CinCinnati Pride Issue May/June 2015
Amazon Eve Cincinnati Pride Grand Marshal
Unite Magazine | 1
table of contents PUBLISHER Michael A. Monks Editor - in-chief Chuck Beatty MANAGING Editor Jerod Theobald CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chad Turner
CONTRIBUTORs Terron Austin, Christopher Bruckmann, Rob Bucher, Bryan Burke, Michael Chanak, Ron Clemons, Trisha Durham, Mike Hastings, Shawn Howley, Scott Kearman, Michael Monks, James Reynolds, Rev. Joy Simpson, Bree Singler, Shannon Smith, Jason Wiff
NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 908.232.2021 Sales Chuck Beatty - 513.813.8246 Cover photo: Ed Zabel - www.edzabel.com
www.unitemag.com/cincinnati unitecinci @unitecinci unitecinci
FEATURE AMAZON EVE
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COMMUNITY UNITE NEWS GLSEN PROM 2015 HIV AIN’T THE BOSS OF ME
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BUSINESS SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE SOCIALLY AWKWARD LGBT BUSINESS DIRECTORY
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HEALTH & FITNESS MOTIVATION VS. HABIT CINCINNATI QUEER YOGA FAMILY RAINBOW COLORBLIND
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STYLE CINCINNATI FASHION EVENT
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A&E THEATER LISTINGS RESTAURANT REVIEW PRIDE IN FILM BOOKS MUSIC UP - THE UNITE PLAYLIST SPORTS RIVERCITY SOFTBALL
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Letter From The
Publisher “What have you done today to make you feel proud?” Every year when the weather turns warmer and Pride season returns, I find myself overwhelmed with nostalgia and I think back to the early Prides I attended. I remember being a college student and going to Washington, D.C. for the Millennium March with the gay/straight alliance at Northern Kentucky University, days after coming out to my family, and being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people who had had or would soon have that same conversation with their families. Heather Small’s Proud blared from speakers as we visited booths and picked up bags of promotions for an upcoming show called Queer As Folk and signed petitions to cancel Dr. Laura. Garth Brooks and Melissa Etheridge rocked the best damned concert I’ve ever seen. I held a guy’s hand for the first time and kissed him in front of “God Hates Fags” protestors. We marched in a parade with a banner proclaiming, “Northern Kentucky University - We Honor Diversity”. I wore a rainbow flag as a cape. I was proud, maybe for the first time. In the years since, I’ve naturally become prouder. Our community in Cincinnati and Covington is so active and passionate, and I’ve watched as so many of us transitioned from drunken tight shirt-clad young club kids into professional and generous leaders. We are fortunate to live, work, and raise our families in cities that encourage us to stay, to be ourselves, to be proud. I hope that this year is your proudest yet and that as we celebrate what our community was, is, and will be, that you take a moment to honor the place that each of us fills here. Ask yourself, or sing to yourself, “What have you done today to make you feel proud?” And when you answer that question, whatever it is, keep doing it. Keep being proud. Michael Monks is the publisher of UNITE Cincinnati and the editor & publisher of The River City News in Covington.
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Unite News Larry, Lindsey & Goose by Michael "Goose" Chanak
Unite CinCinnati
The trans community is under siege. From Leelah Alcorn’s death in Cincinnati last December to endless tragic deaths around this country and elsewhere, the issue of trans lives matter is center stage. Trans folks and their allies have rallied to the cause locally, with a candlelight vigil held on January 4 at the high school in Mason where Leelah attended, to an outpouring of love at a vigil hosted January 10 in the Woodward Theatre. But after the speeches, the rhetoric and the media focus shift elsewhere, the mark of real process for any besieged community is to keep at it against the odds. While others were preparing their party dresses for events elsewhere, the Goose’s cynicism had bubbled to the surface on Facebook. What would really be done? After the speeches, events, and media interest, then what? The Goddess answered me the very day of February 28, 2015. The Transgender Community of Greater Cincinnati announced a “die in” on Fountain Square to bring into awareness for eight deaths of trans people in this country since January 1. Listen to the Goddess and stay true to yourself. I had just been criticized on Facebook for being a “faded copy of Larry Kramer,” an endless contrarian, and someone who was always whining as their nose was pressed against the window. After all, I had touched the third rail of queer sensibility locally by raising such problematic issues. But the Goose is gracious; I answered the Facebook shill with only, “I rather like Larry Kramer.” So, it seems that Lindsey Deaton, the organizer and 150 folks who turned out for some Larry Kramer activism don’t think the idea passé. I stood with them. I have been blessed with trans friends in my life since 1971 and knew Heather Cox, the founder of our local Crossport group since 1984. Thank you to Lindsey Deaton for reminding me and others that #translivesmatter. Michael “Goose” Chanak is a retired P&G employee advocate/ activist for Gay/Lesbian inclusion in Equal Employment Policy (1985 - 1992), division diversity facilitator; corporate adviser on HIV issues and gay community; published writer, journalist, publicist and broadcaster.
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Unequal Still When We Are Most Vulnerable by Rev. Joy Simpson
Unite CinCinnati There are 1.5 million LGBT seniors age 65 and older and this number will likely double by 2030. Did you know the poverty rate in old age is disproportionately higher within the LGBT community? Yet some of the protections given to older Americans have not been extended to same-sex couples uniformly across the states, including long-term care and Medicaid. Among federal programs, Medicaid is a different beast because states have the authority to administer it as they choose unless directed to comply. Since marriage laws vary from state to state, the feds have hesitated. That’s why advocacy is so very important, and SAGE must become a word in your activist vocabulary. Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) is a national organization based in New York City with affiliates in 19 states. Dayton may become the first local chapter in Ohio. Its Rainbow Elder Care group provides many services and has nearly completed the requirements for a SAGE endorsement. Cleveland is also making connections. In Cincinnati, we’ve just recently formed a work group. Chicago has the closest established chapter in the Center on Halstead in Boystown. The beauty of belonging to a national organization is gaining access to quality resources and the power of their name for grant-writing. For an example of SAGE’s resourcing capacity, check out their online library at www.lgbtagingcenter.org The cost of nursing home care averages more than $68,000 per year, so the need for Medicaid coverage is inevitable. To qualify, the individual must “spend down” all but $2,000 of their assets. If the person is married, however, there is a provision to keep the healthy spouse from becoming impoverished, too. I am grateful that my father was able to remain in his home when my mother needed medical care at a facility longterm. The government simply “divided their assets” so that my mother could qualify for Medicaid. My father kept their joint savings (up to $22,000) and their home; otherwise, through the required Medicaid spend down, he would have lost half their savings and upon my mother’s death, his home would have been taken.
Currently, states are not required to treat same-sex couples the same way, and so poverty is a stark reality. See the SAGE video “Booby & Ron’s Story and Spousal Impoverishment,” about a widower who lost everything because his partner of 28 years needed to live in a facility for Alzheimer’s care until his death at, youtube.com/sageusa. Rev. Joy Simpson is the Pastor of New Spirit MCC and Eternal Joy MCC Churches. Contact her at PastorJoy12@gmail.com
Before You Know It by Ron Clemons
Unite CinCinnati Recently, I was contacted by a photographer from The Cincinnati Enquirer. She had gone through the photo archives of the newspaper and discovered some images of the protests surrounding the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit that was to open at the Contemporary Arts Center in April 1990. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the protests, the Enquirer was running a “Then and Now” piece on how and if Cincinnati has changed. The photographer wanted me to take a look at the images to see if I could name any of the protest participants in the photos. As I looked through the images, recognizing the younger versions of some of my contemporaries and being reminded of the faces that are no longer physically present, I was flooded with a sobering realization. I realized that not only has Cincinnati changed over the past twentyfive years, so have I. I’ve become an older gay man.
to redefine what it meant to be a member of the LGBTQ community. It is with no small amount of pride to look at what we currently have available in Cincinnati and know what it was like to build a community from the ground up. However, I can say that personally my desire and drive to be a part of that effort wasn’t about the older or future generations of LGBTQ folk. The need and the drive were more immediate. It was about creating a space where we could live comfortably in the time. As with all remaining LGBTQ members of my generation, we find ourselves at a time where the paradigm is shifting once again. As a subculture, the LGBTQ community really has yet to begin to address the issues of aging in our population. It is a subject that is met with jokes, mockery and an effortless dismissiveness. We now have the opportunity to address this issue and redefine ourselves as LGBTQ seniors, and to once again create spaces where we can live comfortably and be free to be ourselves. Ron Clemons lives in Cincinnati and has been involved with the LGBTQ Community for the past 38 years.
