Boston Spirit Mar | Apr 2015

MAR|APR 2015

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The

Design

Issue

5 top designers share their best and explain what it takes Safe Zone

A Ugandan LGBT activist finds a new home in Cambridge

Camp Aranu’tiq

A regular summer camp for transgender kids

Honeymoon

Great places around NE to celebrate your newly wed

Ricardo’s List

Boston hottest singles ready for the picking

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publisher@bostonspiritmagazine.com

From The Publisher You probably don’t know this but you happen to be reading a very special issue of Boston Spirit magazine. Aside from being our March|April 2015 issue it also happens to mark our 10th anniversary of publishing the magazine. 10 years! Amazing how fast it has gone.

For several days now I have been trying to decide what to write about in this letter.

How do I choose just a few of the hundreds of incredible memories from the last decade? How do I thank the hundreds (probably thousands) of people who have been instrumental in helping me (and the magazine) to succeed? To be honest, I still don’t have the answer but since the magazine is now on deadline I have no choice but to write something!

Ten years ago there was no LGBT Executive Networking Event in Boston. Now we get 1,000 attendees annually to Boston Spirit’s Executive Networking Night.

We have had Robert Kraft (Owner of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots) as a Keynote Speaker as well as transgender trailblazer Chaz Bono who spoke brilliantly. Ten years ago there was no Summer Sunset Cruise for the LGBT community. Now we get 700 partiers on board each June and, in the past seven years, we have raised approximately $150,000 for Fenway Health via the cruise.

And the stories ….

There are far too many to recount but I could not be more proud of the incredible team of editors and writers that have filled the pages of the magazine. Our Editor in Chief James Lopata, who I begged to join the magazine almost seven years ago, has been the leader, moral center and guiding light of our editorial vision. Our Art Director Dean Burchell, who joined the magazine with James, has gone above and beyond his duties so many times I lost count years ago. Not a month goes by when I don’t hear from someone about how ‘beautiful the magazine looks.’ That is just a part of Dean’s contribution to Boston Spirit. The amazing writers who have given us all so many great articles to read, including past Lifestyle Editor John O’Connell and current Lifestyle Editor Scott Kearnan. And of course the past and present members of the advertising sales team including Jenn Dettmann (who joined the magazine after only the second issue!!). I also have to thank our advertisers who have been so wonderful, many of whom have supported the magazine for many years and become dear friends.

Then, of course, there is you. Our amazing, loyal, supportive friends who continue

to read Boston Spirit and come out to our events. Suffice to say the magazine would be long gone by now if it weren’t for you. I cannot begin to tell you how much everyone at Boston Spirit values your support. Seeing you at our events is often the highlight of our month.

Finally, I have to thank my family. Starting a new business is never easy. Starting a publishing business is NEVER easy! And starting a publishing business two years before a giant recession is something I would not recommend to anyone … ever!

To say there were some stressful times would be the ultimate understatement.

Through it all my wife Kris was there to support me and pull me up when times got tough. Boston Spirit would not be publishing today if it were not for her. I also want to thank my daughter Grace and son Jack who have helped give out magazines at many Pride festivals and been so understanding on those many occasions when dad had to go out at night for a work event.

We have loved bringing you Boston Spirit for the last 10 years and look forward to the next 10!

David Zimmerman Publisher

Boston Spirit Magazine supporters Accent Limousine Arlington Street Church Bel Ari Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston University Burns & Levinson, LLP Carpe Diem Celebrity Series Circle Furniture Club Café Cranwell Resort Destination Salem DJ Mocha Dover Rug Eastern Bank

57 23 77 16,19 31 48 95 26 39 27 59 75 THE GUIDE 47 5

2 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Fenway Health Foxwoods Resort Casino Gardner Mattress Ink Block South End Jasper White's Summer Shack Jimmy Fund Johnny Appleseed Trail Association Les Zygomates Lombardo's Long's Jewelers Lucia Lighting Lyric Stage Marriott Copley Place Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams Morgan Stanley Wealth Services

18 COVER 45 13 COVER 82 14 33 78 1,3 32 92 81 7 29

Osorio Dental Group Peabody Essex Musem PFLAG Provincetown Roseland Properties Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston S+H Construction, Inc. Sage Inn & Lounge Seasons Four Seligman Dental Designs Thought Action Tresca North End Troy Boston UMass Boston Victory Programs

9 15 17 63 43 62 51 THE GUIDE 24 THE GUIDE 85 61 COVER 79 25

CAN BOTH OUR MOTHERS WALK US DOWN THE AISLE? Ben & Adam, Provincetown, MA

Traditions are what you make them. From rings to proposals, Long’s is here to help. www.longsjewelers.com Photo © 2013 Eileen Counihan

Contribute your opinion: editor@bostonspiritmagazine.com

As We Go To Press …

One of my favorite pieces in each issue—and frequently least heralded—is Go Figure.

It’s just a bunch of numbers from researchers and pollsters that paint little vignettes of where we’re at in the LGBT community.

For instance, from this issue: 950,000 lives could be saved by the recent decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to end the lifetime ban on allowing men who have sex with men (MSM) to donate blood, according the The Williams Institute.

Stop for a moment and think about the full implications of that. Changing a discriminatory policy like that not only combats homophobia, it actually impacts lives beyond lives, both gay and straight.

That’s nearly one million people snatched from death’s doors. That’s a big number.

Now what about the smallest number in this issue’s Go Figure: .2 percent. Yes, that’s point two! That’s the percentage of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who are openly gay. Do the math and you’ll notice that means there is one openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. One. It’s a percentage that represents one person.

It’s a percentage of one. That person is, of course, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.

4 | BOSTON SPIRIT

That one person has a ripple effect.

Consider another statistic in this issue’s column: 2 percent of citizens in Ghana are accepting of homosexuality. That’s a low point in a study that otherwise illustrates growing global acceptance of LGBT people. How many of the 98 percent of Ghanians who do not approve of homosexuality own an Apple device? Maybe not many, but certainly a good number.

Tim Cook’s outing makes a dent in that universe.

In our last issue we profiled LGBT people who wield power in New England.

This issue includes coverage of more people, but who are not so high profile. I want to call out a few of them. These are locals who may not have the name recognition of Massachusetts’ new Attorney General Maura Healey or Senate President Stan Rosenberg, but who, as percentage figures of one, are making important and powerful differences in the lives of many.

First submission, Nathanael Bluhm, a local DJ, who, through a simple e-mail penpal friendship helped a Ugandan gay rights activist, John Abdullah Wambere, gain political asylum in the United States.

Today, Wambere sometimes has nightmares of being chased by authorities in his native Ghana, but because of Bluhm, those chases won’t actually happen. Wambere has now become a powerful spokesperson

for gay rights, affecting many lives beyond his own. One person to one person to many.

Dr. Jerry Feuer, a heterosexual M.D., has spent his life’s career tending to the needs of LGBT patients at Fenway Health.

He was among the first doctors to begin treating gay men with AIDS. His is a story of dedication that has affected countless people.

Nick Teich, founder of Camp Aranu’tiq, is one person who decided to give transgender kids a safe place to have a regular summer camp experience. One to many.

Further, the designers we profile in our design feature are each making the world a more beautiful place. Consider how much freer and energized you feel when you walk and move and breathe in well-designed environments. These LGBT individuals are creating ripple effects of good beyond their percentages of one.

The New England LGBT is filled with percentages of one doing great things that resonate around the world. You are one of then. We salute you.

Go figure.

James Lopata Editor

Making progress, together.

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Community Cliffnotes

Contents

64 28

Beyond the Frame

76

Hetero Hero: Dr. Jerry Feuer

30

31 Years Young

78

Team Katya

80

For almost 35 years, he’s been providing nonjudgemental, caring, precision, extraordinary health care to New England LGBTs

Seasonal

Spotlight Hit List Art Doctor Community Cliffnotes Big Catch From the Blogs Go Figure

8 10 11 14 16 18

Feature Safe Zone

Despite fear and violence, John Abdallah Wambere fights for LGBT rights in Uganda—and with the help of a local DJ, found a new home in America

20

Alvin Ailey soloists Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd embark on new adventure

6 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Ricardo’s List: Ready for Picking

The Great Out-Doors

A summer camp for trans kids finds a permanent plot in New Hampshire

MAR|APR 2015 | VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2

84

Despite fear and violence, John Abdallah Wambere fights for LGBT rights in Uganda—and with the help of a local DJ, found a new home in America.

34

Honey, I’m Home

54

You’ve fallen in love, you’ve gotten hitched, and you’re ready for your honeymoon. But you don’t want to wander too far: what’s wrong with a getaway here at home in New England?

Ricardo’s List Ready for Picking

64

Dancing Together, Onstage and Off 84 Alvin Ailey soloists Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd embark on new adventure

Scene Boston Spirit LGBT Power Players of New England Gala

Kate Pierson, front lady for the B-52s, releases her first album of solo work

Boston’s Vibrant Violinist Aisslinn Nosky makes classical music cool

Kate Pierson, front lady for the B-52s, releases her first album of solo work

86

Coda A New Moon

Culture

96

The Boston LGBT Film Festival shows no signs of slowing down Boston’s own Brian McCook goes for the gold on Logo’s ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

Queer Eyes For Design

The gay designer is a tired cliché used in TV shows and movies. You know the drill: a manicured gay man swoops in, drops a few witty one-liners, fluffs a few pillows, and sashays away.

PEM unveils major exhibit of trailblazing photographer Duane Michals

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34 COVER

Queer Eyes For Design

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OUR MISSION IS CLEAR WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN OUR QUEST TO MAKE THE WORLD A M O R E CO M F O RTA B L E P L AC E : F O R E V E RYO N E .

boston | natick | burlington: open fall 2015 | mgbwhome.com MAR|APR 2015 | 7

SPOTLIGHT Trending STORY Scott Kearnan

Hit List NEWS, NOTES AND TO-DOS FOR EVERY GAY AGENDA

Cazwel’s underwear line, Ice Cream Truck

Sherie Grillon

GIVE A STANDING O

DIP A CHIP into Nola’s Fresh

Foods, a lesbian-owned brand of salsa that brings Southern spiciness to New England.

Nola’s founder Sherie Grillon grew up in New Orleans and attended college in Austin, where she started developing her recipes. Today the Roslindale resident supplies over 80 stores with her salsa fresca and fire roasted corn & black bean salsa, handmade using preservative-free ingredients at CropCircle Kitchen, a culinary incubator in Jamaica Plain. To find the fresh, flavorful salsa, keep your eyes peeled for its logo, a saucy pinup girl. More: nolasfreshfoods.com

to record producer and music mogul Clive Davis.

Harvard University’s illustrious Hasty Pudding Theatricals, America’s oldest theater organization, will bestow upon Davis its most prestigious award, the Order of the Golden Sphinx Award, at a gala on April 13th at NYC’s Plaza Hotel. Davis, who turns 83 in April, is chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment and a major industry magnate widely credited with launching the careers of now-icons, most notably Whitney Houston.

In 2013, Davis came out as bisexual in his autobiography “The Soundtrack of My Life.”

More: clivedavis.com

SET YOUR DVR for “The

Amazing Race” on CBS. The new, 26th season of the hit series, which sets competing teams of two on a speedy globetrotting scavenger hunt,

Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier is the first to exclusively feature dating couples. And in the mix as contestants are gay New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight and his longtime boyfriend, Harley Rodriguez. If they don’t win, at least there’s still that New Kids career. In May, North Shore resident Knight and his Boston-born boy band will kick off a summer-long joint concert tour with R&B-pop act TLC and rapper Nelly. More: cbs.com

WISH A CONGRATS to James

Beard award-winning chef duo Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, married in February after 25 years together. The culinary

couple behind Ogunquit restaurant MC Perkins Cove and Boston eatery MC Spiedo tied the knot on the 18th hole of famed Pebble Beach golf course in California. It was an intimate ceremony fit for “Top Chef Masters” alums: from a gourmet four-course dinner to a taco stand, mini Manhattan and Negroni cocktails, and even grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup as late-night, post-dancing noshes. Cheers, gents! More: markandclarkrestaurants.com

SCOOP UP SOME SKIVVIES

designed by gay dance-rap artist Cazwell. In February the Worcester native unveiled a new underwear line, Ice Cream Truck, which nods to his song of the same name. (Its music video featured popsicle-licking muscle men dancing in their undies.) A collaboration with fashion designer Geoffrey Mac, Ice Cream Truck features form-fitting briefs in bright colors like “berry” and “pistachio,” with design accents like rainbow sprinkle waistbands and a waffle cone logo. Cazwell, a popular fixture in NYC’s gay club scene,

PUBLISHER David Zimmerman EDITOR IN CHIEF James A. Lopata MANAGING EDITOR Robert Phelps [rob@bostonspiritmagazine.com] ART DIRECTOR Dean Burchell CONTRIBUTING LIFESTYLE EDITOR Scott Kearnan [lifestyle@bostonspiritmagazine.com] CONTRIBUTING ARTS EDITOR Loren King CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sam Baltrusis, Tony Giampetruzzi, Mark Krone CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Joel Benjamin, Marilyn Humphries COVER IMAGE Michael Lee ON THE WEB [bostonspiritmagazine.com] TALK TO US Send comments, questions and encomia to [feedback@bostonspiritmagazine.com] EDITORIAL CONTACT [editor@bostonspiritmagazine.com] PUBLISHING AND SALES CONTACT [publisher@bostonspiritmagazine.com or 781-223-8538] THE FINE PRINT Boston Spirit magazine. A Division of Jake Publishing, LLC Published by Jake

MAR|APR 2015 | VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2

Publishing, LLC. Copyright 2004 by Jake Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without the written permission of Boston Spirit magazine. Neither the publishers nor the advertisers will be held responsible for any errors found in the magazine. The publishers accept no liability for the accuracy of statements made by advertisers. Publication of the name or photograph of any person, organization or business in this magazine does not reflect upon one’s sexual orientation in any way. Boston Spirit Magazine, 398 Columbus Ave #395, Boston, MA 02116

8 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Come out SMILING

released his latest album “Hard 2 B Fresh” in late 2014. More: icecreamtruck.bigcartel.com

EXPERIENCE A SPRING AWAKENING with life

coach and author Raymond Rigoglioso. In March he releases his book “Gay Men and the New Way Forward,” an “invitation to self-discovery” that explores the “14 Distinct Gay Male Gifts.” Rigoglioso is founder of Gay Men of Wisdom, a series of self-reflection and consciousness-raising

programs he brings to LGBT spiritual retreats, like Easton Mountain, and community groups: like the Boston chapter of Living Soulfully, which will sponsor a book reading and signing with Rigoglioso on Sunday, May 3, from 6 to 8 PM at Spontaneous Celebrations in Jamaica Plain. More: gaymenofwisdom.com

GET “WET” with The Theater

Offensive. The provocative queer performing arts group will host its major annual fundraiser, climACTS!, on Thursday, March 26, at Boston nightclub Royale. “WET” is the theme of this year’s extravaganza, which is sure to feature hallmarks like racy stage shows, a fantastical auction, and DJ-fueled dancing. Tickets are $100 general admission and $175 VIP, which includes a pre-event reception with complimentary bar, among other frills. More: thetheateroffensive.org [x]

climACTS!: March 26 at Boston nightclub Royale

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SPOTLIGHT Creative Gifts STORY Scott Kearnan

Artist and woodworker Federico Erebia [STANDING] with a wall of his original photography and contemporary, collapsible Arania loveseat design. Seated: his FEWorks associate Cristian Tobar and dog, Bela.

Art Doctor FOR FEDERICO EREBIA, ART IS MEDICINE For over 20 years, Erebia was a doctor of internal medicine at Fenway Health. Healing others was a passion long in the making.

As a child, the Ohio native was inspired to pursue medicine by his own family doctor, “a friend mentor” whom his mother “worshipped.” (He delivered most of her 13 children.) He studied at Brown University’s medical school and moved to Boston shortly after, where he spent two decades with the nation’s largest LGBT-focused health care facility, motivated by a passion for social justice, a dedication to working with disadvantaged populations and an urge to respond to the AIDS epidemic that was claiming lives around him. He lost his own brother to the disease.

“Early on, there weren’t the medications you have now. For most people, you knew it [HIV/AIDS] would lead to death,” says Erebia. And even for the most dedicated doctor, to be surrounded by such widespread loss could be emotionally draining. “It was really helpful to have a creative outlet.”

Art, specifically woodworking, was Erebia’s creative outlet. “It was therapeutic for me,” says Erebia, who launched his own custom furniture business, FEWorks, in 2007. Today retired from medicine, he gives his full attention to FEWorks, creating gorgeous contemporary furnishings—from residential cabinetry and paneling to dining

10 | BOSTON SPIRIT

tables, beds and armoires—out of his design studio in Somerville.

Erebia’s creative path ran parallel to his track in medicine. Growing up, he watched the work of a family friend, a carpenter, with keen interest. By the time he was in medical school, he was taking a variety of visual arts evening classes at the Rhode Island School of Design: a pretty rigorous workload, but one he invited. “It engaged a completely different part of my brain,” says Erebia. “I just felt like there was so much more to explore.”

Though it would take some time before Erebia would turn his creative gifts into a business, he quickly became his own first client. In 1994, he bought a dilapidated townhouse in Boston’s then-dicey South End—one so run-down, it “left my mother crying that I bought such a wreck!” Doctor that he is, Erebia set it upon himself to single-handedly rejuvenate the body of the structure. With his own tools and his own two hands, he painstakingly renovated the five-floor building, honing his skills along the way through classes at Boston’s North Bennett Street School, widely regarded as one of the country’s top woodworking schools. He built himself a strong and stylish home, which he eventually converted to condos and sold in 2011.

And in the interim, he also built the foundation for what would become FEWorks, one thrilled word-of-mouth referral at a time.

Erebia’s work runs the gamut, creating sleek and sophisticated custom-designed furnishings and built-in cabinetry, among other elements, that meet the unique needs of each client: his work features strong lines and sensual curves, high functionality and topnotch style. But if there’s any common thread that predominates, it’s a sense of “controlled chaos,” says Erebia. “I don’t really like complete symmetry, the world of black and white. I like things to be a little erratic, a little out of the ordinary. And then I’ll hide a pattern within them.”

