the Christopher Commission Report was the revelation that when officers were dispatched to break up what was described as a gay domestic dispute, the call typed into the Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) was “NHI,” which stood for “no human involved.”

“There’s an important lesson here,” says Davidson. “When racism and police violence against black and brown communities are tolerated, homophobia, transphobia, and violence against LGBTQ people often are

present, as well. Efforts to end certain forms of official bias can diminish other forms, as well. All Angelenos, including those of us who are part of the queer community, are better off because of the reforms of the last 25 years.”

Since the L.A. riots, the LAPD has changed dramatically.

“Leadership from top LAPD Chiefs Bill Bratton and Charlie Beck brought on commanding officers who would no longer tolerate open homophobia and, with the support of a more powerful city Police Commission, numerous concrete reforms occurred,” says Davidson. “Some of those reforms include: the number of LAPD officers 15 years ago who were ‘out’ swelled to more than 150; the LAPD’s previously discriminatory scouting program was replaced with an independent LAPD Cadet Program; regular sting operations targeting gay and bisexual men ended; the LAPD instituted now-annual LGBTQ Community Police Academies to foster dialogue with L.A.’s queer residents; and the LAPD adopted rules requiring officers to refer to transgender individuals by the name and gender they prefer and barring searches of transgender individuals to determine their genital anatomy.”

Finally, in 1993, when out LAPD Officer Lisa Phillips received a Medal of Valor for her courageous acts of heroism on April 29, 1992, three tables of lesbians screamed and hollered and the whole room enjoyed their enthusiasm.

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LA’s May Day march includes LGBT visibility

ANGELICA SALAS and ARI GUTIERREZ

Focus on immigration rights, equality and Trump

By KAREN OCAMB Organizers from a massive coalition that included LGBT groups estimated that about 30,000 people turned out for the May Day march on Monday, May 1, in downtown Los Angeles, though 100,000 people had been expected. The alt-right site Breitbart headlined that 85 percent shortfall, with no consideration of why there might have been fewer demonstrators, no mention of the rampant fear gripping the immigrant communities that for so long have bolstered the ranks of those commemorating International Workers Day. The fear is not just the election of Donald Trump as president. After all, President Barack Obama deported 2.5 million people, earning him the nickname “deporter-in-chief.” The fear is that Obama-era restrictions have been lifted or loosened so even designated

PHOTO BY KAREN OCAMB

DREAMers are being detained and deported, with ICE routinely sweeping up more people than their intended target.

Additionally, as happened to Romulo Avelica-Gonzalez, the father of four who was arrested last February after dropping off his 12- year old daughter at her Lincoln Heights school, ICE officers wear jackets emblazed with the word “POLICE,” instilling confusion and fear of the LAPD, which has publicly stressed it will not comply with ICE, unless necessary.

ICE says it is going after criminals, raising the specter of the Mexican rapists, drug dealers, and murderers Trump talked about when announcing his campaign.

But the two criminal convictions for which Avelica-Gonzalez, who has lived in the U.S. for 25 years, was arrested and now faces deportation and the breakup of his family were misdemeanor DUI and driving without a license in 2008 and buying a stolen non-DMV-issued vehicle registration tag in 1998, also a misdemeanor. He ended up with a deportation order in 2013 for trusting a fake lawyer who ran off with his money and paperwork.

Undocumented immigrants in California have been able to get driver’s licenses since 2015.

It is no wonder, then, that thousands of undocumented workers and their families who might have proudly marched in the May Day celebrations of the past were too afraid to march this year, especially with such a strong police presence.

But despite the numbers, there may have been a turning point in the call for unity in defiance of the Trump administration’s efforts to take away basic civil rights.

This year, the May Day Coalition of Los Angeles, a network of more than 115 organizations led by Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, was intentionally inclusive. Rainbow flags dotted the march from MacArthur Park to L.A. City Hall with transgender communications spokesperson Rachel Rose Luckey of Stonewall Democrats speaking before the march and trans activist Bamby Salcedo of TransLatin@ Coalition speaking at City Hall. Among the LGBT groups represented were: Equality California, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, Latino Equality Alliance, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Stonewall Democratic Club, and St John’s Well Child & Family Center, which has a significant trans program.

“On May Day, when WE resist together, we honor the intersection of our identity as immigrants and descendants of immigrants and we honor the diversity of our communities,” says Ari Gutiérrez, CoFounder and Advisory Board President of the Latino Equality Alliance. “The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer identified community includes immigrants, survivors, dreamers, college students, professionals and entrepreneurs. The LGBTQ community supports labor, immigrant and racial justice because those issues affect us too!” The safety and dignity of our LGBTQ community in our

advocacy for immigration, employment and other policies must be a priority in our common struggle for equality, equity and justice. We must RESIST together and ALL of us for each other!”

It is a point CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas underscored in an interview with the Los Angeles Blade. “It is not just the responsibility for the immigrant community to stand up for Africa American and LGBTQ rights. It is our responsibility to change the country,” she said at Stonewall Democratic Club’s Stoney Awards on Sunday, where CHIRLA was honored.

Salas also noted that CHIRLA’s efforts at unity and coalition-building required some intense internal struggle and preparation.

In 2008, for instance, the leadership recognized that the anti-gay marriage Prop 8 was the equivalent in the gay community to the horrific anti-immigrant Prop 187 was in the Latino community. Though they were in the middle of the grant process with the LA Catholic Archdioceses, CHIRLA decided to return the money to the church—which caused considerable internal consternation, rather than bow to church pressure over their opposition to Prop 8. Of more importance was not equivocating on their principles of fairness and equality, she said.

CHIRLA is also extremely aware of the issues and challenges faced by LGBT immigrants and worked hard on behalf of DREAMer Yordi Cancino, a gay youth leader for his high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, who wound up in an ICE detention facility facing deportation. CHIRLA is also advocating for LGBT asylum seekers.

LGBT people having been marching in the May Day march for years, starting with six brave staffers and volunteers from Bienestar. When gays were eventually acknowledged and included, the representative was often the last speaker on stage. This year, with so much at stake, the need for diversity in unity itself became a message for #ResistLA—even in the logo for the May Day flier.

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LO CA L N E W S

Schiff to Stonewall Dems: ‘We Are Proudly Out of Control’ Honoring allies and advocates at the annual Stoney Awards

By KAREN OCAMB kocamb@losangelesblade.com #ResistTrump heroes Reps. Adam Schiff and Ted Lieu marked the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency celebrating LGBT rights and progressive values at Stonewall Democratic Club’s Stoney Awards on April 29. Lieu presented Schiff the Elected Official of the Year Award, with both men underscoring the importance of this moment in democratic history.

Schiff, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, “is everything Chair David Nunes is not,” Lieu said to LGBT Democratic party activists and allies in the courtyard of Traxx Restaurant at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Nunes recused himself from the committee’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russian officials to interfere with the 2016 elections after it was revealed that he colluded with White House officials to allegedly launder classified information. “At stake is the legitimacy of the Trump administration.

No pressure, Adam.”

Schiff thanked Lieu, top Trump troll on Twitter, “for the great job you are doing to put real constraints on the unconstitutional impulses of this administration.”

“In Washington and around the world, what we are up against is not one man or one party,” said Schiff. “What we are up against is the idea that we are stronger when we are divided, when we turn against each other, when we focus on our differences rather than our common humanity. This is the root of the challenge we face at home, and the challenge of nativism and bigotry around the world.

The very idea of liberal democracy is under assault, and along with it, that we were all

ADAM SCHIFF and TED LIEU were presented with the Stonewall Democratic Club’s Stoney Awards on April 29 in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES BLADE PHOTO BY KAREN OCAMB

created equal, regardless of how we look, where we are from, who we worship, or who we love.”

The House investigation into Russian interference is not about re-litigating the election but “how we protect our democracy and that of our allies for generations to come,” Schiff said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to outside interference just because it helps us politically.” America “must vigorously oppose the rise of autocracy around the world.”

Schiff called Stonewall Democrats his “family” and said there wasn’t enough time to list all anti-LGBT actions the Trump administration took in the first 100 days.

But he cited a few, including being silent on the atrocities in Chechnya and on “the murder of members of our trans community at home.”

After congratulating fellow honorees, Schiff said he was “truly thankful to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this fight for the values that we hold dear — for equality, respect and dignity. To our friends and adversaries in the administration who so often condemn California and our judges, let me just say – we are proudly out of control. Now, back to work!”

During his introduction, Lieu noted that Schiff is a signatory on his recently introduced Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, a bill that would put a federal

ban on so-called “conversion therapy” by allowing the Federal Trade Commission to classify the practice as fraudulent.

Lieu first lead the charge against “ex-gay therapy” in the California Legislature, passing a law in 2012.

“The bill is very simple,” Lieu told The Washington Post. “It says it is fraud if you treat someone for a condition that doesn’t exist and there’s no medical condition known as being gay. LGBTQ people were born perfect; there is nothing to treat them for. And by calling this what it should be, which is fraud, it would effectively shut down most of the organizations.”

On May 1, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a second challenge to the California law. Vice President Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have previously expressed support for the practice.

Lieu says the bill has 70 co-sponsors.

“Our hope is that it becomes law but in the meantime, the Federal Trade Commission can just do it,” Lieu told the Los Angeles Blade. Since Trump has not yet named a new chair, “I urge them to take action now.”

Also honored was transgender activist Michaela Irivi Mendelsohn, CEO of Pollo West Corp., one of the largest franchisees for El Pollo Loco restaurants in the Western Region. She also founded TransCanWork, with the mission of making trans inclusion in the workplace the “new normal.”

Eric Bauman, who helped build Stonewall Democratic Club into a political grassroots powerhouse years ago and has transformed the L.A. County Democratic Party into the largest local Democratic Party organization in the country, was honored with the Public Official of the Year Award. He is expected to win election to become chair of the California Democratic Party later this month, becoming the party’s first out gay chair.

Sean Kolodji, Stonewall’s young membership recruiter, was honored with the Member of Year Award, with his mother in the audience looking on.

Out California State Sen. Ricardo Lara, who is expected to run for Insurance Commissioner, made a heartfelt presentation of the Organization of the Year Award to CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights), personally praising and thanking Executive Director Angelica Salas for embracing LGBT Latinos. On May Day, CHIRLA lead a large LGBT-inclusive coalition and a march of thousands in a demonstration for social justice and immigrant rights. “It is our responsibility to change the country,” she told the Blade.

Also receiving love from Stonewall Democrats was LA City Council member Gil Cedillo, a longtime LGBT ally who is running for reelection in Council District 1. He faces controversial candidate Joe Bray-Ali, whose comments on explicitly racist and altright websites included criticizing genderreassignment surgery for transgender individuals as “a shameful excess.”

Out LAUSD Board President Steve Zimmer got a special shout out from Bauman and Stonewall President Stephen David Simon to bolster his grassrootscoalition backed reelection campaign against well-financed, private charter school booster Nick Melvoin. “We have to speak truth to this money and not allow this take over to take place,” Zimmer told The Blade. “I’m very proud to carry this flag.” The run-off is May 16.