By and large, the LGBTQ community has never had a comfortable relationship with the concept of and the process of aging. Shortly after moving here in 1975, I recall being warned of all of the places to avoid because they were frequented by “old trolls”. Places like The Golden Lions, the old Greyhound Bus station, rest areas and public parks were notorious hangouts for older gay men. These places were viewed as the sexual cemeteries where older men, who were no longer viewed as attractive or desirable, would congregate to drown their sorrows and perhaps find a younger man willing to throw them a bone. It was a very bleak picture. They were viewed as the dinosaurs, the leftovers of a bygone era of repression, depression and closet dwelling. I was always a bit confounded by that sentiment as I viewed them as people to be revered as opposed to feared. They had stories to tell and experiences I had yet to have so for me, as a young gay man, they were sources of information and inspiration. While the people of my generation certainly did not invent the “Gay Wheel”, we joined the rotation at a time when the paradigm was shifting. We were caught up in the tail end of a whirlwind of evolution that gave us the space and a mindset
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Business
Social Media and the Socially Awkward by Shannon C. Smith, Esq
Unite CinCinnati Social media is actually making people socially awkward. It’s true. Studies and firsthand experience show that those who peruse social media sites excessively tend to have fewer social skills (for empirical proof, check out the article, “Are We Becoming More Socially Awkward? An Analysis of the Relationship Between Technological Communication Use and Social Skills in College Students.”). The good news? This is excellent for business! How? According to the Pew Research Center, 87% of the population accesses the internet and nearly 75% of Internet users use social networking sites. Although the surge in social media use has led to the diminution in personal relationships, it created an excellent tool for businesses to build them with customers. Building connections and relationships with customers is a form of advertising called “relationship marketing”. This is arguably the most successful marketing technique for any business – large or small. Bud – weis – er. Bud – weis – er. Hopefully, most of you recall this reference and not assume I am writing this on a Thursday and I just happen to be exceptionally thirsty. As most of you know, this line is from a popular Super Bowl commercial from 1995 featuring three frogs that shared a friendship and a love for Budweiser beer. This ad is just one of many successful marketing campaigns by Budweiser. The beer company’s marketing team stakes claim to three of the four most shared Super Bowl ads of all time, and the frog commercial does not even make the top five! Budweiser’s top three ads all feature the famous Clydesdales. My favorite ad centers on the relationship between a Clydesdale and its owner. Another you may remember focuses on the friendship between the Clydesdales and a puppy that gets lost. Budweiser’s top all-time ad came nearly a decade ago when the company, through its ad, paid tribute to the victims of 9/11. These ads were successful because they focused on relation-
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ships. What is Bud without the “weis” or “er”? Where would the puppy be without the protection of the Clydesdales? Where would our country be if we did not come together after the tragedy of 9/11? Each of these ads features a quality in relationships that everyone looks for, values, and can relate to: loyalty, camaraderie, and unity. Budweiser, and any advertising company worth its salt, wants to build a relationship and loyalty with customers and encourage long term engagement by developing a connection or sense of team. Another local beer company that tapped (pun intended) into this concept is Braxton Brewing Co. of Covington. The company has demonstrated a desire to connect with its customers and the community. In the Kickstarter video that helped launch Braxton, Jake Rouse, co-founder and CEO, can be heard saying, “We want people to walk in and feel like they are a piece of this brewery.” The desire to build into Covington, the brewery’s backstory of the brothers starting the brewery out of their garage, and the updates on the rehabilitation of the tap room all helped achieve Jake’s goal of making people relate to and feel a part of Braxton. What was the result of the relationship built by the Braxton bunch? Braxton broke the single-day funding record before becoming the most funded brewery in the history of Kickstarter. Relationship marketing works and social media is the best platform. Social media advertisements may even be more effective than Super Bowl commercials. Remember the 9/11 ad, Budweiser’s most successful ad of all time? It was successful because it was shared nearly four million times on Facebook, Twitter, and various blogs. This fact has swayed companies with deep pockets to boost their social media presence and reduce marketing dollars spent on other marketing platforms.
To milk this marketing mecca – try a few of the following suggestions: 1. Be engaging: Tell your story, add some humor, and do not be afraid to have some personality. Also, share images as opposed to text only - you will get more shares, retweets, and likes. 2. Be transparent: Some of the greatest relationships share this quality. It builds trust and creates a bond with customers. Let customers know your goals they will likely rally around and support them. 3. Be current: Find out trending topics and see if you can relate them to your service or product. 4. Be consistent: When you grow and develop your brand, be consistent in your message, purpose and goals. You can even try to post on the same day every week so people know when to expect to hear from you. 5. Be observant: Use your social media site to develop leads or ideas. Also be sure to retweet followers or respond to Facebook posts – no one likes feeling like they are talking to a wall. Shannon Smith is the CEO of Attorney Exchange, a budding, innovative company focused on the realities and needs of the modern day attorney.
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Health & Fitness
Motivation vs. Habit by Bree Singler, CTP Unite CinCinnati Every January a strange phenomenon occurs in virtually every gym across the United States. Membership sales quadruple, parking lots are full beyond capacity, and not a single piece of equipment is left vacant. This phenomenon is known as the “New Year’s Resolution Crowd”. This is a group made up of members that, upon making their yearly resolution to lose weight, find themselves fired up and determined to shed the extra pounds that have been steadily creeping on over the past five years. It is their year and they are motivated. Fast forward to March and you will see the gym has returned to its normal lull of regulars and weekend warriors. Where is the resolution crowd now? This group that just three months ago would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, where have they gone? They were so motivated and determined. Surely they wouldn’t just give up. Now, before anyone goes and gets their panties in a wad, this is not an attempt to pick on the New Year’s resolution crowd. To have started or tried in the first place is undoubtedly a victory in and of itself. In fact, I think it is safe to say that we have all “been there, done that” in some way or another. Is there a single person who can raise their hand to say they have finished every single thing that they have set out to accomplish? This is simply one example to show how motivation alone is not and will never be, the key to success. Let me be very clear – if you are relying on motivation alone, you will fail. Everyone starts off motivated. Motivation is what gives us the drive to step up and make changes in our lives. I would venture to say that no great change has ever come about without some form of deep, soul-altering motivation. Yet as important as motivation is, it is a feeling, not an action. Motivation may be what gets us started, but it cannot sustain us.
After
In one of my favorite TED Talks, BJ Fogg explores motivation
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as it relates to behavioral changes. What Fogg finds is that motivation results in a temporary behavior change and that to create a lasting change, we must develop a more systematic approach. To create a lasting behavior change, we must develop a habit. The problem with the New Year’s resolution crowd (and many other groups/individuals setting out to reach a specific goal) is that they never form a plan and create habits that allow them to succeed. Habits are so important when it comes to how we live our lives. They define who we are and they work to shape who we are to become. Habits can be nasty creatures. They can suck the very life from your veins, leaving you with nothing of value in return. On the other hand, habits can build you up, mold you, and protect you when life decides to throw you a curveball. At a recent church service I attended, the focus was on “habit” or more specifically, the power of habit. The pastor reminded us that, “Where you direct your habits, you will direct your life.” Plainly stated, habits determine direction and when it comes to fitness, your habits will be the difference between success and failure. Bree Singer is a certified personal trainer and the owner of Body By Bree, a fitness studio focused on functional exercise tailored specifically to her clients’ needs.