One show-stopping example is Erebia’s Arania seating collection, a series of whimsical seats made with woods like cherry, sapele and zebrawood. The name nods to araña, the Spanish word for “spider,” which the chair can resemble from certain angles, says Erebia. Its distinctive design features gorgeous wood slats connected at collapsible joints; that allows the chairs and loveseats to be flattened for storage. But when opened, the Arania blooms into an intricate furnishing that is as much a sculptural work of art.

Though he continues to grow his business, like all artists Erebia says that the creative process continues to be its own reward. “I do believe that certain people are born with artistic tendencies they need to explore,” says Erebia. “At a certain point, I discovered there was so much more to life than medicine and science.”

For more info, visit feworks.com and facebook. com/araniaseat [x]

SPOTLIGHT Community STORY Scott Kearnan

Community Cliffnotes

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence You’ve seen them floating through the crowds at countless community soirees: from black tie galas like Fenway Health’s Men’s Event to “Drag Bingo” Mondays at Club Café. They catch your eye with their stark white makeup and billowing dresses.

You’ve probably snagged one to take a selfie or two.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are one of the most recognizable LGBT-focused organizations in Boston—but to those of us in the laity, they’re also among the most mysterious. Where did they come from?

What do they stand for? Do I have to tell them all my sins? The short answers are: San Francisco; universal joy and loving acceptance; and no, unless you’re into that.

Okay, here’s a bit more background on this unique, spirited team of community builders. The Sisters’ religious references have attracted controversy over the years, but their loving messages and thoughtful philanthropy are worth serious praise.

Can we get an Amen?

WHO ARE THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE? The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a 501c3 nonprofit that describes itself as a “21st-century order of queer nuns.” “We don’t have a particular religious tradition, but we do have a philosophical tradition,” says Sister Eunice X, a founding member of the Boston order. That philosophy is based

Spotlighting New England LGBT organizations and the work they do.

Helping you to discover some new neighbors—and fresh facts—about our diverse community.

Sunday in the Park PHOTO Meg Birnbaum

on a respect for diversity and emphasis on socially conscious acts of service, both within and without the LGBT community.

The Sisters strives to foster a culture that promotes love—not guilt and stigmatization. “We take our vows seriously, and like all nuns, we take them for life,” says Sister Eunice.

“It’s not just about throwing on a dress and makeup,” adds Sister Musique, a co-founder. It takes at least a full year for a prospective Sister to go from “declaring intentions” to becoming a fully professed part of the order. During that time there are certain rites, like developing a community service project, that are part of the process.

Aspects of dress denote the pledge’s progress, and eventually, each sister will adopt

MAR|APR 2015 | 11

a unique, personality-driven spin on white makeup and religious garb: somewhere between kabuki, clowning and “The Singing Nun.” It’s up to each individual sister to determine their own direction, but few skew toward outright drag. It’s more about “blurring the lines” of gender, says Sister Eunice. The Sisters’ mostly-male ranks typically don’t hide that they’re guys under the habits, allowing beards to poke through thick white makeup or letting hairy chests peek above plunging necklines.

HOW DID IT START? The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence was founded in San Francisco in 1979, with its initial sisters making their first public appearance by traipsing through the streets of The Castro on Easter Sunday. Part of a wave of counter-culture street performers that emerged in the city at that time, the growing group became increasingly active fundraisers and vocal champions of timely issues, like HIV/AIDS awareness and safe sex education, offering a “habitual injection of gaiety into serious affairs including human rights, political activism and religious intolerance,” according to one mission statement.

Sister Eunice X became a member in San Francisco about 10 years ago, attracted to a “fun and exciting way to give back.” “I was overwhelmed by the energy,” says Sister Eunice, who moved to Boston six years ago and established an order here, introducing the Sisters to the Hub community through partnerships with well-established orgs like Fenway Health and the Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project. The Boston order has since grown to 16 people and a significant profile.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? The Sisters are hardly the only LGBTrelated organization that raises monies for and spreads awareness of important social issues. But their approach is unique, and allows them to make inroads in ways that others cannot. First, there’s the use of humor and levity. “It’s a really fun and exciting way to reach into the community and spread the message that all people have value,” says Sister Eunice. “We get more eyelash than backlash,” chuckles the sister, when asked whether the Boston order catches flak about its colorful nun-sense. “If someone thinks we’re making fun of Catholics or other religious orders, we explain our message and that usually resolves things.”

In fact, the outlandish makeup serves an interesting purpose: inviting candid conversations about the Sisters, and their work, that might be more difficult to incite

12 | BOSTON SPIRIT

PHOTO Meg Birnbaum

in “secular” boy mode. “Our masks are like portable confessionals. They’re a screen of anonymity,” says Sister Eunice. “When you meet someone new, you might form preconceptions about them based on how they’re dressed. This allows us to tell our own stories, and define who we are.” The costuming also defuses the kind of “sexual tension” that can exist among gay men, helping the Sisters more casually introduce themselves and their work at, say, a pheromone-filled gay bar.

Finally, the Sisters-based alter egos have personal benefits for the men under the makeup. “I created Sister Sandra to be a lot nicer than I am in real life,” laughs Sister Sandra, real name Travis, who says that the Sisters’ philosophy of kindness, compassion and joie de vivre inevitably has an effect on “secular” life. “The Sisters has changed me as a person. Now if someone cuts me off in traffic, instead of screaming and waving like a fool, I ask myself, ‘If you met them again as Sandra, how would that reflect on you?’”

WHAT HAS IT DONE? The Boston order of the Sisters has fundraised for a variety of vital nonprofits over the last six years, including The MALE Center, the American Red Cross, and the vetsserving Wounded Warrior Project. Among

their proudest accomplishments is “Drag Bingo” at Club Café; the Monday series has helped the Sisters raise over $40,000 to date for various charities. (On Monday, March 9, the weekly outing will donate proceeds to Greater Boston PFLAG.) This month the Sisters will also host a kickoff party for Harbor to the Bay at Club Café on Friday, March 13 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. The Sisters also engage in more creative awarenessbuilding work, like Into the Habit, a safe sex campaign with Fenway Health that even includes the sale of hilarious Sistersthemed playing card decks. And in February the Boston Sisters announced a new partnership with The Welcoming Committee, a popular social networking group comprised primarily of twenty- and thirty-something LGBTs. Together they’ve created “TWC Gives Back,” a series of events spanning nightlife, culture and service that benefit area organizations. The kickoff February event, a fete at Prime nightclub, raised monies for The LGBT Asylum Task Force and The GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project.

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM: To learn more and connect, visit thebostonsisters.org, facebook.com/ thebostonsisters, or follow @BostonSisters1 on Twitter. [x]

CALL TO SCHEDULE A MODEL UNIT TOUR! inkblockboston.com 877.262.6593 300 Harrison Ave, Boston 02118 A National Development Property

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SPOTLIGHT Theater STORY Loren King

An easy hour’s drive from Boston lies the unique venue that you dreamed of. Stick to the beautiful classic feel at one of our hotels or spend your day in a vineyard and taking in the panoramic view from the top of Wachusett Mountain, we have venues from the intimate to the extravagant. Follow a country road and let us help make your dream a reality.

Big Catch Composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa, and writer John August, have re-vamped their Broadway musical Big Fish for its premiere at the Speakeasy Stage Company, where it runs March 13–April 11.

There’s been so much interest in staging the show, based on the 2003 Tim Burton film, but it proves prohibitive for smaller companies, says Lippa. So the creators not only pared down the musical, they added three new songs, cut four others and combined characters for a smaller cast.

www.appleseed.org 14 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Lippa and August, who wrote the film’s screenplay, will be in Boston for several weeks while Speakeasy rehearses the show, which will be staged by its artistic director Paul Daigneault. The cast features Steven Goldstein as Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman whose larger-than-life stories of epic adventures delight everyone around him, except his pragmatic son Will (Sam Simahk) who sets out to discover the truth behind

Lyricist Andrew Lippa

his father’s tales and uncover family history. Aimee Doherty co-stars as Sandra Bloom and Will McGarrahan is featured in the roles of Amos Calloway and Dr. Bennet.

Lippa, married to David Block, a film marketing executive, is best known for The Wild Party, winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for best Off-Broadway musical and the Drama Desk Award for best music in 2000.

He also wrote the Tony-nominated music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Addams Family. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus premiered Lippa’s oratorio I Am Harvey Milk on June 26, 2013, the same date that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8. I Am Harvey Milk, a project close to Lippa’s heart, will continue to be performed around the world this year and will be taped for television next year, he says.

For more information go to speakeasystage.com. [x]

On view March 7–June 21, 2015 Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts In this definitive retrospective, see more than 200 photographs that reveal universal life experiences such as dreams, desire, aging and death.

Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, organized Storyteller: The Photographs of Duane Michals.

The Henry L. Hillman Fund provided major support. The East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum also provided support.

Media Partner

Duane Michals, Chance Meeting, 1970. Six gelatin silver prints (four shown). The Henry L. Hillman Fund. Courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.

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MAR|APR 2015 | 15

SPOTLIGHT Online COMPILED Rob Phelps

From the Blogs

Here’s a quick roundup of some of the pieces from BostonSpiritMagazine.com’s blog.

Check there regularly for new stories!

BOSTON SPIRIT’S TOP 25 LGBT POWER PLAYERS OF NEW ENGLAND GALA The inaugural gala event for Boston Spirit magazine’s presentation of the Top 25 Power Players of New England lit up the Ritz-Carlton Boston on January 15. With the hope that the list generates constructive conversations in our community about where power resides and how it is used, power players gathered from around New England to attend. Special thanks to the event sponsors: Eastern Bank, Morgan Stanley and U.S. Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management along with: Blue Cross and Blue Shield Massachusetts, Burns

& Levinson, Edwards Wildman, Fenway Health, Fidelity Investments, GLAD, Human Rights Campaign, The Ritz Carlton-Boston, Online Buddies and Rockland Trust. Photos from the event can be seen at bostonspiritmagazine.com and on page 86 of this issue.

AN LGBT PLACE AT THE SUPER BOWL (PRESS BOOTH) TABLE—A FIRST! It wasn’t just the New England Patriots that made history at the Super Bowl this year.

For the first time in the 49-year history of the Super Bowl the NFL offered press box credentials to a gay publication. Cyd

David Zimmerman [FROM LEFT], publisher of Boston Spirit magazine and James A. Lopata, Boston Spirit’s editor in chief with honoree Mary Bonauto and Human Rights Campaign’s Marty Rouse at Boston Spirit’s Top 25 Power Players of New England Gala. PHOTO Marilyn Humphries Ziegler of Outsports traveled to Phoenix the week prior to the big game to cover all the behindthe-scenes action, interviewing players, coaches and all the execs, taking his coveted seat in the press box to report on the main event, and heading into the locker room for post-game interviews.

In his Outsports report following Monday’s New England Patriots win, Ziegler noted:

“Walking around Phoenix this week, from Radio Row to Roger Goodell’s press conference to NFL Honors and today at the Super Bowl, many people in the media knew Outsports’ presence—alongside NFL Network and ESPN, Bleacher Report and the New York Times—was another strong signal that the sports world is changing.”

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JOIN US! U.S. TO APPOINT OPENLY GAY ENVOY TO OVERSEAS LGBT COMMUNITIES U.S. Secretary of State and former Mass. State Sen. John Kerry is set to appoint a special envoy for LGBT rights around the world. The appointee, who will be a current openly gay U.S. State Department officer, will be named later this month after vetting candidates.

The appointment will expedite the substance of a bill sponsored by Mass. Sen. Edward J. Markey and N.Y. Rep. Alan S. Lowenthal that was killed in the last session of Congress.

According to a February 5 Boston Globe posting: “The new job will be an extension of State Department’s recent initiatives to enhance and discuss LGBT rights both at home and abroad. The U.S. in August 2013 began issuing immigrant visas to same-sex couples in August, released the first Department statement to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance that November, and condemned Uganda’s antihomosexuality bill in February 2014.”

FLORIDA’S FIRST LEGALLY MARRIED GAY MEN ATTENDED U.S. STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH The first two legally married gay men in the Sunshine State got a surprise invitation to attend President Barak Obama’s State of the Union speech on Jan. 20, 2015. Newlyweds Jeff and Todd Delmay and their 4-year-oldson Blake were busy moving in together when their congresswoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, called to invite them to join her as their guests.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. SunSentinel posted: “Jeff and Todd Delmay were among six samesex couples who sued MiamiDade County for the right to get married. The judge in their suit allowed same-sex marriage to go forward a day ahead of the rest of the state, and the Delmays were second in line to get

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U.S. Secretary of State and former Mass. State Sen. John Kerry married in Miami-Dade, right behind Cathy Pareto and Karla Arguello, another couple from the lawsuit.”

Marriage equality became the law of the land in Florida earlier this month after a U.S. district court ruled the state’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional in August 2014.

Fostering LGBTQ-Inclusive Families, Schools, and Communities

HONORARY CO-CHAIRS The Honorable Deval L. Patrick and Diane B. Patrick Anne and Chad Gifford

EVENT CO-CHAIRS Sarah C. Libbey, Mark Mettler, Holly Safford

I-93 RUSH-HOUR PROTESTERS IDENTIFY AS ‘LGBTQA, WHITE, PAN-ASIAN AND LATIN’ A diverse group of people identifying as LGBTQA, white, pan-Asian and Latino stood together to block rush-hour traffic on Interstate 93 north and south of Boston Thursday, Jan. 15. Their stance? Solidarity with the protesters in Ferguson, Mo. and all those committed to expanding the conversation on U.S. race relations.

Protesters in northbound lane issued a statement that the Boston Globe posted, which read in part: “Today, we place our bodies in the street for four and a half hours, the same amount of time Mike Brown lay dying in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. We are a diverse group of LGBTQA, white, pan-Asian and Latin@ people acting in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, both locally and nationally.

We stand behind the demands released by organizers in Ferguson, which can be found at fergusonaction.com/demands/” [x]

HONORING Jason Collins, retired NBA player Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III

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The Williams Institute in partnership with Credit Suisse]

[Source: The Williams Institute]

2014

$2.6 billion 2/3 boost in spending in the U.S. economy from the boom in same-sex nuptials. $750 million awaits release in the remaining states that still prohibit them. [Source:

OPPOSITEGENDER DIVORCE

2009

of same-sex couples who marry are female—almost.

The actual number is 62%.

[Source: The Williams Institute]

$186 million

4%

was spent by 37 national and leading statewide LGBT organizations in 2014, a 14 percent increase over 2013. And what’s more, revenues exceeded expenses by $5.8 million.

of voters in the November 2014 election identified as LGBT. Had they not voted at all, Republican Ed Gillespie would be the U.S. Senator from Virginia, instead of Democrat Mark Warner, and Republican Scott Milne would now be governor of Vermont, instead of Democrat Peter Chumlin.

[Source: 2014 National LGBT Movement Report from LGBTMap.org]

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950,000 lives could be saved by the recent decision of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services to end the lifetime ban on allowing men who have sex with men (MSM) to donate blood, reducing the time to one year after last sexual contact. [Source: The

366

Williams Institute]

companies received the Human Rights Campaign’s highest, 100 percent, rating in its 2015 Corporate Equality Index, demonstrating their adherence to inclusive policies and practices with regard to LGBT concerns. 39 companies in Massachusetts received the highest rating. [Source: Human

of LGBT employees hide aspects of their LGBT identity at work.

[Source: Study by Deloitte]

.2% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are openly gay, following Apple CEO Tim Cook’s announcement that he is gay. [Source: The New York Times]

2% of citizens of Ghana are accepting of homosexuality, a low point in a study that otherwise demonstrated that global acceptance of homosexuality is on the rise. [Source: The Williams Institute]

Rights Campaign]

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FEATURE Asylum STORY Scott Kearnan

Safe Zone

John Abdallah Wambere PHOTO Joel Benjamin

Despite fear and violence, John Abdallah Wambere fights for LGBT rights in Uganda—and with the help of a local DJ, found a new home in America

Nathanael Bluhm PHOTO Joel Benjamin

“ I have nightmares. In them, I’m struggling. I’m in Uganda.

They are chasing me. My visa has expired, and I can’t go back to America. I’ve screwed it all up. ” John Abdallah Wambere

At the beginning of 2014, John Abdallah Wambere came to America. He planned to stay for two weeks.

By the end of 2014, he realized he couldn’t go home again.

“If I got on a plane and went back, the first thing they would do is put me in a cell,” says Wambere. For the last 14 years, he had been a prominent activist with Spectrum Uganda Initiatives, an organization that advocates for LGBTI rights and access to health services. (The “I” in LGBTI stands for intersexual, people born with both male and female gender characteristics.) Wambere had been in jail cells before. He did not want to return to them—or to meet the other, potentially worse fates that could await him.

In Uganda, anti-gay persecution is not merely common—it is sanctioned and promoted. Homosexuality is illegal, punishable with prison. (The specter of a potential death penalty has loomed over the community for years.) Wambere has seen his face, phone number, and home address published in national tabloids under inflammatory, fear-mongering headlines about a “Ugandan Homos Cabinet” that “recruits” impressionable young people. He has been imprisoned and extorted. He has received death threats, and he has been attacked on the street. He has attended the funeral of his close friend and fellow LGBTI activist, David Kato, who was beaten to death with a hammer in his own home: a 2011 crime that helped bring the persecution of gay Ugandans to the attention of mainstream American media.

The struggle of LGBTI Ugandans also caught the attention of one Cambridge man, Nathanael Bluhm. Last February, Wambere accepted an invitation from Bluhm to visit him in America. Within days of his arrival, Uganda’s president

22 | BOSTON SPIRIT

signed into law a now-infamous “AntiHomosexuality Act” that imposed life imprisonment for gays and multi-year prison sentences for anyone who is viewed as “aiding and abetting homosexuality” or fails to “report” a known LGBT person. Within weeks, Wambere took a meeting with Boston’s legal advocacy organization GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) and applied for political asylum—something he had never before considered. And within months, he had been recommended to receive asylum, allowing him to remain in a country where he can continue his work without constant threat of imprisonment or assault—something he had never imagined possible.

Sometimes, it’s still hard to believe.