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Drag Race alum EUREKA entertaining kids in the Drag Con Kid Zone PHOTO BY ROBERT WILLIAMS

RuPaul’s Drag Con is a world of wonder Queens from around the world celebrate all things drag

By ROBERT WILLIAMS If you ever wondered what it would be like to jump through the wig of a drag queen and swim around in her brain for a few hours, this was your lucky weekend.

RuPaul’s Drag Con, the annual two-day drag extravaganza, sashayed into the Los Angeles Convention Center amid a wash of pink adorned wigs, leather, pleather, boas, babies, celebrities, and, of course, a who’s who of drag queens and Drag Race illuminati.

Thousands of queens from across the U.S. and beyond roamed the aisles of exhibitors at the Convention Center April 29 and 30.

The exhibitors included make-up, hair

and wig vendors. Celebrities like Lori Petty and drag queen super novas, along with socially minded panel discussions, including the likes of the ACLU, drew lines that dragged on for days.

Some of the panel discussions included: ‘The Truth About Trolls,’ an honest chat about how proud trans women survive the world of social media; Drag Race alum Ginger Minj gave Jerry O’Connell a drag makeover; and social media stars like Christine Sydelko and Elijah Daniel gave advice on how to build your brand.

And, of course, there was a popular panel on Wiggery; Teen Vogue, the famously prescient blog, presented a panel called “What Is Drag In Trump’s America?”

And the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence enlightened everyone about protests of past, how our community can fight back today, and the political power of drag in their panel called “#Resist with the Sisters

of Perpetual Indulgence.”

Attendees at Drag Con were just as much an attraction as some of the superstar drag queens and undoubtedly some of them will one day have a booth and lines of people waiting to see them.

“It’s an experience of a lifetime, you don’t see this anywhere in the States, it’s definitely worth travelling from D.C. to see,” says Quinton Embly aka Siren Kelly.

“I come to be amongst the freaks like me and to be crazy and to show off looks,” Xanadu Darling says.

The event isn’t only for adults and even has a Kid Zone with bounce house and programming for the kiddos. “Drag Race” fans recently saw Eureka being sent home due to a leg injury on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and on Sunday she appeared well while enchanting a flock of kids with an inspirational story time.

The owners of children’s boutique La La

Ling on Vermont Avenue were invited by event organizers to promote their store, which sells baby and kids clothes, books, toys and accessories for kids ages up to 10, with a booth in the Kid Zone. Owners Kara and Celine were excited to see many of their LGBTQ customers and hope to return next year.

Local drag queen super fan Isabel Balboa came to Drag Con because of her “general love for the God RuPaul and all of the drag queens on heaven and earth.” She attended with her 14-year old daughter Dalyan Johnston and best friend of 30 years Lisette Rubio. The quirky trio moved downtown for the weekend to experience each and every glittery moment of the event.

Asked whether her love of drag was something she enjoyed with her friends as well as her family, Johnston replied, “It’s mostly a family thing, most of my friends aren’t as committed as I am.”

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LO CA L N E W S

After protests, developer RD Olson leaves anti-gay business group Membership in Christian org that espouses conversion therapy at issue

By KAY KUDUKIS Several dozen protesters gathered outside of city hall on April 28 for a press conference in protest of “homophobic developments in Hollywood,” putting RD Olson, an Orange County-based construction firm that is developing the 21-story Ivar Gardens Hotel project on Hollywood Boulevard, on notice for its membership in Legatus, a right-wing Christian business group.

RD Olson’s website had stressed its involvement in Legatus, a non-profit group that describes itself as “Ambassadors of Christ in the Marketplace.” Legatus’ mission statement is to help its members “study, live and spread the faith in their business, professional and personal lives.”

UNITE HERE Local 11, a labor union representing more than 23,000 hospitality workers, had pointed to several articles on the Legatus website that advocated the use of “conversion therapy” for LGBT children, the criminalization of abortion, and the repeal of marriage equality.

Protesters were concerned that RD Olson would be given project approval from the planning and land use committee of the Los Angeles City Council without consideration of its support of anti-gay and right-wing causes.

Richard Zaldivar, executive director of Wall Las Memorias, who was present at the protest, said “I am very concerned that the City Council would even consider a development project from an organization that advocates hateful homophobic beliefs and practices.”

By Tuesday, May 2, however, the affiliation with Legatus had been erased

from RD Olson’s website and the company’s president announced that he had terminated his membership and association with the group.

In a direct inquiry to the RD Olson’s Marketing Director, Joey Sanchez, the Los Angeles Blade learned that President Bill Wilhelm has resigned from Legatus.

Sanchez declined to say whether the decision was due to public relations pressure brought by the protesters.

California is among several states that have banned “conversion therapy,” the practice of attempting to eliminate samesex attraction through electroshock therapy and other controversial practices. The U.S. Supreme Court just this week upheld California’s right to ban the practice.

It is not known if California or Los Angeles has offered RD Olson any subsidies for the construction of Ivar Gardens Hotel. But RD Olson and Ivar Gardens Hotel could have run afoul of workplace protections for LGBT employees.

Controversy surrounding Legatus is not new.

In 2015, Brett Baier of Fox News was scheduled to speak at a Legatus conference, but later pulled out. Baier said, “I am a lifelong, mass attending Catholic – I’m a lector at my parish. I consider myself to be in line with my church on most things. But, describing homosexuality as a ‘disorder’ and talking about ways to ‘cure’ people from it – does not seem to line up with the loving, accepting church that I know.”

Actor Gary Sinise, who also serves as a missionary in service to American troops abroad, also dropped out. “I don’t want my mission — which is designed to be unifying — to be disrupted by these, or any, controversies,” said Sinise.

Molson Coors Board Chairman Peter Coors, who belonged to Legatus, also dropped out of Legatus, citing similar reasons.

Bob Newhart, the comedian, also

declined to speak at their conference.

All identify as Catholics.

RD Olson’s Community Statement, in full, is below.

To Our Team and Community, At R.D. Olson Construction, we are committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. After extensive thought and evaluation, I am announcing that I will be resigning from Legatus, a membership organization for Catholic business leaders.

Although I remain a devout Catholic, some of Legatus’ beliefs regarding sexual orientation and women’s rights do not represent my own. My decision to part ways with this organization is simply a personal decision, one that reflects my leadership philosophy for R.D. Olson Construction employees, industry partners and vendors.

R.D. Olson Construction is the sum of its parts and the company proudly celebrates each and every employee who brings his or her own diverse beliefs and backgrounds to the team. We have, and will continue to celebrate diversity – it’s woven into the fabric of our firm.

In continuing to foster an inclusive culture at R.D. Olson Construction, the company is a proud sponsor of OC Pride’s “As One” LGBT Pride Parade & Festival for the first time on June 24. As ongoing stewards of our community, we also continually work to identify new opportunities that allow the company and its team members to live out R.D. Olson’s commitment to providing a safe and fair workplace for every person that walks through our doors. Thank you for your understanding of this personal decision.

Sincerely, William J. Wilhelm , President R.D. Olson Construction, Inc.

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The Los Angeles Blade celebrated its official launch at Pump Restaurant in West Hollywood on April 25 About 175 people mixed and mingled and reconnected during the three-hour event, bringing together a diverse array of local and national politicians (and their representatives), community leaders, community non-profit executive directors and staffers, activists, local business owners, advertising agencies, academics and culture mavens. (Los Angeles Blade photos by John Boatner)

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NATIONAL NEWS

In uphill fight, Dems make case for Equality Act Supporters confident bill would pass if GOP leaders allow a vote

By CHRIS JOHNSON WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump’s November victory and Republican majorities in Congress aren’t stopping Democrats from reintroducing legislation seeking to enshrine into law comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBT people.

At an event Tuesday at the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), lead sponsors of the legislation in their respective chambers of Congress, touted the Equality Act as a means to extend LGBT progress in the face of current obstacles.

Cicilline, lead sponsor of the Equality Act in the U.S. House, said the legislation has more supporters than ever in the House and “reflects the simple idea that everyone, including members of the LGBT community, is entitled to equal treatment under the law and right to live free of discrimination.”

“It’s long past time to guarantee that equal protection under the law applies to every single American regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and that’s exactly what the Equality Act will accomplish,” Cicilline said.

Merkley, lead sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, said the Equality Act is the answer to the question of what constitutes a just and equal society.

“Every American deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” Merkley said.

“Every American deserves to be able to pursue their full potential without the door of discrimination being slammed in their face. When we pass the Equality Act, non-discrimination will be the law of the land here in America once and for all, and that day could not come sooner.”

As when it was first introduced in the previous Congress, the Equality Act would

Sen. JEFF MERKLEY (D-Oregon) speaks at the reintroduction of the Equality Act at the U.S. Capitol on May 2.

BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, education, federal programs and credit.

The bill also seeks to update federal law to include gender in the list of protected classes in public accommodation in addition to expanding the definition of public accommodations to include retail stores, banks, transportation services and health care services. Further, the Equality Act would establish that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act — a 1994 law aimed at protecting religious liberty — can’t used to enable anti-LGBT discrimination.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) invoked the recent ruling from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that found anti-gay discrimination on the job constitutes sex discrimination under current law, but said the Equality Act is needed to expand protections into other areas.

“Now we must pass the Equality Act to remove all doubt that sexual orientation and gender identity warrant civil rights protection, not just in the workplace, but every place,” Pelosi said.

Lawmakers at the event characterized the legislation as an effort to make a distinction between supporters of LGBT rights and their opposition in the White House and Congress.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, lamented being at “a different place” with Trump in the White House than expected when Hillary Clinton was leading in the polls.

“The truth is there has never been a more important time to keep up this fight, to lay out a vision for the kind of country that we all know we can be and to come together to pass the Equality Act,” Murray said. “Since the moment he walked into the White House, President Trump has laid out a hateful, damaging agenda to undo the hard won progress for the LGBTQ community.”

Upon its reintroduction in the 115th Congress, the Equality Act has a greater number of total co-sponsors in the House and Senate than ever before. The legislation has 195 co-sponsors in the House and 46 co-sponsors in the Senate.

But the only Republican co-sponsor in either chamber is Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

(R-Fla.), an LGBT-supportive Republican who this weekend said she plans to retire from Congress at the end of next year.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has been a Republican who has taken the lead on pro-LGBT measures in the past, such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, but isn’t an Equality Act co-sponsor. The Washington Blade has placed a call to her office seeking comment on why she doesn’t co-sponsor the bill.

The remaining co-sponsors are all members of the Democratic caucuses. In the House, the only two Democrats who aren’t co-sponsors are Reps. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.). Lipinski is a rare member of the Democratic caucus who’s known for holding anti-LGBT views.

In the Senate, the only two Democrats who aren’t co-sponsors are Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.).

Despite the lack of Republican support in a Republican Congress, Cicilline expressed confidence Congress would approve the measure if the measure is allowed to come up for a vote when asked by a reporter about GOP support.