Cincinnati Queer Yoga by Trisha Durham, MA, RYT Unite CinCinnati We’ve all heard about the benefits of yoga; it can reduce anxiety and stress, it can relieve our aches and pains and lead to an overall better quality of life in both body and mind. That is unless the thought of walking into a yoga studio causes anxiety and stress. Cincinnati Queer Yoga was an idea born, from the desire to see a more diverse yoga community in Cincinnati that could reach those who may not feel comfortable walking into a yoga studio. Whether it’s because you’re not flexible or because you don’t see other people who look like you in the class, a yoga studio can be an intimidating place. Cincinnati Queer Yoga exists to change that and introduce people to yoga in a supportive environment, the more people who can experience the numerous benefits of yoga, the better. Cincinnati Queer Yoga seeks to provide an opportunity for a group of people to find and build community beyond the bar scene. Additionally, CQY is an invitation to explore wellness and self-care, shifting the focus from simply surviving to one of thriving. You can find Cincinnati Yoga on Facebook. Monthly classes are held at The Shakti Factory 3716 Montgomery Road. Part of CQY’s mission in supporting the wellness of the LGBTQ community is to bring free classes to community to events such as NKY Pride and GLSEN Youth Summit. CQY donates part of all class proceeds to local organizations that is working for the betterment of LGBTQ lives. Cincinnati Queer Yoga is not about achieving nice looking yoga postures or being flexible. It is about learning to feel good and safe in your body in a supportive environment. Cincinnati Queer Yoga is a community for those who may have experienced the following: • If you ever felt like you didn’t belong in a yoga studio • You do not see people who look like you doing yoga • Your ways of moving in your body feel queer and you want to explore that • You want to socialize or gather somewhere other than a bar • You would like to practice yoga sans the chanting Trisha Durham is the yoga instructor at Cincinnati Queer Yoga.
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Community
HIV ain't the BOSS OF ME by James Reynolds & Brian Christerson Unite CinCinnati My name is James Reynolds. Educator. Administrator. Server. Bartender. All around crazy mofo. I was diagnosed with HIV in October of 2014 – and as odd as this might sound, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I probably owe you an explanation for that last sentence. If you think you read it wrong, re-read her. Knowing that I’m an educator and that I am indeed certifiable is essential in understanding why I would even fathom contracting HIV as a good thing. HIV/AIDS awareness needed someone who is able to ball on a budget, talk to people from many demographics, and market information in a way that would be far more risqué than the health department can throw it down. I get almost manic when the ideas and conversations start flowing related to improving the lives of those affected and effected by HIV/AIDS. How did I get here? Here’s the short and not-so-sweet of it. I found a bottle of ATRIPLA (HIV medication) in my ex’s bag, approached him, and the first words out of his mouth were, “If you have it, it’s not from me I’m undetectable.” One, he lied about having it and two, he lied about being undetectable. This relationship was over and HIV wasn’t to blame. His lack of being forthright had built an insurmountable pile of distrust that was never going to go away. For my own sake, I had to find a silver lining and a glass of wine. Thanks to a bottle of Pinot Noir, ranting with friends like a mad man, and some time to digest, I realized my aforementioned ex must have dealt with the same situation I was currently in: coming to terms with unintentionally acquiring HIV. Why didn’t he tell me? Why was he so ashamed? Why was it so easy for him to knowingly put me at risk? Talking it over with many health professionals, it was perfectly clear. There’s a detrimental stigma attached to HIV/AIDS that needs to be eradicated. People are ashamed that they have it, ashamed to talk about it, and ashamed to even get a free test. I found this unacceptable. HIV is bad enough without having to carry around a shattered self-image due to negative stereotypes from a miseducated public.
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The conception of “HIVaintthebossofme” came out of this notion: if people can talk more openly about having HIV/ AIDS as well as any STI or even the reality of how often they are being tested while exhibiting “high-risk” behaviors, everyone having sex would be in a better position…right? Our mission: to cultivate a revitalized awareness of those affected by HIV/AIDS. The next step is getting people to care about HIV/AIDS and other STIs; but, every health related entity connected to advocacy has the same goal: getting people to be proactive instead of reactive. How will our concept be able to achieve what massive, well-funded and well-established organizations can’t? Our approach is that of any educator worth their degree - to repackage the delivery of information so it doesn’t feel like learning
at all. We’re going to get you (the high-risk-fun-loving-21-to30-something-year olds) socially lubed at events. We’re going to throw free entertainment your way in the best venues with the most talented people this city has to offer. We’re going to throw condoms at you. We’re going to have free HIV testing. We’re going to reeducate Cincinnati and show them how to have “high-risk” fun with “low-risk” outcomes. Who wouldn’t want to give that a chance? Boring people who aren’t having sex anyway, that’s who. Now, we need you to spread the word. Come to events. Hell, throw event ideas our way if that’s your forte. Visit HIVaintthebossofme.org. Rep some merchandise. See what happens when we, the high-risk crowd, take charge of empowering ourselves and stop waiting for someone else to do it for us. James Reynolds photograph by Dusitn Powell Sparks
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Family
RAINBOW COLOR BLIND
by Scott Kearnan
Unite CinCinnati Our community is built on celebrating diversity, not shying away from it. Many gay dads in transracial families assume that their children will grow up to be “colorblind”: somehow oblivious to different skin tones. But they soon discover that’s not possible. “He was about 4 or 5, and he’d be drawing our family with crayons,” explains Chris Thangaraj, a gay dad from Chicago, of the first time he noticed his eldest son, Noah, acknowledge the family’s transracial identity. Chris is of South Asian descent, and his sons are African-American; Chris’s husband is Caucasian. “When he would draw us, he’d reach for the brown crayon. For my husband, he’d reach for peach or yellow.” It’s a scenario that was described by several parents in transracial families: Crayon selection, evidently, is a pretty common first sign of kids acknowledging racial difference. And for Chris Thangaraj and his husband, Noah’s wordless observation opened a door for important discussions. “It gave us a chance to talk about different skin tones,” says Thangaraj. Their conversations have continued, at age-appropriate levels, ever since. In case you haven’t noticed, conversations about race are everywhere lately. In particular, headline-grabbing news stories are spawning serious, sometimes contentious discussions about race-related issues. Ferguson, Mo., has become a cultural case study in relationships – often fraught with fear, anger, and distrust – between communities of color and police forces. The shooting deaths of unarmed black teens such as Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown by white police officers have forced conversations about racial profiling of young black men (Most recently, a Cleveland police officer shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice when he was playing in a park with a toy gun. When he called in the shooting, the officer described the baby-faced boy as “maybe 20”). Pop culture brings its own set of controversies, like the latest feud between rappers Iggy Azalea (she’s white) and Azealia Banks (she’s black) over hip hop music and cultural appropriation. And Starbucks even seized the zeitgeist as a marketing move. In March it launched a campaign, #RaceTogether, that encourages baristas to write the hashtag on coffee cups to instigate discussions about race. (The idea also instigated some snarky social media backlash.)