“I have nightmares,” says Wambere, gazing out the window of a Cambridge cafe a few blocks from his apartment. “In them, I’m struggling. I’m in Uganda. They are chasing me. My visa has expired, and I can’t go back to America. I’ve screwed it all up.”

“Then I wake up,” he says, wrapping his hands around a warm coffee mug. “It’s just a dream. I’m in America.”

“I’m safe.”

Nathanael Bluhm didn’t know John “Long Jones” Abdallah Wambere. But he wanted to help.

In 2013, a mutual friend connected the two men over Facebook. Bluhm, a Cambridge DJ with a passion for social justice, was interested in learning more about the state of LGBTI affairs in Uganda. He works often alongside local advocacy

groups like the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition, and frequently spins at parties and events for queer people of color. Those relationships had sensitized him, he says, to the way in which more privileged white gays can ignore or minimize the unique challenges faced by their “black brothers and sisters. It feels like LGBT issues in predominantly black countries are often ignored,” says Bluhm.

So he contacted Wambere to earn the perspective of a Ugandan activist “on the ground.” They exchanged messages often.

Wambere would send Bluhm links to local newspaper stories, and forward him statements from the Ugandan parliament.

They became modern day pen pals, connected through shared humanity and the immediacy of the Internet—rather than pen, ink, and postage stamps.

But by the fall of 2013, Wambere’s messages and Facebook posts were increasingly “harrowing,” recalls Bluhm. And indeed, the situation in Uganda seemed especially dire. Assisted by the rabid support of Western evangelists, including Massachusetts’s own extremist pastor Scott Lively, the Anti-Homosexuality Act was making its way through parliament.

In November, Ugandan police arrested Spectrum’s executive director, Samuel K. Ganafa, and three of his houseguests. They raided his home without a warrant. They subjected him to an HIV test without his consent. They held him for days without offering charges. (Ganafa was eventually charged with “unnatural offenses.”

Prosecutors spent nearly a year delaying his trial, and a judge finally dismissed the charges in October 2014.)

“I think that was the scariest moment,” says Wambere of Ganafa’s arrest.

Spectrum served hundreds of LGBTI Ugandans; activists like Ganafa opened their doors to homeless clients, offering food and a place to stay. But fearfulness was fostering a witch-hunt—and even

“ I was really concerned for him. But I kept it really casual. I just said, ‘It sounds really bad over there. Why don’t you come crash with me for a while?’”

Nathanael Bluhm longtime leaders could be betrayed. Wambere was on an emotional brink, carrying knives as daily protection. “I knew that anything could happen. I could be walking to my house or workplace, and someone could point a finger saying, ‘Him!’” That’s when Bluhm made him an offer: Come to America. Wambere could stay at Bluhm’s apartment for a couple weeks— and if he wanted to stay longer, the DJ would help him find a new place to crash.

He would help him coordinate some speaking engagements. He would even cover the cost of his travel: about $2,000, which Bluhm raised through an online crowdsourcing campaign and donations

made during a DJ party at Middlesex Lounge.

“I was really concerned for him,” says Bluhm. “But I kept it really casual. I just said, ‘It sounds really bad over there.

Why don’t you come crash with me for a while?’”

Wambere was taken aback by the offer.

Looking back now, he laughs. “At first I thought, ‘Who is this white boy hitting on me?’” But Wambere quickly realized that Bluhm was serious—and that his sole interest was in his safety.

The activist finally arrived in February 2014. Bluhm shared his bedroom and his connections throughout the city.

Wambere shared his stories over a bottle of Ugandan whiskey. Wambere continued to advocate from afar, organizing initiatives with Spectrum on the phone from Bluhm’s Cambridge apartment. And in March, when Wambere traveled to the European Union Parliament in Brussels to report on the state of LGBTI affairs in Uganda, he was wearing his new friend’s winter jacket. Their online relationship was now a flesh and blood bond.

It wasn’t going to dissolve any time soon.

“All I did was cry.”

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Wambere only expected to be in America for a matter of weeks. But just two days after he arrived, the Ugandan president signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law; shortly after, about 30,000 Ugandans rallied at a stadium in celebration. The country was a more dangerous place than ever for an out activist. So Bluhm and his roommate, JP Delgado Galdamez, quietly reached out to Galdamez’s contact Allison Wright, a staff attorney at GLAD. They wanted to know if GLAD would consider taking Wambere as a client to help him seek asylum. GLAD agreed. And Bluhm and Galdamez took the idea to Wambere.

“I said, ‘Are you kidding’?” recalls Wambere. But he cautiously agreed to take a meeting and learn his options.

It was overwhelming. “I just cried,” he says. “I thought, ‘what am I doing here? Will I

never go back to my country?

How can I stay here without work?’ Where will I live?’”

Staying meant safety, but Wambere had a life back home. He had friends. He had a daughter. He had work to do, and an LGBTI community that needed him now more than ever. He declined the offer to apply for asylum, but took Wright’s business card—just in case he changed his mind. And he did, a few days later.

“I would tell my friends back home, and they all supported the idea,” says Wambere. He realized that he could not help his community if his own life was in jeopardy. “One of my ex-boyfriend’s told me, ‘Think about your safety, and your daughter’s safety. Uganda isn’t going anywhere. “‘But right now, this country is not the place for you.’”

In April, GLAD filed on Wambere’s behalf an affidavit

Wambere has spoken about his experiences as a Ugandan activist for audiences around the world

with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, outlining his case for asylum. “The general consensus was that John had a very strong case,” says Wright, who worked on Wambere’s case with Boston

immigration attorney Hema Sarang-Sieminski. Since the 1990s, she explains, it has been possible to seek asylum on the grounds of “well founded fears of persecution based on social characteristics,” like sexual

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orientation. And Wambere’s story, outlined in the affidavit, was long on examples of persecution: There were the anonymous death threats. There were the Ugandan tabloids, with their “outing” headlines and thinly veiled incitements to violence. There was the time he was beaten unconscious while leaving a bar. There were his arrests and detainments under Penal Code 145, which outlawed homosexual behavior, and the harassment he received from officers—who released him only after extorting high ransoms.

There was the constant fear.

Because Wambere was such a widely acknowledged public figure, there was also a wealth of material that corroborated his stories: newspapers, magazine articles, and even an award-winning documentary film, 2012’s “Call Me Kuchu,” which followed the work of

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LGBTI Ugandan activists like Wambere and David Kato.

While Wambere’s application for asylum was under review, GLAD encouraged him to remain often in the public eye, says Wright. He continued to share his story through speaking arrangements: from screenings of “Call Me Kuchu” to panel discussions held with the American Repertory Theater and the Harvard Kennedy School. He even traveled to Los Angeles for the GLAAD Media Awards, where Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o presented Wambere with the award for “Outstanding Documentary” for “Call Me Kuchu.”

But everyday life was far less glamorous. When he wasn’t standing behind a podium, Wambere was back on the phone to do daily grunt work with Spectrum Uganda. When the red carpets rolled up and

John marching with members of GLAD at Pride the tuxedo went back on the rack, Wambere was still a man without a home of his own—and, despite holding the equivalent of two associate degrees in Uganda, without a job or working papers.

Acquaintances made passing offers of a new place to stay, but few made good on them.

“Many promises went unfulfilled,” says Wambere. Lip service is easy to donate. Real help is hard. “When people

see you at a distance, they’re happy to help. But when you’re actually here, they don’t call back.”

Bluhm, though, stayed committed to his friend. He wound up hosting Wambere for four months, the two trading off between a bed and a futon.

Eventually Wambere found an apartment through the help of an Amnesty International program. But he will never forget the kindness Bluhm showed him: For taking an interest in his life, for offering him a place to stay, for introducing the opportunity of asylum, and for staying by his side while he waited on his fate.

“He is so strong, and he has such a big heart,” says Wambere of Bluhm. “You don’t need to be a millionaire to make a difference in this world. He’s a regular guy who helped save a life.”

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“ You don’t need to be a millionaire to make a difference in this world.

Nathanael Bluhm is a regular guy who helped save a life. ” John Abdallah Wambere

On November 26, 2014, John “Long Jones” Abdallah Wambere received a letter that his application for asylum had been fully approved. A new chapter in America was ready to begin.

Some things haven’t changed.

Wambere continues his work with Spectrum, building upon its delivery of services and toll-free hotline, working to increase its countrywide reach, and expanding its scope of care into mental health. In August, under increased international scrutiny, Uganda’s high court overturned the Anti-Homosexuality Act on a procedural technicality, but anti-gay politicians have vowed to revive it. The raids, harassment, and tortures continue.

Wambere is also building a new network here. He counts as a friend former Cambridge mayor Kenneth Reeves, the first openly gay African-American mayor in the country.

Reeves has introduced Wambere to his inclusive church, allowing the Ugandan activist to reconnect with his Christian faith in an environment worlds apart from the hatemongering evangelicals, like Massachusetts’ former gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively, who have been so influential in orchestrating Uganda’s anti-gay laws. (“I look forward to speaking with him one day,” says Wambere of Lively. “And I will ask him: Why?”) But the most striking difference for Wambere is the new

tone of his day-to-day life. He doesn’t fear picking up a newspaper and gaping in horror at his face and address splashed across the front page. He walks through a park and sees gay couples holding hands without fear. Last summer, he attended Boston Pride—his first American Pride celebration. It was an extraordinary experience, he says.

“It’s so normal. You don’t feel isolated because of who you are,” says Wambere of how his experiences as a gay man here contrast with those in Uganda.

“At Pride, there was all the peacefulness, the love, the cheering, the support. Then you imagine—if this was home, people would be screaming insults and wanting to attack you.”

Home. Uganda is still his home. He is grateful for the safety of his asylum, and for the way in which it will allow him to work in safety on the issues affecting his LGBTI community. But he has left behind the family, friends, and fellowship that he has known for his whole life. The victory of asylum is bittersweet.

“Despite all the hostilities, I do miss my country,” says Wambere. “There is something about our gay life in Uganda that is a bit different. The understanding. The closeness.

In a five-minute walk, you meet someone you know. I love the community, and the community loves me.”

Will he ever go home? Can he ever go home?

“Someday,” he says. And it sounds like a promise. [x]

FEATURE Identity STORY Scott Kearnan

The Great Out-Doors A summer camp for trans kids finds a permanent plot in New Hampshire School’s not yet out for the summer. But once the bonfires start blazing at Camp Aranu’tiq, many trans youth will enjoy a well-deserved vacation—from feeling like they don’t belong.

“Trans kids have to talk about gender identity all the time,” says Camp Aranu’tiq founder Nick Teich. “Their friends ask about it. Their families ask about it. Some of them are in therapy. At Camp Aranu’tiq, they don’t have to concentrate on that.

They play sports. They bond with other kids. It’s like any other summer camp.”

Well, not exactly. Camp Aranu’tiq bills itself as the world’s first summer camp for trans and gender-variant youth. And yet, aside from that distinction, you wouldn’t find much outwardly remarkable about day-to-day activities at its newly purchased, 116-acre lakefront property in New Hampshire. Kids practice archery and go rock climbing. They play dodge ball

28 | BOSTON SPIRIT

and perform in talent shows. It’s all pretty ordinary.

That’s precisely the point, says Teich.

“We think it’s really important that the kids feel a sense of normalcy that they might not feel in their daily lives, where society is telling them they’re not normal,” says Teich. Although Teich is a licensed clinical social worker, Camp Aranu’tiq is not intended as a “therapy camp,” he says, and there aren’t formal discussions of gender identity. If those conversations happen, they arise casually among the campers on their own terms, perhaps while canoeing on the peaceful lake or roasting marshmallows around a flickering campfire. “A lot of the therapeutic aspects I got out of camping just happened organically,” explains Teich. “It was because of the friendships and bonds I made, and the role models I met.”

Indeed, the very development of Camp Aranu’tiq is rooted in Teich’s own adolescent experiences attending a yearly girls’ summer camp in Maine. “It was a place where I felt I could be myself, and be accepted for who I was,” says Teich.

Sure, it was a girls’ camp. But the adult Teich, a transgender man, says the camp’s

sports-oriented approach and overarching sense of camaraderie offered his younger self a reprieve from the more constricting experiences of school. “There was a point at school when I started growing my hair out like a girl, and making an effort to dress a certain way to fit in. But at camp, we all wore the same uniform. I could wear backwards hats. It felt like a much more comfortable expression of myself.”

Teich valued those experiences, and stayed active in the camping community as an adult leader. Years later, in his 20s, he was volunteering at a charity camp when he began his transition. Upon learning of it, the head of the camp told Teich he couldn’t return, “for the good of the kids.”

Teich was hurt and angry. But the idea for Camp Aranu’tiq was born.

Teich founded the nonprofit camp in 2009 with help from volunteer friends.

Camp Aranu’tiq, named for a Chugach Eskimo term for people who embody both male and female spirits, hosted its first weeklong session in summer 2010 by renting a campground in Connecticut.

There were about 40 campers. Now Camp Aranu’tiq serves about 400 campers throughout the summer, more than half

of whom receive financial aid to attend, and counts prominent activist Chaz Bono as an honorary board member. It has two locations: one in Southern California, where it rents a property, and another in New Hampshire, at its own campground purchased with monies raised from a capital campaign—one that continues to stride steadily toward a $3.6 million goal. The New Hampshire camp offers one- and two-week camp sessions for each of two separate age groups: ages 8 to 15, and ages 16 to 18. The California camp serves ages 8 to 15 for one week only. Both camps offer “Family Camp” weekends that bring together kids and parents. And in all cases, the focus is on fun, rather than philosophizing.

“We didn’t want to be a camp focused on conferences and workshops,” says Teich.

“Our message is simply, ‘Come as you are and have your summer camp experience.

By the way, you’ll meet a lot of other trans kids.’”

That breezy nonchalance is fresh air for kids who endure high rates of harassment, even in New England—a region historically progressive on LGBT affairs.

“ We didn’t want to be a camp focused on conferences and workshops. Our message is simply, ‘Come as you are and have your summer camp experience. By the way, you’ll meet a lot of other trans kids.’”

Nick Teich Camp Aranu’tiq founder

According to a recent study by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, more than half of LGBT students report verbal harassment at school because of their gender expression. (Nearly a quarter of students report physical harassment.)

Indeed, as a security measure, Camp

Aranu’tiq does not disclose its locations until a child is enrolled. Before Camp Aranu’tiq purchased its current campground in New Hampshire, Teich even recalls that a different property backed out of negotiations when it learned of his camp’s mission.

But once again, discrimination only strengthens Teich’s resolve. He remains involved in national camping organizations, offering workshops and consultations that help the industry become more sensitive to transgender issues. And Camp Aranu’tiq is the first of several concepts he has developed for Harbor Camps, his larger, umbrella organization designed to create camping experiences for particularly marginalized populations. In summers ahead, Teich plans to launch a camp for kids with dwarfism, and another for kids with congenital cranial or facial anomalies.

“Camping was something that was really formative for me,” says Teich. “I want to help others experience that.”

For more info and to enroll in Camp Aranu’tiq, visit camparanutiq.org [x]

Morgan Stanley is proud to support the

LGBT Executive Networking Night April 16th 2015 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place

© 2015 Morgan Stanley

MAR|APR 2015 | 29

FEATURE Health STORY Mark Krone

Hetero Hero: Jerry Feuer For almost 35 years, he’s been helping New England LGBTs get the healthcare they deserve Go ahead, try to shock Jerry Feuer, Fenway Health center’s longest serving clinician. Tell him about last night’s colorful sexual exploits that landed you in his office or stump him with a set of contradictory symptoms that even WebMD cannot decipher. What will you get? A few questions and no judgment, just a warm, steady professionalism you don’t see very often in a doctor’s office, especially if you are a LGBT person.

The diagnosis will likely be right on the money, too. Dr. Stephen Boswell, president and CEO of the Fenway, recalled recently, “Jerry saw a patient, a student from China, who had a fever with a very unusual pattern and Jerry took blood from him and made the diagnosis of malaria on the

30 | BOSTON SPIRIT

spot. I told him that I doubted any of the residents I worked with at Massachusetts General Hospital could have made the diagnosis any more rapidly.”

Gone is the bushy mustache and curly hair Feuer brought with him to the Fenway in October 1980 (he had volunteered there previously in the late ’70s). His hair may be a little thinner, but his eyes have lost none of their precise, calm focus. (Full disclosure, I’ve been a patient of Jerry’s since 1985.)

It’s 8:30 on a rainy morning and Feuer, 66, sits in his office, wearing a crisp button-down shirt and corduroys. He is ready to take on all comers, from lesbians interested in alternative insemination, gay teenagers worried they might have

Jerry Feuer PHOTO Mark Krone

a STD, to long-term patients living with HIV. He answers questions, counsels and reassures. He is so calm and methodical, it’s hard to picture him raising his voice.

Dr. Ken Mayer, research director of the Fenway Institute, who has known Feuer for over 30 years, has never seen it happen.

“I’ve never seen him get into an argument with anyone or not get along with someone. With Jerry, there’s no drama. ” But Feuer can be tough when needed, as a recent patient found out. He’d missed more appointments than he kept and wasn’t addressing long-term, pressing health problems. Finally, when he did show up, Feuer told him, “You have a choice to make. Do you want to live or not?”

Although he is never sure what will greet him when he enters an examination room, these days, there is a rhythm and routine to his day that was absent during the tumultuous ’80s and early ’90s.

Just six months into Feuer’s tenure at the Fenway, in June, 1981, the Center for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report announced five cases of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia among previously healthy young men in Los Angeles. All of the men were described as homosexuals. Of the five, two were already dead.

Terrified and confused, young men began streaming into the Fenway, then at 16 Haviland Street, a basement warren. They sat on satin movie seats worn smooth from moviegoers and other worried patients. The seats had been rescued from the closed Fenway Theater. Feuer recalls, “In the beginning of the AIDS crisis, all we could do was help them cope with anxiety and sleep issues.”

During this time, the entire Fenway staff met weekly to support each other and grieve. “There was a book with names of patients who had died. If you hadn’t seen someone in a while, you’d check the book.” As bad as it was, Feuer didn’t bring the job home with him. “I am pretty good at compartmentalizing. I had two little ones at home and it was great to see life”

Jerry, back in the day PHOTO Courtesy Jerry Feuer after having dealt with death all day. But it was Feuer’s wife of 42 years, Alex, who ultimately kept him together. “It was due to her love and devotion that I was able to

INDUSTRY SAVVY RIGOROUS STUDY INNOVATIVE TEACHING CUTTING-EDGE DEGREES

be available to my patients. She was the chief caregiver to our daughters.”