“It’s like so many things: The ultimate decision on whether or not this bill comes to the floor for a vote rests with the speaker of the House,” Cicilline said. “I have every confidence that if the bill came to the floor it would pass because I think most members of Congress recognize voting to continue practices of discrimination against individuals is un-American, and we would be successful in passing it.”

On the same day Democrats reintroduced the Equality Act, the Center for American Progress unveiled the results of a new report titled “Widespread Discrimination Continues to Shape LGBT People’s Lives in Both Subtle and Significant Ways,” which found 1 in 4 LGBT people report having experienced discrimination in 2016. � CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

TRUMP TO LGBT ELDERS:

DROP DEAD

The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants is used to determine what services will be provided to older Americans in need.

Trump wants the survey to stop gathering information about LGBT elders. If they aren’t represented their needs won’t be met. It’s a first step in erasing the LGBT community from the American map.

We will not be erased. We will not be eliminated.

We will not go quietly. We refuse to be invisible.

We have until May 12th to make our voices heard.

Sign the petition now at SAGEUSA.ORG.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Trump exec order could jeopardize Stonewall Monument Interior Sec’y to assess whether monuments are public ‘burden’

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. The designation last year of the Stonewall Inn gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village as a U.S. National Monument could be jeopardized by an executive order issued last week by President Donald Trump calling for a review and reassessment of national monuments named since 1996, according to the head of a New York historic preservation group.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, said supporters of the Stonewall designation are worried about a little-noticed provision in the Trump order that covers nearly all national monuments, not just those consisting of 100,000 acres or more of federal lands.

The order directs the Secretary of the Interior to review national monuments designated or expanded by Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama “where the designation covers more than 100,000 acres” and “where the designation after expansion covers more than 100,000 acres.”

But the order also directs the Interior Secretary to conduct a review of national monument designations “where the Secretary determines that the designation or expansion was made without adequate public outreach and coordination with relevant stakeholders.”

Among the factors Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is directed to assess under the executive order are whether national monument designations “create barriers to achieving energy independence, restrict public access to and use of federal lands, burden state, tribal, and local governments, and otherwise curtail economic growth.”

“So you can see it’s pretty open ended,”

President Obama designated as a national monument the area around the Stonewall Inn last year.

BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Berman told the Washington Blade on Monday. “So clearly if they chose to they could use this to reconsider any of those [monument designations],” he said, including the Stonewall National Monument.

“I think there is a great deal of anxiety about this possibility,” he said. “And I certainly think the word is spreading and has spread here in New York that this puts Stonewall at the very least in theoretical danger if not potentially real danger as well.”

Gregory Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, disputes Berman’s assessment, saying the overriding aim of the executive order is to review National Monument designations consisting of 100,000 or more acres of land.

“If you’re getting hung up on the ‘adequate outreach’ portion of the order, the Obama administration did ample outreach on the matter of the Stonewall National Monument,” Angelo told the Blade in an email.

He noted that Log Cabin submitted a letter in support of the Stonewall designation, which is featured in the National Parks Conservation Association website.

“So reports attempting to shoehorn the Stonewall National Monument into administrative review is a canard,” Angelo said.

President Obama announced last June that he had designated the Stonewall Inn bar, the adjacent Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks that were the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots as the Stonewall National Monument.

Historians have credited the Stonewall riots, which started when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn and began arresting some of its patrons, as the first significant uprising by gay and transgender people and the spark that triggered the modern LGBT rights movement.

Berman agrees with Angelo that the Stonewall Monument designation was thoroughly vetted by the Obama administration. He said New York City and New York State officials also consulted with local stakeholders in the areas surrounding the Stonewall Inn when they pushed for its earlier designation as a National Historic Landmark. He said the proposed National Monument designation received widespread support.

“Obviously we would argue that there was extensive consultation that went on here,” he said. “But you take nothing for granted with this administration.”

A White House spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached to determine

whether the president or Interior Secretary Zinke have any intention to target the Stonewall National Monument for review or for rescinding its monument designation.

Political observers have pointed out that the executive order was based on complaints by governors and public officials in several western states in which presidents since 1996 designated hundreds of thousands of acres of lands as National Monuments, removing them from use for development.

Televangelist Franklin Graham emerged as a vocal opponent of the Stonewall National Monument designation in May 2016, when news surfaced that Obama was about to announce the designation.

He called it a “monument to sin” in a post on his Facebook page.

“I hope the president will reconsider,” he wrote. “Flaunting sin is a dangerous move.”

Mark Meinke, a founding member of D.C.’s Rainbow History Project and former co-director of the national Rainbow Heritage Network, which works to preserve LGBT historic sites, said the 1906 U.S. Antiquities Act, which gives presidents the power to designate National Monuments, has no provision for rescinding a National Monument designation.

He noted that no National Monument has ever been reversed and any attempt to do so now would likely face a lengthy court challenge.

“In summary, it is highly unlikely the attempt would be made and even less likely that it would succeed,” Meinke said of an effort to rescind the Stonewall National Monument designation.

Jeffrey Harris, the current board chair of Rainbow Heritage Network, said he agrees with Meinke’s assessment but believes the preservation and conservation communities would rise in support of the Stonewall Monument in the unlikely event the Trump administration would try to rescind its status. � CONTINUES AT LOSANGELESBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS

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LGBT groups prepare for fight over Trump ‘religious freedom’ EO Reports say order will be signed on National Day of Prayer

By CHRIS JOHNSON WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the wake of a media report that President Trump is preparing to sign a “religious freedom” executive order on Thursday, LGBT groups are making plans to fight the measure on the assumption it will enable anti-LGBT discrimination.

The Human Rights Campaign is planning a rally and news conference at noon Wednesday at Lafayette Square outside of the White House to raise awareness about a directive that the organization says would put millions of LGBT people at risk of discrimination.

“Donald Trump’s rumored unconstitutional action is nothing more than a license-to-discriminate order that puts millions of LGBTQ people at risk,” HRC President Chad Griffin said. “There is no religious freedom crisis in America today, but there is a crisis of hate and discrimination. At a time when twothirds of all LGBTQ people report having experienced discrimination, Donald Trump is making the problem worse by giving legal cover to perpetrators. By even considering this discriminatory order he has broken his promise to be a president for all Americans.”

According to Politico, President Trump has invited conservative leaders to the White House on Thursday for the signing of an executive order timed to the National Day of Prayer, which the administration was planning to celebrate with faith leaders.

The report cites two senior administration officials confirming Trump would sign the order on Thursday, although “one cautioned that it hasn’t yet been finalized, and noted that lawyers are currently reviewing and fine-tuning the draft language.”

DONALD TRUMP is reportedly planning a ‘religious freedom’ executive order.

BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

A draft “religious freedom” executive order has circulated among federal advocacy groups and would enable discrimination on the basis of religious objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion and transgender identity.

The proposed measure would gut former President Obama’s 2014 executive order barring anti-LGBT workplace discrimination against federal contractors, that the White House said Trump planned to keep intact.

Media reports have said Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner convinced Trump not to sign the order, but White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has said the administration would “have something” on it. Just last week, USA Today reported a group of 51 House Republicans have sent a letter to Trump calling on him to sign the “religious freedom” executive order.

Politico reported the draft executive order Trump plans to sign is being tightly held, but quoted an influential conservative who saw the text said it “hasn’t been dialed back much - if at all since the February leak” and has language that is “very, very strong.”

Asked about any plans to sign a “religious freedom” order, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokesperson, told the

Washington Blade, “Nothing to announce at this time.”

The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement on Tuesday threatening the administration with a lawsuit after news broke about Trump’s plan to sign the executive order.

“The ACLU fights every day to defend religious freedom, but religious freedom does not mean the right to discriminate against or harm others,” said Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “If President Trump signs an executive order that attempts to provide a license to discriminate against women or LGBT people, we will see him in court.”

Peter Montgomery, senior fellow for the People For the American Way, said in a statement the executive order would be “very bad news for real religious liberty” if the directive is along the lines of the antiLGBT draft order.

“The Religious Right has been working for years to stretch and distort the concept of religious liberty into a tool they can use to discriminate against anyone who doesn’t think like them, especially LGBTQ people,” Montgomery said. “Religious liberty should be a shield that protects

every American’s religious freedom; but the far Right is trying to transform it into a sword to attack and harm others.

It’s deeply disappointing, although not particularly surprising, that Donald Trump is once again willing to give extreme antigay activists exactly what they want.”

On the same day news broke that Trump would sign the order, Faith in Public Life issued a statement highlighting a full-page letter published in Politico last month that was signed by more than 1,300 faith leaders urging Trump to reject the measure.

“As clergy and faith leaders who serve diverse communities across the United States, we write to you to express our deep concern over the draft religious freedom executive order that some have urged you to sign,” the letter says. “Although it purports to strengthen religious freedom, what this order would actually do is misuse this freedom, turning it into a weapon to discriminate against broad swaths of our nation, including LGBTQ people, women, and children in foster care. We urge you to turn away from all proposals that would abuse religious freedom, including any executive orders on this issue that are currently under consideration.”

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CO V E R ST O RY

Garcetti unafraid of threats against ‘sanctuary cities’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 03

interpreted in an era where Trump’s bromances with tough guys extend to self-proclaimed murderers like Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

During his mayoral campaigns, Garcetti’s critics called him “weak,” not “tough” enough, and risk-averse, all signs of ineffective leadership.

“Nobody’s afraid of him,” one politico told Kahn for his “Who Is The Real Eric Garcetti?” profile.

But what many male politicos might see as weakness — not being authoritarian enough — feminists see as strength. And as California NOW said when endorsing Garcetti over mayoral rival Wendy Greuel in March 2013, “Eric Garcetti is clearly the stronger feminist.”

Political feminism is about respectful listening and consensus building, which has served Garcetti well.

Kahn notes that, “[u]nder his watch as city council president, the political body was almost eerily devoid of dissent. An analysis during the first seven months of 2009 by a think tank found that in 1,854 votes, all but 13 were unanimous.” As mayor, his general managers say he “gives them leeway and encouragement, which can foster a pleasant, productive work environment.”

Garcetti’s “ambition” is guided more by a duty to serve the public good than personal gain, something he learned when, as a privileged 16 year old, he distributed medicine to villages in Ethiopia during a human rights mission—among other experiences.

“Jewish history informs the decisions I make all the time along with the kind of values I was raised with in my family: the interconnectedness of morals and the importance of establishing local roots, but having global awareness. And I think the idea of having a kind of duty to give back and stay engaged, not just because it makes you feel good but because it’s part

Attorney General JEFF SESSIONS has threatened sanctuary cities like LA that have opposed deportation orders. But Mayor Garcetti says he’s confident the 10th Amendment will protect LA from retaliation.

IMAGES COURTESY OF ONE ARCHIVES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

of your contract with your fellow human being,” Garcetti told The Times of Israel in October 2014 after becoming the first elected Jewish mayor of Los Angeles.

