Echo Magazine - Arizona LGBTQ Lifestyle - April 2019 by OUTvoices Phoenix (former Echo Magazine)

INSIDE:

Phoenix Pride Festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Latin Carnival Stage

PLUS:

Meet Monica Helms, creator of the Transgender Pride Flag

JoJo! Get to know the pop star prior to her mainstage performance at Phoenix Pride LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Vol. 30, #7 | Issue 715 | April 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

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INSIDE THIS

ISSUE Issue 715 | Vol. 30, #7 | April 2019

NEWS 8

Editor’s Note

12 News Briefs 14 Datebook

COMMUNITY 56 Without Reservations 58 At the Box Ofﬁce 60 Opening Nights 62 Recordings 64 Between the Covers 66 Talking Bodies 68 Not That You Asked 70 We The People 72 History

OUT & ABOUT 16 Melrose Street Fair 18 AIDS Walk 34 Marla Hooch Chili & Salsa Cook-Off 36 Project NUNway 44 Arizona Gay Rodeo 78 Renaissance Fair

ON THE COVER JoJo Photo by Angelo Kritokos.

Meet the creator of the Transgender ﬂ ag, an author and activist who co-founded the Transgender Veterans Association.

WEB EXCLUSIVES

INSIDE:

Phoenix Pride Festival’s new Latin Carnival Stage

PLUS:

Meet Monica Helms, creator of the Transgender Pride Flag

JoJo! Get to know the pop star prior to her mainstage performance at Phoenix Pride LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Vol. 30, #7 | Issue 715 | April 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

Transgender activist Monica Helms serves as Community Grand Marshal at Phoenix Pride

APRIL 2019

EchoMag.com

Ms. And Mr. Phoenix Leather Echo’s frequent contributor Michelle Talsma Everson offers a personal look at these titleholders. echomag.com/mr-mrs-leatherapril-2019

Soul and R&B singer Marger. Courtesy of Club Papi.

The Missing B? (In LGBTQ)

Phoenix Pride 2019

Michelle Talsma Everson spoke with bisexual members of the LGBTQ community about some of the challenges they face, including bisexual erasure and invisibility.

From the Latin Stage to the interactive Phoenix Pride Unity Mural, ﬁnd out what’s new at this year’s festival.

By Cathy Cade>

The Dinah The largest lesbian event worldwide takes over Palm Springs to celebrate its 29th year. Find out about all the action, from the pool parties to the performances.

“Art After Stonewall 1969-1989”

This new book features art that emerged in the wake of the Stonewall Riots. NYC correspondent Judy McGuire talked to editor Jonathan Weinberg about this signiﬁcant tome showcasing the impact of the LGBTQ civil rights movement on the art world.

David Liebe Hart returns to Phoenix The outsider artist visits to perform his musical show that involves puppets and comedy. He’ll also screen his ﬁlm, Shrek Retold. echomag.com/liebe-hartapril-2019 Copy of DLH photo credited to: Jessica Pohl

Tiki Oasis makes its Arizona debut So Cal’s annual celebration of tiki culture is now throwing a three-day soiree in Old Town Scottsdale. EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE By Amy Young

i. We hope you have been resting up because it’s almost time for the Phoenix Pride Festival. That’s certainly been a topic of conversation in the Echo office. Not only we will spend the weekend in a booth at Pride getting to see old friends and meet new members of the community, but we are also one of 2019’s Community Grand Marshals — a meaningful honor that finds us both excited and proud. In honor of this annual event, we kick off our features with an interview with one of Pride’s headlining performers. Colby Tortorici talks to pop singer JoJo about her career. In the conversation, she reveals why she loves performing at Pride festivals. On page 28, Laura Latzko breaks down what’s new this year at Pride, including the Latin Stage sponsored by Club Papi and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. That’s followed by Michelle Talsma Everson’s article on page 32 that explores challenges some bisexual folks are experiencing — in particular, how they sometimes feel invisible in the LGBTQ community. We are just a few months away from the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Publishing house Rizzoli USA’s new book “Art After Stonewall 19691989” looks at how the LGBTQ civil rights movement impacted the art

world. On page 38 you’ll find Judy McGuire’s interview with the book’s editor Jonathan Weinberg, along with a small selection of some of the artwork featured in the book. The Dinah — the event that calls itself ‘The largest queer girl party music festival in the world’ — takes over Palm Springs for its 29th year of fun. Megan Wadding talked to the event’s founder in order to get the scoop on what is new this year and provides details on the musical acts and multiple pool parties. For nearly two decades, California has been home to the grooviest shindig around — the Tiki Oasis. This celebration of tiki culture has created a sister event — the Arizona Tiki Oasis — and it launches in April at the Valley Ho in Old Town Scottsdale. Dust off your Hawaiian shirts and twist your wig up into your best pinup ‘do and enjoy three days of fun, including a luau and seminars. Tom Reardon talks to the party’s founder on page 53. Amy Young is the managing editor of Echo Magazine. A longtime journalist, her work has appeared numerous publications, regional to international. Please contact her at editor@echomag.com.

LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: Bill Orovan ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Bill Gemmill EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR: Amy Young CONTRIBUTORS: Kimberly Blaker Grace Bolyard Edward Castro Jenna Duncan Buddy Early Michelle Talsma Everson Tamara Juarez Steve Kilar Jason Kron Jeff Kronenfeld Laura Latzko Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen

Tuesday Mahrle Judy McGuire Kaely Monahan Ashley Naftule David-Elijah Nahmod Tia Norris Tom Reardon Seth Reines Mikey Rox Terri Schlichenmeyer Nikole Tower Megan Wadding

INTERNS Grace Lieberman Colby Tortorici ART DEPARTMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: nightfuse.com. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING: Ashlee James ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Gregg Edelman NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863

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MEMBER:

Echo Magazine is published by ACE Publishing, Inc. Echo is a registered trademark of ACE Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Written permission must be obtained in advance for partial or complete reproduction of any advertising material contained therein. Opinions expressed therein are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. ACE Publishing, Inc. does not assume responsibility for claims by its advertisers or advice columnists. Publication of a name, photograph of an individual or organization in articles, advertisements or listings is not to be construed as an indication of the sexual orientation, unless such orientation is specifically stated. Manuscripts or other materials submitted remain the property of ACE Publishing, Inc. 8

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NEWS BRIEFS

The Arizona Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Arizona Senate takes historic step towards updating non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity News and photos by Jeff Kronenfeld On Monday, March 4, the Arizona Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development had its first informational hearing on updating the state’s non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Wes Gullett, CEO of OH Strategic Communications and former Phoenix mayoral candidate, was the first to testify on behalf of One Community, followed by a presentation from Angela Hughey, president of One Community. Hughey detailed why the measure is important to Arizona for both ethical and economic reasons. She began by noting that sex, race, age, disability, color, creed, national origin, and religion are already protected in Arizona and that she is simply advocating for an update to the policies. “What we’re here to talk about today are equal protections, not special protections,” Hughey said. 12

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Hughey pointed out that the combined buying power of the U.S. LGBTQ adult population is at least $917 billion dollars — citing a study by Witeck Communications released in 2016 — and that Arizona is losing out on this market while also hurting the state’s ability to attract new business, conferences, events, top talent, and tourists. “Unfortunately, the state of Arizona has put itself at a competitive disadvantage because we have patchwork laws when it comes to LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination policies, but also when we look at regions that we compete against for convention and visitor’s bureau, the regions are all LGBTQ inclusive,” Hughey said. “If you’re an LGBTQ Arizonan or an LGBTQ person that’s visiting here, your rights shouldn’t depend on the zip code that you’re in.” In Arizona, five cities have such protections in place — Phoenix, Tucson,

Tempe, Flagstaff and Sedona — although Phoenix is currently awaiting a ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court in a case where a small stationery company challenged the ordinance. Arizona loses 30 percent of its college graduates annually, according to the employment analytics website Zippia.com. Hughey claimed Arizona’s failure to protect all people from discrimination in housing, employment and public services was a factor in this. She showed that 20 percent of millennials identify as LGBTQ, with 63 percent identifying as “allies,” according to a report by GLAAD from 2017. With 93 percent of Fortune 500 companies including “sexual orientation” in their nondiscrimination policies and over 3,100 businesses having already signed a pledge not to discriminate — including GoDaddy, The Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phoenix Suns, Coca-Cola, Paypal, PetSmart, Fry’s Food Stories and news