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For parents in transracial families, those who deal with the nuances of race on a daily basis, these larger discussions feel overdue. But they’re still not easy to have. “I was shocked and sad,” says Doug Kerr from Toronto, recalling an angry conversation about Ferguson that played out in a Facebook group for gay fathers. For Kerr, who is white, the discussion was profoundly personal: His husband and son are black, and he worries about raising his son in a world where he is more likely to be judged (including by gun-toting law enforcement) by the color of his skin. Kerr says he was alarmed by the vitriol and prejudice the online discussion revealed from other gay white dads. And when the heated conversation reached a boiling point, he was banned from the Facebook group. Maybe it’s not relevant, if your kids are white, but for transracial families, it’s a different story. Says Doug, “Conversations about race are conversations about your child’s health and safety.” Doug Kerr was eventually invited to re-join the group, but declined. “I’m not going to be part of a group enforcing white privilege,” he explains. Kerr has since joined a group for transracial families, many of which happen to be headed by same-sex parents, where the conversations are more productive. These conversations can’t be ignored by gay families, especially when same-sex couples are more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to choose a transracial adoption in the first place. According to a 2009 study published in Adoption Quarterly by researchers at the University of Virginia, same-sex couples are significantly more likely than opposite-sex couples to complete a transracial adoption, namely 54 percent versus 30 percent. In part, suggest the researchers, that’s because same-sex couples were more likely than opposite-sex couples to be in interracial relationships. These numbers jive with an informal survey GaysWithKids, a website by/for gay fathers, conducted among transracial families. In their survey, about half of respondents “strongly agreed” or “somewhat agreed” that having a transracial fami-
ly was a deliberate choice. Dads’ reasons ranged from wanting a family that reflected their interracial relationship, to expectations that the adoption process might move faster. That last point is worth considering, says Frank Ligtvoet, a white Brooklyn-based gay adoptive co-father of two African-American children. He bristles at how many white parents adopt children of color for ease and expediency, yet fail to consider the underlying issue: Why can’t these children be cared for by their birth parents? “It’s a very sad thing to give up your child,” says Frank Ligtvoet. “You have to ask yourself, ‘What were the circumstances? What are the social issues behind adoption? When people so often adopt transracially from poor communities, what does that say about the world we live in?’” To feel you are rescuing a child of color from impoverished circumstances, and analyze no deeper, is a self-congratulatory savior experience, says Frank. True concern should recognize the historic, racebased economic and social inequalities that result in larger populations of prospective adoptees in the first place. In short, we need to recognize racism. And dare to talk about it. Yet in the Gays With Kids survey, only half of gay dads in transracial families “somewhat agreed” or “strongly agreed” that “being transracial is an important issue for our family.” “We don’t make a big deal out of the race of our kids,” remarked one Gays With Kids survey respondent. “My husband’s family is Irish. My parents were Portuguese and German. We don’t address that either.” It might be time to take off the rose-tinted glasses, says Johnny Cole, a gay dad and educator from Massachusetts. Cole is Asian and his husband is white; together they raise a Latino son and black daughter. He also teaches graduate-level courses that help school districts foster inclusive classrooms, and has led lectures and webinars about issues affecting transracial families for organizations such as the Family Equality Council. Cole says it’s important to acknowledge racial differences within families for a simple reason: They exist. And just as it does a disservice to a child to ignore her unique experience with gay parents in a heteronormative society, it’s unfair to gloss over distinctions between races that inevitably will become part of that child’s reality. “At a certain point a child will hit the encounter stage, when they realize that they can be treated differently [due to race],” explains Cole. The encounter stage is one of five stages identified by Dr. William E. Cross, Jr., a leading theorist and researcher in the fields of clinical psychology and ethnic studies, in his model illustrating the development of racial identity in people of color. The encounter stage might be experienced in childhood or adolescence, says Cole. But when it arrives,
it invariably leads to a multitude of emotions – from anger to distrust to sadness – that a parent should help his child navigate to ensure he or she develops confidence, a positive self-image, and pride in racial identity. For parents in transracial families, it’s only a matter of time before they encounter experiences that will force discussions of race. That’s because not all prejudices are blatant or even intentional, but often it’s their quiet pervasiveness that makes them dangerous. Cole recalls when his daughter was just 3 years old, and a white fellow preschooler remarked that her skin looked “like the color of poop.” Christopher Thangaraj describes how his son Noah intervened in a playground fight to play peacemaker – only to be assumed as the aggressor by a teacher who, perhaps, inadvertently revealed preconceived notions she had about the behavior of young black boys. And Frank Ligtvoet remembers when his daughter was asked to play an early American colonist in a grade school’s “colonial fair,” a figure who not only would have been white, but also most likely a slave owner. “There was no way I could allow that,” says Frank. “She can’t play a white person in colonial times when she’s a descendant of slaves. It’s demeaning. You have to be an activist and stand up for your child.” Some dads struggle to do that because they are afraid that acknowledging racial differences will somehow make them feel more profound, and create division instead of conversation. “I teach my son about only one race: human,” wrote one Gays With Kids surveyor who “strongly disagreed” with the statement “being transracial is an important issue for our family.” That kind of sentiment is, without doubt, well intentioned. But it’s not necessarily the best approach, say gay dads like Mark Hagland of Chicago, who speaks often about transracial adoption at events like the annual KAAN Conference, the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network Conference. Hagland was born in South Korea, but raised in a largely white community in Milwaukee, Wis., by Norwegian-American and German-American parents. Though Hagland’s parents were certainly loving, they never had conversations with him about race, he says. And treating it as a taboo topic hardly helps when a child is constantly being confronted with a sense of otherness; in fact, it can reinforce a rejection of their very racial identity. “At school we’d be teased and taunted. If your parents were immigrants from the country you were born in, maybe you’d come home and they’d speak Korean; maybe you’d eat rice or kimchi. We’d come home and eat Swedish meatballs.” Scott Kearman is a Boston-based writer with extensive experience covering LGBT issues,travel, dining, and arts & entertainment for a variety of local and national publications.
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Feature
Amazon Eve by Brooklyn Steele Tate
Unite CinCinnati Erika Ervin, known professionally as Amazon Eve was born February 23,1979 and is an American transgender model, fitness trainer and actress. She has appeared on the cover of Zoo Weekly (an Australian magazine) and played a prominent character on American Horror Story: Freak Show. In 2011,she was crowned the World’s Tallest Professional Model by Guinness World Records. Erika tried to obtain roles as an actress but they only offered her roles as an alien or a monster so she studied law and exercise physiology. Over time, Ervin viewed herself as a super-sized version of Super Woman and became a personal trainer devoted to instilling realistic expectations for herself and for her clients. Erika tours the country participating in comparison photo shoots and regular modeling jobs.
When I was talking to her as a member of the Cincinnati Pride Committee, I informed her that she was considered as the Grand Marshal for the purpose of showing the younger generation that even though times are tough and things get rough at times, there is a positive light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to chase it. Dreams don’t come to you, you pursue them, chase them and fight for them. She may not want to be an activist, a role model or a hero but Amazon Eve is all those wrapped into one. Come see her at Cincinnati Pride 2015 and help us #fixsociety. Brooklyn Steele Tate is co-chair of the entertainment committee for Cincinnati Pride.
Speaking with Ervin on the phone, she will constantly tell you she is not an activist or a hero but just an average gal wanting to pursue her dreams, but when she begins to tell you of the work she has done to help the transgender community with insurance and health coverage, how she uplifts and motivates men and women to find a healthy body image and gain self-esteem it only proves that heroes are not made but born. She understands what it is like to see something in yourself and not be happy. She knows the idea of change and the perseverance of making those changes. She has pursued her dream of acting and has put a face out there for the transgender community. On June 27, Amazon Eve will be featured as the Grand Marshal for the Cincinnati Pride Parade and will also be speaking from the stage and doing a meet and greet. When she was contacted about being the Grand Marshal, she was happy to accept and stated that she had been to many Pride celebrations but had never been honored with the role of Grand Marshal. She immediately began to think about how she could use her celebrity status to make a difference. She will be taking pictures and signing autographs and donating the money to two charities, one local and one in California. Her platform is about education and awareness and any time she can help promote it, she jumps at the chance. Although she doesn’t want to be touted as a hero or an activist, her instinct is to help those with fewer resources to help themselves.