On May 1, addressing the May Day rally at LA City Hall, Garcetti took a firm stand against Trump: “It matters less who’s in the White House,” he said. “It matters who’s in this house.” Adding: “As long as I am mayor, the LAPD will never be a deportation force.

They will be your police officers.”

Asked by the Los Angeles Blade about possible federal retaliation, Garcetti said: “The Constitution is on our side, luckily. We

have a 10th Amendment, which says they can’t take away funding of ours just because they don’t like our discretionary policies.”

Those local discretionary dollars include services open to everybody, regardless of their immigration status. In fact, L.A. is the first city in the nation to dedicate $290,000 to address “the disproportionate rates of high unemployment in the transgender community and usually, in transgender communities of color,” Garcetti says, with job training programs open to undocumented transgender people, as well.

In March 2016, Garcetti established a

transgender advisory council but not an LGBT council because LGBT people now have seats at all the tables. “My vision is more to integrate LGBT personnel, commissioners, advisors at every level and not just segregate them off in a way on issues that are just about the LGBT community,” he says. “I think so much of our progressive politics is about — even as lefties — segregating people and issues off to a well-tended corner. I want to see these be prisms that wash over all and everything we do.”

It is a vision Garcetti brings to the current Democratic debate over identity politics versus economic opportunity.

“It’s not that we have to get rid of identity politics,” he said. “It’s not like racism or transphobia or homophobia is something that was invented by us.

It exists. It finds us and it has to be responded to. But I would flip it on its head — that transgender sister that I have needs a good job. And so yes, we need to be focused on good jobs and we need to make sure the focus is for everybody. But somebody who is selling herself on Santa Monica Boulevard and doesn’t want to be should have an opportunity to actually have a good job and to get a degree. And that’s something in common with the coal worker who deserves to get a good job and to have a good degree. So I do think Democrats have taken our eye off the ball of economic justice—but it’s not that we need to do that in an exclusionary way. We need to make sure we have opportunity and equality side by side.”

It’s an idea that Garcetti intends to talk about at CAP and at the upcoming California Democratic Party Convention.

“We, as Democrats, have to get focused on what’s real and forget this either-or paradigm,” he says. “If I get asked one more time whether we should focus on identity politics or economic opportunity—I will scream because they are flip sides of the same thing.”

Pride is On!

March With Us // Then Party!

Attention Instead of parading this year, we’re

getting back to our roots by marching TOGETHER for LGBTQ+ rights.

And oh yeah, there will be a HUGE party after!

Sunday, June 11TH Hollywood & Highland 8am

ResistMarch.org

CREATED BY WWW.HAZELJADEDESIGNS.COM

“In West Hollywood, we’ll rally for our rights and party with PRIDE.”

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VIEWPOINT

VOLUME

Speaking out against hate in politics A leading candidate for LA City Council is exposed as an online hate-monger

By RICHARD ZALDIVAR As a lifelong resident and activist from the Northeast area of Los Angeles, I have experienced many heated political campaigns.

As a young man, I once worked for Los Angeles City Councilman Art Snyder and witnessed a recall campaign against him because he was not Hispanic. I detested racism and bigotry back then and detest it now.

Recently, an investigative story by LAList.com disclosed that Joe Bray-Ali, who is running against Council member Gilbert Cedillo in the LA City Council District 1 race, had mimicked Mexican people in a video on YouTube titled “Ask a Mexican.”

Additionally, it was disclosed that this same candidate had uploaded comments about African Americans, overweight people and transgender individuals on a Reddit-like online forum called “Voat,” known to be a social platform for racists and bigots.

He also made comments on a racist forum called “v/N*****S,” as well as a forum called “v/FATPEOPLEHATE.” In another thread titled “Cuck, it’s what’s for dinner,” Bray-Ali pontificates on whether a group of people in a photo could be categorized as “Africans” or “n*****s.”

“Cuck” is a pejorative term used by altright white nationalists like Donald Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon. According to a report in The Daily Beast, “cuk” is short for “Cuckservative,” defined as “a portmanteau of ‘cuckold’ and ‘conservative,’ [which] has become a favorite slur on the right, used like a sexually and racially charged version of ‘RINO,’ a Republican In Name Only.”

Bray-Ali did not stop there. He has also

RICHARD L. ZALDIVAR is founder and executive director of The Wall Las Memorias Project.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZALDIVAR

stated that he feels gender-reassignment surgery for transgender individuals “doesn’t seem like something worthy of praise, but instead of being criticized as a shameful excess,” LAList reports.

These were hateful and repulsive comments that hurt the fabric of our community in the 1st Council District and that impact people throughout the City of Los Angeles. This is an attack against the very movement for equality and justice that we have been fighting for during the recent presidential election and its aftermath.

That is why the leadership of the Latino LGBTQ community, including Justine Gonzalez, prominent leader of the transgender community, and Honor PAC Board member Richard Corral, came together for a news conference on April 27 with out Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin to condemn the racist and hateful comments by Joe Bray-Ali. At that news conference, I strongly recommended that Joe Bray-Ali suspend his campaign and volunteer in LGBTQ organizations to learn more about people that he may not like and may not understand.

Since then, gay Council member Mitch O’Farrell and the Los Angeles Times—early endorsers of Bray-Ali’s candidacy—as well as seven members of the Los Angeles City Council have asked him to step down and withdraw from the election. According to LAList, he confirmed that he made the comments, apologized for the content, and apologized for his “personal mistakes” to his wife, daughter, family and community “for putting them in this situation.” He has not, however, apologized directly to the Latino or transgender communities, as far as we know, communities he says he wants to represent.

That is not OK with us.

We should never fear speaking out against hate and discrimination. We must support worthy, knowledgeable and respectable candidates for office.

We must research their positions on our issues, their knowledge of the community and qualifications for elected public office.

Most importantly, we must question and hold all political candidates accountable if they want to exercise political and electoral power in our name.

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ADDRESS 5455 Wilshire Blvd #1505, Los Angeles, CA 90036 PHONE 310-230-5266 E-MAIL tmasters@losangelesblade.com INTERNET losangelesblade.com PUBLISHED BY Los Angeles Blade, LLC PUBLISHER/EDITOR TROY MASTERS tmasters@losangelesblade.com 310-230-5266 x8080 (o), 917-406-1619 (c) SALES & MARKETING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE FRANK MORALES fmorales@losangelesblade.com 310-230-5266 x8095 PALM SPRINGS ACCOUNT EXEC BRAD FUHR, 310-230-5266 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA sales@rivendellmedia.com, 212-242-6863 MARKETING DIRECTOR STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com, 202-747-2077 x8077 EDITORIAL NATIONAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com, 202-747-2077 x8088 INTERNATIONAL EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com SENIOR CONTRIBUTING WRITER KAREN OCAMB karenocamb@sbcglobal.net CONTRIBUTORS CHARLES KAISER, ALAN MILLER, TIM MILLER, MAER ROSHAN, HOLLY HUGHES, KIT WINTER, BRAD LAMM, DAVID EHRENSTEIN, STEVEN ERICKSON, LILLIAN FADERMAN, ORIOL GUTTIEREZ, SETH HEMMELGARN, ROBIN TYLER, CHRIS AZZOPARD, ALLEN ROSKOFF, JOHN PAUL KING, JOHN MCHUGH-DENNIS, MELODY MUNDY, ROBERT WILLIAMS, DAN ALLEN, BRAD FUHR, WINSTON GEISEKE, RICHARD ANDREOLI, DREW MACKIE, JOEY DIGUGLIELMO, CHRIS JOHNSON, LOU CHIBBARO JR., MARIAH COOPER, ABBY DEES, REBEKAH SAGER, JOHN MCHUGH-DENNIS, MIKE CIRIACO PHOTOGRAPHY BOB KRASNER, JON VISCOTT, MICHAEL KEY CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM DISTRIBUTION CHRISTOPHER JACKSON, 562-826-6602 All material in the Los Angeles Blade is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Los Angeles Blade. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons.

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U.S. complicit in Chechnya horrors Ignoring lessons of Holocaust, Trump caters to Putin while gay men die

KEVIN NAFF is national editor of the Los Angeles Blade. Reach him at knaff@washblade.com.

Listening to President Trump deliver remarks on Holocaust Remembrance Day last week proved yet another galling exercise in surreal hypocrisy.

The same president who tapped Stephen Bannon to serve as his top adviser had the nerve to criticize Holocaust deniers, adding “we must never, ever shrink away from telling the truth in our time.”

And so, let’s tell some truth.

Truth: Bannon established Breitbart News as “the platform for the alt-right,” as he boasted last summer. While clever enough not to openly espouse anti-Semitic views himself, he deliberately cultivated Breitbart as the go-to place for expressing misogynistic, white supremacist and antiSemitic views. Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke praised Bannon’s White House appointment, which alone should tell you all you need to know about this dangerous figure. Alt-right lunatics are now ensconced in the White House, including among the press corps. Two fake journalists recently flashed “white power” signs inside the White House press briefing room and shamelessly posted the photos to social media. As first reported by the Independent, “Freelance journalist Mike Cernovich and Cassandra Fairbanks, a reporter for Russian news outlet Sputnik, posed for a picture behind the podium in the White House briefing room. In the photo, they are making a hand sign that can be used to signify ‘white power.’”

Truth: According to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic attacks increased by 86 percent in the first quarter of 2017. Between January and March, the

ADL reports there were 541 anti-Semitic incidents in the country compared to 281 during the same period last year. Trump’s gullible supporters — who are not influenced or constrained by facts, logic or reason — will dismiss those numbers as a coincidence.

But for those of us with more than three functioning brain cells, it’s obvious that America’s deplorables have heard the dog whistles emanating from this White House and are acting accordingly. The bigots are unleashed and validated after being forced to endure an America led by a black man for eight years, their worst nightmare.

Truth: Speaking of dog whistles, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters recently that Adolf Hitler never used chemical weapons against his own people and referred to concentration camps and gas chambers as “Holocaust centers.”

Truth: As Trump belatedly and hypocritically condemned anti-Semitism — after empowering bigots and ignoring attacks on Jewish community centers and cemeteries — gay men are being rounded up, tortured and killed in secret prisons in Chechnya. Holocaust Remembrance Day sounds like an opportune time to

condemn those prisons, which have been widely described in the media as “concentration camps.” But Trump didn’t mention Chechnya and hasn’t denounced the government’s actions to cleanse the country of gays. Hillary Clinton lambasted Trump over his silence on Chechnya. The State Department, which remains woefully understaffed such that it hasn’t been holding press briefings, is silent. Only Nikki Haley at the U.N. could be coaxed into denouncing Chechnya.

Why is that? Well, Chechnya is controlled

by Vladimir Putin, whose own campaign against Russian gays is well known and documented. Trump’s ongoing love affair with Putin (or is our president being blackmailed by the Russian murderer?) precludes him from speaking out.

And so, amid cries of “never forget,” we do just that in Chechnya, turning away from the well-documented horrors being committed there against gay men.