Founded in 1971 by a group of Northeastern University graduate students, nurses and community activists who believed that medical care was a right and not a commodity, the Fenway has become a world leader in LGBT health research and a model of compassionate care. In his book, For People, Not For Profit: A History of Fenway Health’s First Forty Years, Thomas Martorelli states that contrary to popular belief, the Fenway was not begun as a gay and lesbian health clinic.

It was a community health center that served elderly Fenway residents, lesbians, gay men, students and anyone else who walked in the door. Like some gay bars, the Fenway acquired a reputation as a gay clinic in large part because it did not turn them away. It also didn’t hurt that there were regularly scheduled drop-in nights for women (many were lesbians) and gay men for education and treatment by volunteer medical practitioners.

When Feuer began at the Fenway, the board had just decided to move away from the collective, volunteer model on which

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“ When the AIDS epidemic started, I said to myself I would stick it out. And I feel that at the end of my career, we are closer. Ninety-five percent of our patients are non-detectable and it’s only a matter of time until we have a cure. ” Jerry Feuer

Jerry Feuer outside Fenway Health Center in Boston it was founded in favor of a professional, licensed staff. This allowed it to receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and ended threats by city and state officials who took a dim view of volunteers offering medical advice. The decision caused dissension among the board and some volunteers quit. But 35 years later, few doubt the decision.

At the Fenway, you have to remind people that Feuer is a straight man, with a wife and two grown daughters. It’s not that they don’t know, it’s that it doesn’t matter. “I think Jerry is in solidarity with underserved people,” says Dr. Boswell.

“He has a strong sense of right and wrong.”

Adds Dr. Mayer, “He knew he was very much needed during the early stages of

the epidemic. He felt responsible to be there for his patients.”

A look at his past reveals a life rooted in social justice. Feuer lived in public housing in the Bronx until he was nine years old. In 1957, his father moved the family to Spring Valley, 22 miles north of New York City, opening a store in nearby Nyack. He graduated from the State University of

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New York at Cortland in 1970. He recalls, “I didn’t have a graduation because of Kent State, which happened on May 4, 1970.” National Guard troops had fired on a crowd of anti-war protesters on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio, killing four and wounding nine. As a result, Feuer says, “We all went home.

The idea was to ‘bring the war home,’ meaning bring the protests to your local communities.”

“I met a woman who was graduating from Cornell and we got into a relationship. We moved into a big collective house in Ithaca, New York, with about 15 people.” The house included community organizers, academics and a few stoners.

“I did some organizing against the Vietnam War.” On the first floor was a couple whose interests leaned toward music.

They would go on to found Rounder Records, signing artists like Tom Paxton and Aaron Neville. When the Black Panther Party sent Huey Newton to Cornell to speak, he stayed the night in the house with guards surrounding it. “Things were always happening at that house.”

In 1972, Feuer moved to another collective, this time the Bowdoin Street Collective in Dorchester. He did organizing work for Fair Share, an organization working for economic and social justice.

The times were exciting but Feuer needed to decide what he would do with the rest of his life. “I sat down and made a list of my attributes.”

He chose medicine and got a job as an orderly at Boston City Hospital (now Boston Medical Center). “I wasn’t the typical orderly, I asked questions of the residents and interns and they took an interest in me.” Feuer watched as residents interviewed patients and made diagnoses.

In 1973, he enrolled in the physician assistant program at Northeastern University, graduating two years later. One of Feuer’s classmates at Northeastern, Ron Vachon, urged him to volunteer at a new health center in the Fenway. Feuer began seeing patients at the drop-in nights for gay men in 1978. “There was a piece of paper and people signed their names and we saw each of them in order, sometimes 60 in an evening … they’d put 50 cents in an envelope [to pay us].” He spent the

summer of 1978 in Provincetown working at the Drop-In Center on Gosnold Street.

Just three years out of school, Feuer already had extensive experience with gay patients.

In October 1980, Feuer was hired on an interim basis to fill a vacancy created when his classmate, Ron Vachon, left the Fenway. After a search, Feuer was hired permanently in January 1981 and he’s been at the Fenway ever since. No longer working in a tiny basement cubicle, Feuer says he has to pinch himself when he enters the gleaming Ansin Building on Boylston Street.

“They say things never change [if you stay in one place] but that’s not true here.

Fenway has always been on the cutting edge, it’s always changing. And we’ve always had great leadership.”

After treating tens of thousands of people over the years during one of the worst epidemics in human history, does Feuer consider himself a hero?

“I don’t see myself as a hero, I see myself as doing my job.” Not a hero? His patients might offer a second opinion. [x]

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SEASONAL Design STORY Scott Kearnan

Queer Eyes For Design

Eric

Roseff

34 | BOSTON SPIRIT

The gay designer is a tired cliché used in TV shows and movies.

You know the drill: a manicured gay man swoops in, drops a few witty one-liners, fluffs a few pillows, and sashays away.

Yawn.

The reality of design is a lot more interesting—and demanding—than that.

Interior design is a vital industry that relies on education and expertise. To succeed, you need more than good taste.

You need to understand architecture and construction, lighting and acoustics, how to be an artist and how to be a businessperson. Stakes are high when you’re entrusted with creating someone’s very home, but Boston is flush with a full house of experts who stand out in different ways.

We tapped some locally based gay interior designers, and asked them to show us a project they feel captured their unique style. Their results are impressive, their stories inspiring—and their work anything but predictable.

Eric Roseff In design, as in life, nothing is ever exactly as it seems.

“It was an old cow barn,” says Bostonbased designer Eric Roseff, when asked to recall one of his favorite residential projects. Roseff’s clients were a young couple in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they wanted to turn a barn on their property into a guesthouse. Because of the structure’s history, building regulations limited certain changes to the exterior. (Au revoir, desire for French doors.)

But if you were to step inside Roseff’s completed interior, you’d hardly recognize it as some former dairy shed. The space is sleek and contemporary, inviting to overnight guests but imbued with a masculine sensibility that also makes it a perfect retreat for hubby and his buddies when they want to watch a football game.

The neutral color palette of creams and soft grays are welcoming yet unobtrusive.

But look closer, and the truly great design is in the details: cowhide on an ottoman, PHOTO Michael J. Lee

PHOTO Michael J. Lee

Eric

Roseff

Duncan

Hughes

streaked black and white stone for the fireplace, polished nickel andirons. Obvious? Never. But the materials add just enough nods to the structure’s rustic history, presented in a contemporary way.

“I wanted to create a stunning space without having any one element draw all the focus,” says Roseff. “It’s coherent. It’s seamless, with just enough textures to make a real visual statement.”

Roseff has been making powerful design statements for years—and it started, naturally, at home. The New Jersey native grew up in a household with an interior design-minded mother, from whom he absorbed the art of doing the unexpected.

He obtained a dual degree in business and art, with a focus in interior design, and eventually opened a design store with his sister on the Jersey shore. Roseff moved to Boston to open a second location on Newbury Street, where he curated unique, handmade furniture, housewares, jewelry and more. The store closed after a few years, and in 1998 he launched Eric Roseff Designs, his own full-service design firm.

Going it alone is always daunting, of course, but Roseff is resilient. His coming out caused a rift with his parents—one that has since healed. But the experience helped imbue something longer-lasting: a will to succeed. “It definitely helped make me who I am now,” says Roseff. “It made me stronger and independent. It made me driven and want to succeed.”

He has. His design work graces interiors as varied as Boston brownstones and coastal Maine cottages, Manhattan penthouses and luxury ranches in Idaho and Montana. In the fall, he even starred in an episode of HGTV’s House Hunters Renovation.

But when it comes to his residential designs, Roseff isn’t interested in hogging the spotlight. Instead, he wants to shine it on each client’s distinct style—with a little professional finessing, of course. “A lot of designers have a certain formula. You could walk into a house and say, ‘I know which designer did this,’” explains Roseff.

“That’s not my style. I want to find out what it is my client wants, and then push them to their own limits.”

Duncan Hughes Designer Duncan Hughes is a perfectionist—about not being too perfect.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” That question, posed to Hughes in his meticulously arranged living room by a nervous friend, is one that the designer hopes to never hear again. “I was mortified!” says Hughes.

“But then I understood. Everything looked just right. Every pillow was placed just so.

The space was designed to look so perfect, you’d be afraid to sit down.”

With his award-winning Boston business Duncan Hughes Interiors, the designer retains a commitment to

impeccable standards—but marries it, particularly in his more modern-skewing work, with a sense of playfulness. Things look photo-ready, but lived-in: like this Ladder District loft, one of Hughes’ favorite residential projects. The home is accessed directly via an elevator at gritty street level, so Hughes created an entry area that acts as a “transitional” space between outdoors and indoors; a green wall acts as a faux hedge, and the ceiling is painted black like a night sky. (The elevator door is also cleverly covered in chalkboard paint, so the residents can leave one another reminders of “I love you!” or “Get milk!”) To create an optional partition between the main living area, Hughes installed sliding mahogany doors salvaged from a school—and painted electric blue, a choice met with initial skepticism and eventual joy. “I wanted a color that wouldn’t be too match-y,” says Hughes, who chose a more sedate palette throughout but continued to embrace variation via the furnishings. An expensive orange leather couch sits perpendicular to its vintage sofa sibling. A transparent Lucite table of Hughes’ own creation sits steps away from a fireplace made of repurposed barn wood that the designer tore down himself, plank by plank, choosing pieces for their unique graining, knots, and imperfections.

“I didn’t want this space to feel like something out of a design blog, but like

MAR|APR 2015 | 37

Duncan

Hughes

38 | BOSTON SPIRIT

it consisted of pieces that had been collected over time,” says Hughes. His mix of materials and stylistic eras works because there is a quiet method to it all.

For instance, each piece in a cluster of mismatched chairs shares equal heights and proportions, and the spacing between them is measured with precision.

Though it may not always be a perfect science, design is something that Hughes has been honing since he was a child in Vermont. “I think it was always there,” says Hughes of his passion. “I was always moving things in my own room. It’s sort of like being gay. You don’t necessarily realize it at the time, but then you look back and say, ‘Oh! Of course!’”

Hughes had another important a-ha moment: discovering what he didn’t want to do. At first he followed in his mother’s footsteps and studied architecture. That education has certainly been helpful, but ultimately Hughes, who founded his own firm in 2003, realized that his heart was in design. Architecture is exact, but design allows for the art of imprecision.

“Architecture is important, but for me design is the soul of a space,” says Hughes.

“It’s what takes a perfectly designed space and makes it feel like a home.”

Dennis Duffy Boston design guru Dennis Duffy studied chemistry in college. But it was something else that catalyzed his ultimate career.

“I’d never experienced that sense of artistic freedom and expression,” says Duffy, recalling his early foray into the design world. It’s a world he entered essentially by accident. After receiving a degree in chemistry at the University of Miami, he nearly pursued medical school—but his heart just wasn’t in it.

Abandoning his plans to become a doctor, and coming out, sparked a distance with his family. “I was allowing myself to not do what I was programmed to do,” says Duffy.

“I had to take some time to myself. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Until one day, he found himself subbing for a friend who worked in showroom sales. “I really had no idea what interior design was,” he admits. But he learned— quick, and well. His work in the Miami Design District led to study at NYC’s

esteemed Parson School of Design, and he opened his own interiors firm in 1989.

He joined another studio in the mid-’ 90s, but then struck out solo again; his Duffy Design Group, Inc. was founded in 1999.

In 2012, he received certification by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification, which is sort of like getting your industry PhD. “The great thing about design is that it marries science and art,” says Duffy.

That synthesis of head and heart is found in all of the designer’s work ’ like this Swampscott kitchen, one of his favorite residential projects. Prior to receiving Duffy’s touch, the space hadn’t been updated since the ’80s. It felt dark and inhospitable. “And the kitchen is the hub of a house,” says Duffy. “It’s where people gather. It’s the source of nourishment and social interaction.”

Now the space feels airy and familiar, with hints of innovation. Near the working island is a cantilevered breakfast area that invites gathering, over which hang cone-shaped xenon pendant lamps by LBL lighting. (The chemical element xenon is a gas that fills the lamp’s bulb. It helps

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produce a cool, flattering goal when the filament is electrified.) “There’s a lot of science in a good lighting plan,” says Duffy, who also enjoys the variability of color temperatures available with LED, used here for the recessed lighting. The main dining table is a unique design of resin poured over a mirrored back—the result is a gentle blue translucency— and the two rungs of wood custom cabinetry juxtapose the lightness of birds-eye maple with the richness of ebony veneer.

“I love incorporating elements of nature in my work,” adds Duffy, who is also certified in LEED (green and sustainable) building and design. “But I treat every project differently, and I find inspiration everywhere. I have a camera in my head, always taking snapshots. I file them away like mental Rolodex cards, pulling them out when I need them.” Sounds like a perfectly scientific method.

Back in the early Aughties, Terrat was one of the first residents at the RitzCarlton, Boston Common. “I furnished my own unit, and some of my friends from the Ritz saw it,” recalls Terrat. “They went crazy! They said, ‘We need model homes that look like this.’” So that’s what Terrat gave them, designing about a half-dozen other units for the Ritz to sell. Not bad for a then-bank VP moonlighting on a design project.

Yet this wasn’t Terrat’s first indication that he could have a great career in design. Back in the ’80s, while selling high-end condos for a Newton-based real estate developer, he found himself most interested in designing the model homes. (Those experiences even spurred him to study at the Rhode Island School of Design, before the financial services sector came calling.) And there were even signs of his burgeoning passion when he was growing up alongside four brothers in Andrew Terrat northern New Jersey. “My mom would let us swap bedrooms if we wanted,” says TerOnce upon a time, Andrew Terrat sold rat. He laughs. “I used to love the process houses. Today, he creates homes. of creating a whole new space for myself. I Gardner12-10-12R2_Gardnr_Dec2012R2 12/11/12 2:15 PMfloor Page 1 at 12 years old!”

He started with his own. was drawing plans

His rep with the Ritz snowballed into receiving other residential clients, and soon Terrat felt comfortable fully leaving finance behind to launch his interiors firm, Terrat Elms, alongside fellow designer Dee Elms. Award-winning work has followed, but Terrat’s favorite type of project has remained fairly consistent with his early work. “Ever since the Ritz, I’ve done a lot of work in brand new buildings where the units are all very nice, but all the same,” says Terrat. “I try to help the client put their personality into the space.”

Such was the case with the gorgeous home seen here. When Terrat met these clients at their unit on the Back Bay/South End borderline, they were only looking for help picking paint colors. Slowly but surely, he designed them a fully fleshed space. He added a fireplace to the room as a focal point, and ceiling beams and crown molding to create architectural interest. High-end furnishings include two gorgeous sets of chairs: those by the window swivel 360-degrees, offering stellar skyline views out the large window, while wingback chairs toward the rear of the room are nice for private canoodling.

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SUMMER RENTALS

We are in high season for deciding where we want to spend our summer away time, either for a week or two, a couple of months or just weekends. For many of us, staying in a hotel or motel, bed and breakfast or inn doesn’t work, either because of cost, pets, kids, location or a host of other reasons. Not that long ago, to find that great cottage or condo that would suit our needs, we would contact real estate brokers in the area we wanted to stay or ask

1

TOP 4 THINGS TO CONSIDER

around to friends who had vacationed there before. Those are still good routes to go, but with the growth of online rental services, a whole new world of possibilities and pitfalls has emerged. Here are four things to keep in mind, whether you are the vacationer or a property owner looking for renters.

DONALD E. VAUGHAN - Partner, Burns & Levinson LLP dvaughan@burnslev.com l 617.345.3237

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO RENT? VACATIONER

PROPERTY OWNER

Renting a summer place has its advantages. Usually, you get

The sole reason for renting, generally, is to bring in some

more space for your money, especially if you are willing to

money to help defer the expenses of owning a second home.

stay in a slightly less prime location (for instance, away from

If you are not familiar with the tax laws affecting rental

the water in a seaside or lake community or driving rather

income, your tax advisor or attorney can brief you or refer you

than walking distance from the main attractions). You can

to a good resource. These laws largely affect the deductibility

cook your own meals since they usually come with complete

of expenses and depreciation, but their application depends in

kitchens (an option that is limited or non-existent with B&B’s

part on how much you use the property yourself or let others

or hotels). Most rentals are much more private than other

use it for free. Dealing with vacationers can be challenging,

vacation options. And, it’s far more likely you will find an

even if you have the buffer of a broker. Renting out your place

affordable condo or cottage that allows pets than you will

will be time consuming and demanding, and cleaning and

a B&B or hotel. Plus if you want a place to call home for an

repairs will need to be addressed on a schedule that you don’t

extended period, where you can leave your things and come

set. Renting can also create some liabilities for you — more on

and go as you please and invite different friends to join you

that below.

over the season, renting is your best option.

BROKER OR AN ONLINE SERVICE? VACATIONER

PROPERTY OWNER

Using a broker has many advantages. Maybe

The commissions brokers charge to rent vacation properties

most importantly, this is their business, and

will differ from market to market; they tend to be in the 10-

they have a reputation to uphold. They can

15 percent range. For this fee, in addition to connecting the

act as your advocate if something about the

property owner with the vacationer, most brokers will take

property is not as it was advertised, or should

care of billing and collecting the monies from the vacationers,

be. A property owner has an incentive to keep the

producing and having a rental agreement signed, paying back

broker happy since they can be the source of other rentals,

a security deposit, arranging for distribution of keys or the

so a call from the broker may get attended to faster than

access code to the property, and addressing minor issues or

one from a renter. Brokers also know the market and what

questions that vacationers may raise during their stay. Many

is available, and have an incentive to be honest about a

busy property owners view these services to be well worth the

property’s shortcomings. They also want your repeat business

fee. Brokers tend to favor property owners who are responsive

as a renter and really want your business if you ever decide to

to their inquiries and keep their properties in a condition that

buy a place of your own in that area.

causes few problems for vacationers. If you are just starting out your vacation property owning career, teaming up with a good broker during the first year or two is a great learning experience and something of a safety net.