Glenn Kasprzyk, chief operating ofﬁcer for American Medical Response, testifying before the Arizona Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Tyler Conaway, Commercial Risk Management Policy Analyst for Paypal, testifying before the Arizona Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Angela Hughey, president of One Community, testifying before the Arizona Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Apple — Hughey argued that Arizona’s economy was losing out as a result of not having inclusive statewide protections. Hughey told the senators that such protections are supported by most Arizonans, noting more than 70 percent of general election voters and more than 50 percent of self-identified conservative voters favored policies protecting gay and transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing and in receiving public services, including access to medical care and facilities. She challenged claims that the passage of such protections posed a public safety threat, noting 19 states and over 200 cities had passed such protections with no increase in public safety incidents. Also testifying were Tyler Conaway, Commercial Risk Management Policy Analyst for Paypal and Glenn Kasprzyk, chief operating officer for American news

Medical Response. “When we work in a state that doesn’t have necessarily a fully-inclusive optic, that is from the outside looking in, it can be a competitive disadvantage to us,” Conway testified. Neil Guiliano, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), also testified in support of updating the state’s policies. “GPL represents over 100 corporate CEOs and they all represent over 300,000 employees,” Guiliano said. “From the workforce development standpoint, we can no longer afford to not be fully inclusive in the state of Arizona.” A member of the committee, Republican Sen. Kate Brophy McGee of Phoenix, co-sponsored a bill to update the non-discrimination policy with Republican Sen. Heather Carter earlier this year. Though Brophy McGee said

Neil Guiliano, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership testifying before the Arizona Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.>

she had been “taken to task” by her legislative caucus for this due to claims it could expose the state to lawsuits — which Brophy McGee and Gullett disputed — she indicated her continuing support for such efforts and thanked One Community for its testimony and work. “Unfortunately, we don’t see the opportunity for a vote this session, but I do want to say this: this is a historic day,” Hughey said. “This is the first time there’s ever been an educational hearing, so we’ve moved the ball forward. Last year, we had one Republican co-sponsor. This year we had two Republican co-sponsors and, for the first time in the history of Arizona, the prime sponsor was Republican.” “We will spend the rest of this year educating and having as many cups of coffee with folks that will sit down with us.” EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

DATEBOOK Mar. 30

Mar. 27

Melrose Toastmasters, for LGBTQ+ and allies, help to helps you to improve your leadership and job skills. This selfgrowth will aid you in real world, on the job skills. Meetings are at 7 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at The Rock.

Pink’s Beautiful Trauma Tour launched in Phoenix over a year ago. It’s been so successful, more dates have been added. She’ll return to Arizona to show off her bold vocals and stunning aerial moves at Gila River Arena.

Apr. 6-7

The Phoenix Pride Festival comes every year, but this one marks many LGBTQ+ milestones. 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the 30th birthday of your favorite neighborhood magazine Echo, and the 20th anniversary of Monica Helms’ designing of the transgender pride ﬂag are all this year! Celebrate progress with a score of entertainers, vendors, food options, a dance pavilion — the list goes on! Headlined by JoJo and Taylor Dayne, this will be one event you cannot miss. 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix phoenixpride.org

9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale gilariverarena.com/events/detail/pnk

4129 N. 7th Avenue, Phoenix melrose.toastmastersclubs.org

Apr. 2

Amaluna is Cirque du Soleil’s show that chronicles a love story between the daughter of Prospera and her new suitor. April 2nd is the LGBTQ day for the emotional show, and doors open at 7:15 p.m. at the State Farm Stadium. 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale cirquedusoleil.com/amaluna

Apr. 3

Mar. 29

Robin Banks, Amber Rains, Cassandra McKenzie and Penny Drynx bring the laughs with The Big Banks Theory Comedy Drag Show on March 29th at Cruisin’ 7th Show Bar and Lounge. The show starts at 10:30 p.m. and is sure to bring down the house. 3702 N. 7th St, Phoenix facebook.com/events/324578851489786

Mar. 30

Entering its 18th year, the Hope in the Face of AIDS Dinner is dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV. All proceeds of the gala go to programs to help educate people and stop the global spread of HIV through the U.S. and India. 7700 E McCormick Pkwy, Scottsdale iapaindia.org 14

APRIL 2019

Sisters in Law is a new play that chronicles the stories of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor, as well as their relationship. The play starts at 7:30 at The Phoenix Theatre Company, don’t miss it. 1825 N. Central Ave, Phoenix phoenixtheatre.com

Apr. 5

Phoenix has one of the longest standing First Friday Art Walk traditions, and this month is no exception. Head downtown on April 5th for the Art Walk trolley tour, which will take you to all of the best art destinations in Phoenix! You can ﬁnd many trolley stops right next to the Metro Stations! It’s free and starts at 6:00 p.m. 214 E. Roosevelt Street, Phoenix artlinkphoenix.org

EchoMag.com

Apr. 7

The 2019 Phoenix Pride Parade, which travels Third Street on Sunday morning will surely be one for the books! Starting at 10 am, this Parade celebrates the past, present and future of the LGBT community! Did we mention it’s free? Third Street from Thomas Road and Indian School Roard, Phoenix phoenixpride.org

Apr. 15

The Southwest Center for HIV and AIDS hosts the Night For Life Gala on April 15. The event will feature dinner, awards, a live auction, rafﬂes and entertainment. The cocktail reception is at 6:30 p.m., and the main event is at 7:30 p.m. Dress in formal attire. 2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix swhiv.org

Mark Our Calendars

To have your event considered for Echo’s print and online calendars, submit your event details to echomag.com/ community-calendar *All submissions are subject to Echo’s discretion. news

Upcoming Concerts Mary Fahl April 5 Red Molly April 7 Della Mae April 10 Trace Bundy April 11 Söndörgo˝ April 12 Clarice and Sergio Assad April 21 And many more!

AMY HANAIALI’I Sunday, April 28 | 7 p.m. | $38.50–$48.50

Singer-songwriter Amy Hanaiali’i remains Hawaii’s top-selling female vocalist of all time.

Upcoming Signature Event

Experience Polynesia | May 11 & 12 From Tahitian tunes to Hawaiian hula, discover music and dance of the Pacific Islands at MIM! Details at MIM.org

2019 Concert Series sponsored by

MIM.org | 480.478.6000 | 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ

2019 Melrose Street Festival

Mar. 2 at The Melrose District, Phoenix. Photos by Bill Gemmill.

APRIL 2019

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Out & About

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. Out & About

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

AIDS Walk

Feb. 23 at Tempe Beach Park, Tempe. Photos by nightfuse.com.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 18

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Out & About

Transgender activist Monica Helms serves as Community Grand Marshal at Phoenix Pride By Laura Latzko Photos courtesy of Monica Helms

anybody who might be transitioning, anybody else who doesn’t fit into the binary of male or female,” Helms said. “And then I put it in a pattern in such a way that no matter which way you fly it, it’s not upside down. That’s signifying correctness and us looking for correctness in our lives.” Around the world, people have adopted the transgender flag to show their pride or support for the transgender community. Helms often finds herself in awe of the international support of the flag. Monica Helms

n creating the pink, blue and white transgender flag, activist, author, and speaker Monica Helms made her mark on LGBTQ history and culture. During the 20th anniversary of the transgender flag, Helms will serve as the Community Grand Marshal of the Phoenix Pride parade. Helms has also been a grand marshal for pride parades in San Francisco, Charlotte and Atlanta.

“I was never expecting to see it all over the world. I’m still amazed when I see it in a country that I just never thought it would be there. They are proud to have something to march behind, to display at their house or their business,” Helms said. Helms takes pride in the fact that the flag has been hung outside of office doors at Congress and has been represented on popular TV shows. She still continues to think of it as her flag, despite others adapting and using it.

“It’s everybody’s flag, and people use the colors for all kinds of things. I’m happy about that. I put a little dent in the world. I call it ‘my flag.’ It’s my baby,” Helms said. Originally from South Carolina, Helms spent most of her life in the Valley before moving away in 2000. During her childhood, she also lived in Germany when her father, who was in the U.S. Air Force, was stationed overseas. She now lives in Georgia with her partner Darlene Darlington Wagner, a transgender woman who works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Helms regularly returns to Phoenix to visit her mother and son, who still live in the Valley. She said serving as a grand marshal in the Phoenix Pride Parade on such a momentous year is a great honor for her. While she is known for the flag, Helms has also brought change through her activism.