America’s pledge to respect the lessons of the Holocaust is now a hollow sham, a photo op that offers the appearance of caring while masking our government’s complicity in atrocity.

Falling in love with ‘Loev’ Down-low, same-sex relationships Mumbai style

By DAVID EHRENSTEIN

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Sahil (Dhruv Ganesh) and Alex (Sidharth Menon) enjoy a rare moment of public affection, but is it love?

IMAGE COURTESY OF Bombay Berlin Film Productions

Is the title misspelled or is it simply an “alternative” way of exploring the meaning of the same word? That’s the open question writer-director Sudhanshu Saria poses — and his film almost answers.

For while it’s a love story, “Loev” is also a gay one. In other words it doesn’t travel down the “Route One” of the Heterosexual Narrative Highway, but makes any number of detours, clearly marked on the Gay Road Map. And on top of this the film is set in India — a country that only recently decriminalized gay sex but has miles to travel on LGBT issues.

“Loev” centers (as much as a tale so discursive can be said to “center”) on a triangle of sorts. Sahil (Dhruv Ganesh), a music producer, is living with Alex (Sidharth Menon), a fiscally irresponsible hottie

who would appear to have a job of some import (it’s never really specified), yet the action begins in darkness as he’s failed to pay the electricity bill. The relationship is apparently an “open” one as Salial is taking off to meet Jai (Shiv Pandit), a Wall Streetlevel dealmaker of considerable clout with whom he’d had a past dalliance. Jai is clearly out to revive it — but on his own very specific terms as we learn across the course of the trip he’s taking with Salail.

It’s a trip in two parts.

The first finds them at a rural forest getaway that they appear to be staying in all to themselves. The second finds them at a swank hotel in downtown Mumbai where Jai is meeting with a consortium of bigwigs.

And it’s here that the film’s subtext comes through most strongly. For Jai doesn’t want

to spend the night with Salail at the hotel and is quite upset when Salail delivers a message to him during the bigwig meeting.

Simply stated, Jai is in the closet (like most Indian men of his class). He wants a relationship with Salail, but he also wants to keep it “on the down low.” For his part, Salail doesn’t appear to be at all that clear as to what he wants to do. He makes no complaint about Jai’s closeted-ness. More striking still, he shows little reaction when, at the swank hotel, Jai is suddenly quite sexually violent with him. Has he been seduced by the fact that Jai has bought him an expensive guitar and encourages him to have a musical career, or is Salail keeping his options open, as Alex has shown up at the hotel with a boytoy named Junior (Rishabth Chaddha) in tow?

Obviously there’s a lot to unpack here in some ways reminiscent of Wong Kar Wai’s “Happy Together” (1997) — a modern classic about a troubled gay relationship. Like “Happy Together,” “Loev” is dramatically unresolved. Salail goes home with Alex and Junior but it’s clear he still has feelings for Jai. It would take a sequel to sort this all out.

But alas there won’t be one as Dhruv Ganesh, the actor who plays Salail with such sensitivity and insight, died of tuberculosis during the film’s postproduction. Had he lived there’s no doubt he would have had a great career.

But there’s also no doubt that Sudhanshu Saria will have a great career if he can continue to make films as tender, insightful and surprising as this one.

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How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

I was out since the age of 5 or since I had a sense of self. I could never really hide the fact that there was something different about me. In essence my sense of self and the way the world viewed me always were at odds. Although I could never hide who I was I had an official “this is who I am take it or leave it” moment at the age of 19 were I would never put on male clothing and changed my name to Maria. My Mother was the hardest person to tell. The first time she saw me she could not stop laughing and laughing turned into tears; I guess the realization that her son was gone forever was too much to bear.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Everyone who worked for our equality.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROMAN

queery

MARIA ROMAN

By TROY MASTERS tmasters@losangelesblade.com Maria Louise Roman has been a leader in social services for the transgender community in Los Angeles for more than 19 years. She is a 47-year-old Puerto Rican woman who began her journey of self-discovery at age 19. Many doors would close in her path, but she was driven and determined to succeed. Her determination became an inspirational force for many in Los Angeles.

She survived life on the streets to become an outspoken activist and a role model for the transgender community.

She has won many awards and is a noted actress, appearing in numerous movies, including “The Transfigured Body,” a celebration Gwen Araujo.

What’s Los Angeles’ best nightspot, past or present?

OMG without a doubt it would be the old 7969 club. This was a hot stop for all the individuals who did not fit the “norm.”

It’s where I let my womanhood out… I think this club for many of us was like a steppingstone to finding where we belonged in Los Angeles. My favorite performer was Jaqueline along with the one and only miss Jazzmun.

Describe your dream wedding.

I am fortunate to be currently engaged to my wonderful fiancée of three years, Jason Taylorson, a fierce musician and financial expert. We are in the midst of planning our wedding that will happen in the end of 2018. My vision is to have a grand chapel wedding with a touch of old Hollywood. I will be wearing two gowns - one for the nuptials and one for the reception. Our wedding will be classic, fun and unexpected.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

All human issues are LGBT issues so to me there are no issues that are nonLGBT. Abortion, for instance, is something many LGBT people have to deal with. It’s a personal issue. You name it and LGBT people deal with it daily - equal pay, housing,

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taxes, climate change, etc. It is my goal to unite LGBT folks because we continue to see apathy toward different segments of our community (transphobia, for instance).

What historical outcome would you change?

The 2016 election.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

Having my own reality show on Showtime, “WILDTHINGS.” My show along with Cassandra Cass and Tiara Russel was the first reality show featuring an all trans cast.

On what do you insist?

I insist on claiming my space and demanding respect everywhere I go. It is my belief that people who have never met a trans person before meeting me will, from our encounter, judge an entire community. So I demand respect.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

It was about a PrEP campaign I am part of: Askmeaboutprep.org. It’s one of my most important community roles, spreading the word about PrEP. If your life were a book, what would the title be?

“Relentless - The Life of Maria Roman” If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

Make Donald Trump gay!

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

I know that there is something beyond all of us that we have no comprehension of.

To many, it’s God. To others it is something else. All of my life, however, I have felt spiritual. I do believe in God and, as a matter of fact, I spent my childhood praying that I would be like all the other little boys. It never happened and so I truly believe God wants me to be who I am - just as I am because he made me.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

Our movement is currently fueled by celebrity; we need to take back our stories and see the value of all LGBT people.

We must continue the fight for visibility and equality. Celebrity does not address homelessness and so many other issues. I hope that now we can all get married, we can focus on the issues related to basic human rights — employment, shelter and the ability to feed one’s self.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

I want a full comprehensive center that services the specific and complex needs of transgender individuals.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

I think for decades the flaming queen has paid a high price from the “non-flaming queen.” It’s just sad how we treat one another at times and what we value.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

“To Wong Foo!” What’s the most overrated social custom?

Kissing strangers on both cheeks… no gurl, no!

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

I was given a certificate in 2002 by then-Sen. Sheila Kuehl for organizing the local march when Gwen Araujo was murdered. This was one of the most moving times in my life and it’s the first time I felt I could do something meaningful with my life. From that day on, I have continued to speak for myself and other women who identify with my story.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

I wish I had known it was all going to be OK. Why Los Angeles?

Honey, because Los Angeles is EVERYTHING. And, as a homeless youth, it would be warm all the time… I have been here since the age of 19. Today, at 47, I am happy I made this my home.

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D A N CE

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The Wallis spotlights two generations of dance genius PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY MAKES A TRIUMPHANT APPEARANCE IN LA

By KAREN OCAMB kocamb@losangelesblade.com Dance aficionados rejoice! During the month of May, the Wallis-Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts offers the opportunity to see the work of not just one, but two choreographers who have garnered worldwide acclaim while shaping and redefining the art form itself.

First up, for three performances, is the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Formed in 1954, this ensemble has since performed in more than 500 cities in 64 countries, delighting audiences with an everexpanding repertoire of dances.

Taylor, an icon who has been hailed as one of the creators of modern dance, founded the company after spending time in the ensembles of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine.

In its 60-plus years, it has featured and/or launched the careers of such other dance legends as Twyla Tharp, Christopher Gillis, Lila York, and Bettie de Jong. The company is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, Kennedy Center Honors, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography.

In its current incarnation, the PTDC will be bringing a program of three classic Taylor pieces to the Wallis stage: • “SYZYGY: The nearly straight line configuration of three or more celestial bodies in a gravitational system.” Music composed by Donald York (1987).

• “THE WORD: For our God is consuming fire – Hebrews 12:29.” Music specially composed by David Israel (1998).

• “ESPLANADE: Music by Johann Sebastian Bach (1975),” Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042 and Double Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor (Largo & Allegro), BWV 1043 Later in the month, the imagination of a younger generation’s dance visionarySir Matthew Bourne, OBE- will take the

Paul Taylor Dance Company at the Wallis-Annenberg, featuring Matthew Bourne.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY

spotlight through “Matthew Bourne’s Early Adventures.”

Comprising three early works, this production will showcase the “nascent wit and wondrous early flair” of Bourne, a British choreographer who gained prominence within the dance world through his company, Adventures in Motion Pictures, and its successor, New Adventures. He rose to international recognition with his acclaimed and controversial production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” in which all the roles were performed by male dancers, and which went on to become the longest-running ballet in history; it also ran on Broadway, where it gained him the honor of being the only British director ever to be awarded the Tony for both Best Director and Best

Choreographer of a musical. He has also been the recipient of multiple Olivier Award nominations, winning seven to date- with two of them coming in April of 2017 for his recent London production, “The Red Shoes.”

Hailed as Britain’s most successful and popular choreographer and director, Bourne has a lengthy list of credits in both dance and musical theater. In addition, through Re:Bourne (the charitable arm of New Adventures), he has developed projects targeted at bringing dance to a wider variety of young participants and audiences throughout the UK, as well as in Asia, Australia, and the USA; the organization also offers diverse projects to supporting health and wellbeing, such as dance workshops for people living with dementia.

The production at the Wallis will be the only U.S. performance of “Early Adventures,” which is remounted three pieces choreographed by Bourne during his days with AMP. The selections are: “Watch with Mother – Seen but not heard?”

(1991): Conkers, Hopscotch, Doctors& Nurses; Children’s games can be all-consuming, competitive and sometimes cruel. Based on Joyce Grenfell’s famous “Nursery School” sketches (“George … Don’t do that”) and set to Percy Grainger’s own piano compositions and arrangements of Bach and Faure, this piece has not been seen for over 25 years.

“Town and Country – Lie back and think of England” (1991):Moving and hilarious, this heartfelt pastiche explores notions of national character from a bygone era through the evocative music of Edward Elgar, Noël Coward and Percy Grainger, amongst others.