3 4

3 4

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST RISKS? VACATIONER

PROPERTY OWNER

Becoming a victim of false advertising is the biggest risk

Problems with renting can include: bounced checks, last

for vacationers. This risk is heightened if the vacationer

minute cancellations, bringing pets or more of them than

rents online. Established online services like HomeAway and

disclosed and permitted, having more people stay at the

WeNeedAVacation police their lists to some extent and most

property than disclosed or than the property safely can

online services have comments by prior vacationers, but

accommodate, property damage, stolen furnishings, staying in

“Buyer Beware” is a good warning to keep in mind. Using

the property after the contracted period, baseless complaints

a broker can limit these risks, as can googling the property

to the broker or unfair negative reviews online. A good

owner, checking online real estate tax assessment and

broker can help ferret out some of these problems by vetting

ownership records to be sure this person indeed does own the

prospective vacationers, focusing on the documentation

property, and keeping one’s antennae up in communications

and being sure payments are received well in advance, and

with the owner. Vacationers also can ask for references of

being local to the property. The same is true for a good

others who have vacationed at the property. Any resistance to

management company and a good cleaning service. And

reasonable questions about the legitimacy of the rental should

just as vacationers need to have their antennae up when first

raise a red flag.

dealing with a property owner, the same is true for property owners dealing with vacationers — trust your instincts.

WHAT LIABILITIES AM I TAKING ON? VACATIONER

PROPERTY OWNER

Review the rental agreement to see what it provides for

Be sure the property is in good condition and complies with

liabilities to you. And check with your own insurance broker

local safety ordinances, especially concerning emergency

to see if personal injuries or property damage occurring on

egress. Talk with your insurer to be sure you have insurance

the property during your stay would be covered by your

against injuries arising on your property to renters or

current insurance policies. Keep in mind that you are the

their guests, and to damage to or theft of their property.

host for any guests on the property, so host liability due to

Get coverage if you do not already have it. Lastly, make

liquor consumption or illegal drug use could arise to or

sure a written, signed agreement spelling out the terms of

through them.

the arrangement exists between you and the renters.

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Mark

Luther

50 | BOSTON SPIRIT

turning your ideas into great spaces to live

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2007

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Mark

Luther

Because the ceilings aren’t especially high, Terrat chose flat-bottom chandeliers to offer a sense of swank without unnecessarily shortening the space’s height. And he found interesting ways to incorporate the client’s extensive art collection, displaying some objets d’art above the bar, where martini shakers and spirit bottles might ordinarily be shelved.

“Edited, eclectic, and textural,” is how Terrat describes his style. We’d add: pioneering. In addition to Terrat Elms, Terrat can lay claim to opening the first Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams freestanding store.

Terrat and his partner in the store, Steve Elbaz, opened the South End shop in 2004. Now the LGBT-friendly brand, founded by its eponymous out designers and boasting 11 consecutive years with a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, has 25 stores. Terrat’s Boston flagship enjoyed a major expansion in 2012, a second Natick store was recently doubled in size, and their third shop is slated to open in Burlington this fall.

From homes to businesses, Terrat designed quite a successful model.

Mark Luther Mark Luther has known, ever since he was a young boy: he was born this way.

“It started when I was a child. My mother would leave for work, and I would rearrange all the furniture,” says Luther, describing his first inkling that he was destined to be a designer. (What, you

52 | BOSTON SPIRIT

thought we were talking about something else? Oh, he’s known he is gay for a long time too. He came out when he went to college.)

The Arlington native pursued that early passion through studies at the New England School of Art and Design, then took his skills into a unique direction: visual merchandising and store design. Luther spent many years with some of the biggest players in the department store biz, first at Jordan Marsh and later Filene’s Basement. The retail-oriented nature of his career honed a distinct set of design skills.

Sure, Luther can make a space look good— but he also understands crowd flow, and the visual psychology of what makes style sell. (Literally.)

So it’s probably no surprise that Luther has won awards for his work in home staging, the art of arranging a space to yield maximum appeal—and thus, top dollar— from the widest possible range of prospective buyers. But he has also been able to apply his staging skills to design work for clients with unique, personal needs.

“Something that I’ve really taken from the retail side of things is an understanding of flow and spacing,” explains Luther.

“Thanksgiving at someone’s home is sort of like opening day at a retail location.

You have to think, ‘How is traffic going to flow?’”

One of Luther’s favorite applications of his diverse skill set is seen in this room, designed for a family on the North Shore.

Because the home lacked a formal living room, Luther was tasked with creating a

family room that was an extension of the kitchen and worked well for entertaining.

Luther says he “anchored” the intimate room with a white rug to make it feel larger, and honed in on a neutral color palette dictated by the granite countertops.

Then he added high-end furnishings that he had manufacturers design for showrooms at the annual High Point Market, the world’s largest furnishing industry trade show, in which he participates.

Among the furnishings are dining chairs upholstered in what “looks like metallic fabric,” says Luther; it’s actually a vinyl material, perfect for cleaning up spills.

(The homeowners are grandparents.) And the studded chairs tread a fine line, formal enough for dinner parties but comfortable and casual enough to be turned around to face the living area.

But maybe the most impressive space that Luther has built is his own niche in the design world. It was five years ago that he struck out on his own, “hanging a shingle and starting a firm out of my garage.” Now his business Mark Luther Design has a team of five and a 10,000-square foot office and warehouse.

“I really pride myself in finding a way to work with every client as an individual, while bringing them my own style and expertise,” says Luther. He laughs. “After all, each room is a canvas and my name is on it. I want to know that guests will look at their home and say, ‘Who did it?’ Not ‘who did this?’” [x]

Thursday April 16, 2014 Boston Marriott Copley Place 6:00–9:00 p.m. $10 admission fee

On April 16th LGBT corporate professionals from Greater Boston (and beyond) will gather at the Boston Marriott Copley Place for an unprecedented evening of networking and business conversation.

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SEASONAL Getaways STORY Scott Kearnan

ey, I’m me

The Chanler at Cliff Walk Newport, Rhode Island

You’ve fallen in love, you’ve gotten hitched, and you’re ready for your honeymoon. But you don’t want to wander too far: what’s wrong with a getaway here at home in New England?

The region, after all, is flush with LGBT-friendly properties that range from ultra-luxurious beachfront resorts to quieter, rustic hideaways in the woods and mountains. Need help narrowing them down? Here’s where to start—whether you’re looking for a honeymoon, or just a romantic reason to escape the city.

The Chanler at Cliff Walk Newport, Rhode Island Visitors continue to flock to the Ocean State’s picturesque seaside enclave of famed Gilded Era mansions, the one-time “summer cottages” of Vanderbilt and Astor dynasts. But The Chanler, housed in a 19th-century manse built by a New York congressman, is the closest you and your honey will come to actually living like blue bloods in a rainbow-friendly environment. The property is approved by TAG, an accreditation program for gay-friendly accommodations that is overseen by Community Marketing Inc., an LGBT tourism organization; it’s also Newport’s only property featured in the Preferred Pride collection of international LGBT-friendly

properties. The Chanler, surrounded by acres of gorgeous gardens, is the only hotel on Newport’s Cliff Walk, a 3.5-mile walking trail that meanders among mansions perched on the rugged shoreline. Its 20 rooms include several ornate ocean villas with private decks and outdoor hot tubs overlooking the crashing waves. And when it’s time for sun and surf, The Chanler’s “beach butler service” will keep you pampered in the sand. (thechanler.com)

The Essex Essex Junction, Vermont If you’re the kind of couple that believes food is love—well, you’re right. And you’ll fall head over heels with a honeymoon at The Essex, a “culinary resort and spa” that attracts the glamorous gourmand set.

It’s nestled amid the Green Mountains beside Burlington, Vermont’s largest city and home to the state’s annual Pride celebrations. Though there’s a 10-room spa, award-winning tennis courts, and the region’s only executive golf course, the main attraction at the Essex is its Cook Academy, offering a huge spread of à la

carte culinary classes daily. (Think course names like “Introduction to Indian” and “Baking with VT Cheese.”) When you’re not bonding in the kitchen, you can get cozy at the resort’s weekly marshmallow roasts. Or just sit back and let someone else do the work at Junction, the resort’s new restaurant, where guests choose their own tasting menus and interact directly with the chef. Bonus: The Essex is petfriendly, so if your wedding happened to include a four-legged ring bearer, feel free to bring them along. (essexresortspa.com)

Frog Meadow Farm Newfane, Vermont Want to get hitched and honeymoon in the same place? Hop over here.

Frog Meadow Farm is a country bed & breakfast owned by husbands Dave King, an expert massage therapist, and Scott Heller, who happens to be a Universal Life Minister with plenty of experience officiating nuptials amid the pretty stone patios and vibrant flower gardens at their quaint home and inn. Wedding and honeymoon packages are available, inclusive of everything from cake and flowers to celebratory massages. And you can retire to rustic-contemporary, wooden beam-filled accommodations like the semi-secluded Brook Cottage or plush Frog Meadow Suite, with its two-person Jacuzzi. (The couple has even developed

MAR|APR 2015 | 55

The Essex

Essex Junction, Vermont

Frog Meadow Farm Newfane, Vermont

Hidden Pond

Kennebunkport, Maine

their own line of sumptuous bath, body and aromatherapy products.) The charming hideaway is frequent host to gay men’s gatherings, from Pride potluck dinners to yoga retreats, so you’ll feel at home whether you’re clinking champagne in the wood-fired hot tub, or taking a dip at the gay nude beach at nearby Rock River.

It’s a perfect getaway for newlyweds looking to feel refreshed and re-centered. (frogmeadow.com)

Hidden Pond Kennebunkport, Maine Gay hotelier Tim Harrington, founding partner of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, chose this portfolio in his property to host his own wedding. Just minutes from the LGBT-friendly destination of Ogunquit, home to beaches, boutiques and bars, Kennebunkport’s Hidden Pond is a rustic-chic escape with 16 luxurious cottages and 20 bungalows nestled in the jade majesty of the Maine beach woods.

With names like “Stargazer” and “Sweet Fern,” the high life-meets-great outdoors accommodations boast river-stone gas

fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, Bose radios, flat-panel TVs and a nearby heated swimming pool. But the most romantic element is probably the Tree Spa: built into the forest canopy and connected by catwalks, its three treatment rooms offer musclemelting massages, facials and body treatments. Before satisfying your more carnal appetites, dine at Hidden Pond’s restaurant Earth, commandeered by star chef Ken Oringer, the same toque behind Toro in Boston’s South End “gayborhood,” and grab a nightcap (and s’mores) at the Back Porch Bar overlooking nightly bonfires. (hiddenpondmaine.com)

Highland Inn Bethlehem, New Hampshire Before the government starting playing catch-up, members of the LGBT community have always found ways to honor one another’s lives and loves. This so-dubbed “lesbian paradise” held its first commitment ceremony on its grounds in 1985—well before New Hampshire became the fifth state to legally recognize same-sex unions. The out owners still

offer wedding packages for guests, but even if you tie the knot elsewhere and just want a familiar haven to honeymoon, Highland offers a heartwarming sense of togetherness and gay tradition. The 18-room resort for women in the Granite State’s grand White Mountains is home to some of the most picturesque vistas in New England—not to mention, some of the region’s best hiking, skiing and antiquing among small, charming villages that dot the landscape. Whether you’re kicking back by the pool in summer, taking in fall foliage on the resort’s 15 miles of trails, or taking in regular concerts by folksy singer-songwriters near the roaring living room fireplace, it’s a romantic retreat for any era. (highlandsinn-nh.com)

The Inn At Cuckolds Lighthouse Cuckolds Island, Maine It doesn’t get more intimate than this.

Picture it: you and your new spouse, gazing at a sunset over the Atlantic Ocean horizon on your very own private island.

That’s the reality of a getaway at this

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The Inn At Cuckolds Lighthouse Cuckolds Island, Maine

Lake Morey Resort & Inn Fairlee, Vermont

Migis Lodge

South Casco, Maine

58 | BOSTON SPIRIT

at Boothbay Harbor. But really, what a magical feeling: to have your very own private New England paradise for two. (innatcuckoldslighthouse.com)

tranquility unique even for New England getaways like this. (lakemoreyresort.com)

Lake Morey Resort & Inn

Washington, Connecticut

Mayflower Grace

Fairlee, Vermont inn, housed inside a historic, recently restored lighthouse on a tiny island off mid-coast Maine. Guests are transported by private boat, then enjoy the ultimate in solitude in one of just two suites— East and West—elegantly outfitted with modern amenities, from Wi-Fi to 32-inch LED televisions. And for a price, you can even reserve the entire island, which is willing to host small (20-person) wedding celebrations, if you choose to go that route. Otherwise, enjoy breakfast and high tea in the gorgeous kitchen, and have dinner delivered to your room by one of the mainland restaurants. If sea cruises, romantic strolls and picnicking along your own craggy island coast get tiresome (we doubt it), have yourself ferried back to the shops, golf courses and other attractions

Four seasons’ worth of fun and romance awaits at this Vermont resort on the banks of Lake Morey, a 600-acre shimmering gem that lays claim to the longest (4.5mile) ice skating trail in United States. In warmer weather, wakeboarding, kayaking and putting on an 18-hole championship golf course are available for guests staying in one of 130 guest rooms, from standard accommodations to (new for 2015) lakefront “Denslow Cottages” outfitted in Vermont-apropos fir and granite with private terraces. The Water Spa is the spot for body-melting massages, while the waterfront restaurant and its upstairs bar, Steamboat Lounge, offers a spot for romantic dining or live music from local rock and jazz bands. The hundred year-old inn is a local icon, and offers a sense of

Yankee luxury at its best, the Mayflower Grace is an idyllic country getaway for well-heeled honeymooners. (Bill and Hillary Clinton have been known to cozy up here.) The presidential accommodations span from classic rooms with sumptuous linens to 1,200-square foot suites with private balconies, gas fireplaces and marble baths. Hit the pool and tennis courts, stroll the gardens, putt-putt on the pro green and experience a world-class spa at a gorgeous property that offers convenient proximity to country activities: from antiquing day trips, motoring between Connecticut covered bridges, to leisurely hikes around area nature preserves. Better work up an appetite together, because the Mayflower Grace is also home to Muse by Jonathan Cartwright, a fine dining destination from the British master chef, as well as the more casual Tap Room for light bites and cocktailing. And if you want to

IT WAS THE PERFECT DAY. Weekend

year-round destination weddings just two hours from boston. the berkshires lenox

800-572-8938 cranwell.com Tricia McCormack

Ocean House

Watch Hill, Rhode Island

Porches Inn

North Adams, Massachusetts

Twin Farms

Barnard, Vermont

60 | BOSTON SPIRIT

conduct your ceremony here, the property even offers the “At Last! Wedding Package,” a weekend-long buyout with copious amenities, including monogrammed robes and a party bus for transporting guests. (gracehotels.com)

Migis Lodge South Casco, Maine When you hear the phrase “all-inclusive resort,” you’re more likely to imagine a sandy resort in the Caribbean than a forested retreat in New England. But this woodsy getaway on Sebago Lake, Maine’s second largest, offers everything you would want in a Pine Tree State honeymoon. The rambling property is speckled with luxury cottages. Inside: bedrooms and living rooms with stone fireplaces by which to snuggle. Outside: private porches with views of the lake, to which you can traipse on down and grab one of the dozens of canoes or kayaks left for guest use on the quiet beaches. Enjoy an exciting waterskiing session or a relaxing, sunset sail on the blue, placid waters, and then hit the tennis courts for a game of doubles.

Soothing massages are offered in a small cabin down a tree-lined path, where the rustle of leaves is the only soundtrack, and when you’re not grazing upon the decadent spread provided by lakeshore lobster bakes, you’ll take breakfast, lunch and dinner in the property’s semi-formal main dining room. It’s all-inclusive, and all so wonderful. (migis.com)

Ocean House Watch Hill, Rhode Island Call it “Little Rhodie” all you want, but the smallest state in the nation enjoys quite an honor: its Ocean House, Rhode Island’s first and only five-diamond resort, was recently voted the #1 resort in the country by readers of Travel + Leisure. The rambling seaside icon is perched on 13 acres steps away from a private 650-foot white sand beach with cabana service. Its on-site, nondenominational chapel is perfect for ceremonies, while honeymooners can live like gentility on the pristinely manicured grounds, home to croquet matches and evening bonfires. Dabble in art classes or partake in “Farm + Vine,” the

resort’s culinary education program—or wheel to nearby attractions, like topnotch Lake of Isles golf course, from behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz offered for complimentary guest use. There are half a dozen onsite dining options, from more casual fare at The Verandah, which offers sweeping ocean views, to fine farm-totable cuisine at Seasons. And you can unwind at OH! Spa, one of only 41 spas in the entire world to achieve a Forbes five-star rating. A “Beach Stone Massage,” anyone? Oh! Yes. (oceanhouseri.com)

Porches Inn North Adams, Massachusetts Western Mass has a reputation for gay-friendly progressiveness. In particular, Northampton is a well-trod lesbian enclave. But it’s worth heading another hour northwest to North Adams, the hub of an artsy Berkshires scene. Culture vulture honeymooners will want to shack up at Porches, an industrial-chic inn inspired by MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art). Set in downtown North Adams, mere minutes

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from the museum, Porches’ six Victorian row houses feature resplendently retro rooms and suites with colorful midcentury furnishings, paint-by-number artwork, and nods to the region’s bygone mills. There’s also an outdoor heated pool and hot tub (open 24 hours!), a fire pit and a woodland gazebo. You’re also just next door to Williamstown, probably best known for its Tony-winning Williamstown Theatre Festival, which annually draws from New York marquee film and stage names looking to flex their creative muscles in summer stock.

Plus: the Williams College of Museum Art and the Clark Art Institute, which boasts an impressive permanent collection that skews toward classic cultural icons like Homer, Sargent, Monet, Renoir and Degas. Art lovers, take heed. (porches.com)

Twin Farms Barnard, Vermont

RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR POST-NUPTIAL BRUNCH*

Disconnect from the world and reconnect with each other at this 300-acre luxury property, Vermont’s only five-star resort, where it’s all about privacy and personalization. You and your lovebird will choose from one of 20 unique accommodations: from the Eastern

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Twin Farms

Barnard, Vermont

40 Edwin Land Boulevard | Cambridge, MA, 02142 617.806.4200 | Sonesta.com/Boston

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inflected Aviary, a two-level home of cedar woods and tall glass windows with inspiring views, to the Meadow cottage with its exotic Moroccan style.