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American Horror Story: Freak Show Erika Ervin (left) and Jyoti Amge’s (right)
Family
Unite Magazine | 17
Style
Cincinnati Fashion Eventt by Jason Wiff
Unite CinCinnati
Taking a sip of Bulleit Rye from a flask, I gaze upon some scantily, yet tastefully outfitted male models pulling a film off of the glass landing strip of a runway in a grayish-white fog of the Bertke Electric Company warehouse in Cincinnati’s Northside. I can’t help but think the uneven, cracked floor, dusty, backlight windows and drink-sipping crowd are out of place. Is this Cincinnati? The audience is a spectrum of sober to tipsy, blue-jeans and t-shirt to tailored Chanel clad in fur and Louboutins. Yes, this is Cincinnati. In conjunction with the Cincinnati Opera’s 2015 world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and William M. Hoffman’s Morning Star, The Cincinnati Fashion Event is in collaboration with social intelligence agency, AGAR, Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa, infamous photographer, Annette Navarro, Amy Kirchen and Evolution Studios. Instead of scrambling for a seat, I choose to watch the show from the end of the runway. Lights dim as the show starts only 15 minutes behind schedule. The first collection is Asha Ama’s interpretation on all things black with hints of oxblood. With a hint of post-apocalyptic darkness in her edgy, ethereal designs, you can tell the DAAP graduate and finalist for Project Runway: Under the Gunn is confident in her own aesthetic of wearable couture. The collection finishes with a floor-length, leather gown as model Kara Wade glides through the crowd who awes, not just at the gown, but Wade’s towering presence. Sam Donovan, also a finalist on Project Runway: Under the Gunn, is next up. His mixture of youthful, yet wearable pieces provides an “ah ha!” moment when I learn that the collection was based on his love of Taylor Swift. A playful mixture of prints and comfortable fabrics in clean and asymmetrical cuts will surely gain Donovan attention. His love for his work
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is apparent as he dances down the runway with models (to a Taylor Swift song) with Wade finishing off the collection in a black-and-white, floor-length gown in a neon trim. Note: the models could move and dance in the designs which were both beautiful and livable. Marisa Graham’s muted color palette of blacks, ivory and earth tones highlight her senior thesis and first collection, Paracosm. Graham describes Paracosm as “a detailed imaginary world created inside one’s mind.” This fantasy world may involve humans, animals and things that exist in reality or it may also contain entities that are entirely imaginary, alien and otherworldly. Focusing on textures instead of prints, Graham’s collection explores the differences of perception and reality with leather, hand-manipulated and flowy fabrics in a whimsical collection. Upon seeing the final black and red duster, I immediately imagine myself walking through an enchanted forest in this velvet-lined design on a mission to kick some ass while looking fabulous. Sally Ackerman, a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program is showing her senior thesis titled, Totem. A ‘70s air of yellow and velvet make appearances in these clean, flowing designs, including a full yellow jumpsuit complete with cream leg warmers. Not taking itself too seriously, it remains wearable. I can imagine Prince making an appearance in any of these pieces. My favorite: a pocketed cape with a virtually seamless cut. I want one for every season. The queen of the Queen City, Amy Kirchen, is back with her nationally recognized style. Her self-taught, custom couture line has made her one of the most sought-after designers in the Midwest who boasts both local and international A-list clientele. Her spring collection does not disappoint. With her clientele in mind, black and cream pieces are perfectly executed and I am left wondering what else a modern, jet-setting
t
woman could need. Clean lines in an array of versatile styles makes this collection both wearable and timeless. Always perfection from Mrs. Kirchen. Closing the show is are the curatd works of Evolution’s mastermind, Tony Tiemeyer. Moschino, Missoni, Chanel, disco balls, platforms, sequins, feathers, men, women, Hello Kitty, they were all there. With a collection that beckons clientele from L.A. to Dubai it is obvious that Tiemeyer knows how to energize and visually please a crowd. Tiemeyer tells me, “I love to stir the pot.” The use of an upside down tiara worn like a visor under a cap makes me want to rethink everything I’ve ever worn and how it can be outfitted differently. Finishing off the show, in tradition, is Miss Kara Wade strutting a chic, black, asymmetrical dress with a peacock-feathered headdress that stole the show. A queen in her own right. Have I fallen into a paracosm of an edgy, jet-setting world where the likes of Prince would be happily outfitted in velvet and a tiara while dancing to Taylor Swift? Nope. I am still in Cincinnati. The pulsating music returns as the crowd starts to mingle for photos and discuss their favorite pieces. I didn’t expect anything less than perfect from this team and they delivered. Tiemeyer adds, “Some of the chicest people in the world live here. I’m always amazed at how many people are interested in fashion in Cincinnati and how the diverse crowds come together for fashion events.” I, myself am constantly amazed at the talent that resides in Cincinnati. Since moving here five years ago, I have encountered some of the most individually talented people the Queen City has to offer that challenge the likes of New York or L.A. Simply put, it takes more than passion and talent to transform an idea from your head to something walking down a runway. It takes a community of like-minded individuals to make something like the Cincinnati Fashion Event possible. Cincinnati is not short on either. Jason Wiff is a model and a style columnist for several local publications.
unitecinci @unitecinci unitecinci Unite Magazine | 19
A&E
Theater listings
by Rob Bucher
Unite CinCinnati
CINCINNATI ● CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION Five people enroll in a community center acting class. Over six weeks, seemingly silly theatre games unwittingly expose their innermost hopes and fears. May 9-June 7. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. www.cincyplay.com ● THE CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL Local, regional, national and international artists invade downtown Cincinnati for 12 days of artistic celebration in both traditional and non-traditional spaces. May 26-June 6. www.cincyfringe.com ● I LOVE LUCY Live on Stage It’s 1952 and you are a member of the Desilu Playhouse studio audience awaiting the filming of two hilarious and oh-so-familiar I LOVE LUCY episodes. June 2-14. Broadway in Cincinnati. www.broadwayincincinnati.com ● ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS Fast-talking Francis Henshall finds himself in a sticky predicament when, in his constant quest for a quick buck and a bite to eat, he ends up simultaneously working for two rival masters. June 12-July 5. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. www.cincyshakes.com
● THREE DAYS OF RAIN Three actors portray two generations of characters in this heartbreaking, unexpectedly-romantic family story. May 7-23. Untethered Theater. www.untetheredtheater.com ● VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Sisters Vanya and Sonia live uneventful lives. When movie star sister Masha arrives with her boy toy Spike, a hunky young actor who enjoys parading around in his underwear, things suddenly get… eventful. Through May 23. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. www.cincyplay.com
DAYTON ● CROWNS When troubled Brooklyn teenager Yolanda is sent to live with her church-going grandmother down South, she finds healing in the personal stories of the ladies of the congregation and the hats that adorn their heads. June 11-28. Human Race Theatre Company. www.humanracetheatre.org ● PETER AND THE STARCATCHER A swashbuckling prequel to Peter Pan, this epic adventure answers the century-old question: How did Peter become The Boy Who Never Grew Up? June 9-14. Victoria Theatre Association. www.victoriatheatre.com
● OUTSIDE MULLINGAR Set in the Irish countryside, this is the story of Anthony and Rosemary — loners, eccentric souls, and, perhaps, just right for each other. May 5-24. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. www.ensemblecincinnati.org
LEXINGTON
● QCQTC TBA The Queen City Queer Theatre Collective seeks to be a safe space for LGBTQ stories and conversation. Upcoming readings include the group’s first original play and first staged reading of a musical. Details to be announced. www.facebook.com/qcqtccincinnati
LOUISVILLE
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● ANNIE GET YOUR GUN The musical love story of sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. May 1-17. Village Square Theatre. www.villagesquaretheatre.com
● PIPPIN The national tour of the recent Broadway revival. PIPPIN tells the story of a young prince on
a death-defying journey to find meaning in his existence. Will he choose a happy but simple life? Or will he risk everything for a singular flash of glory? June 2-7. Kentucky Center Broadway Series. www.kentuckycenter.org
Restaurant Review: The Blue Gibbon
by Christopher Bruckmann
Unite CinCinnati
The Blue Gibbon is an award-winning local treasure, located close to downtown right off the Norwood Lateral. Opened in Cincinnati over 30 years ago by Frank Kok, an experienced chef who has worked in kitchens in New York City and Southeast Asia, Blue GIbbon is very professionally and beautifully decorated, with exquisite vases and all manner of oriental ornamentation. Plus, the prices are remarkably reasonable.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY ● THE ADDAMS FAMILY A creepy and kooky musical love story. Wednesday Addams is all grown up and falls in love with a normal young man from a respectable family. Chaos ensues as the Addams Family tries to host a normal dinner for the young man’s family. May 29-June 7. Showbiz Players. www.showbizplayers.com ● ASSASSINS A darkly entertaining Stephen Sondheim musical about John Wilkes Boothe, Squeaky Fromme, Sam Byck, Lee Harvey Oswald and all the other unsavory characters who ever decided that their path to greatness lay in the assassination of an American President. May 29-June 13. Falcon Theater www.falcontheater.net ● THE SUNSHINE BOYS The legendary comedy team of Lewis and Clark are no longer speaking to each other on or off the stage. But when these cranky comics are convinced to reunite for a TV special, who will get the last laugh? June 3-21. Commonwealth Theatre Company. www.nku.edu/~theatre
The rich interior and excellent, family staff will offer you a fine dining experience and then present a bill so surprisingly inexpensive that you’ll feel like you’ve gotten away with something. And you probably will have, because the portions are also quite generous; even the hungriest amongst left with a midnight snack or two. And what snacks there are: the spring rolls are so soft and sweet that they reminded me of funnel cake from a festival, though I was even more impressed by their crab rangoon and pork egg rolls. As someone who has been to just about every Chinese restaurant in Cincinnati, that is saying something. Perhaps it is the special talent the family has brought in from Asia that adds that extra flavor to every savory bite. These international chefs have cooked up quite a huge menu at the Blue Gibbon, offering not just your standard Szechuan selections, but such exotic items as Malaysian Curry and the Singaporean Rice Noodles. For something more homegrown, try a unique offering named after the owner’s son, the James Thai Fried Rice. Or have some wine at their bar if you feel like throwing a fancy party, as some of Cincinnati’s biggest businesses are known to do. Whether you’re looking for a classic Chinese lunch or something fresh and filling from elsewhere overseas, the Blue Gibbon offers a perfect mélange of the familiar and the unique with panache.