“The Infernal Gallop – A French dance with English subtitles” (1989): This is France as seen by the uptight English imagination, with all the traditional clichés joyously paraded for our entertainment and climaxing in Offenbach’s inevitable Can-Can! TICKET INFORMATION: Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Bram Goldsmith Theater 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210 Paul Taylor Dance Company: May 5 – 7, 2017 Performance Schedule: Fri-Sat at 8:00pm; Sun at 2:00pm Matthew Bourne’s Early Adventures: May 17 – 21, 2017 Performance Schedule: Wed – Fri at 8pm; Sat at 2pm & 8pm; Sun at 2pm Single tickets: $39 – $99 (prices subject to change) Online – TheWallis.org

By Phone – 310.746.4000 Box Office – Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Ticket Service, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210

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F E A T U RE

Remembering gay entertainment mogul Sandy Gallin THE POWER BEHIND ALMOST EVERYONE THAT GLITTERS IN HOLLYWOOD

By BILLY MASTERS Lots of people have been talking about 20th anniversary of Ellen DeGeneres’ coming out. We forget what a different world it was in 1997. Being gay wasn’t something celebrities screamed from rooftops. Getting an actor to play a gay role was difficult. But one of the people who helped usher in that change of perception was Sandy Gallin, who passed away on April 21 after a long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Throughout his life, Gallin eschewed labels. He was a producer, a manager, and an agent. He could pick up a phone and make things happen. And he wasn’t shy about saying he was gay.

The story goes that in 1994 — three years before Ellen’s landmark announcement —Out magazine was putting together its “Hollywood Power” issue, and having a devil of a time finding people to participate. Out founder and former Editor-in-Chief Michael Goff recently recalled that the only person on their target list who not only agreed to be featured but would also be on the cover of the magazine was Sandy Gallin.

“He just said ‘Yes’ and joked in the interview that in addition to getting to be a role model, he might find a boyfriend. If only because of how many others didn’t do it, it was a brave thing at the time.”

For someone who craved the spotlight, he was publicly the least known of what was called Hollywood’s Gay Mafia. While he wielded more power than most in his circle, he also wasn’t nearly as wealthy as some of his peers — not that he was ever hurting financially. Whether being openly gay adversely affected his career, he never said. He simply lived his life, did his own thing, and didn’t care what others thought.

He got started the way moguls have gotten started since the beginning of time — at the bottom. You hear about people getting their first job in the mailroom? In 1962, Sandy worked in the mailroom at General Artists

SANDY GALLIN, pictured here with DOLLY PARTON backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, 1980.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GAYLORD ENTERTAINMENT

Corporation — an agency that later became ICM. He knew what he wanted.

“As soon as I could speak, I talked about having millions of dollars, knowing famous people and becoming a star,” he once told Ingrid Sischy. In short order, he was working with agents booking talent on shows like “The Ed Sullivan Show.” One of his first clients was Richard Pryor, who asked Gallin to help him after he was arrested at the Mexican border for possession of marijuana. After handling that, he was on his way. He became a junior agent, and then an agent. Shortly thereafter, he moved to LA and started a management company and never looked back.

I first became aware of Gallin in the early ‘80s when he was managing the career of Joan Rivers. As I was soon to learn, that was only the tip of the iceberg. At various times he handled the careers of Cher, Dolly Parton, Elizabeth Taylor, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbra Streisand, and oodles of others. If they were a gay icon, Gallin had his hand in their career.

His hand went back so far that he even worked with Paul Lynde! In fact, one of Sandy’s first producing credits was “The

Paul Lynde Halloween Special.”

While Gallin’s client list was vast and varied, he especially loved his divas. A special place in his heart was reserved solely for Dolly Parton. The two met after Dolly asked singer Mac Davis who should help with her career. Davis said, “You should talk to Sandy Gallin — he’s my manager.” Sandy had one goal — to make Dolly a mainstream star. The first thing he did was set up a recording session for the song, “Here You Come Again.” Dolly was hesitant. “She said, ‘A monkey could sing this song and have a hit with it.’ She was very nervous that it would turn off the country market, which she was very loyal to.” Gallin made a deal with her — if the song wasn’t No. 1 on the pop charts AND the country charts, he’d never get involved in her musical decisions again. Dolly took the deal — and lost. From then on, she and Sandy were inseparable. They considered each other beyond best friends and almost soul mates. “My husband didn’t love to travel, and Sandy was gay and he did,” said Dolly.

With Parton, Gallin formed Sandollar Productions, which produced such films

as “Father of the Bride,” “Shining Through” and the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” But where they really hit a home run was when he served as executive producer of “Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt.” The 1990 documentary is credited with raising global awareness of the AIDS crisis. While it won an Oscar, it didn’t further Gallin’s hopes of becoming a major film producer.

Around 2001, Gallin left the management game to indulge his other passion architecture and design. He loved putting his years of detail-oriented work into all the aspects that made a luxury home ideal for specific people. He notoriously arranged the books in his library not by title, not by author, but by color! Barbra Streisand told producer Mark Burnett about a house Gallin finished. Burnett saw it and bought it for $30 million. Gallin’s architect partner, Scott Mitchell, once said, “Barbra Streisand was our Realtor!” Whether she took a commission is unknown. This shift in careers did cause one major fallout — his relationship with Dolly. “We did have that small separation for maybe three years. I felt a little bit left out and lonely.”

Sandy was obsessive about documenting his life and loved ones in meticulously arranged photo albums. When showing them to a writer from “Vanity Fair,” he said, “The sad thing is looking at the older books and seeing how many people have died.

It’s mind-boggling.” That may have been of inspiration when Gallin’s friends privately mourned his passing. Mrs. Barry Diller, designer Diane von Furstenberg, came up with an idea for all of Sandy’s friends to put together their favorite Gallin photos and stories and make a coffee table book about his life and his contributions. “And because he wants to be on everyone’s coffee table, for sure,” she added.

I think Sandy would approve — and take a commission!

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G O SSI P

Billy Masters is back in action ONE MAN’S FILTH IS STILL ANOTHER MAN’S BIBLE

By BILLY MASTERS “It’s not hard to act in a movie I direct because there are fewer people to argue with.” —Barbra Streisand at the Tribeca Film Festival.

What? Barbra? Argue? Never!

Have you missed me, LA? I know I’ve missed you. But I’m back. How did this happen? I haven’t a clue. One minute I was at the Los Angeles Blade’s fabulous launch party at Pump in West Hollywood chatting with a cute waiter about hummus. Next thing you know, here I am. So, without further ado, we’ve got a lot of stories to cover.

It was recently the 20th anniversary of Ellen’s coming out — both as a person and as a character on her sitcom. As I watched the retrospectives, a thought came to me - why did “Ellen” come out? I don’t believe the character was conceived as gay. It wasn’t a storyline that was planned. Back then, I remember people saying, “Well, it’s obvious Ellen Morgan is gay - look how she dresses.” Or, “Ellen DeGeneres can only play gay - did you see ‘Mr. Wrong’?” Aside from the many good things that came from DeGeneres’s coming out, I wonder if part of that legacy is also perpetuating the stereotype that gay actors can only play gay roles.

A documentary about Whitney Houston just opened at the Tribeca Film Festival and asks a poignant question: “Whitney: Can I Be Me” (it airs on Showtime this summer). According to reports, the doc implies that Whitney “had a secret love affair with best friend and assistant, Robyn Crawford.” Not true — it was never a secret! One of Whitney’s stylists says, “I don’t think she was gay. I think she was bisexual.” Bobby Brown agrees. He said in his autobiography that he believes Whitney was bisexual and that her family kept her from living with “the woman.” Bobby added, “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today.” When

Aussie Bobsled Boy SIMON DUNN is a sight to behold.

asked if Whitney and Robyn’s relationship was sexual, he said, “I know.” On the other side, there’s Whitney’s mom, Cissy Houston, telling Oprah it absolutely would have bothered her if her daughter were gay. So what do you do if you’re Whitney?

She married Bobby, and Robyn wasn’t happy. Allegedly, Houston bought Robyn a new Porsche, which was delivered on the day of the wedding — that kept her quiet through the ceremony! For a few years, all three co-existed somewhat peacefully.

Eventually, Robyn completely backed off.

People say that’s when Whitney’s life went to hell in a handbasket, which sounds mighty uncomfortable.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 32 times, the annual STAGE benefit in LA is the best show in town. The Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event is the longestrunning annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser in the world. And now, with its 33rd installment under the direction of David Galligan (who has directed all 33), it’s coming to an end. Or is it? The organization says this is farewell, while some people tell me off-the-record that it will resurface in some form next year. This year’s event is subtitled “Idols & Icons” and will take place on May 13 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. People

PHOTO BY STUDIO CHRISTIAN SCOTT

like Carole Cook, David Burnham, Joely Fisher, Barrett Foa, Jai Rodriguez, Melinda Doolittle, Anthony Federov, and Kimberley Locke will perform under the musical direction of insanely talented Michael Orland (hence all the “Idol” alums). Tickets and info can be found at StageLA.com.

I’ve previously told you that Playbill’s Seth Rudetsky and hubby James Wesley have been presenting a series of benefits around the country called “Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out.” Well, the series is finally headed to Los Angeles and will take place at Royce Hall at UCLA on May 24 — and from the lineup, it sounds like it too might be one of the best shows in town! Some of the fabulous performers will include Chita Rivera, Cheyenne Jackson, Helen Reddy, Jane Lynch, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Ricki Lake, Wendy Liebman, Alec Mapa, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. You can buy tix at ConcertsForAmerica.com. And if you aren’t in town, you can watch the concert for free on their Facebook page.

The Broad Stage in Santa Monica has been hosting some diverse and thrilling musical events. I’ve particularly enjoyed their Celebrity Opera Series, funded by the Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch

Foundation (they’re the same people who bring us that Classic Arts Showcase TV channel). Last month, I saw an animated Vittorio Grigolo in concert alongside a luminous Carmen Giannattasio. This month, we get acclaimed tenor Joseph Calleja in “A Tribute to Mario Lanza” on May 10. You can get tix at TheBroadStage.com.

In our “Ask Billy” question this week, Roger in Delaware asked: “What do you know about that hot gay bobsled guy? Saw his nude photo and love him. Is he single?”

I am sure Olympian Simon Dunn really wants to be referred to as “that hot gay bobsled guy.” But I suppose there are worse things to be called. Dunn is Australian, retired at the ripe old age of 29, and has a penchant for posing in various stages of undress to the delight of his social media followers. Apparently this is a practice he follows in his private life as well, judging from the photo that leaked. He addressed the controversy online, expressing embarrassment (although he certainly has nothing to be embarrassed about), and apologizing to his family and friends. Part of his statement implies he’s single.

“I guess the silver lining is I can just link people to Tumblr next time they ask for such pictures. And remember boys no matter how hot he is don’t send nudes.”

What? If hot guys didn’t send nudes, I’d have nothing to share with you on BillyMasters.com.

When “Simon Says” not to send nudes, it’s definitely time to end yet another column.

Riddle me this, Bobsled Boy: if someone online wanted to hook up and DIDN’T send you nude photos, would you meet them?

Ponder that while checking out www.

BillyMasters.com - the site that’s not shy. If you have a question, send it along to Billy@ BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before someone buys me a Porsche!

Until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.