She marched with the original flag, which has since been donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, at the Phoenix Pride parade in 2000. Helms was inspired to create a transgender pride flag by Michael Page, who created the bisexual pride flag. Helms, who had some experience with graphic art, drew up the design herself and had it made by the same company as the bisexual pride flag. She tried to create a flag that represented the transgender experience. “I wanted to be able to point out the historical colors for baby boys and baby girls but then also have a white stripe in the middle to show those people who are gender neutral, bi-gender, the people who don’t feel that their gender is correct, 20

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Helms and ﬂag in an old issue of Echo.

FEATURE STORY

Throughout her career as an activist, Helms has lobbied legislators in the Arizona and Georgia legislatures and in Congress. She also served as the first transgender delegate from Georgia during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A filmmaker, Helms has created her own YouTube channel with videos on different transgender issues. Helms said having a voice, especially with the recent transgender ban, has become even more important in this day and age. “I’m horrified at all of the things that Trump is doing to try to backtrack and throw us back into the ‘50s. All that stuff that we accomplished during the Obama administration, we are going to have to fight for all over again. That’s not just limited to trans people. LGB people are being screwed over too. So, we are all in this fight together,” Helms said. Helms is the author of the science fiction books Valhalla, The Straits of Hell, Time Hostages, and The Wayward Star. She recently has been working on an autobiography of her life, entitled More than Just the Flag. The military has been a big part of Helms’ life. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1978 as a submariner. It was during this time period that she began to dress in women’s clothes in secret. She first realized she was transgender in 1987, began her transition in the early 1990s and started living as a woman in 1997. Helms first became involved in activism in the 1990s when she reapplied for membership to a local chapter of the United States Submarine Veterans Inc. under the name “Monica.” At the time, there were no women in the organization. Helms went on to be a co-founder of the Transgender American Veterans Association. Helms and her good friend Amanda Simpson first got involved in activism because they wanted to bring more of a focus to transgender issues. “At the time in the late ‘90s, everything was gay and lesbian. They didn’t think trans people were helpful. Amanda and I, we showed them different,” Helms said. Helms also wanted to help and inspire the next generation. “When I first started activism in the late ‘90s, I said, ‘I’m not doing this for myself … I’m doing this for trans people who haven’t been born yet.’ And now those people that have been born since then are taking over, and I’m glad to see that. I hope I helped a little bit along the way,” Helms told Echo. With all of her achievements, family has always been the most important aspect of Helms’ life. She has two sons and three grandchildren. She said her two sons, whom she had with her first wife, are her greatest accomplishment in life. “I was there at their birth, holding them in my hands. That’s probably the most amazing thing. If nothing else was to happen in my life, I’d be proud of that … I’m proud of them as adults today,” Helms said. Laura Latzko is a Phoenix-area freelance writer, originally from Michigan, who holds a bachelor’s degree in English and communication studies from Hollins University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE 24 TH ANNUAL NIGHT FOR LIFE!

BE HEARD. OUR COMMUNITY. OUR HEALTH. YOUR VOICE. Fundraising Gala • Dinner • Live Auction • Raffles • Dancing

Night for Life is a fundraising gathering with a goal to generate energy, raise awareness, and get the community involved in our mission. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Southwest Center. Get your tickets, dress to impress, and help our community thrive!

Parsons Center for Health & Wellness - 6:30pm 1101 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004

Get tickets at:

Learn more about Southwest Center and our services at:

www.swcenter.org

JoJo brings her magic to Phoenix Pride’s mainstage By Colby Tortorici Photo Courtesy of Doug Krantz

ans of the singer JoJo are on the edge of their seats as they wait to see her perform at Phoenix Pride. Headlining Saturday’s show, the singer follows in the footsteps of previous headliners such as BeBe Rexha and Daya. With smash hits under her belt such as “Leave (Get Out)” and “Too Little, Too Late,” expectations are riding high to see what JoJo is going to bring to Pride.

Road and my third album being released, I recorded several different albums that didn’t come out. Honestly, I felt defeated and depressed. I threw myself into a couple serious relationships and ended up basing Mad Love on my experiences with all kinds of love. looking for it in all kinds of ways, it was influenced by life — how things never happen how you think they will — and learning to be more fluid.

Echo got a chance to talk with the singer about her career, what she wants to do next, and her connection to the LGBTQ community.

Echo: You were also far more involved with the writing and producing process of Mad Love, how did this affect the end result of the album? Do you plan on staying similarly involved with your future projects?

Echo: The lead-up to your third album, Mad Love (stylized as Mad Love.), was anything but a smooth ride. It took almost a decade to be released amongst complications with the label. How did these issues influence the album lyrically, along your new, less teen-pop focused sound? JoJo: In that time between The High FEATURE STORY

JoJo: These were my little stories that I had lived, so it made the experience a lot more emotional for me because I was invested in every lyric. I love songwriting and producing music, so I plan to be all up in it in the future. Echo: How did the decision to

re-release your first two albums under Blackground at the end of last year come about? JoJo: Every day I would read comments on Twitter and Instagram asking why my first two albums weren’t on Spotify/iTunes etc.? And for years I responded the same way.“ My former label just hasn’t made them available”, but it bothered me, and I hated that that was the only answer I had for my fans. So, I wanted to come up with a solution, and realized that if I went back into the studio, recreated all the tracks, and resang all the vocals, it would be within my rights to release new versions of my first two albums. Echo: As you continue to work on your fourth album, where do you see yourself heading sound-wise? JoJo: R&B, hip-hop and soul are what have always made me really excited since I was a little girl. So, I’m currently following that feeling. EchoMag.com

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Echo: You featured a gender nonconforming person in your video for “Fuck Apologies.” Where did your connection to the LGBT community form? JoJo: Life. Not “fitting in.” Feeling “left out” or like “the only one.” Hard times. Resilience. As a teenager I naturally gravitated toward communities where like-minded people lived by the principle that no person is above or below the next. Coming together to feel something bigger than ourselves. Music. A vulnerable moment. Our humanity. Echo: What drew you to perform at 24

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Phoenix Pride? JoJo: Playing Pride [shows] is one of my favorite things! And Arizona has a special place in my heart, as it’s somewhere I’ve taken a few solo vacations to be in nature and connect to my inner voice. Echo: What is your set going to bring to Pride that will be different from what we’ve seen in the past? JoJo: Putting a new show together and I’m super hyped to do it and put some new feels into these songs. It’ll be a throwback thing as well as a modern moment. Echo: Your music and relationship with

your fans is very open and personal, what is the most important piece of advice you would give to LGBT kids out there who don’t have anyone on their side? JoJo: There is nothing in this world you can’t overcome. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you may seem, and more loved by this universe than you can fathom. Please don’t give up because this world needs you here, being you. Know that even if you’re in a town where you are made to feel isolated, you are not alone. You will meet people who will show you the love, respect, and dignity you deserve. FEATURE STORY

FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

PRESENTS

SATURDAY, MAY 11

6 PM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 PM

WAREHOUSE 215

215 E GRANT ST. PHOENIX, AZ 85004 W W W. R E D I S T H E N I G H T. O R G

FRANCINE REED

NICOLE PESCE

AMERICAN BLUES SINGER

AWARD WINNING PIANIST

RuPaul’s Drag Race fave Ms. Vanjie. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Pride.

Phoenix Pride introduces Latin Stage and other new features to festival T By Laura Latzko

he Phoenix Pride Festival is built on tradition, but it continues to grow and evolve to fit the needs of the community.

This year, the newest addition to the festival will be a Latin Stage, produced by Club Papi Productions that will feature local and national DJs, artists, go-go dancers and drag performers, as well as the Como La Flor Selena tribute band. The new stage will have performances from Miss Vanjie from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Amara La Negra from Love & Hip Hop Miami, dance music artist Robin S, 28

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Filipino singer Dulce, Puerto Rican hip hop/urban/bachata/merengue artist Ambar, New-York-based pop artist and fashionista MARI, and Afro-Latin American soul and R&B singer Marger.

after Latin stages at San Diego, Miami, and Los Angeles pride celebrations and is designed for people with different tastes.

Many of the headliners will also perform on other stages during the weekend.

“The Latin stages tend to be more diverse, as far as entertainment, where it’s a combination of DJs, local talent, international Latin talent, go-go dancers. It’s a mix of everything,” Fornelli said.

In recent years, Phoenix Pride has worked to bring in international Latin artists as headliners for the festival. The stage expands on this tradition.

He added that in recent years, Phoenix Pride has tried to bring in a greater diversity of and bigger name entertainers.