(All are filled with priceless sculptures and paintings by names like Lichtenstein and Hockney.) And what truly sets Twin Farms apart is its ultrahospitable concierge service, which offers everything you need, right now: whether that’s a celebratory cigar or the perfect wine delivered to your doorstep, guided fishing, canoeing or snowshoeing excursions on property, ice skating lessons on the manmade rink or body wraps and rubdowns in the spa. Gourmet meals made with fresh, local farm-raised ingredients are enjoyed in the historic main house, and you can hit the property’s Pub to tipple cocktails, tickle the ivories on the piano or challenge your lover to a game of billiards. Spoiler: everyone wins. (twinfarms.com)

Winvian Morris, Connecticut Want a honeymoon locale that looks ripped from the pages of a magazine? Look no further. Shortly after Connecticut legalized gay marriage, Winvian hosted the first gay wedding ever featured

in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. It’s a private, meticulously maintained 113acre property that is as unique as you are, with each luxurious accommodation elaborately designed to reflect a different theme: but don’t worry, we don’t mean the kind of hokey “Caveman Love Dens” you’d find at highway motels that rent by the hour. (Ooh! A vibrating bed and wooly mammoth rugs!) Winvian, which boasts a serene, glassy pond and borders a lush, 4,000-acre forest for hiking and horseback riding, is an elegant estate where you can curl up with a good book in the “Library” cottage, with its huge stone fireplace and bookcase-lined balconies; chip around the “Golf” cottage, with its undulating putting green floors; or hang inside the “Helicopter” cottage, sipping champagne and watching a flat screen TV inside a restored 1960s chopper that dominates your own personal hanger. (Winvian.com)

21 Broad Nantucket, Massachusetts If a honeymoon on Nantucket sounds a bit stuffy, you Winvian

Morris, Connecticut

need to open your mind—and check out 21 Broad, a boutique property that appeals to those of us who don’t want to leave modern, urbane taste on the mainland. One of the island’s newest properties, and certainly among its most contemporary, 21 Broad’s 27 guest rooms combine crisp whites and natural neutrals with beach-y flair and pops of punchy citrus color. In-room amenities include Smart TVs, iPads, and iPod docking stations with a “white noise” option. But our favorite feature is the “Vitamin C showers,” which use vitamin C-infused showerheads to neutralize any chlorine and leave skin feeling softer and looking more radiant. So you’ll glow like newlyweds should, whether you’re lazing in the steam room, hitting the breakfast juice bar or kicking back in the courtyard with fire pit or guest lounge with games and vinyl turntables. (See? Not your stodgy Nantucket experience.)

Plus: guest-only discounts for online shopping at Vineyard Vines, so preppy couples can splurge their wedding checks.

(21broadhotel.com) [x]

Wedding & Honeymoon Bliss…

Provincetown, America’s First Destination Ptowntourism.com

iPtown

SEASONAL Dating STORY Ricardo Rodriguez PHOTOS Joel Bejamin

Ricardo’s List

dy for Picking

Boston’s Hottest Singles Looking for Love in All the Right Places It’s been a harsh winter, and it’s cold outside. But spring is coming, and these pages are filled with some of the hottest, most interesting, smartest, and nicest singles in town.

So if you are in the market for a new romance, or open to meeting the love of your life, you are in the right place.

Hurry up! This bunch is not going to last.

Ricardo Rodriguez

Ricardo Rodriguez is a celebrated and award-winning real estate, lifestyle expert and creative director based in Boston. His work regularly appears in local and national television, publications and campaigns.

Photography Joel Benjamin Creative Direction Ricardo Rodriguez Make-Up Tavi de la Rosa Hair Kerrie Fishman and Bianca Beaumont for Mario Russo Salon Florals John LaRoche for blueGuava Design Group

Mike Lazdowsky, 30 Affordable Housing Advocate

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] Something out of the ordinary. I like spontaneity and trying new things. You can really get to know someone when they are out of their element.

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I am a history buff.

[BOXERS OR BRIEFS?] Boxer briefs.

[CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?] Chocolate.

[NEW YORK OR NEW HAMPSHIRE?] New York!

Izzy Berdan, 37 Creative Director/ Photographer

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] Spending the weekend in Vermont, snowboarding during the day, hot-tubbing in the afternoon, and cuddling, watching Netflix at night.

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I got sober in 1998.

[KIDS OR NO KIDS?] Yes kids!!

One or two.

[PIZZA OR SALAD?] Pizza covered in meat and Sriracha!

[CATS OR DOGS?] Dogs always!

66 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Johannes “Joha” Jerez Van Osten, 26 Development & Communications Associate/Social Activist

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] Let’s start with cooking brunch together. Then venturing outdoors for a hike or a walk.

Followed by a poetry slam and some good coffee at a local shop. And for dinner, let’s put together our favorite ingredients and cook an amazing meal. Afterwards some cuddling and a movie or some live music.

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I am ambidextrous.

I eat with my left hand and write with my right.

[CATS OR DOGS?] Ugh, both! I love both!

[VODKA OR TEQUILA?] Tequila.

[PIZZA OR SALAD?] Pizza with veggies.

Destiny, 32 Hairstylist/ Performance Artist

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] A black tie dinner, concert, and dancing.

End at my place maybe …

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I can sew. I mix music.

[PIZZA OR SALAD?] Pizza. I am a junkaholic.

[VODKA OR TEQUILA?] Vodka all day! A Cosmo or Espresso Martini, please.

[CATS OR DOGS?] Definitely a lap dog. I have two Yorkies!!

Sam Mendoza, 28 (and Maurice) Fashion Designer/Yoga Teacher/ Professional Sandwich Maker

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] A Bruins game or the ballet.

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] Donuts are a very important part of my life.

[BOXERS OR BRIEFS?] Neither.

[VODKA OR TEQUILA?] Vodka in the Winter. Tequila in the Summer.

[CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?] Chocolate.

Michelle, 32 Registered Nurse

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] Something out of the norm, preferably outside and active. A night at Fenway, an outdoor concert, kayaking, or something along those lines.

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I just got my first tattoo!

[KIDS OR NO KIDS?] Kids … someday.

[CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?] Twist.

[CATS OR DOGS?] Dogs.

Jordan R. Owens, 24 Custody Specialist

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] My ideal date does not require an elaborate plan. It is more about the person I am with and simply getting to know each other.

Fun and laughs are a must!

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I write in my spare time—stories, songs—and I am currently working on a novel.

[VODKA OR TEQUILA?] Definitely vodka.

[PIZZA OR SALAD?] Everyone loves pizza!

[STAY IN OR GO OUT?] I love to go out.

Christian Harijanto, 29 Data Analyst

[WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL DATE?] Stay in and prepare dinner over good wine, and a good movie afterwards. Perfection!

[AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU?] I am that easy-going guy you want to come home to.

[BEACH OR SKIING?] Beach.

[BOXERS OR BRIEFS?] Briefs.

[CATS OR DOGS?] Dogs. Huskies!

MAR|APR 2015 | 73

CULTURE Music STORY Loren King

Boston’s Vibrant Violinist Aisslinn Nosky makes classical music cool With her youthful appearance and flaming red hair, Aisslinn Nosky looks more like a rock musician than an esteemed classical violinist. The Canadian-born virtuoso is a rising star with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) and she’s in great demand internationally as a soloist and concertmaster.

Out since she began her career as a professional musician, Nosky, 36, will play a vital role with H+H as it celebrates its 200th anniversary, making it the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the U.S. Over the next year, H+H will present what Nosky calls “a blockbuster season” featuring the Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus performing works from the Baroque

74 | BOSTON SPIRIT

and Classical eras. H+H will continue to observe the anniversary of its 1815 founding with repertoire significant to its history.

Nosky is particularly enthused about the March 27 and 29 performances of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion with an exemplary cast of soloists, including Joshua Ellicott and Roderick Williams as the Evangelist and Jesus, respectively.

“It’s the piece dearest to my heart,” she says. “The Saint Matthew Passion is the pinnacle of artistic achievement. It is a transformative experience and I’m so lucky that I’ve been able to play it one time let alone many ... it’s an emotional experience for the audience to hear it and for me to play it whether you’re religious or not.”

Other significant musical projects on tap for the 2015–2016 season are Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and an allHaydn orchestral program with Nosky as concertmaster. Nosky will lead a special

chamber program featuring H+H string principals and clarinetist Eric Hoeprich.

Nosky and company will mix it up with some more of their favorite chamber works, including pieces by Mozart and Beethoven.

The season concludes with a masterpiece that H+H has never completely performed during its 200-year history: Handel’s grand and glorious 1739 oratorio Saul. Counted as one of today’s finest Handel interpreters, Artistic Director Harry Christophers leads the Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus and an exemplary cast, led by acclaimed baritone Jonathan Best in the title role.

Nosky auditioned for H+H four years ago and, once hired, moved to Boston from Toronto. “It’s one of the foundations of my professional life,” she says. “I love it. I savor every concert.”

Christophers appointed Nosky H+H concertmaster in 2011. Nosky explains

that a concertmaster is an historically accurate role for select musician. “It’s only since the 18th century, as concert halls got larger, that conductors emerged.

Before that, the ensemble was led by a player. Hayden himself would lead and tell [the players] what to do from the piano or the violin,” she says. “I don’t need to be in charge; I like to collaborate. But it’s an honor I take seriously. Concertmaster is more like a manager. During the performance, I help with logistics, subtle cues with body language; I look around and help coordinate players.” Understanding historical context and music history “gives me a deeper understanding and more expression,” says Nosky.

Her mother was a singing teacher, says Nosky, “so music was loved in my house.

My whole family has been supportive from day one.” As her mother tells it, Nosky was about three and one-half years old when she was watching a violinist on Sesame Street and proclaimed, “I’m going to do that!”

“We got a tiny violin and I kept it up,” she says. At the University of Toronto

she found “a lively baroque music community” and joined I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. For over a decade, this innovative Canadian ensemble has presented its own edgy and inventive concert series in Toronto and toured Europe and North America drawing new audiences to Baroque music. With the Eybler Quartet, Nosky explores repertoire from the first century of the string quartet literature on period instruments. The Eybler Quartet’s latest recording of Haydn’s Opus 33 string quartets was released to critical acclaim in 2012, as well as her 2013 CORO recording of Haydn’s Violin Concerto in G Major with H+H. Since 2005, Nosky has also been a highly active member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and has toured and appeared as soloist with this internationally renowned ensemble. Her specialty is baroque music which is a style composed during approximately 1600–1750. “I will play anything on a violin but I trained and studied 18thcentury baroque,” she says, citing Vivaldi’s Concertos and Bach’s Brandenburg

GRE T STORIES

BEGIN HERE!

Concertos as popular examples of the baroque period.

Nosky is passionate about her role as an ambassador for early music. “I have the privilege of making music and classical is such a large part of my life, I have the power to expose people to this music.

Some people may think the music is stogy but part of my responsibility as a musician is to reach new audiences; that’s one of the missions of H+H. We like to offer programs that range from the well-known like the Messiah to the obscure and get audiences to try something new. Once they experience it, they’re blown away.”

Her musicianship and leadership qualities define her; Nosky says being out has never been an issue in her career but that’s something she doesn’t take for granted.

“My own experience certainly was not negative and that’s a privileged position not everyone has. I’m lucky to live in a part of the world where I have the freedom to make choices,” she says. “It’s the way it should be for everyone.”

For more information go to www. handelandhaydn.org. [x]

A National Historic Landmark...

An American Masterpiece In 1668, John Turner built a house destined to become one of the most famous structures in America. Join us as we celebrate more than 340 years of American architecture, Salem’s maritime history, and the life and literary legacy of Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables.

Discover the secret staircase.

Stroll the three seasons garden.

Shop for unique gifts and books.

Known for the Witch Trials of 1692, Salem’s stories also include the Spice Trade, Nathaniel Hawthorne and thriving contemporary art, cultural and dining scenes.

Just 15 miles north of Boston, 30 minutes by train from North Station and 55 minutes by seasonal ferry from Long Wharf.

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Learn more about Salem, Massachusetts at Salem.org

115 Derby Street | Salem, Mass 01970 978-744-0991 | www.7gables.org Audio and written translations of the tour are available in Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish.

MAR|APR 2015 | 75

CULTURE Art STORY Loren King [OPPOSITE] The Unfortunate

Man, 1976. Duane Michals.

Gelatin silver print with hand-applied text. The Henry L. Hillman Fund.

Courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.

[LEFT] A Letter from My Father, 1960/1975. Gelatin silver print with hand-applied text. The Henry L. Hillman Fund. Courtesy of Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.

Beyond the Frame PEM unveils major exhibit of trailblazing photographer Duane Michals A comprehensive retrospective of a unique and influential artist, “Storyteller: The Photographs of Duane Michals,” is an exhibition that will no doubt win new audiences for Michals’ groundbreaking work and satisfy those who’ve long recognized his stature in the world of fine art photography.

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) will present “Storyteller: The Photographs of Duane Michals,” the first major U.S. retrospective of the artist’s work in 20 years, from March 7 to June 21. There will be 60–65 works, represented in 250 individual images, since the multiple image is one

of Michals’ signatures. The show was first organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Michals’ native Pittsburgh which holds the largest collection of his photographs.

“The objective of the Carnegie Museum was to show the broad richness of their holdings. Here, I wanted to show work that [represented] concise ideas and concepts,” says Trevor Smith, PEM’s Curator of the Present Tense who curated the exhibit for PEM. Michals’ extraordinary artistry played an important role in the development of photography because in the 1960s, the medium was

76 | BOSTON SPIRIT

influenced by photojournalism. The self-taught Michals advanced the form by using photography to communicate narratives using a distinctive pictorial technique. In 1970 the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted Michals’s first solo exhibition.

Now 82, Michals is still working. “I saw him three months ago and he was in top form,” says Smith.

In 1958, Michals traveled to Russia with a borrowed camera and fell in love with photography. The images from that trip launched his commercial and fine art career.

Michals moved to New York City, where he still lives, and supported himself by working as a commercial photographer for Vogue, Esquire and Life magazines; in 1983, he shot the iconic cover for The

Police’s Synchronicity album.

Michals later combined words with his images, creating a visual narrative by writing directly on the prints; his text conveys what the image alone cannot. He also told stories by using a sequence of images, like a very short film. By the 1960s and ’70s, he began receiving widespread recognition, particularly in Europe.

Michals was at the forefront of exploring sexual identity and addressed gay rights early in his work. In his 1976 photograph, “The Unfortunate Man,” a nude model arches his back while the accompanying text reads: “The unfortunate man could not touch the one he loved. It was declared illegal by the law. Slowly his fingers became his toes and his hands gradually became feet.

He wore shoes on his hands

child’s nightmare and every parent’s fear is both acknowledged and satirized.

“Chance Meeting” (1970) depicts two men passing in an alley. Over the six images, one man turns back and there is a clear moment of recognition.

The six images of “Christ in New York” (1981) include a contemporary Christ who is “beaten defending a homosexual” and “Christ cries when he sees a young woman die of an illegal abortion.” This biting cultural critique, notes Smith, is Michals’ attack on religious hypocrisy in the face of social violence and the rise of AIDS.” Michals’ work, adds Smith, “is deeply humanist. He didn’t photograph in a studio; he shot in his own home with available light.” In the PEM show, Smith juxtaposes Michals’ images of burlesque with one of a boy who likes to wear ladies’ hats.

It underscores the idea that for Michael these images were grounded in his everyday life.

There’s no distance or disconnect. There is the immediate, direct emotion of personal story. Michals’ ambition, says Smith, was nothing less than “to tell you more than what could fit in the frame.”

For more information go to www.pem.org. [x]

NOW OPEN

to disguise his pain. It never occurs to him to break the law.”

The PEM exhibit is organized into four thematic subjects, notes Smith: Portraiture, Mortality, Play and Desire. Each category highlights Michals’ trademark use of narratives within his images and the intimacy of small images and multiple panels, what Michaels called “sequencing.”

“His portraits weren’t just about physiognomy,” says Smith. “There is curiosity about the human experience, an empathy and a sly knowingness that he brings to the work.”

Mortality, says Smith, has long been a subject of Michals’ work from his earliest photo sequences of the ’60s and ’70s, such as “Death Comes to the Old Lady” (1969), which, despite the somberness of his subject, shows Michals’ characteristic playfulness and the desire to make real what is invisible. “He’s interested in the finite nature of our existence,” says Smith.

Play offers photos that examine the origin of creativity.

“The Bogeyman” sequence has a young girl seated in a chair next to an overcoat hanging on a rack. Over the seven panels, the coat comes to life — every

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CULTURE Film STORY Loren King

31 Years Young The Boston LGBT Film Festival shows no signs of slowing down The Boston LGBT Film Festival enters its fourth decade this year. Although it’s one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the nation, there’s nothing creaky or outdated about it. Artistic director James Nadeau, who’ll be stepping down after this year, has assembled an ambitious 40-film program (still being compiled at press time) of narrative features, documentaries and shorts that encompasses the depth and scope of the LGBT experience from all over the world.

The 31st annual Boston LGBT Film Festival runs April 2-12 at four venues: Emerson College’s Paramount Theater, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Brattle Theater and the Institute of Contemporary Art. Highlights include Out to Win, Malcolm Ingram’s chronicle of the history of LGBT participation in professional sports. Two of Ingram’s other documentaries, Bear Nation and Small Town Gay Bar, also played in Boston’s festival. His latest features a who’s who of key figures from the sports world including Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Dave Kopay, Jason Collins, Wade Davis and many more.

Desiree Akhavan’s debut feature Appropriate Behavior was a hit when it premiered at Sundance last year and at the 2014 Provincetown International Film Festival. Nadeau says this edgy comedy about a rebellious bisexual woman from a traditional Persian family is “one of my favorites.” Akhavan wrote, directed and stars as Shirin, who

78 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Director Jenni Olson PHOTO Courtesy, Jenni Olson Productions

embarks on a series of pansexual escapades, while trying to figure out what went wrong with her ex-girlfriend Maxine.