Rob Bucher has been covering Greater Cincinnati theater online for more than 15 years. Check out his Behind the Curtain Cincinnati blog at http://behindthecurtaincincy.com.
www.Unitemag.com/cincinnati Unite Magazine | 21
A&E
Pride in Film
by Shawn Howley
Unite CinCinnati
As we venture into Gay Pride season, as much as I believe in looking forward to things to come from an entertainment perspective, I find myself reflecting on the films that impacted me greatly as a gay man. Some you may know, some you may not. All of them are required viewing in my opinion and I encourage you to seek them out.
Jobriath A.D. - Before David Bowie and Freddie Mer-
cury made us not care about who they slept with and long before Adam Lambert blew the closet door open, there was Jobriath. He was an androgynous, openly gay singer in a world that wasn’t ready for him. Discover this treasure crafted by gay filmmaker Kieran Turne
The Living End - Gregg Araki turned Thelma and Louis
on its ear with this tale of two HIV positive men with nothing to live for who wreaked havoc across the country. It was the first gay film I saw in a theater at the young age of 16. HIV research has come so far, but this one still haunts me to this day - in a good way.
Get Real - The story of a closeted high school kid, quiet
and unassuming who goes to the toilets in the park to meet other guys. On one such occasion he happens to run into a fellow classmate who also happens to be THE jock at his school in rural England. When you feel completely alone in the world and find someone like yourself to relate to its a spring of emotional release behind closed doors while maintaining a heterosexual illusion in front of others. This particular film spoke to me greatly because I was the quiet kid in high school trying to go unnoticed but also very much a jock and into sports. Eventually, the characters have to deal with the terms of their relationship in the real world as well. I was parts of both characters in the film. This is an outstanding gay coming of age story with a cast of unknowns making it easier to identify with them as people instead of as actors playing a role
Love Songs (aka Les Chanson D’amour). Boy meets girl.
Boy and girl 1 meet girl 2. Girl 1 dies. Girl 2 leaves boy. Boy meets...boy. And that is this French film in a nutshell. A seamless and fascinating tale of love found and lost and found again with completely plausible reflection points eloquently brought together in song that is fitting for every scene. Nominated for the Palme D’or at Cannes and features a relatively unknown and likable cast of imperfect French folks headlined
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by Louis Garrel. I am absolutely in love with Love Songs. Simple, beautiful, exquisite and delightful.
Beautiful Thing - This was the film that made me want to run down the street yelling and screaming to tell everyone “I’m gay and I’m normal and it’s okay!” Jamie and Ste are neighbors and schoolmates, but not friends. Until Ste gets locked out and has a sleepover that enlightens Ste to Jamie’s desires for him. The romance that evolves surrounded by the bigots they live near and the trying times of coming out to your parents...this was my life. I was much more like Ste, the soccer jock having been a sports guy my whole life, though part of me was like Jamie, the withdrawn isolated type. Its a delightful film and a wonderful story. One of the few that always makes me well up with tears upon every viewing.
Making Love - I’m thrilled to know the openly gay
and influential screenwriter Barry Sandler. My older readers should know this one but anyone under 35 may not. Barry’s personal thoughts on the film. “It was important to have a gay film where the main characters were gay and were good strong characters, not peripheral characters with exaggerated mannerisms and there strictly to be the brunt of a joke. I wanted them not to commit suicide at the end but to be a mainstay in the film.” Additionally this film is so powerful on a personal level as I’ve received thousands of letters over the years as people have watched and identified with it and seen that they can be normally represented in a film by actual Hollywood stars. While gay in film and TV has come a long way, this was the first mainstream foray for us. An absolute classic. Sean Howley aka The Queer Film Critic has a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema Studies from theUniversity of Central Florida and has been reviewing film full time for over two years now. http://queerfilmcritic.blogspot.com
www.Unitemag.com/cincinnati
Straight Author, Gay Characters by Michael Monks
Unite CinCinnati Rick Robinson may not fit the profile of an author with his finger on the pulse of gay culture, and he knows this. So when the former legislative director to former Northern Kentucky Congressman and Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning, a Republican, chose Washington, D.C.’s DuPont Circle as a location in his latest political thriller, he embedded himself in the gay scene. For research purposes, of course. “First off, I am very supportive of gay rights and I point out to my fellow Republicans that one of the earliest persons to speak out on gay rights was Barry Goldwater and that Goldwater, when Clinton was President, he came out and supported the gays in the military policy of Clinton,” Robinson told UNiTE Cincinnati. “I always talk about it as a matter of liberty.” “I have written about gay rights which has led to some interesting hate mail.” Robinson, an attorney from Ludlow who lives with his family in Ft. Mitchell, turned to writing when he left Capitol Hill. His D.C. background serves him well when recurring lead character Richard Thompson, a Congressman, pops up in his political thrillers, the latest of which, The Advance Man, led Robinson to experience Dupont Circle up close and personal. “Years ago when I started writing, a friend of mine, a lobbyist for the Kennedy Center, he and his partner and I were walking past the Ways and Means Committee room and he looked over and said of the line to go in, he said, ‘See that line-up of people going in there,’ he said, ‘There’s more queens in there than there were in the Tower of London,” laughed Robinson. “I started laughing my ass off and said, I’m gonna use that line in one of my books.” And now comes his chance.
out in Dupont Circle. “D.C. has always had a very vibrant gay community and a very active one inside of government on both sides of the aisle, and it’s one of those things, as I was looking to find out who would be the unexpected hero in this, why wouldn’t it be the gay community who are trying to hide somebody in plain sight accused of killed the Vice President?” Robinson is currently working in D.C. as a lobbyist which made his own trip to Dupont Circle convenient. “I’m very into detail. When I write about a restaurant in Covington, if I say it’s fifteen steps, it’s because I took fifteen steps,” Robinson said. “I started tracking where the character would run out and where he would be immediately grabbed by somebody and pulled into a doorway which led me on a Saturday afternoon to a gay bar in Dupont Circle.” At the bar, Robinson started taking pictures and jotted down notes, and when a fellow patron asked what he was up to, the author explained, and from there multiple patrons gathered ‘round, arguing over where the character would be taken. “Oh, you wouldn’t go there, it’s a leather bar, they’d know right away he was a stranger,” Robinson said he was told. “It was a riot.” “You don’t have people writing about the community in such a way as it actually exists in D.C. People will write about it in sometimes caricature-ish ways in their books,” Robinson said. “We’re talking about Democrats and Republicans. There are Rs and Ds both. Part of the lifestyle of D.C. has been that forever, and nobody writes that in mainstream mystery literature.” “I like to give people the real inside feel of D.C., of what it’s like on the campaign trail, in politics, along with the thriller aspect of the story I like to give the feel of what it’s like working on the Hill.” And whether the reader is gay or straight, Robinson’s books are crowd-pleaders. “If you love politics, you’ll love my books. If you hate politics, I kill politicians, so I have something for everyone.” The Advance Man by Rick Robinson is available now at local bookstores and online at www.authorrickrobinson.squarespace. com
The Advance Man, when Congressman Thompson finally ascends to the Senate to fill a vacancy, centers around the assassination of the Vice President and the chief suspect is the VP’s “advance man”, the guy who travels ahead of a leader to nail down all the details of travel, security, and the like. “They are trying to blame it on his advance man by trying to say he had a crush on the Vice President,” Robinson explained, “and the gay community knows that that isn’t the case and they are trying to hide him while folks try to find him.” Yes, after returning to his apartment to discover the bad guys waiting for him, the advance man runs into a bar that happens to be of the gay persuasion, and so begins his hiding
Author Rick Robinson
Unite Magazine | 23
Music
Up - The Unite Playlist by Terron Austin.