Phoenix Pride Executive Director Mike Fornelli said the new stage is modeled

“Our demographic spans from five years old to 100 years old. We like to FEATURE STORY

Venezuelan singer, songwriter, and actress Marger. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Pride.

try to have entertainers that are going to appeal to every single aspect of our demographic,” Fornelli said.

Como La Flor channels Selena. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Pride.

Phoenix Pride is ramping up to its 40th anniversary next year. The 2019 festival will be themed around “Celebrating our Progress: Past, Present, and Future.” Fornelli said this year Phoenix Pride is honoring individuals, especially transgender activists, who have shaped LGBT history. This year, Monica Helms will serve as the Community Grand Marshal of the Phoenix Pride Parade during the 20th anniversary of the transgender pride flag, which she created. Echo Magazine will receive the honor of Organization Grand Marshal during its 30th anniversary. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a pivotal moment in the Gay Rights movement. During the riots, members of the LGBT community in Greenwich Village rose up to protest police harassment and violence. This year is the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Radical Faeries, a network focused on the spiritual health of LGBT people and on the adoption of more environmentally-friendly practices. Taylor Dayne will headline on Sunday on the mainstage close to the 30th anniversary year of her hit song “Tell It to My Heart.” FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

2019 PHOENIX PRIDE MAIN STAGE ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE SATURDAY, APRIL 6 2019 1pm- Phoenix Pride Royalty Show 2pm- Singer Kenneth Nielson 2:30pm- Late Nite Snax Show 3:30pm- The Cotton Club Revue 4:30pm- ECHO V 5:15pm- ADA VOX 5:45pm- Special Presentation 6pm- AMARA LA NEGRA 7pm- KIM PETRAS 8pm- JOJO Hosts: Barbra Seville & Afeelya Bunz ( 4-9pm)

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 2019 12:30pm- Phoenix Pride Royalty Show 1:30pm- Ruby Reynolds Latino Hour 2:30pm- Kristofer & Krew 3:30pm- Pandora DeStrange and Friends 4pm- B4L Dance Company 4:30pm- HYM the Rapper 5pm- Phoenix Phollies 6pm- KISS BOYZ 6:30pm- NINA WEST 7pm- DUMBLONDE 8pm- TAYLOR DAYNE

Urban artist Ambar. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Pride.

The mainstage will also feature R&B, soul and pop singer JoJo, known for “Leave (Get Out);” German transgender singer/songwriter Kim Patras of “I Don’t Want It All” fame; Ohio-based drag queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Nina West; drag queen and American Idol contestant Ada Vox and Dumblonde, a pop duo made up of Danity Kane members Aubrey O’Day and Shannon Bex. 30

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This year, the Phoenix Pride Festival will have an expanded footprint. The Latin Stage will be in a section of Steele Indian School Park previously used in other capacities. The festival will have a slightly different look, but it will still cater to people of different ages, backgrounds and tastes. The festival will retain popular areas such as Erotic World, the Dance

Pavilion, the Arts Expo area and KidSpace. The area for kids is moving closer to lakeside area to provide more room for activities, and the exhibitor space near Arts Expo is expanding to provide more room for exhibitors. The Dance Pavilion area will have different art vehicles from Walter Productions, including Kalliope, a threeFEATURE STORY

Dance music artist Robin S. Photo by LMC.

Located near the community stage, the new health and wellness area will offer lakeside yoga classes, STD testing and vendors with health-related products and services. The number of exhibitors, especially health-related ones, has increased this year. Fornelli said a greater variety of businesses, including dispensaries, are interested in participating in the festival. Festival goers should also expect to see a large presence of political organizations encouraging community members to vote in upcoming election and take part in the Census. Getting into the park and purchasing drinks this year will be easier. The entrance lanes for the festival have been expanded, and this year festival goers can link their wristbands to their credit or debit cards. This will allow attendees to be able to purchase drinks throughout the day and close their tabs easily. story vehicle designed with light and flame effects; Big Red, a large-scale version of the Volkswagen Beetle; and Billy the Bull, a giant disco ball in the shape of a steer. This year in the Arts Expo area, festival goers can take part in the Phoenix Pride Unity Mural. To participate, they just need to dip their hands in rainbow colored paint and add their handprints to

large letters spelling out “Unity.” This year, the Community Stage will be expanded to accommodate larger crowds. Fornelli said in recent years the community stage has been one of the busiest sections. The size of the VIP area will also increase with the addition of VIP cabanas and a craft brew area.

In different areas of the festival, the bars have expanded. They will continue to have a variety of drink options, including new glitter-infused cocktails. Laura Latzko is a Phoenix-area freelance writer, originally from Michigan, who holds a bachelor’s degree in English and communication studies from Hollins University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

Check out the Bistro Stage for Coffee House, Jazz, and Acoustic tunes by these area performers including: Adam Smith Carmela Ramirez and Her Latin Jazz Quartet Dawn Bowman Ghost Cat Attack Jane Murdock Joh-ne Duo Karen O’Brien Poptop featuring Lila Sherman

FEATURE STORY

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APRIL 2019

The Missing B? (In LGBTQ) Some of the issues facing today’s bisexual community By Michelle Talsma Everson

n a 2013 Pew Research Center survey of LGBTQ Americans, 36 percent identified as gay men, 19 percent as lesbians, 5 percent as transgender — and 40 of respondents claimed to be bisexual. While these figures show that bisexual people make up a significant part of the LGBTQ population, many bi folks often claim not to feel fully a part of the LGBTQ community or at home in queer spaces. We spoke with a handful of bisexual people to hear their thoughts on this and the following is some of what they shared. Of course, the thoughts of a few does not represent the bisexual community as a whole, but we feel it does start a conversation on the concept of inclusiveness for bisexuals.

A part of the community? Marcia Leung came out as bisexual in her mid-20’s and is currently married to a man. She shares that she doesn’t always feel a part of the broader LGBTQ community. “It often seems like gay men and women are more valid than me, but I still go to Pride and I still openly claim bisexuality,” she explains. “It [Pride] is meant to be our space too and we belong there.” Holly Griffin identifies as bisexual and came out as a teen. She is passionate about bisexual pride but doesn’t always feel at home in the community either. “If I’m in a straight passing relationship, there can be almost gatekeeping within the community,” she says. “Some say I’m not ‘gay enough.’ Some people say I’m just going through a phase or I can’t love both men and women. It can be extremely painful to be interested in a woman only for her to reject you because you’re not a ‘real lesbian.’” When bisexual people are in a heterosexual-appearing relationship, things can get tricky, says Zail, who identifies as bi and is out to her friends 32

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but not her family. “Because I am hetero-romantic, I usually feel that my heterosexual relationships are not valid in LGTBQ spaces. I know many would be accepting, but I have seen many discussions on LGTBQ subreddits discussing the legitimacy of bisexual people into hetero relationships and it makes me feel like an invader or a pretender.”

Combating Invisibility The concept of bisexual invisibility or bisexual erasure is a hot button issue. “Bisexual erasure or bisexual invisibility is a pervasive problem in which the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright,” according to GLAAD. “I have definitely felt the struggle of erasure,” says Carolyn Thomas, who identifies as both bi and pansexual. “From well-meaning family telling me that one day I would ‘pick a side’ or ‘figure it out’ one day, to having to explain to partners that, no, being bisexual doesn’t mean I’m going to cheat on you or that I’ll ‘want more.’ It’s less of a struggle now that I’m married, gratefully, but even then, people assume I’ve just ‘picked a side.’” “I’ve definitely seen it [bi erasure] in media and among other LGBTQ people,” Griffin shares. “There are so many wellknown people throughout history that were bisexual, but they are usually called gay or straight. If you identify as strictly bisexual, what keeps you from not considering yourself pansexual? I’d never heard the term when I was starting to come out. Since coming out, I’ve heard a few definitions that never really seemed to fit me. Having been out a good deal longer, I’ve heard people use the term as a way to put down bisexuals. If that’s not how someone uses it, fantastic! I will never dictate what

someone wants to identify as. However, when someone uses it as a form of elitism and biphobia, then it’s a problem for me.” Zail points to online spaces as a place where bi erasure is all too common. “Seeing posts on Reddit spaces claiming that bi people are straight people who want to be a bit more queer or that bi people are just gay people too afraid to be queer makes me feel like my identity and sexuality is a joke or a farce. It makes me question myself sometimes,” she shares. “I also see this happen in media.”