One of the world’s leading experts on LGBT cinema, Jenni Olson is also a respected filmmaker whose latest, The Royal Road, earned critical acclaim at its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

The Royal Road is a personal, poetic film essay marked by empty urban land- and cityscapes of San Francisco and Los Angeles against Olson’s voiceover narration as she explores seemingly random themes such as California’s Spanish colonial past, references to Hollywood movies and her own musings on sexual identity and unrequited desire.

A film programmer, archivist and historian, Olson weaves references to movies such as Vertigo, Sunset Boulevard and Summertime through her film but with a film lover’s passion not as academic treatise. She describes Sunset Boulevard as “a Hollywood movie about

Hollywood movies” and The Royal Road as “a film about film.”

Eat with Me is David Au’s tender romantic comedy about an old-fashioned mom, Emma, who moves into her estranged gay son’s Los Angeles apartment.

The odd-couple living situation is comical, with mom and son learning to reconnect through food as they face the foreclosure of the family’s Chinese restaurant and a stubborn fear of intimacy. The irrepressible George Takei has a funny cameo.

Two films with local times are also highlights of this year’s program. Boston University film school graduate Jared Vincenti’s Day of Youth, shot in Boston, concerns a group of twentysomethings just out of college and navigating the future.

There’s Rhee, who wakes up in

Scene from “The year we thought about love” a hospital and is unable to recall the last three years of her life.

She’s still riding out the recession underemployed and living with her dad, and still bouncing back and forth between her ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend as she looks for a future. But her exes take advantage of her memory loss to try to get a second chance at the past.

The Year We Thought About Love goes behind the scenes

of the Boston Theater Offensive’s True Colors: OUT Youth Theater, one of the oldest queer youth theaters in America. Ellen Brodsky’s documentary follows the troupe into classrooms, kitchens, subways and rehearsal rooms as they transform daily struggles into performance for social change. The film introduces viewers to a transgender teenager kicked out of her house, a devout Christian challenging his church’s homophobia, and

a girl who prefers to wear boys’ clothing even as she models dresses on the runway.

Audiences are also not likely to forget the real-life women of Out in the Night, Blair Dorosh-Walther’s documentary about the role that the media played in the case of seven African American lesbians from Newark who got into a fight with an aggressive man in New York’s Greenwich Village. The women were portrayed as thugs in the New York Post and other tabloids when they claim they were simply defending themselves.

It’s a timely chronicle of how prejudice and racism corrupts not just the criminal justice system but the media and public perception.

For more information go to www.bostonlgbtfilmfest.net [x]

Don’t just celebrate Pride,

Live it.

If you’re 50+ and LGBT... celebrate every day! Fill up your social calendar with new friends from Stonewall at OLLI, part of UMass Boston’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).

Expand your circle of friends to a welcoming group of LGBT folks: Go out to plays, concerts and brunches in Greater Boston and beyond. q Choose from over 100 non-credit courses and 80 lectures at UMass Boston in the Spring and Fall semesters. q Enjoy travel in the U.S. and abroad with new friends from Stonewall. q Use your UMass Boston Student ID for a host of discounts throughout Massachusetts q Use UMass Boston’s library, gym, swimming pool and more at no cost. q

MAR|APRmore 2015 | 79 information.

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CULTURE Television STORY Sam Baltrusis

Team Katya Boston’s own Brian McCook goes for the gold on Logo’s ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Boston just won the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Brian McCook’s soon-tobe-famous drag alter ego Katya plans an old-school Russian boycott. “I’m so torn about it,” says McCook, who is one of 14 queens featured on the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. “While I would love to physically watch the women’s gymnastics competition at the Olympics, I think it would be a fucking nightmare. I think the city will explode.”

McCook breaks into spontaneous laughter and then composes himself. “This is the worst city to host the Olympics. There’s no infrastructure.

It’s already hard enough to get around. It would be a clusterfuck. I think it’s a terrible idea and I hope they don’t do it,” he says. “I love the Olympics. But I don’t know if I would love the Olympics in Boston. I mean, we don’t even have enough hotel rooms for when people come for college orientation.

What are they going to do with all of these people?”

When asked if Katya, a chain-smoking former Russian gymnast with a painfully long last name, would carry the torch for her home country, she quickly bites back. “I will carry anything. But it’s fucking

80 | BOSTON SPIRIT

10 years away. I’m not sure if I will even live here then.”

McCook is a walking dichotomy in Babushka-style cha-cha heels. The 32-year-old local, originally from Marlborough, is a creative, somewhat shy guy. However, his brassy blonde, larger-than-life femme fatale alter ego is, well, ballsy.

And she’s all about regional pride. Well, kinda sorta.

“I love Boston. I love how rude people are here,” he says.

“But I also love junkies and I have this morbid fascination with heroin addicts. I’ve never personally done heroin, but I get it.”

McCook continues: “Boston has this really rough charm. In New York, people can be rude but also be really helpful. In Boston, they’re rude and they might not help you. I’ve never been a fan of regional pride.

It doesn’t make sense to me, especially with sports.”

Katya is getting a kick out of what she calls the “Red Sox of drag” experience. However, McCook says he had no clue what he was getting into when he signed up for RuPaul’s Drag Race. Not even fan favorite and Boston native, JuJubee, could have prepared him for the mainstream balance-beam act. “After the reveal, I’ve been

“ I love the Olympics. But I don’t know if I would love the Olympics in Boston. I mean, we don’t even have enough hotel rooms for when people come for college orientation.

What are they going to do with all of these people? ” Katya

able to talk to [JuJubee] and she’s been great about giving me advice about what’s going to happen. The sense I get from her is that you have to go through it yourself to understand,” he explains. “Having gone through the experience, there’s nothing anybody could have told me that could have prepared me. It’s so crazy and surreal.”

Early in the season, McCook’s Katya is already emerging as a fan favorite. Several gay journos predict that the local will make it into the reality show’s finale. There’s even a growing swell of supporters known as Team Katya.

However, McCook remains tight lipped about how the competition reality show’s seventh season will unfold.

“I have a hard time keeping secrets. Before you go, they give you a little bit of time before taping the show, so all you want to do is tell people,” he explains. “You don’t have a lot of time to blab about it because you have to go to work.

It’s a frenzy of activity before the show. After taping the

show, it’s tortuous because all you want to do is tell people.”

McCook says Katya is eating up all of the pre-show buzz.

“My desire is that it reaches this cultish, Jonestown-y kind of fever. So, no matter what happens on the show, I’ll have this legion of very devoted cult-like fans who will do whatever I want,” he jokes. “What I’ve learned from other contestants is that fights will break out online and you don’t need to respond to any negativity. That’s the advice I got from JuJubee. Don’t even engage with the haters because your fans will fight them for you.”

McCook’s prowess on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook is already vaulting Katya into international stardom. McCook says his online life has become a Twitter hashtag. “Let me tell you something, I’m having a blast on Twitter,” he says. “Before the show, it was like shouting out into an empty well. Now that I have a little bit of an audience, it’s great. I’m glad people are responding to my

.

MAR|APR 2015 | 81

1410962_BOSCO_SpiritMagazineArtwork2015_3.556x9.875_F.indd 1

12/10/14 10:57 AM

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82 | BOSTON SPIRIT

bizarre, non-sequitur sense of humor. I feel special.”

Obviously, Katya is used to being in the spotlight because of her past as a Russian gymnast. But how is McCook handling all of the attention?

“I like it. I’m getting a small taste of what to expect when the show explodes,” he says.

“When I’m not in drag, I like to keep to myself and I’m a private person. I’m like a hermit. I like to roll up in my apartment and fire things off on Twitter so I think I’m in for a rude awakening.”

McCook says his fans oddly identify with his subversive drag alter ego. “There is a girl in Russia that calls me ‘mom.’

I was tweeting like 1 a.m. last night and the Russian girl is like ‘go to bed mom.’ I love the strange trend of my fans calling me “mom,” which I can’t get enough of,” he says.

For the record, Katya was inspired by McCook’s Russian teacher at MassArt. “When I was in college, I already knew French and I wanted to learn a different language. I was like, Russian sounds good. I had this teacher. She was a terrible teacher, but she was an amazing person. She came to class dressed like a hooker spy from La Femme Nikita. She had this thick, Russian accent that kind of sounded like a man and [she] was terrible at explaining things. She spoke Russian, which was her only qualification to teach, but her degree was in naval engineering or something like that.”

Does McCook’s former Russian instructor know she inspired a reality TV superstar? “I don’t think so,” McCook playfully responds.

So, nyet.

While studying at MassArt, McCook claims he came up with the “drag race” concept.

“Yeah, I thought of it first.

Although, my interpretation of ‘drag race’ was very literal,” he says with a laugh.

“Of course, I never got to do it.

There was this big courtyard in the middle of the school and I wanted to have a bunch of guys in drag, all in beautiful dresses and face down on the grass. And they would be dragged along the courtyard in a very slow, durational rate. I was going to call it ‘drag race.’

Nobody else was as excited about it as I was.”

Katya got her start with the experimental, queer theatre show, TraniWreck, and then she hosted her own subversive, drag show called Perestroika at Jacques. McCook, a trained yoga instructor, says he generally pulls from his bag of tricks, which includes bizarre, contortionist moves, handstands and the splits. “I took gymnastics for about a year when I was younger. When I was 11, I taught myself how to be a contortionist. In retrospect, it was very dangerous to do that on your own. It was before puberty set in, so my body was a lot pliable at that point,” McCook explains.

McCook, who couldn’t give away any spoilers about his RuPaul’s Drag Race appearance, says his Bond villainstyle gymnastic moves may factor in during the show. He’s also hosting a weekly viewing party at Jacques and plans to dish about each episode as the small-screen drama unfolds. “As a performer, I like weirder stuff. Sometimes you find yourself in a position that you’re doing something that’s a little weird and the crowd is definitely not on board with you. So, I jump into the splits to get people back on the same page.”

“It’s helpful to have some tricks,” McCook muses. “Kids love tricks.” [x]

Thursday April 16, 2014 Boston Marriott Copley Place 6:00–9:00 p.m. $10 admission fee

On April 16th LGBT corporate professionals from Greater Boston (and beyond) will gather at the Boston Marriott Copley Place for an unprecedented evening of networking and business conversation.

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MAR|APR 2015 | 83

CULTURE Dance STORY Loren King

Marriage of Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd PHOTO Ellyxandria Ferguson

Dancing Together, Onstage and Off Alvin Ailey soloists Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd embark on new adventure Boston audiences will have one last chance to see two of the most electric soloists in the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Boston’s own Kirven DouthitBoyd, husbands and two of the best dancers in the world, are retiring after the tour that brings the AAADT to the Citi Wang Center March 26-29 as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston.

Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd will embark on their next dance venture this fall as co-artistic directors of the COCA Dance

Program in St. Louis. The couple is used to a creative partnership: they became the company’s first same-sex dancers to marry when they tied the knot at the New York City Clerk’s Office on June 7, 2014. “Our wedding was the best day ever,” says Kirven, a Dorchester native who’s been with AAADT for 11 years.

“After we were married, we had a party at the Alvin Ailey studio with over 100 people.”

Antonio has been an AAATD dancer for 12 years. They wanted to marry even though they’d been a couple for a decade after meeting in the

84 | BOSTON SPIRIT

company, says Kirven. “It was right for us to do. Somehow I feel more connected to him even though we’d lived together and had been a couple for 10 years. Everyone in the company knew, but the recognition [of marriage] was important to us. When they think of me, they think of him and when they think of him, they think of me.”

Even though both men are still in their primes as dancers—Kirven is 29 and Antonio, 33— the couple has been “laying the groundwork for a transition” for some time. They will move from New York, where they live in Harlem, to St. Louis in the fall.

It will be a coming home for Antonio who is a St. Louis native and COCA alumnus.

He began his training with the organization as a teen, then danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal prior to joining AAADT. Kirven began his formal dance training at the Boston Arts Academy and joined Boston Youth Moves in 1999. He then danced with Battleworks Dance Company (headed by Robert Battle who is now the artistic director of AAADT) and Parsons Dance Company before becoming part of AAADT. Assuming leadership roles in dance education seems a natural step for both dancers.

“I was 19 when I joined Alvin Ailey; it was intimidating.

We have been leading men in the company for a few years now,” says Kirven. Both have

choreographed works for their respective schools for many years. Kirven most recently choreographed a piece that Boston Youth Moves will perform this spring. “It’s always

fun to get back here and see what’s going on,” he says of his hometown. “I learned from all the people who taught me, so it’s exciting to be part of

educating the next generation of dancers.”

For the past nine years, both Antonio and Kirven have returned “home” to COCA as visiting choreographers each January during their break from touring with Ailey to work with and mentor young dance students, which has served as a precursor for their new, permanent roles with the organization.

That role is just the latest venture for a couple who’ve been partners in life and on the stage in the often brutal environment of training, touring and performing. But it’s only brought them closer.

“We’ve never been competitive. Antonio is a tremendous artist and a source of my inspiration. He is strongminded in how he feels,” says Kirven. “But there’s Antonio the dancer and Antonio the husband. We leave the drama

in the studio and we don’t bring it home.”

AAADT will perform two audience favorites during the Boston engagement —“Revelations,” Ailey’s iconic 1960 work, and “Night Creature” (Alvin Ailey, 1974)—and two Boston premieres: “The Pleasure of the Lesson” (Robert Moses, 2014) and “ODETTA” (Matthew Rushing, 2014).

Kiven’s Boston family and friends will be there to see him dance his farewell tour.

He says his family has always supported him, even when he was young and coming out.

“Once I knew I was gay, I was OK with it. I come from a supportive family so I’m blessed in that sense,” he says. “I knew I wanted to dance and make something of my life. They’re proud I’m in a relationship with someone I love.”

For more information go to celebrityseries.org/alvinailey [x]

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Boston Spirit LGBT Power Players of New England Gala Ritz-Carlton Boston | Boston | January 15, 2015

The inaugural gala event for Boston Spirit magazine’s presentation of the Top 25 Power Players of New England was held at the Ritz-Carlton Boston on January 15. With the hope that the list generates constructive conversations in our community about where power resides and how it is used, power players gathered from around New England to attend. Special thanks to the event sponsors: Eastern Bank, Morgan Stanley and U.S. Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management, along with; Blue Cross and Blue Shield Massachusetts, Burns & Levinson, Edwards Wildman, Fenway Health, Fidelity Investments, GLAD, Human Rights Campaign, The Ritz Carlton-Boston, Online Buddies and Rockland Trust.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra

Fenway Health President and CEO Stephen L. Boswell

25

LGBT

POWER

PLAYERS of NEW ENGLAND

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Senior Vice President Wendell Chestnut 86 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg

Syndicated Religion Columnist Rev. Irene Monroe

Sweet Cheeks Chef and Owner Tiffani Faison

GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary Bonauto

MAR|APR 2015 | 87

Boston Herald Sports Columnist Steve Buckley

Edwards Wildman Palmer Partner-In-Charge of the Boston Office Matthew V.P. McTygue

Bay Windows Owner Sue O’Connell 88 | BOSTON SPIRIT

Fidelity Investments Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer John Basile

Greater Boston Food Bank President and CEO Catherine D’Amato

Online Buddies Owner Jonathan Crutchley

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey

New Hampshire Democratic Committee Chair Ray Buckley

MAR|APR 2015 | 89

Women’s Dinner Party PHOTO Marilyn Humphries

CALENDAR Uh Huh Her

Voices for Hope Benefit Concert Here’s a project fundraiser that puts your average Kickstarter campaign to shame. Marshfield-based KaDa Films wants to jumpstart financing for “Life Abstract,” an illuminating film about a young lesbian who uses art therapy to recover from painful memories of childhood abuse. (The movie is slated to shoot this summer.) The result is the Voices for Hope Benefit Concert, a Lilith Fair-style lineup featuring more than a dozen live music acts, all female-fronted and most with strong lesbian appeal: like Uh Huh Her, “The L Word” star Leisha Hailey’s

electro-pop duo, out Massachusetts native and “The Voice” semi-finalist Kristen Merlin, and Sapphic standouts Antigone Rising, Melissa Ferrick, and Catie Curtis, among others. Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer will emcee, and additional outreach events with the American Art Therapy Association and Darkness to Light, a childhood sexual abuse prevention organization, will be held further down the line. For now, just rock out for a great cause.

(More info is available at lifeabstract.org and vfh.rocks)

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

April 18, 6 PM

Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA

Tickets are $50-$175 at mechanicshall.org

Chew on This: Kicked Up Classics Out “Top Chef” alum Tiffani Faison, recently named one of our “Top 25 LGBT Power Players of New England,” is among the nine all-star toques featured in this fundraiser supporting scholarship programs at the Boston Center for Adult Education. Other chefs serving “unique takes on classic diner-style foods” include Myers + Chang’s resident femme Karen Akunowicz, Michael Schlow of Via Matta and Tico, and Michael Scelfo of Harvard Square’s hot new hit Alden & Harlow.

Plus: beer, wine, cider, and an auction presented by NESN’s “Dining Playbook” hosts Billy Costa and Jenny Johnson.

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

March 12, 6:45 PM

Boston Center for Adult Education, Boston

Tickets are $85-$130 at education. bcae.org​/chewonthis

The Women’s Dinner Party Like its tuxedo-clad counterpart, The Men’s Event, this major annual benefit for Fenway Health raises over half a million dollars to support programs and services at the country’s largest LGBT-focused research and health care facility. More than 1,000 attendees are expected to wine, dine, and dance the night away, including the gala’s 2015 co-chairs: Lori Griffiths, M. Jane Powers, Angela L. Rappoli, and honorary chair Elyse Cherry. This year’s Dr. Susan M. Love Award will be presented to Dr. Judith Bradford, director of the Center for Population Research in LGBT Health and co-chair of The Fenway Institute. And you? You’re the lucky recipient of a fun yet elegant evening—and maybe, depending on your Chardonnay intake, an auction item or two.