Unite CinCinnati Looking for the sounds of the sunny season to come? Head to your favorite place to buy some of these brand new singles and albums. For your convenience, while you’re reading, it might be a good idea to tap purchase in your iTunes store and add these summer sizzlers to your Unite Playlist. Madonna – Rebel Heart The Queen of Pop and reinvention is back on the scene after a tumultuous promo campaign for her new album Rebel Heart released March 6th. A premature album leak less than a week before Christmas quickly became this A-list artist’s nightmare when multiple unfinished tracks were discovered online months prior forcing Madonna to make an immediate decision – either halt the entire process to start from scratch or give the public what they wanted even if it wasn’t the Material Girl’s best efforts. She chose the latter, but as she states on “Living For Love,” the album’s stirring lead single, ‘I’m gonna carry on.’ She does just that quite exceptionally on her thirteenth studio album of dance cuts that fuse 1990s house, trap music and reggae. You’ll find collaborations with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Chance The Rapper and even Mike Tyson plus a standard, deluxe and super deluxe edition with bonus content. What’s the best part? Madonna’s hitting the road for the all arena-stages only Rebel Heart Tour late this summer heading to cities she’s never performed before. So all the die-hard fans can expect to see the magic of Madonna come to life sooner than you think. Tickets are on sale now. Will we see you there?
superstars Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Courtney Love who’ve all appeared on the network’s highest-rated show in years. If you haven’t seen it, head to Hulu for a binge marathon and find out what the fuss is all about. Jill Scott – “You Don’t Know” She’s a soul singer never without a story to tell every time she comes back on the scene and after a four-year hiatus, you can tell Jill Scott’s going through some things on the vintage-sounding, bluesy and forlorn single “You Don’t Know.” The Philadelphia powerhouse gives you every ounce of pain possible as she questions listeners on the song asking you to think about how much you really (don’t) know about love. Scott gives a stream of scenarios in the lyrics saying if your tears haven’t fallen like rain and you haven’t prayed for someone to hold you tight then you really don’t know “nothin’” about it at all. We’re excited she’s back and will be headlining July’s highly anticipated Cincinnati Music Festival at Paul Brown Stadium, but let’s hope her spirits are lifted by then and a full album will surface or else we’ll all be shedding some tears under the summer sun. Also on our radar this spring/summer are these expected releases: • Matt & Kim - New Glow (April 7) • Alabama Shakes – Sound of Color (April 21)
EMPIRE – The Original Soundtrack from Season One
• Mumford & Sons – The Waterfall (May 4)
Since the beginning of 2015, the nation has tuned into the breakthrough FOX TV series Empire, a hard-hitting dramatic depiction of a Hip Hop family’s fame, fortune and fight for control starring Terrence Howard, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson and new LGBT heartthrob Jussie Smollett as “Jamal Lyon.” What made the show, which wrapped its record-breaking first season on Wednesday, March 18th, of course, was the music it began to yield every week now compiled in an original soundtrack. Surprisingly, it charted above our aforementioned Queen of Pop’s new project to snag the number one spot on the Billboard Top 200. Your best buy is to grab the deluxe version of the Empire soundtrack featuring cast members Smollett, rapper Yazz who plays Smollett’s younger brother, features from newcomer V. Bozeman (definitely one to watch) and appearances from other real-life
• Snoop Dogg – BUSH (May 12)
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• Florence + the Machine – How Big How Blue How Beautiful (June 2) Terron Austin travels the country providing music content for various radio, online, and print publications.
www.Unitemag.com/cincinnati
Sports
Rivercity Softball: 35 Seasons Strong The Rivercity Softball League is preparing for its 35th season on the diamond as league members met in early April to go over ground rules and organize their teams. For decades, the Rivercity Softball League has served the LGBT community in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. The goal of the league is to provide a fun but competitive league for anyone that wants to play the game of softball, regardless of their skill level. “It’s a mixture of gay, straight, whatever. We don’t care,” said Shelly Buechel, player and part-organizer of the league. There are three tiers of competition levels: competitive, intermediate and recreational. This way, players can feel more comfortable playing against competitors of their speed and keep it more fun for everyone. “There is a competitive part of our league, but you don’t have to play on that side of it,” Buechel said. “And again, if they just want to come out and watch and see what it’s all about and if it’s something they want to do, it would be really great to have them on Tuesday nights.” The softball league started with only three teams, but has grown to 13 this season. There are two eight-week sessions with a tournament at the end of the summer. Each team plays two games every Tuesday night at Rivercity Sports Complex on Kellogg Avenue. Both sessions plus the tournament comes to be around 30 total games and lasts from late-April to Labor Day. “It’s fun seeing people outside of the bar,” Beuchel said about what makes the league special. “It’s very refreshing in that way. It’s fun. It’s being outside and participating.” League organizers talked about how regular the sizable spectator contingent becomes for the softball games, and of how it’s another way that makes the league a source of happiness for so many people. “We’ve got families with their kids and dogs are allowed in our league,” Buechel said about the environment. “You kind of meet a lot of different people from various areas that you wouldn’t ordinarily run into as well. It’s a great way to connect with people.”
by Bryan Burke
Unite CinCinnati The camaraderie is not limited between the lines, though. The league as a group have outings to places like the Cincinnati Reds games and league picnics and also organize fundraisers to pay for league fees and other costs. One particular fundraiser netted over $800 and participants had a blast. “This will be the eighth year that we do an annual event called ‘Hit, Run, Whore’ where a few people from every team do drag that don’t normally do drag,” Buechel said. She herself plays softball in drag on such occasions. Every four years, the Rivercity Softball League hosts the regional tournament between other LGBT leagues of Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit and Cincinnati. They will next host the tournament in 2017. Buechel said that the regional tournaments bring up to 800 people and over 40 teams to the softball fields. Rivercity Softball League would still like to see even more participation from the community. Buechel said that the numbers have plateaued some in recent years after a long stretch of growth. “We can’t recruit those newbies. We’re trying to,” Buechel said. “I wish we had more, really.” League fees cost $750 per team to join. All but $100 of that money goes to the sports complex while the league keeps the rest for uniforms and other expenses. Teams are usually made up of 12 to 15 people. Buechel said that if individuals express an interest but cannot organize a whole team, an attempt would be made by the league to find a fit for that person. A lot of the teams are sponsored by bars in the community, many of which pay for the entrance fees. “We have everybody on the teams. That’s one cool thing of our league is that we have teams that are all straight people, and every team has straight people on their team,” Buechel said. “We have people that don’t play who come out to enjoy the evening, and I think if more people knew that was an option it would make it even better.” Bryan Burke is a contributing writer at UNITE Cincinnati and associate editor at The River City News.
Unite Magazine | 25
Travel
One Proud Summer
Party Planner for the Gay Traveler by Mike Hastings
Unite CinCinnati Lights, costumes, music, action… When the gay community parties, they certainly do it in style! If you’re wondering where the hottest places for fun-in-thesun are this summer, forget beach resorts; think festivals. Inspired by Europe’s extravagant touring-parties, these new festival spectaculars offer revelers blazing pyrotechnics and Broadway-caliber production, with music by the world’s leading DJs. The trick for gay travelers is acting fast as rooms fill up quickly! Here are some of this summer’s best.
Travel to CHICAGO
Destination: Neverland Taking Place: Pride Weekend (June 27 to 28) and Market Days (August 7-9) Best Place to Stay: Best Western Hawthorne Terrace is the only hotel in Boystown. In downtown Chicago, best options are the PUBLIC Hotel (chic lobby bar), The Hotel Monaco, and the W on Lakeshore Drive. Be Sure To Check Out: Wicker Park, Andersonville, and Old Town are great neighborhoods for city walks. The art galleries in Pilsen are also pretty cool.