Stereotypes & Misconceptions Like many who fall under the queer umbrella, bisexual people deal with their fair share of stereotypes and misinformation. Leung shares stereotypes that she has encountered. “Bisexual women are just straight and putting on a show for men and bisexual men are just confused gay men. People don’t want to deal with us and I think it’s because if they acknowledge that we’re real they have to start to acknowledge sexuality is more complicated.” “Being bisexual does not make anyone more or less likely to cheat. Being in a hetero relationship does not make someone straight, and definitely does not mean they don’t belong at Pride,” Thomas shares as she addresses some misconceptions. “We have enough people still trying to divide us from the outside; don’t do it from within. And being bisexual doesn’t exclude trans folks. It’s entirely possible that someone could be bisexual and transphobic, but one does not imply the other.” The concept of bisexuality and the accepting of transgender individuals is a reoccurring topic. FEATURE STORY

“There is a weird assumption that bisexuals are transphobic or that because I’m bisexual I can’t be attracted to people who are nonbinary or gender non-conforming. This isn’t true,” Griffin shares. “A lot of people who aren’t bisexual will say bi means two, so bisexuals only think there are two genders, thus they are transphobic. I know people who are bi who use it to mean two or more, or same and different. Being bisexual instead of pansexual doesn’t mean I’m transphobic or not attracted to other genders.” Some other stereotypes that came up were that those who identify as bisexual are somehow more promiscuous or are always polyamorous. “Men can be bisexual too, that’s just a fact,” Griffin adds. (Writer’s note: Many efforts were made to have male-identifying bisexual sources share their story. None came forward by deadline.)

Bisexual vs. Pansexual If you start a web search for the “difference between bisexual and pansexual,” the main thing that comes up time and time again is that bisexual addresses attraction to two genders while pansexual addresses multiple gender expressions. Those we spoke to, however, find that bisexuality and being pansexual are nearly synonyms or, at times, a matter of personal preference.

FEATURE STORY

“To me, bisexual already covers the gambit of possible genders,” Zail explains. “I never considered that some people see bisexual as literally meaning two genders. I have never felt any differently towards trans, genderqueer, genderfluid, etc. than the ‘traditional’ male or female identity. To me there is not a reason to identify as pan because to me bi already covers it.”

erased by straights, lesbians and gays in the community, and now people are claiming pansexual is a better way to identify. Stop telling bisexuals what it means to be bisexual, we know,” Griffin says. “I hope more people will feel empowered to come out and not feel ashamed or like they need to hide their identity to fit in. There is nothing wrong with you if you are bisexual.”

“I consider pansexual and bisexual essentially the same thing,” Leung says. “So, I believe it’s up to me to decide what feels right. I’ve experimented with saying queer or pansexual, but at the end of the day I just prefer the term bisexual.”

“Bisexuality can be defined many ways by many different people, and many of us lean more toward one side of the gender spectrum or the other, but that doesn’t erase our identity,” Thomas says. “I’ve found I tend to be more attracted to women than men, but that doesn’t make me any less bisexual. It’s all wibblywobbly, sexuality and gender. It’s a spectrum, and it’s colorful and crazy and vivid no matter where you end up on it.”

“I identify under either or both terms [pan and bi],” Thomas shares. “The distinction within the community is mostly in regard to trans and non-binary individuals, and there’s been talk that ‘bisexual’ is limited to just folks on the gender binary, which isn’t true for me. My attraction is more based on a person, sex and gender don’t really factor in as either a bonus or a deal-breaker. I just happened to fall in love with and marry a woman.”

Claiming Space While there are many issues and misconceptions to wade through, many bisexual people continue to show up and claim their space in the community. “Bisexuals have historically been

Continuing the Conversation GLAAD says that bi erasure is a legitimate problem but continuing to talk about it and combat it by including bisexuals in queer spaces can make a big difference. To learn more about bi erasure and how to fight it, visit www. glaad.org/bisexual/bierasure. Michelle Talsma Everson is a freelance writer, editor and PR pro. A graduate of NAU, she’s been writing for Valley publications for more than a decade. You can find out more at mteverson.com.

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

Marla Hooch’s Annual Chili & Salsa Cook-Off

Mar. 9 at Charlie’s, Phoenix. Photos by Bill Gemmill.

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Out & About

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Project NUNway

Feb. 16 at The Parsons Center for Health & Wellness, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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Out & About

ART GALLERY | R E TA I L S TOR E | C R EATI V I TY COAC H I NG | WO R K S H O P S + C L AS S ES

Gallery for all mediums, artist studio work spaces, art classes and workshops, creativity coaching, retail with artisan work, LGBTQ inspired goods and art supplies. We believe all of us deserve our individuality, and to all we say: what makes you different wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just be accepted here, it will be celebrated with pride.

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APRIL 2019

“Art After Stonewall, 1969-1989”

Editor Jonathan Weinberg on this new book highlighting art that emerged in the wake of the Stonewall Riots

By Judy McGuire

ith recent major museum retrospectives from Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Robert Mapplethorpe, David Wojnarowicz and Hockney, LGBTQI art seems to be having more than a moment. But while museums have traditionally honored single artists, large survey shows of queer art are more rare than you might think. The Columbus Museum of Art’s new traveling exhibition, “Art After Stonewall, 1969 – 1989,” is a welcome remedy to that. The show’s lead curator (there are a few) and editor of the gorgeous catalog that accompanies it, painter/ art historian Jonathan Weinberg, says really the only other big survey show was Hide/Seek: Difference in American Portraiture, curated by Jonathan David Katz at the National Portrait Gallery. “You can’t talk about major museums that have done historical shows about gay art,” Weinberg says, “because there just aren’t many. Sad to say, most museums in the U.S. have been very conservative in terms of queer shows and exhibitions.” Nor are there many books on the history of gay art. “I think people are under the misconception that it’s a bigger topic, because there are papers or articles about it. But there are very few books.” Timed to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the seven-day riot that became a turning point in the fight for gay rights, “Art After Stonewall” is anything but conservative. For one thing — it includes a lot more than just the “popular crowd” (translation: white men). Gathering works from both the famous (Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Diane Arbus) alongside more underground figures like Greer Lankton, Vaginal Davis, and photographer Honey Lee Cottrell, the book and exhibition is exhaustively researched and incredibly diverse.

Art After Stonewall, 1969 – 1989 (Rizzoli Books) Edited by Jonathan Weinberg. With contributions by Anastasia Kinigopoulo, Drew Sawyer and Tyler Cann. 38

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“I’m about to go see a Harmony Hammond retrospective,” Weinberg says of one of the many women included in the show. “Though most people know her as an artist, she’s a key figure in FEATURE STORY

writing about and curating on lesbian art and worked with other women artists to do lesbian art shows in the late 70s.” Weinberg adds that, “most of the biggest works in the show are by women; women who need more focus on them, like Michela Griffo, Maxine Fine, Lula Mae Blocton, and Tee Corinne. They’ve had some success in the art world, but they’re not super well known outside of that world.” “A piece that I really love is by Nancy Fried,” Weinberg says. “She got a lot of attention in the 90s, because she did these sculptures having to do with breast cancer. But in the 70s, she was doing these sculptures made of cookie dough. I thought they didn’t exist anymore, but they do and they’re very funny and beautiful.” Inclusion was very important when planning the show. “Right in the beginning, we decided that we must include trans artists. We have Greer Lankton, Vaginal Davis, Del Lagrace Volcano, Marsha P. Johnson, and Leon Mostovoy.” “We couldn’t make up representation now that didn’t exist then,” Weinberg says. “As I’m always telling my students, the importance is that the past is different, so the future can be different.” Covering the time frame between the baby steps of the gay rights movement and the devastation that came with the emergence of AIDS, Art After Stonewall is both a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we have left to go. Peter Hujar’s joyful portraits of Charles Ludlum Cockette, Daniel Ware, along with his Gay Liberation Front flyer stand in stark contrast to Gran Fury’s bloody graphics. And as LGBTQI rights are being chipped away at again, this show is a reminder that there’s no time to rest. In fact, Weinberg believes this exhibition might not have ever happened if the Orange Menace hadn’t moved into the White House. “I was feeling like the idea was a dinosaur because people were

Basquiat and Warhol by Tseng Kwong Chi.

saying we were beyond queer theory and queer art,” Weinberg sighs. But then HE happened and people realized there was no time to rest. “A lot of the support that this show has gotten is quite possibly because of Donald Trump. It may not have happened without him, because even queer people were saying it was essentialist before that.” Fifty years after that first brick was thrown, Stonewall remains an important turning point. “As you probably know, there were many incidences and different riots and moments when people got very angry,” Weinberg recalls. “But the reason Stonewall become so important … the act of memorializing has made it important. The civil rights movements, feminism — all these things were coming to a head. People were really canny and decided it to turn it into a march — and don’t call it a parade, it was a march. We didn’t have permission.”