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E-mail calendar items to tmasters@losangelesblade.com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specific events or those with LGBT participants.

Recurring events must be re-submitted each time.

LOS ANGELES

FRIDAY, MAY 5 White Party Palm Springs 2017, Fri May 05 - Mon May 08 - @ (888 E. TAHQUITZ CANYON WAY). 30,000 gays, taking over the entire city of Palm Springs, for a weekend of unforgettable memories.

Grab your tickets and get all official event info here: www.jeffreysanker.com.

Congratulations to GayinLA.com White Party weekend pass winners Robbie S. and Michael N.!

Cinco De Mayo LGBTQ Happy Hour, Fri May 05 - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM @ Redline - Gay Bar and Lounge - (131 E 6th St). Join us for the second annual Cinco De Mayo LGBTQ mixer in downtown Los Angeles hosted by HONOR PAC and Latino Equality Alliance.

Free event with a raffle and drinks specials.

SATURDAY, MAY 6 White Party Palm Springs 2017, Sat May 06, 2017 - Mon May 08, 2017 - (888 E. TAHQUITZ CANYON WAY). 30,000 gays, taking over the entire city of Palm Springs, for a weekend of unforgettable memories.

Grab your tickets and get all official event info here: www.jeffreysanker.com Drag Queen World Series, Sat, May 06 @ 1:00 PM - 04:00 PM at Glendale Sports Complex - (2200 Fern Ln). LA Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence vs. The West Hollywood Cheerleaders in a Charity Ball Game to benefit the Life Group LA and the POZ Life Weekend Seminars. Fun filled, comedy, antic’s, raffles, prizes and food!

SUNDAY, MAY 7 White Party Palm Springs 2017, Sun May 07 - Mon May 08 @ (888 E. TAHQUITZ CANYON WAY). 30,000 gays, taking over

the entire city of Palm Springs, for a weekend of unforgettable memories.

Grab your tickets and get all official event info here: www.jeffreysanker.com JQ International Presents 2017 Awards Brunch, Sun May 07 @ 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM at Home of Lynn & Les Bider - Beverly Hills, CA. JQ International, which creates community and advances greater inclusion of LGBTQ Jews and Allies through identity building programs and services inspired by Jewish values on a national basis, will present its annual JQ Awards Garden Brunch.

New Members Class, Sun May 07 @ 2:00 PM - 04:00 PM at Inspire Spiritual Community - (9056 Santa Monica Blvd.).

Do you consider Inspire your spiritual home? Find out what it means to be a member of Inspire Spiritual Community.

Learn more about our history, where we’re growing and how YOU can get involved.

Ask questions. Get answers. Feel inspired!

Inside Outside Artist Reception: Suzanne Shifflett, Rowland Byass, Sun May 07 - 4:00 PM @ 7:00 PM at TOM House - (1421 Laveta Terrace). An exhibition of two artists in two spaces at TOM House. Suzanne Shifflett uses art for self-exploration, hoping that the products of this exploration may reach others.

MONDAY, MAY 8 Inside Outside: Suzanne Shifflett, Rowland Byass, Sun May 07 @ 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM at TOM House - (1421 Laveta Terrace). An exhibition of two artists in two spaces at TOM House. Exhibit viewing and House Tours. Suzanne Shifflett uses art for self-exploration, hoping that the products of this exploration may reach others.

TUESDAY, MAY 9 GO Live Organ Night at Moonlight Rollerway (Roller Skating), Tue May 09 @ 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM at Moonlight Rollerway - (5110 San Fernando Rd). * Dress up in old tyme clothes* Who doesn’t love

live organs? Tonight, GREAT OUTDOORS LA invites you to roller skate to the fun melodic tunes of roller skating organ music, played live by rink owner Domenic on the 1930’s HamMond B3 Organ.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 Unconditional Love: LGBTQ + and Ally Youth Rally, Wed, May 10 @ 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at Mariachi Plaza - (730 Pleasant Ave).

“Unconditional Love” LGBTQ+ and Ally Youth Rally will be held at Mariachi Plaza, Boyle Heights from 5pm to 7pm. The rally will be to educate and spread awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in our community!

LEA’s youth and parents want to increase community awareness on the issues of mental health, gun violence, bullying, family acceptance and Homophobia, Transphobia and Islamophobia in our communities.

SATURDAY, MAY 13 An Evening With Women, Sat May 13 @ 6:00 PM -9:00 PM at The Hollywood Palladium - (6215 Sunset Blvd). RESIST. PERSIST. ROCK. We’re amping up the energy at the world-famous Hollywood Palladium for a powerful evening of live entertainment, dining, and special surprises that will leave you inspired, empowered, and connected. Join us for an unforgettable evening hosted by Cameron Esposito & Rhea Butcher with comedy by Tig Notaro and Eve Ensler performing The Vagina Dialogues.

Get Sprung, Sat May 13 @11:00 AM 02:00 PM at Gender Justice LA - (1730 W Olympic Blvd). A QTPOC + ALLIES - SPRING CELEBRATION! **********CLOTHING SWAP & POTLUCK********* Please join Gender Justice LA for our next get-together/Membership meeting, celebrating our gender fabulous selves and community! It’s spring time, so you know what that means, it’s time to CLEAN OUT YO CLOSET! S.T.A.G.E.: Idols And Icons, Sat May 13 @ 7:30 PM at Saban Theatre - (8440 Wilshire Blvd). APLA is pleased to announce

CA LE N D A R

the 33rd annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.). This year’s performance, titled “Idols & Icons,” will pay tribute to the stars of yesterday and today and feature performances from a wide range of stars of stage and screen.

Brüt Los Angeles 05.13, Sat May 13 @ 11:00 PM - 4:00 AM at Union Nightclub (4067 West Pico Blvd). We had such a blast last Month that we just have to do it again!

On SAT, May 13th, BRÜT is back to take over Union in Los Angeles! Gear up and get down to the beats of Dan Darlington & Peter Napoli.

SUNDAY, MAY 14 A Simple Tea Dance, Sun May 14 - Sun Aug 13 @ 2:00 PM - 09:00 PM at A Simple Bar - (3256 Cahuenga Blvd W). Come dance the afternoon away at Superstar’s Monthly LGBTQ Tea Dance at A Simple Bar. Well drinks at Happy Hour prices all night long.

MONDAY, MAY 15 Planet Queer: Lilith Faire 05.15.17, Mon May 15 @ 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM at Akbar - (4356 W Sunset Blvd). Ian MacKinnon & Travis Wood present PLANET QUEER: LILITH FAIRE An exciting evening of LGBTQ experimental performance and music celebrating Indie Rock Goddesses and Women around the Universe. 2 STAGES with over a dozen performers, musicians and artists! Hosted by gay centered performance activist IAN MACKINNON.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 Lezzertag: May The Odds Be Ever in Your Favor!, Wed May 17 @ 8:00 PM 11:00 PM at Bowlmor Santa Monica - (234 Pico Blvd). Sign up here: https://www. squadup.com/events/lezzertag-may2017 Beat the odds with tons of beautiful Queer women and allies at May’s Lezzertag event!

Defend your title! Or play for the first time!

Your ticket includes: UNLIMITED Laser CONTINUES ON PAGE 27

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where the principals either reinvented themselves or were cast against type.

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Tag UNLIMITED Bowling (Shoes Included!) $8.00 GREY GOOSE DRINKS $14.00 BEER PITCHER special (food available for purchase).

FRIDAY, MAY 12 Dustin Lynch, May 12 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM @ The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa (32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA.). Dustin Lynch has been on a steady path toward superstardom. With three consecutive No. 1s and two Top 5 albums, he’s already been to the top of the charts.

PALM SPRINGS

FRIDAY, MAY 5 White Party Palm Springs, May 5 – May 8 @ the Renaissance Palm Springs (888 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA).

The White Party Palm Springs takes place May 5th - 8th, 2017 and is widely considered the largest gay dance music festival in the nation. It has evolved throughout the years to become an international cultural and social phenomenon attracting more than 30,000 attendees from every corner of the globe.

Clark Gable Slept Here, May 5 – May 28 (Fri & Sat, 8:00 PM – 10 :00 PM; Sun 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM)@ Desert Rose Playhouse (69-620 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA). One of the silver screen’s brightest action stars charms his way through the Golden Globe Awards ceremony accompanied by his wife. Meanwhile, back at the Chateau Marmont, his staff tries to figure out what to do with the naked dead male prostitute on his bedroom floor.

LATER LIFE, May 5 - May 21 (Tuesday through Sundays. Evening Performances at 7:30 PM – 9:30; Matinee Performances at 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM) @ Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre at the Atrium (69930 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA.). Austin has spent his entire life convinced that something terrible is bound to happen to him. One night, at a party, overlooking Boston harbor, he has the pleasure of rekindling a romance begun almost thirty years ago with Ruth. Now a multiple divorcee, Ruth’s personal life is in such turmoil that mutual friends look to Austin as Ruth’s last shot at normalcy.

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Rebel Rebel at Agua Caliente is an experiential theater must see on May 17.

COURTESY AGUA CALIENTE CASINO AND RESORT SPA

Pride Prom 2017, May 12 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM @ the Palm Springs Air Museum (745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs CA).

You don’t want to miss this years AMAZING Pride Prom!! Held at the Palm Springs Air Museum, this Pride Prom is going to be even better than the last. More music, more dancing, and most importantly, more of the LGBTQ Pride that we know you all love. Up to age 22 only.

SATURDAY, MAY 6

SUNDAY, MAY 7

SATURDAY, MAY 13

Evening Under the Stars, 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM @ the O’Donnell Golf Club (301 N Belardo Rd, Palm Springs, CA).

AIDS Assistance Program – Food Samaritans will mark their 24th annual event, which includes an extended cocktail hour, delicious dinner, awards, fireworks and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. One of the desert’s most enjoyable and beloved fundraising events, Evening Under the Stars will continue its traditional ‘Dance Party’ theme with dancing immediately after the show with DJ Jerry Bonham on the main stage.

“The Judy Show” starring Michael Holmes, Sunday’s through Jul 9, 5:30, 7:00 and 8:00 PM @ Michael Holmes’s Purple Room Supper Club (1900 E Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA. “What do you get when you mix an internationally acclaimed impersonator, outrageous comedy, great standards and a bevy of icons? The hysterical parody of Judy Garland and her guests found in Michael Holmes’ riotous, “The Judy Show!” -- Encore Magazine

Rebel Rebel: The Many Lives of David Bowie at The Show, May 13 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM @ The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa (32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA.) The ultimate experiential journey through the many lives and arousing sounds of David Bowie.

East Coachella Valley Pride Festival, 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM @ Veterans Park (1500 4th Street, Coachella, CA). Welcome to the 1st Annual East Coachella Valley Pride Festival: We are who we are (LGBTQ+ & Family resource fair). Open to all, there will be booths with great resources, fun activities, delicious food, and talented performers.