Disney is Dead”. For Pride, our theme is “Bougie”. Tell me, who has ever thrown a Bougie Ball before? We’ll be making fun of the finer things as well as celebrating them. For Market Days, our theme is “Savages”. The costumes will emulate ancient savage cultures like the Aztec, Mayans, Huns, and Mongols! What makes Neverland different from other parties? Neverland is run by artists, not promoters. Our emphasis is on fantasy and production. Who will be providing the beats at Pride? DJ Joshua D (LA) is spinning the outdoor pool party on Saturday. Then DJs Alex Acosta and Alexander will headline Neverland “Bougie”, the Saturday night main event. The Sunday closing party will takes place at The MID, one of Chicago’s most prestigious nightclubs, with DJ Ivan Gomez. What should travelers pack to enjoy Neverland to its fullest? A lot of people bring costumes that match the theme. You can get inspiration on what to bring and wear from the photos on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/NeverlandParties
Chicago is changing! Four years ago, the city’s Pride consisted of a single, small event on a Saturday night. With the help of Neverland, the scene has expanded! This year’s Pride will be the largest in years, with three large dance parties and world-class DJs like Alex Acosta, Ivan Gomez, and DJ Alexander. Market Days will be even bigger, with a daytime street festival, and nighttime events including Neverland “Savages” with Isaac Escalante and Alain Jackinsky, and Alegria headlined by Abel. Anthony DiFiore, Creative Director of Neverland, explains.
Travel to LAS VEGAS
What does Neverland have in store for summer 2015? Anthony DiFiore: Our parties always have high-concept, unique theme like our “Ratchet Ball” a year ago, or “Walt
Does anyone need an excuse to travel to Sin City? Las Vegas lives on the wild side and is a haven for overstimulation, but it’s also an interesting cultural study and a lot of fun. If you’ve
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Destination: Matinée Las Vegas Festival Taking Place: Memorial Day Weekend, Friday, May 22 to Monday, May 25 Best Place to Stay: Rumor Hotel is the host hotel. Hard Rock and the Tropicana are nearby and are offering special rates for Matinée attendees. Be Sure To Check Out: Mariah Carey. She is in town performing during Memorial Day Weekend. Also, be sure to take in at least one Cirque du Soleil show.
never visited the city, there’s no time like the present to pack your bag and head to Vegas, baby! Matinée USA partner Paul Nicholls explains. What does Matinée Las Vegas Festival have in store this year? We are celebrating the five-year anniversary of what has become the fastest growing gay dance festival in the country. We are ready to bring the wow factor. There will be multiple jaw dropping moments that have never been done at a gay event before. Also, our Saturday main event will be at Cowabunga Bay, America’s newest waterpark featuring fifteen state-of-the-art water slides. What makes Matinée Las Vegas Festival different from other parties? The thing I am most proud of is our “because we can” approach to everything we do. We always put ourselves in our customers shoes and give them that extra touch that really makes a difference “because we can”. We strive to provide wow moments that clubbers could never see coming. Who will be providing the beats? We have an unprecedented list of superstar DJs from Matinée All Stars like Taito Tikaro and Lydia Sanz to home grown Matinée USA All Stars like Hector Fonseca and DJ GRIND. We also have some new additions this year that we are thrilled to welcome, including Issac Escalante, Phil Romano, Kidd Madonny and Kitty Glitter. What should travelers pack to enjoy Matinée Las Vegas Festival to its fullest? All you need is your ID and a smile. Let us take care of the rest!
TRAVEL TO NEW YORK
Destination: New York Pride Taking Place: Friday, June 26 Sunday, June 28
Best Place to Stay: OUT NYC is a self-described “straight-friendly” hotel where every day is LGBT Pride. Be Sure To Check Out: Stonewall Inn, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Freedom Tower, and Empire State Building. Of course, the gay revolution all started here at Manhattan’s Stonewall in 1969. The Big Apple’s pride celebration is like no other. The week-long festivities kick off Tuesday, June 23 with “Family Night”, but June 28 is the main event with one of the world’s largest LGBT pride marches. The main post-march events are PrideFest, a huge street fair held on Hudson Street, and the famous Dance on the Pier, which typically draws surprise superstars to the stage. This year, for the first time ever, Circuit Festival joins in on the fun for Pride Weekend presenting the world’s biggest gay event at Copa, the most exclusive rooftop in the Hell’s Kitchen. Event producer Jake Resnicow explains. What does Circuit Festival have in store this year? We’re raising the bar on nightlife this Pride. We will deliver on all the details that make a party successful: the best DJs, sound, lighting, production and venue. We’re taking over Copa. How can you beat a rooftop in NYC? What makes Circuit Festival different from other parties? What really makes NYC Pride something special is the crowd. The Pride crowd is anxious to be a part of something epic. They come with a purpose: to celebrate! Who will be providing the beats? DJs Tom Stephan, O’Halley Brothers, Serving Ovahness, and more to be announced soon. What should travelers pack to enjoy to enjoy Circuit Festival to its fullest? Shades. The sun always shines brightly on Pride.
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LGBT Business Directory ART & Culture Cincinnati Art Museum 953 Eden Park Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45202 www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
EDUCATION The New School Montessori 3 Burton Woods Ln. Cincinnati, OH 45229 513. 281.7999 www.newschoolmontessori.com
FINANCIAL SERVICES Shawn P. Hannegan, CPA 10979 Reed Hartman Hwy Suite 331E Cincinnati, OH 45242 513.223.3317 www.hannegancpa.com Eagles Savings Bank 6415 Bridgetown Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45248 513.233.7182 eaglesavings.com
FITNESS Body by Bree 605 Madison Ave. Suite 1 Covington, Kentucky 41011 270.234.3357 www.bodybybree.net
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LEGAL SERVCES Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith 605 Madison Ave. Suite 2 Covington, Kentucky 41011 859.414.0543 or 502.498.4739 www.lawofficesofshannoncsmith.com
NIGHTLIFE The Annex 901 Race St Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.421.1663
On Broadway 817 Broadway St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 Facebook.com/onbroadwaybar Old Street Saloon 13 Old St. Monroe, OH 45050 513.539.9183 Rosie’s Tavern 643 Bakewell St. Covington, KY 41011 859.291.9707 Shooters 927 Race St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.381.9900
Bar 32 701 Bakewell St. Covington, KY 41011 859.431.7011
NONPROFIT
Below Zero 1122 Walnut St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.421.9376 www.belowzerolounge.com
HIV Project 4138 Hamilton Ave. Cincinnati , OH 45223 513.679.4453 www.ppswohiv.org
The Cabaret 1122 Walnut St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.202.4052 www.cabaretcincinnati.com
Imago 700 Enright Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45205 513.921.5124 www.imagoearth.org
The Dock Complex 603 West Pete Rose Way Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.241.5623
PHOTOGRAPHY Mikki Schaffner Photography 2511 Essex Pl. Room 104 Cincinnati, OH 45206 www.mikkischaffner.com
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Psychology/Counseling Ellen O. Bierhorst Ph.D. 513.221.1289 www.lloydhouse.com REstaurant Piper’s Cafe 520 W. 6th St. Covington, KY 41011 www.piperscafe.biz Retail flow - a shop for men 619 Madison Ave. Covington, KY 41011 859.291.3569 www.gentlemanflow.com
Park + Vine 1202 Main St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.721.7275 www.parkandvine.com The Man Cave One Levee Way Newport, KY 41071 Kelly’s Kloset One Levee Way Newport, KY 41071 Past and Present 521 Monmouth St Newport, KY 41071 859.433.0183 Roebling Point Books and Coffee 306 Greenup St. Covington, KY 41011 513.607.1206
Services Tier Haus Pet Salon
5970 Harrison Ave Cincinnati, OH 45248
513.574.9333 www.tierhauspetsalon.com VENUES Mayerson JCC 8485 Ridge Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45236 www.mayersonjcc.org web design Hip Gloss Productions, LLC Amy Ketchum 71 Cavalier Blvd., Florence KY 41042 513.549.7447 (7HIP) www.HipGloss.com unite@hipgloss.com
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GLESEN PROM 2015 SAFE SPACE SOIREE
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Photograph by David N Martin/ Š MKphotography
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Join Macy’s as we Celebrate Family + Friends + Love + Life + Equality + Respect We are proud to join the parade across America in honor of National Pride Month. We think it’s really something to celebrate. Plus, join us in supporting The Trevor Project this year! The Trevor Project provides life-saving crisis intervention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.
F O R M O R E D E T A I L S visit
MACYS.COM/CELEBRATE
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