“It was all about taking it to the streets, going into the open,” he continues. “It resonated with the antiwar, civil rights, and feminist activists and that’s really important. The Gay Liberation Front decided that they going to turn this into something.” Opening in New York, simultaneously at NYU’s Grey Art Gallery and LeslieLohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art on April 24, the show will then travel to Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum in Miami, Florida (September 14), and wind up back at its home at the Columbus Museum of Art for Valentine’s Day, 2020. I wondered why none of the major museums in New York had sponsored the show — after all, Stonewall is in New York City. “I think it’s fantastic that a Midwest museum is leading this,” Weinberg, an ex-New Yorker/turned Connecticut resident, laughs. “It’s one of the misconceptions that the big cities on the coast are so much better, but we’re not.” Jonathan Weinberg, PhD, is also an accomplished painter, the author of the upcoming Pier Groups: Art and Sex Along the New York Waterfront (Penn State University Press), Male Desire: the Homoerotic in American Art (Harry N. Abrams); and other books. Currently, Weinberg is curator of the Maurice Sendak Foundation, a critic at the Yale School of Art, and a lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Pier 52 by Shelley Seccombe. FEATURE STORY

Judy McGuire is a writer who lives in Queens, NY with three cats and a man. You can find her at @HitOrMissJudy (Twitter) and @bad_advice (Instagram). EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

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APRIL 2019

AGRA Rodeo

Feb. 17 at Corona Ranch, Laveen. Photos by Gregg Edelman.

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Out & About

THINK PINK

PARADE KICK OFF

Join Echo Magazine as we celebrate the honor of being a 2019 Phoenix Pride Community Grand Marshal and kick-off the parade in style. We are partnering with Kobalt, Smirnoff and STEM SWAG to make sure you have everything you need to fuel up before the parade and help us turn the parade route pink! 路路路路

Morning Munchies Pink + Pose Photo Opps Pink Drinks Parade Survival Swag

Sunday, April 7th 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. Kobalt Complimentary Admission

Meet the outrageous drag queen and TV cooking show host, Betty D. Licious, in her first live TV special. Betty and her band of back-up boys manage mess-ups and mishaps on camera, while off-stage she faces personal struggles with aging, losing friends, and being her authentic self. This world premiere musical starring D. Scott Withers is a wildly campy send-up with a poignant heart of gold.Â

APRIL 24 - MAY 19

AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE COMPANY

Visit PhoenixTheatre.com or call 602.254.2151 for tickets.

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APRIL 2019

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The Dinah 2019 What’s new and an interview with performer Daya Story by Megan Wadding

lub Skirts presents The Dinah. The annual music festival and pool party weekend — aka the largest lesbian event worldwide — is about to take over Palm Springs. The festival includes various performances by nationally-renowned recording artists, massive pool parties with world-famous DJs and go-go dancers, red carpet events with celebrity guests and musicians, and meet-andgreets with lesbian celebrities — also known as “celesbians.” Now celebrating its 29th year, the star-studded weekend will kick off a five-day party held at various locations throughout Palm Springs, including the two host hotels, the Hilton Hotel & Spa and the Hyatt Palm Springs.

Fun-filled weekend The weekend that has become an oasis in the desert for women from around the world is filled with events such as the Black and White Ball and the Dinah Comedy show on Friday, April 5, The L Word Pool Party and the Hollywood Party and on Saturday, April 6, a comedy show, celebrity meet-and-greets, and poolside games. About those aforementioned celesbians, Mariah Hanson, the event’s founder and producer says those expected to appear this year range from actors and reality TV stars to filmmakers and screenwriters.

What’s new? For the first time ever, the Friday night party, The Black and White Ball, is being held at the Hyatt Regency, on April 5. Hanson tells us that the party will take over the entire first floor of the hotel, including the lobby, atrium, bar and pool area, with second floor balconies overlooking the stage below, where Leikeli47 will be performing. “The Hyatt is located smack dab in the heart of downtown, two blocks from The Hilton where our pool parties take place during the day, so the location is perfect. We’re really happy to offer this stunning top-scale hotel to our guests,” said Hanson. FEATURE STORY

Event headliner Daya. Courtesy of Noisy Ghost PR. EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

“Drink a lot of water and don’t get too wasted the first night! Happens all the time!” – Mariah Hanson’s #1 tip for Dinah first-timers

The weekend’s pool parties will take place at the Hilton Hotel & Spa’s main pool during the day, and the Hyatt Palm Springs at night. The opening and closing parties will both be held at Zelda’s Nightclub, a fun hotspot to both kick-start and close the weekend. “It’s going to be spectacular,” Hanson added.

Musical hotspot The musical performances this year are amazing as always. Musical powerhouse, Daya, will be headlining the weekend with her performance on Saturday night. The Grammy Awardwinning pop sensation, who best known for her smash collaboration with The Chainsmokers, “Don’t Let Me Down”, will be taking the stage at the Hollywood Party, on April 6. “Daya headlines with a proven track record as a stellar performer with five platinum releases,” said Hanson, who is excited for the show. Over the course of the festival, attendees can also expect performances by hip-hop sensations Diiamon’d Royalty and Kodie Shane, musician and producer Leikeli47 and several world-renowned DJs, taking various stages, some poolside. As always, Hanson picks incredible line-ups for the weekend, including a knack for finding the next hot performer 50

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to hit the airwaves. “My pick for the next big thing is Kiana Lede, who performs on Sunday at our pool party, but we also have so many other artists that are poised to break out in 2019.” Hanson added that she believes Kiana Lede is “going to be huge.” When asked her secret for finding talent just before they hit the big-time, Hanson said, “Let’s just say I employ an intuitive and scientific approach. How can one go wrong?” While in previous years, the Dinah events centered mostly on pool parties, the Dinah of the past decade has flawlessly amped up the pool parties and water games, while also simultaneously becoming quite a popular music festival by drawing in huge superstar artists over recent years, such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Chaka Khan, Meghan Trainor, Iggy Azalea, Eve, Salt ‘N Pepa and more, many of them while they were just on the cusp of hitting the big-time. “We’ve been redirecting the focus to equally celebrate emerging artists [over] the last 10 years now, and I think after a lot of work and some great picks for headliners that took off into stratospheric heights, we are considered a worthy festival stop for most emerging artists,” explained Hanson.

Hanson said the musical performances and the “sea of really really really happy faces” are always her favorite parts of the weekend.

Lots of laughs The Dinah Comedy Show will be held on Friday, April 5. and Fortune Feimster and Chaunte Wayans will co-host together for the first time ever. Also set to make appearances are Big Brother winner Kaycee Clark, popular tattoo artist TouShai and Bad Girls Club actress Kat Florek. Feimster, a stand-up comedian, writer and actor, first rose to fame when she guest-starred on E!’s Chelsea Lately, before becoming a series regular on NBC’s Champions, among other projects. She now headlines comedy clubs around the country. “Fortune Feimster is about to really take off,” predicted Hanson. “She’s an incredible comic with a heart of gold.” Wayans is also a comedian, writer and actress, who has toured nationally and has multiple television and film credits to her name. Hanson added that with the addition of Wayans as co-host, this is a “dream show” for her. “Wayans is another cutting edge and very funny comic who is about to take off,” said Hanson. “I would not miss the comedy this year, no matter what reason you come to The Dinah.”

Attendance “This Dinah looks like it will be one of our better ones. We’re getting a very positive response to the talent announcements and its reputation just builds on itself,” Hanson said. FEATURE STORY

from all parts of the country together to celebrate our lives and community together. Our differences just fade away,” said Hanson. According to Hanson, many of the women come over from Arizona to attend the weekend. “Arizona Is a great state and the gals that come from Arizona know how to have a good ol’ Dinah time,” said Hanson. “It’s so easy to get here, which helps.”

Photo by Kingmon Creative.