THURSDAY, MAY 11 Hot Rodeo 2017 May 11 – May 14 @ various venues (main event at A.C. Dysart Equestrian Center, Banning CA.). Enjoy a weekend of western rodeo and festivities while visiting the fun and beautiful paradise of Palm Springs.

Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival 2017 May 11 – May 14 @ the Camelot Theatre (2300 East Baristo Rd, Palm Springs, CA.).

“For our 18th year, we are presenting an extremely diverse line-up of films,” said festival producer and host Alan K. Rode. This year’s program includes films

THURSDAY, MAY 18 International Museum Day at the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, May 18 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (219 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA.). As the first Native American Museum to be part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Affiliate Program, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum is excited to continue its legacy by announcing inclusion in International Museum Day. Tachevah 2017 Finals, May 18 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM @ the The Date Shed (50725 Monroe Street, Indio, CA.). This is the final for the 2017 Tachevah. Bridger and Elektric Lucie will join Kayves and Shawn Don – and vie for a grand prize of $3,000 POWERED BY GAY DESERT GUIDE

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LA’s playground in the desert is yours for the taking WHITE PARTY, HOT RODEO AND MORE ON TAP IN COMING WEEKS

By JOHN MIRAGLIA As summer heats up, everything in Palm Springs gets hotter and hotter. On any given weekend there are numerous things going on, so no need to plan ahead; just aim your car to the desert and enjoy a few days of fun, sun and hot bodies. Here are some upcoming signature events to look forward to.

For the weekend beginning on May 5, Jeffrey Sanker once again presents White Party Palm Springs, which is sure to be bigger and better than ever. The party kicks off on Friday at noon at the host hotel (Renaissance Palm Springs http://cwp. marriott.com/pspbr/wp2017)’s enormous pool. There will be plenty of music, sun, drinks and friendly men in bathing suits.

(I had you at enormous, didn’t I?) As this is a weekend-long event, there is something going on practically 24 hours a day. On Friday night (10 p.m.–5 a.m.), Sanker teams up with Eliad Cohen for the White Party Palm Springs version of the Papa Party (https://www.thepapa.party/ ), Papa Dark. According to Sanker, it’s “a decadent bacchanal exploration of music, leather and fantasy.” Make sure you’re well rested before heading out for this nonstop party.

What’s a perfect follow up to the prior evening’s dance fest? A pool party, of course. On Saturday, make your way to the Renaissance Hotel pool for a day called “Addicted to Boys” (10 a.m.–7 p.m.). Naturally, there will be world-class DJs spinning the hottest tunes to keep everyone grooving. You might even meet a new dance partner for Saturday night.

Everyone gets drafted for the Saturday night Military Ball (10 p.m.–5 a.m.) where more than a few good men will be wearing their dress whites. This ball promised to be huge, fun and sexy, full of so much eye candy you may walk away with a cavity (or, if you’re lucky, a cavity search). DJs, dancing, awesome lighting, and a surprise performer make this an event you won’t

Gay Cowboys take the desert by storm in the annual Hot Rodeo in Palm Springs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GAY DESERT GUIDE

want to miss. Have fun and play safe. If you do meet a new dance partner, the two of you can keep the party going at Climax, which goes from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Another day, another pool party.

Sunday’s “One Day In Heaven” (10 a.m.–4 p.m.) brings the popular London nightclub to Palm Springs. A DJ and dancing will help keep you energized while poolside. Just be sure to relax a bit before heading over to the Sunday Tea Dance (3 p.m.–10 p.m.), which takes place outside among the hot bodies and warm breezes. This amazing event features a Ferris wheel and a live performance by Belinda Carlisle and ends with a spectacular fireworks show filling up the Palm Springs night sky.

White Party Palm Springs’ final event, Closing (10 p.m.–8 a.m.), is a high energy

dance party with plenty of dancers, an amazing light show, international DJs, and hot men from all corners of the world.

Have a blast and say goodbye to your new friends before heading back to your hotel (and reality).

Here’s an alternate idea: Since Cinco de Mayo falls on Friday, nearly every bar and restaurant will have some sort of special going on. But the place to be is Las Casuelas Terraza (http://www. lascasuelas.com/), where mariachi music, margaritas, and delicious Mexican food go mano y mano with perfect downtown people watching. ¡Salud!

Not feeling so spontaneous? There’s nothing wrong with being a planner.

Consider getting yourself to the oasis in the desert for the weekend beginning Friday,

May 12. Actually, three days is not enough time to fully enjoy Palm Springs, so you might as well take the day off on Thursday so you can enjoy the weekly VillageFest (http://villagefest.org/), which happens downtown on Palm Canyon Drive. There are plenty of vendors and lots of yummy food, so take a stroll through downtown on a balmy Thursday night and maybe meet a cute local or two.

Fasten your seatbelts as also happening the weekend of May 12 is the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival (http:// arthurlyonsfilmnoir.ning.com/), featuring plenty of restored noir classics as well as some obsure-ish, not-available-on-DVD titles. You can buy tickets individual films or to the entire festival, so you have plenty of flexibility. Many of these films will look better than you’ve ever seen them and some feature a special guest before or after the screening. All are screened at the fabulous Camelot Theatres, which features a café as well as a full bar. Enjoy your classic film with a classic cocktail. Everything really is better in black and white.

If you prefer your men and women in Wranglers and cowboy hats, then the Hot Rodeo weekend in Palm Springs (http:// psrodeo.org/hotrodeo/) is right up your alley. It runs May 11 through May 14, and the host hotel is the Baymont Inn and Suites, which will be offering a special rate to all the visiting rodeo fans. There will be lots of traditional rodeo events along with plenty of pool parties and dances to help you get acquainted with that sexy cowboy or cowgirl. Naturally, many of the local bars will also be in the saddle for the weekend, so there will be more than enough opportunities to rope in a big one. Yeehaw!

The snowbirds may have flown north for the summer, but there are plenty of hot things happening on any given Palm Springs weekend, so get yourself out to the oasis.

losangelesblade.com @LosAngelesBlade

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The distinctive beauty of ‘Guys Reading Poems’ A DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL BECOMES A CELLULOID CATHARSIS

By JOHN PAUL KING “WHEN you have tidied all things for the night, And while your thoughts are fading to their sleep, You’ll pause a moment in the late firelight, Too sorrowful to weep.”

So begins “Solitude,” by Harold Monro, one of 32 works that comprise most of the spoken poems in Harold Lee Hughes’ new feature film “Guys Reading Poems.”

The film tells the story of a boy whose unstable mother imprisons him in a puppet box and builds an art installation around him; to cope, the boy imagines a group of young men who read poetry to him, and these recitations echo through scenes of his past, his future, and his fantasies.

This ostensible premise serves as the centerpiece in a complex jigsaw puzzle charting the reverberations of a traumatic childhood, through which the resulting psychological fallout — fear and grief, anger and sorrow — is evoked both by the masterful language of the poems and by Hughes’ haunting black-and-white visuals.

It’s an ambitious undertaking to pack so much heavy emotional content into an average-length movie; many filmmakers have tried to channel these kinds of demons into some kind of celluloid catharsis, only to fall short of the mark.

Such efforts are often constructed either as overwrought psychodramas that offer trite resolutions for the sake of closure, or else as fantasies that obscure the issues behind mythological tropes and pseudosymbolic whimsy.

Hughes has taken a middle path; “Guys Reading Poems” is both drama and fantasy, which means that it is also neither. Instead, it walks a line between realism and artistic conceit; multiple layers emerge from each other as a progression of imagery takes us from past to present

ALEXANDER DREYMON as “Father” and CHRISTOS VASILOPOULOS as “The Director” in “GUYS READING POEMS” PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROLD LEE HUGHES

to future, through reality and fantasy and places in between.

The storytelling is elegantly simple, and almost entirely visual; a prologue depicting the courtship of father and mother plays like a lovely pantomime of archetypes, and the rift that develops between them later — as well as the conflict it creates in their child — is eloquently communicated by body language and artful cinematography.

As for the reciting interlopers, they may be somewhat disorienting, at first, but soon become a comfortable presence. Like a Greek Chorus, they give voice to the soul of the story. It’s largely due to them that the film’s elevated stylization can yield an authentic emotional connection, allowing both plot and purpose to be revealed like a lotus flower blossoming in a dream.

The array of poems incorporated includes works by Blake, Whitman, Wordsworth, Dickinson, Yeats, and WeHo poet laureate Steven Reigns, among many others; no less crucial, however, is the visual poetry achieved by Hughes and cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah.

Lushly lit and richly photographed, “Guys Reading Poems” is a movie that revels in its black-and-whiteness, evoking a noir sensibility that pays homage to its cinematic heritage and makes every frame

feel like a deeply embedded memory.

Combined with a flair for artistic design and a deft use of symbolism (which avoids heavy-handedness without sacrificing clarity), this results in a movie of distinctive style and beauty that lingers in the mind’s eye long after viewing.

As for the on-screen talent, they face the task of communicating complex relationships mostly without the aid of dialogue, and they succeed admirably. At the center is young Luke Judy as the boy, moving and endearing in a performance as refreshingly natural as any of his adult co-stars; but it is Patricia Velasquez as the mother — brooding and cold, yet vulnerable and tragic — who, appropriately, dominates the screen. Rounding out the principal cast is Alexander Dreymon as the father; charismatic, and impossibly handsome, he balances tenderness with a hint of swagger as he provides an embodiment of the elusive masculine ideal.

Of course, the movie is called “Guys Reading Poems,” so the true stars of the show are the ensemble of young men who fill those title roles. Their soulful delivery provides the movie’s beating heart, and gives weight to what might otherwise be nothing but a succession of pretty vignettes. Each of them provides a differing

perspective, standing in for various aspects of the young protagonist’s psyche as he makes sense of his experience and each of them, like Dreymon, are stunning examples of the male aesthetic.

In fact, the preponderance of maleness, along with an underlying current of unrequited yearning for masculine affection (piercingly established with the departure of the boy’s beloved father), inevitably suggest a gay subtext. This tale of a boy locked away in childhood provides an unmistakable allegory for a life shaped in the closet; the isolation from family and society, the entwined longing and resentment, the combination of loneliness and selfsufficiency — all these themes have deep resonance within the LGBTQ community, and all are intricately woven into every fiber of “Guys Reading Poems.” Never overt, but vivid nonetheless, it’s a layer of meaning that makes this a full-fledged addition to the queer cinema canon.

Even so, Hughes’ film has a universal appeal. By channeling the pain of damaged youth into a unique filmic meditation, he has created a touchstone for anyone who struggles to reconcile these psychic scars within their own life. It’s an interior landscape that can be recognized by almost anyone, of course; and by treating it with candor, acknowledging its dark beauty, and honoring its inseparability from identity, Hughes has given us a movie which illuminates the path to transcendence.

“Guys Reading Poems” is unequivocally an art film, and as such unlikely to achieve widespread success at the box office; but for those of us who appreciate the bravery required not only to confront these difficult issues, but to explore them in such a public and honest manner, it is a much-appreciated effort and worthy of being sought out. It deserves to be called essential viewing.

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