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

April 11, 6 PM – 1 AM

Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston

Tickets are $200 at womens​ dinnerparty.org

Tiffani Faison

Dirty Dancing— The Classic Story on Stage Have the time of your life at this stage version of the charming, kitschy ’80s coming-of-age flick. (The one that had plenty gay teens signing up for dance class, hoping to tango with their own Patrick Swayze.) The summer camp-set romance follows its familiar filmic plot, but with 100% more live singing, dancing, and extravagant sets for “hungry eyes” to eat up.

WHEN

April 28 – May 10

WHERE

HOW

Citi Emerson Colonial Tickets available at Theatre, Boston boston.broadway.com

Boston Gay Men’s Chorus PHOTO Natasha Moustache Photography

Wicked Awesome Acclaimed musical theatre composer Stephen Schwartz will join the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus on stage for a special concert that celebrates his finest and most famous works. Expect signature songs from “Pippin, “Godspell,” and “Wicked,” among others. Plus you’ll find a smattering of selections Schwartz composed for classic animated films like “Pocahontas” and “The Prince of Egypt.”

It’s a unique night spent with a master of his craft.

NOH8 Campaign Open Photo Shoot Tom Bergeron

Does your Facebook photo need a refresh? Join the star-studded ranks of those who have posed for photographer Adam Bouska’s now-iconic NOH8 campaign—like Boston celebs Eliza Dushku and Tom Bergeron, to name a few. Show up wearing white, affix a temporary tattoo and duct tape, and strike a pose that shows support for LGBT rights. It’s a snap. (More info available at noh8campaign.com) WHEN

April 4, 1-4 PM

WHERE

HOW

W Boston Hotel, Boston

Solo photos $40, group shots $25/ person

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

March 21–22

New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, Boston MA

Tickets are $20-$60 at bgmc.org

TWC Spring Break: Puerto Rico Craving a tropical getaway with your nearest, dearest and queerest? Join The Welcoming Committee, a Boston-based, young professional-skewing social movement, on its latest “destination takeover.” La Concha Resort & Casino is home base for this “gay-vacation,” that includes sun, surf, swag and nightly parties at hotspots like Circo Bar, the Caribbean’s largest gay bar.

WHEN

March 25-29

WHERE

HOW

Puerto Rico, baby!

Getaway packages range from $599 to $1649 per person. Visit thewelcoming​committee.com for a full itinerary and to sign up.

“The most fulfilling event of the season.”

BOOK BY

Larry Gelbart

“The most Cy Davidfulfil ing event of t h e season.”

FEB 13 – Coleman Zippel MUSIC BY

LYRICS BY

- New York Post

MAR 14

Spiro Veloudos MUSIC DIRECTOR, Catherine Stornetta

- New York Post

DIRECTED BY

BY

Lynn Nottage

CHOREOGRAPHYDIRECTED & MUSICAL BY STAGISummer NG BY L. Williams

Rachel Bertone

MAR 27 – MAY 2 “The clever lines, lyrics, Cy David Larry Gelbart and songs keepColeman on Zippel coming!” - NY Times BOOK BY

MUSIC BY

FEB 13 – MAR 14

LYRICS BY

Spiro Veloudos MUSIC DIRECTOR, Catherine Stornetta

DIRECTED BY

CHOREOGRAPHY & MUSICAL STAGING BY

Rachel Bertone

MAR 27 – MAY 2

lyricstage.com | 617.585.5678 “The clever lines, lyrics, and songs keep on coming!” - NY Times

140 Clarendon Street, Boston

lyricstage.com | 617.585.5678 140 Clarendon Street, Boston

Shockheaded Peter The South End’s electrifying Company One presents the New England premiere of “Shockheaded Peter,” a dark, twisted stage adaptation of the German children’s book “Der Struwwelpeter,” in which misbehaving tots meet a series of ghastly ends. This bitingly funny production features music by Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys, a band that uses guitar, strings, accordions and keyboards to create “steam-crunk,” a genre that sounds straight from the Tim Burton School of Rock.

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

March 6— April 4

The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington Street, Boston

Tickets are $25-$38 at companyone.org

AC2—An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen

Anderson Cooper at Tulane University” PHOTO Courtesy Tulane Public Relations

We can think of plenty ways we’d like to spend an “intimate evening” with these two out media kingpins. But “deep talk and shallow tales” about people, politics, and pop culture is what’s promised for this live, “unscripted” tête-à-tête between Cooper and Cohen, a Boston University grad. Backstage meet and greet packages are available, if you’d like to extend your evening a little bit longer.

WHEN

WHERE

HOW

March 21, 8 PM

Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston

Details and tickets ($58-$378) at citicenter.org

Wellspring Weight Loss

Your Weight. Your Life. Take Control.

The country’s largest and most respected network of weight loss programs, includes an adults-only residential facility with upscale amenities, state-of-the art facilities, and chef prepared meals. or call us at 1-866-364-0808 wellspringweightloss.com

 COMMUNITY | NONPROFIT

Your Source for Equalityminded People, Places, Services and Adventures in New England and beyond.

Planned Giving at DanaFarber Cancer Institute

Invest in a future without cancer Include Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund in your estate plans to reach your financial goals and help fight cancer.

800-535-5577 Dana-Farber.org/spirit

For information on including your business, e-mail jd@BostonSpiritMagazine.com

 HOME | GARDEN Circle Furniture

 BEAUTY | BODY

Beauty Medicine Boston

Botox®, Dermal Fillers & Skin Therapies Rejuvenate yourself with state of the art cosmetic injections and advanced skin therapies and treatments, including: Botox®. Juvederm®, Radiesse®, Belotero® and Ultherapy. Personalized, artistic and compassionate skin care administered by Advanced Practice Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Nelson Aquino. Two convenient locations: Office of Joseph Russo, MD, FACS: 575 Boylston Street Newton Centre, MA 02459 and 1318 Beacon Street, Ste. 7 (2nd floor) Brookline, MA 617-953-6261 www.beautymedicineboston.com

Elizabeth Grady

Because the world sees your face first Elizabeth Grady provides an innovative approach to beauty and skin health through our products, services, schools and franchises. The expertly trained estheticians, massage therapists and make-up artists at our many locations will prescribe the worlds best face care products and treatments that are right for you. At the Elizabeth Grady Schools, we also educate and nurture the next generation of highly-qualified professionals.

1-800-FACIALS www.elizabethgrady.com www.elizabethgrady.edu

Osorio Dental Group

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Furniture ... Made for Real Life Circle Furniture offers an eclectic selection of furniture for traditional and contemporary homes, fast delivery times for made-to-order items, corporate philanthropy, support of the regional economy, and most of all, fun.

31 St. James Ave. Boston, MA 617-778-0887 www.circlefurniture.com

Dover Rug

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New Showroom Now Open Dover Rug & Home Dover Rug & Home offers the largest selection of fine floor coverings and window treatments in New England. Visit their BRAND NEW location at 721 Worcester Street in Natick (RT-9) As the “Best of Boston Home 2011” recipient, their larger showroom has something for every budget. Natick, MA and Hanover, MA locations.

721 Worcester Street (Route 9) Natick, MA 508-651-3500 www.doverrug.com

Gardner Mattress

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Gardner Mattress Corporation A New England favorite for generations, Gardner Mattress has been manufacturing quality custom-sized, odd-sized and handmade mattresses in their Salem factory for over 70 years! Though their landmark location is North of Boston in Salem, they also service satisfied customers throughout New England. At Gardner Mattress, you’ll find mattresses including lace-tufted, layered latex, pocketed coil, quilted cotton and ivory plush, all handmade with natural materials. Located in Salem, Woburn and Newton, MA and Rye, NH.

We offer exceptional dentistry in a caring, non-judgmental environment.

Our LGBTQ supportive dentists and staff will ensure your comfort.

www.GardnerMattress.com

www.osoriodentalboston.com

bright ideas begin at lucia Lucia Lighting & Design Our unique lighting store features 12 showrooms in 8,000 square feet of a lovingly restored mansion staffed with certified lighting specialists who are both educated and customer focused. Whether you want to visit our showroom or have one of our team visit you at your location in the Boston area, lucía lighting & design is the answer.

Seligman Dental Designs

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Personalized dental care; healthy, beautiful smiles; comfortable, caring service in our state-of-the-art dental facility in the heart of the South End. It’s no secret that healthy teeth and a radiant smile can improve your appearance, your self-esteem and your overall health. Whether your goal is to restore your smile or maintain good oral health, you can benefit from Dr. James R. Seligman’s comprehensive approach to dental care.

Lucia Lighting

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311 Western Ave. (RT-107 Lynn, MA 781-595-0026 www.lucialighting.com

617-451-0011 SouthEndDental.com

MAR|APR 2015 | 93

UBS Financial Services, Inc.

Peter Hamilton Nee and Robert S. Edmunds UBS is proud to support Boston Spirit magazine, and salutes Fenway Health for their faithful service to our community. Please contact us any time. Peter Hamilton Nee, AIF, CRPC, VP, Investments and Robert S. Edmunds, CFP, CRPC ubs.com/team/neeedmunds.

DJMocha

Wellesley, MA 781-446-8918 or 800-828-0717 ubs.com/team/neeedmunds

MUSIC

 TRAVEL | ADVENTURE Marriott Copley Place

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Great Location. Great Amenities.

Boston Marriott Copley Place Located in the Back Bay and a few blocks from the South End, the Boston Marriott Copley Place is perfect for business or leisure travel.

The hotel features deluxe rooms, Champions, Connexion Lounge, Starbucks, indoor pool, fitness center, 70,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and is minutes from top attractions.

music for your fundraiser wedding birthday

110 Huntington Avenue (Boston) , MA 617-236-5800 goo.gl/soiy38

Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston

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Spectacular city views, luxury accommodations, regional cuisine, and contemporary art All of our 400 well-appointed guest rooms and suites offer guests the comforts of home with first-class amenities and overlook the Charles River, Cambridge or Boston's stunning skyline. The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston features both casual and elegant dining and delicious inspired cuisine in two highly acclaimed riverfront restaurants with seasonal patios, ArtBar and Restaurant Dante.

mochadj.com

40 Edwin H. Land Boulevard Cambridge, MA 617-806-4200 www.sonesta.com/Boston/

Seasons Four

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The Outdoor Living Store For over 40 years, Seasons Four has been a destination for everyone in New England that values outdoor spaces. We are a trusted source for quality, heirloom furniture for your sunroom, porch, patio, deck, and garden. We also provide unique plant material, statuary, fountains and garden accessories to complete your outdoor room.

1265 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 781-861-1200 seasonsfour.com

 PROFESSIONAL | SERVICES Burns & Levinson, LLP

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Burns & Levinson LLP, a leading mid-size law firm with a client-centric culture, has over 125 attorneys in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia. We work with entrepreneurs, emerging businesses, private and public companies and individuals in sophisticated business transactions, litigation and private client services—family law, trusts & estates, marriage and divorce law.

617-345-3000 www.burnslev.com

Harvard University

Harvard University Careers If you can work, you can work at Harvard! We are so much more than just students and professors. We are the 5th largest private employer in Massachusetts, with over 16,000 employees. Almost any job you can think of exists at the University. employment.harvard.edu

 WEDDING | EVENTS Accent Limousine

www.accentlimo.com/spirit

DJ Mocha

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Affordable great music for your party!

Boston Spirit’s official Cruise DJ for four years. Bringing, Great Music and Fun to your Events! All genres: pop, jazz, techno, world beat, swing, disco & more!

617-784-1663 MochaDJ.com

Gourmet Caterers

Peace of mind. Now that’s a wedding vow.

This is a day when only perfection will do. GourmetCaterers’ attention to detail means peace of mind, so you can enjoy your wedding along with your guests. Whether your dream wedding is a large event or intimate affair, Gourmet’s team of innovative planners, chefs, stylists and servers will be by your side to ensure that everything is perfectly, uniquely, your own.

GourmetCaterers.com

94 | BOSTON SPIRIT

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LGBT Owned & Operated Accent Limousine & Car Service We provide professional transportation services throughout Greater Boston and the Metro-West. We grow our client base every year because we care for our clients as only a ‘Family’ business can. Our chauffeurs are professionally attired, knowledgeable, reliable, and friendly, and their professionalism and driving abilities will immediately earn your trust and confidence. We look forward to driving you on your next special occasion.

A

party you will love

RELAX | RENEW | REFLECT

Winter weekends are always FUN in Provincetown.

World-Class Luxury Guesthouse and Spa

Make Sage part of your Valentine's Day. Join us on Feb. 14 for our 1st Annual Red and Black Party. Starting at 8pm, $10 cover, sponsored by the Women Innkeepers.

508.487.6424 | SageInnPtown.com 336 Commercial Street | Provincetown SpiritMar/April:Layout 1 2/17/15 4:05 PM Page 1

Open year-round| Creative cuisine | Unique private event space Seasonal entertainment | Comfortable guest rooms

The Perfect

Place for a Perfect Day

Full service on-site catering | Experienced event coordination Pre and post wedding events | Customizable menus | Wedding room blocks

336 Commercial Street | Provincetown 508.487.6424 | SageInnPtown.com | Open Year-round

14 Johnson Street, Provincetown | 800.487.0132

www.carpediemguesthouse.com

Konditor Meister

Konditor Meister—Voted #1 Wedding Cakes in Boston Extraordinarily Beautiful & Elaborate Wedding Cakes & fine European pastries. Delicious Custom Holiday & Party Cakes for all occasions.

32 Wood Road (Just South of Boston) Braintree, MA 781-849-1970 KonditorMeister.com

Lombardo’s

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Lombardo’s has been providing the highest quality of hospitality and cuisine for over 50 years. From innovative menus to an upscale atmosphere, Lombardo’s ensures every wedding will exceed their client’s expectations.

Creating and Supporting your Healthy, Beautiful Smile

781-986-5000 www.lombardos.com

Long's Jewelers

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Where personalized care & healthy, beautiful smiles meet.

Your Source for Diamonds, Wedding Rings, Fine Jewelry & Watches Long's Jewelers has been in the business of happy moments since 1878. We're honored to help our customers celebrate milestones like engagements, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and retirements and not to mention "just because" moments! Whether you're looking for diamonds, wedding rings, fine jewelry, Swiss watches, awards, or corporate gifts, Long's has you covered.

Boston, Braintree, Burlington, Natick, and Peabody, MA 877-845-6647 www.longsjewelers.com

Ptown Parties

Catering | Events The premier caterer on the lower cape, Ptown Parties is a full service catering and event planning company. Let them cater your next cocktail party, clambake or wedding, in your home, inn, rental condo or yacht.

Let Ptown Parties take care of all the hassles, so you can enjoy a carefree day in Provincetown, and a great party that night!

508-487-6450 Ptownparties.com

Friendly, personalized dental care

State of the Art Technology

James R. Seligman, DMD

“Best of the South End” — SOUTH END NEWS

SouthEndDental.com

1180 Washington Street Boston, MA 02118 617.451.0011

MAR|APR 2015 | 95

CODA Music STORY Anthony Giampetruzzi

A New Moon Kate Pierson, front lady for the B-52s, releases her first album of solo work There are few voices as instantly recognizable as Kate Pierson’s.

A founding member of the B-52s in the mid-1970s, she was among the group’s female duo (along with Cindy Wilson) who taught the world what a fish sounds like in “Rock Lobster.” In the late 1980s, her melodic “I’m heading down the Atlanta highway,” opened the lyrics to “Love Shack.” Both party anthems, and dozens of other hits, propelled the B-52s onto “Top 100” lists of the most important songs ever.

Throughout the ’90s and 2000s, the group went on to make a handful of albums and

toured endlessly while individual band members (including Kate) snuck in a collaboration here and there with other big name stars (“Shiny, Happy People”? “Candy Candy”?).

The touring—and establishing two niche motels—didn’t leave much time for any solo work for Pierson.

Naturally, fans began to flip their wigs late last year when she announced on Facebook that Guitars and Microphones would be available on February 17. They even got a taste of what was to come with a preview of the album’s first single and video, “Mister Sister.”

Kate Pierson

96 | BOSTON SPIRIT

As the title hints, the song takes on the issues of stereotyping and individuality.

The album bucks musical trends while thoughtfully exploring themes of equality, conservation and, of course, sexuality.

Pierson’s good friend and mentor, Australian pop star Sia, co-wrote many of the songs and produced the album. And other credits, including The Stroke’s Nick Valensi on “Bottom’s Up,” were thrown into the mix. The result is a collection of tracks that take a bit of a turn from what people have come to expect from the quirky B’s to a lush exploration of sound. That said, it’s a lot of fun.

Perhaps that’s because nearly every aspect of the album is a veritable home brew of music and visuals.

“We’ve really done it all ourselves. It’s been a great DIY project,” says Pierson with a nod to her partner of more than a decade, Monica Coleman.

While the album is being released on Cobalt Records, the pair created the vanity label Lazy Meadow Music, so named after their retro-motel in the Catskills and their vintage Airstream resort in the

California desert near Joshua Tree National Park.

“Looking back at the experience with the B-52s and our major label, Warner Brothers, they hired all our publicists and promoters, and art departments did all our photo shoots and album covers. Now, it really makes me realize how much we’ve put into this,” says Pierson. “Monica is really computer savvy. She learned Final Cut Pro, directed the video, did all the editing, shot the album cover, Photoshopped it, everything—it was amazing that we could do this all ourselves in our little studio down the road in Woodstock.”

According to Pierson, the album has been a long time coming, and the planets aligned when the B’s decided last year that they really needed a break (don’t fret, they still do plenty one-off shows around the country).

Good thing, because next up is a tour of her own, the rigors of which Kate knows well.

And, while she and Monica had originally planned for it to also be low-key (“we thought maybe we could just get a keyboard player and drum machine and do this”), something more substantive is in the works. She’s tapped a local band to back her up, and she’s gearing up to hit the road.

“Once we started rehearsing with the band, we realized just how completely the songs come to life when they are live,” she says. “All these songs really lend themselves to being done live. I can really get inside the songs, which gives me a deeper view … and I think my singing is better, too, because I’m really in it.” [x]

South End’s new modern classic.

Two months free with March move-ins troyboston.com | troyboston@greystar.com | 866.485.3855 | 55 Traveler St. Boston, MA 02118 #troyboston

Coming Soon to Troy Boston—The Aussie Favorite Cuppacoffee