According to Hanson, women come from all over the country and from across the globe to attend, with about 45% of attendees coming in from outside the state of California. “It’s amazing to get so many women

Daya Q&A By Megan Wadding Grammy Award-winning pop music sensation, Daya, will headline the concert being held on Saturday, April 6 at the Hyatt Palm Springs. She spoke to Echo about her upcoming show at The Dinah, what inspires her, how she reacted when she first heard about the Dinah and what to expect from her energy-infused show. Echo: What do you have planned for your show at The Dinah? Daya: It’s gonna be the gayest show I’ve ever put on. I’ll be playing a mix of old and some new music. Echo: Have you ever been to the Dinah before? Are you excited? What have you heard about the event? Daya: I haven’t, no. I actually first heard of Dinah Shore from my band last year. I think my guitarist’s girlfriend was there at the time when we were on tour. Once I realized it’s just a massive gay girl party, I freaked out! I’m so excited to be there and celebrate with my LGBTQ sisters and get crazy! Echo: Have you ever performed at any other lesbian events? Daya: I’ve performed at many different FEATURE STORY

Oasis in the desert Palm Springs was specifically chosen by Hanson as the perfect city to host The Dinah. The city, which is known for its beautiful, warm weather, gorgeous mountains, palm-lined streets, and welcoming attitude, makes for an ideal place to hold an event such as this. “Mostly it is a perfect place for The Dinah because of the weather, but the Prides, but never an event designated strictly for queer girls. As a bisexual girl who’s constantly trying to build my community of other queer girls, it’s really exciting and inspiring to be involved with something that champions a community like Dinah does. Echo: Will you be attending any of the other Dinah events over the weekend?

city itself loves the event and is very supportive of the LGBTQIA community and that always helps,” said Hanson, who added that it really means a lot to be able to feel comfortable walking about town, holding hands and feeling welcomed and appreciated, while attending the event.

Unity and community The aspect of the weekend Hanson said she is most excited for is everyone coming together to celebrate together. “I’m excited for another year of this incredible unity and community that we create during the five days together at The Dinah,” said Hanson. “It’s a connection with the best of who we are, in a celebratory environment. People leave The Dinah feeling so inspired and rejuvenated.” “The Dinah is an experience that belies all the assumptions about it. It’s an inspiring celebration of our lives, iced with an incredible musical format that you will not find anywhere else at an event this size,” said Hanson. “I pull out all the stops to create a safe, welcoming space for women. You often hear how it’s about drinking or wild parties, but it’s just so much more than that.“ Echo: What are you most looking forward to about The Dinah? We’re excited to see you! Daya: I can’t wait to see my west coast family again, it’s been so long since I’ve played a show out here. Especially my Arizona fans ‘cause I know they can get crazy!

Daya: I hope so! I don’t know how I could come and not have the full Dinah Shore experience! Echo: What inspires you musically? Daya: Authenticity and genre-bending. I’m inspired by artists who live their truths and find ways to incorporate their own sounds into existing music spaces. Echo: What do you do to get prepared for a show? Daya: I just pretend that it’s my first time playing these songs to an audience and go out there as excited and energetic as I would be if it were. Echo: Are you working on any new projects that you’d like to mention? Should we expect any new music soon? Daya: I have lots of new things in the works. So much has been brewing for the past two years. I’m really proud of how I’ve grown as a writer and artist and excited for the rest of the world to see/ hear that progress. Stay tuned!

EVENT INFO: Event: Club Skirts presents The Dinah Location: Various locations, Palm Springs, California Date: Wednesday April 3 through Sunday, April 7 Tickets: thedinah.com Megan Wadding is a freelance writer and travel addict with a degree in journalism. Follow her on Twitter at @MeganWadding. EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

DAILY HAPPY HOUR WEEKEND BRUNCH ISLAND STYLE EATS

New phoenix location

5114 n. 7th st. phoenix 7213 e. 1st ave. scottsdale

Tiki Oasis makes its Arizona debut G By Tom Reardon

rowing up in Phoenix in the 1970s was a surreal treat, at times.

For example, across the street from the Arizona State Mental Hospital on the Northwest corner of 24th Street and Van Buren Road was the Kon Tiki Hotel. To say it stuck out like a sore thumb, at least to the eyes of a curious child, was an understatement. As a teenager in the ‘80s, we partied at the Kon Tiki and its charms were not lost on us as we enjoyed the cheap rooms, even cheaper nearby booze from less than vigilant drive thru liquor stores, and the opportunity to lay around the pool and bask in the slowly decaying ode to Polynesia disguised as what was once a destination hotel for visitors to Phoenix.

Valley Ho is the site for this tiki party. Courtesy of Tiki Oasis San Diego. FEATURE STORY

For a long time, Phoenix has had soft spot for tiki culture, whether it was a somewhat forgotten hotel of a misspent youth or the ghost of Trader Vic’s in Scottsdale, tiki is still alive in well in the desert with local haunts like the Bikini

Lounge on Grand Avenue, UnderTow on East Indian School Road, or something a bit more contemporary like Hula’s Modern Tiki on Central Avenue, the desire to even briefly escape to the South Pacific can be sated in the Valley of the Sun if you so desire. Fans of tiki culture should be pleased to know that yet another opportunity to sip delicious rum drinks adorned with tiny umbrellas from an ornate mug while rubbing shoulders with your fellow devotees from all over the southwest is upon us and this is not an opportunity to be missed. Arizona Tiki Oasis is happening April 12-14 at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, and if one of the event’s founders, Otto von Stroheim is to be believed (and he is), it is going to be epic. “If it turns out even, you know, 90% of what we are planning, it’s really going to be a historic moment and one of those magical moments where people are going to say, ‘I was there’ and other people are going to go, ‘no way,’” says a EchoMag.com

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By Jason Kamimura, courtesy of Tiki Oasis San Diego.

confident von Stroheim over the phone from his home in San Francisco. Strong words, for sure, but this is not von Stroheim and his wife/partner, the wonderfully named Baby Doe von Stroheim’s first rodeo. Since 2001, von Stroheim has been putting on the Tiki Oasis event in Southern California. Originally, the party was held in Palm Springs at the Tropics Hotel (now the Caliente Tropics) until it grew too large for the Tropics to host due to attendance doubling every year and moved to San Diego in 2006. This year’s version in San Diego (which starts on August 7) lasts a whopping five days and is the longest running tiki event in the world. A combination of music, cocktail parties, lectures on a variety of tiki and cocktail nation culture, as well as elements of punk, burlesque, surf, and exotica, the Tiki Oasis events have a little something for everyone. Attendees are encouraged to don their best tiki and cocktail lounge attire while they dine, drink, and learn about things many of us may have thought were long forgotten. As the years of the event have passed, the sheer number 54

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of things to see and do has increased in relation to the growth in attendance. (Check out www.tikioasis.com for more information on the flagship party.) As a husband and wife team, who initially met at an event Otto hosted in San Francisco, they have an excellent reputation in the tiki scene. “Otto and Doe have spent over two decades being a nexus for the tiki community, helping to nurture and foster By Lee Joseph, courtesy of Tiki Oasis San Diego.

its growth through a series of events that not only unite tiki-piles, but also attract those with peripheral interests into the tiki orbit. In so doing, they’ve opened many eyes to the colorful splendor of mid-century Polynesianinspired leisure,” says Martin Cate, owner of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, which is probably the most well-known tiki bar in America right now, including being consistently named one of America’s best bars over the last decade by multiple magazines including Esquire and Playboy. For von Stroheim, tiki has been part of his life for much longer and became an interest, at least passingly, during his youth in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles. As a boy, von Stroheim’s grandmother would take the family to Disneyland at least once a year and The Enchanted Tiki Hut was always an important stop in their visits. This may have been for Grandma to get off her feet for a little while and enjoy some air conditioning, but it was also planting seeds that von Stroheim would eventually sow in the ‘80s when he threw his first tiki party in 1987 while living in Venice Beach. “We had an annual party FEATURE STORY

and we made it a tiki party in ‘87. We would have bands play and we made it a huge deal. We’d have 150-300 people in our backyard. I’d make an invite that had tikis on it and mail it out to people… a very formal invitation. Then I started a zine called Tiki News to flesh out my obsession in collecting tiki mugs, and then in 1995, after I had done the zine for about 10 months, a few friends and I did an event called Exoticon. It featured Combustible Edison and about 10 other bands. It drew about 2000 people and our capacity was about 1000. They drank the bar dry before the end of the night and people were pissed,” says von Stroheim. It seems that von Stroheim was not only good at putting on a fun event, but that he also had a passion for it. It is clear in talking with him that making the Tiki Oasis events a success is an extremely important part of the 55-yearold family man’s life, but also something he applies a great deal of creativity and balance to in its creation. For the Scottsdale event, the von Stroheim’s are not looking to simply re-create their San Diego event but make something unique in their expansion to Arizona. Choosing the Hotel Valley Ho as a location was a no-brainer as there isn’t a more appropriate spot to hold such an occasion. Originally built in 1956, Hotel Valley Ho was restored to original splendor and improved upon by WestRoc Hospitality to capitalize on its nearly flawless mid-century modern design. For fans of the tiki culture, the hotel represents a chance for attendees to enjoy the feel of a 1960’s hotel with all the modern amenities. “(Hotel) Valley Ho, in and of themselves have done something historic and then they stand almost alone, and at least head and shoulders above everybody else in the entire country as far as taking a historic architecturally significant site and restoring it to its original state and taking a huge risk financially to do that. Because it was already a historic site when they got it, they had to restore it under the rules of a historic site, so they had to comply with all these rules and they were able to do it and put all the money into it and turn it into a successful business, which is so hard to do,” says von Stroheim, before continuing:

Like the way the old tickets used to work at Disneyland (The Enchanted Tike Room was an “E” ticket, for example), tickets for each Arizona Tiki Oasis event are sold ala carte, so you don’t have to pay for an entire weekend of festivities if you don’t want to under one blanket price as many similar events ask attendees to do. One of the amazing events happening during Arizona Tiki Oasis is an early Saturday night seminar featuring renowned graphic artist, Andy Cruz, entitled “House Industries: From Sub to Pop Culture.” Cruz, whose name you might not recognize, is a founder of House Industries, which has created several fonts that are instantly recognizable including Jimmy Kimmel’s font for his late-night show, fonts for MTV, and the popular Neutraface font. According to von Stroheim, Cruz, who is a friend of his, regularly sells out large venues around the globe for his speaking engagements. In addition to Cruz, talented and

brilliant local speakers such as Marshall Shore and Alison King will be doing seminars and tours during the weekend and local exotica band, Moonlight Magic, will be providing the soundtrack to Friday night’s soiree in the Zuzu Lounge. For the more daring, there is a fireeating mermaid named MeduSirena by the pool on Saturday night and the Tiki Oasis bartender challenge to wrap things up on Sunday. Overall, there are over 30 different things to do over a three-day period, so no matter what your flavor is, there is probably something for you. Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) tv, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. By Susan Delaney, courtesy of Tiki Oasis San Diego.

“You know, it doesn’t happen that often. And Valley Ho did that and we have been fully aware of Valley Ho ever since they opened. So now that we’ve really established ourselves in San Diego and the event is bursting at the seams, there’s a huge demand from our own audience just in San Diego to have another event.” FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

WITHOUT RESERVATIONS

Restaurant play with real cooking – starring your child as host, waiter, and cook By Kimberly Blaker Editor’s note — We’ll be back with a restaurant review next month; we’re still full from last month’s Echo Eats issue. We’re keeping things food-y though with this piece that comes in handy for parents and caregivers.

ids today often lag behind those of previous generations in their cooking skills.

That’s because in today’s fast-paced society, fewer parents have the time or energy to cook. As a result, families rely more on fast food and eating out.

But teaching kids food preparation and how to cook offers them numerous benefits. For one, it’s a practical and fun way for kids to learn and improve their math skills through measuring and calculating. It also provides kids hands-on science experiences and opportunities to experiment. Another valuable aspect of cooking is that it improves kids’ reading comprehension as they learn to follow step-by-step instructions. Add to this, kids develop life skills, which boosts their self-confidence and self-esteem.

So, it’s important to begin teaching kids kitchen skills when they’re small. Kids as young as 3 can learn simple food preparation skills. They can cut food using a plastic or butter knife, pour premeasured ingredients, spread sauces or batters, and stir. During the early elementary years, kids can learn how to turn on and off the stove and some simple cooking skills. For example, they can learn to make scrambled eggs and warm up soup. At this age, they also need to learn safety rules, particularly as they relate to the more advanced cooking and food preparation skills they’re learning. Preteens should learn how to safely use a sharp knife. They can also learn to cook slightly more advanced foods, while also continuing to learn about food and cooking safety. Finally, once kids reach their teens, they no longer require supervision in the kitchen. Not only can they prepare meals for themselves but also for the family.

Restaurant play Even before their teen years, kids can enjoy some semi-independent kitchen fun by playing restaurant. This way they can gradually ease into independent cooking. By the age of eight, kids likely have enough kitchen skills for this activity. 56

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Dining Out

When your food arrives, graciously thank your waiter (and cook). Then, be prepared to eat it regardless of how it turns out. If you’re tempted to offer your child some constructive criticism, don’t. This should be a fun experience for your child that encourages a love of cooking. Your child will improve with experience. If you really feel you have something to contribute to your child in the way of cooking a particular food, just wait until the next time you make it. Then you can nonchalantly give your child tips on how to make that dish turn out really tasty. Finally, your child should prepare and give you a check so you can pay for your meal.

Clean up

Advance preparation First, share the details of this activity with your child. Then have your child prepare a list of foods he or she knows how to make. For younger kids, the menu might include cold sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, peeled and cut vegetables or fruit, scrambled or fried eggs, and other easy-to-prepare foods. Your preteen’s menu could include hamburgers, pancakes, soup, roasted vegetables, and much more. And for teens, the sky’s the limit. If your teen chooses dishes that require a long time to prepare or cook, you’ll likely want to ‘call in’ your food order before arriving at the restaurant. Once your child has come up with dishes for the menu, review the list to make sure they’re foods your child can prepare safely with minimal supervision. Next, pick a date for the restaurant activity, and make sure ingredients are available for everything on the menu. Also, decide who will patronize your child’s restaurant. If it’s your child’s first time playing or your child is young, 2 to 3 family members will be plenty. Older kids might be able to handle an extra guest or two depending on their skills and the complexity of the menu.

Design the menu Before your child creates the menu, help them set prices for the entrees. The prices should be substantially below real restaurant prices, especially since you’re footing the bill for the groceries. Also, remember, the idea behind this activity isn’t about the money. It’s supposed to be a fun learning Dining Out

experience for your kids. Still, charging for the food can add to the activity and gives your kid a chance to do some simple math. The next step is for your child to design a menu. Younger kids can make menus out of construction paper. They can also clip food pictures from magazines or printed off the internet. Older kids might want to experiment with some graphic design. If your child has already dabbled with graphic design, they might want to try Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, if you have it. Otherwise, a simpler app is better so your child doesn’t get frustrated and turned off to graphic design. Canva’s free menu templates are a good option. Visit canva.com/templates/menus/.

Be sure to let your child know in advance that they’ll also be responsible for cleanup. Hopefully, this will help your child keep the mess to a minimum. If not, it’ll be a good lesson for the next time they cook. Kimberly Blaker is a freelance family writer. She also does blog and content writing for a variety of industries and is an expert in on page SEO.

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Grand opening Now the real fun begins. When your child’s restaurant opens, wait at the kitchen or dining room entry, and allow your host to seat you. Your server will bring you menus and water and when you’re ready will take your order.

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As parents, you might be tempted to make it easy on your child by encouraging everyone to order the same thing. But unless your child has expressed concern about preparing multiple items, try to choose a variety. This is part of the fun and challenge for your child. After you’ve ordered, relax and enjoy some family conversation – and be prepared for a possible long wait. Also, avoid instructing your child unless you see them doing something potentially dangerous. EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

AT THE BOX OFFICE

Four films in theaters this month By Tuesday Mahrle

Pet Sematary

In theaters April 5 | Not yet rated | 120 minutes | Horror, Thriller

The remake we’ve all been waiting for! Based off the horror novel by Stephen King, the Creed family is back with an entire new cast. The movie follows Dr. Louis Creed who relocates his wife, Rachel, and their two young children to a rural town in Maine. The family finds an eerie animal cemetery hidden on their land. After the loss of their cat, Louis buries their lost pet in the mysterious pet cemetery. When the cat returns to the Creed home, the next series of events unleashes evil and terror to the family.

Little In theaters April 12 | PG-13 | 94 minutes | Comedy

Successful but hard-hitting CEO Jordan Sanders transforms into her younger self after the pressure of her work and life become too much to bear. Roles are reversed when Jordan’s assistant, Rae, must become her caretaker and help her through reliving her childhood. From the brilliant minds behind Black-ish and Girls Trip, this is sure to be a hilarious film kin to 13 Going on 30.

After In theaters April 12 | 110 minutes | Time | Drama, Romance

After follows small-town girl Tessa, as she embarks on her first semester of college. She’s an exceptional student with loving parents but is a bit naive. One evening at a party, Tessa meets magnetic and mysterious Hardin Scott. Despite her high school sweetheart at home, Tessa falls for Hardin. With a rebellious personality and dark secret brooding, Tessa unburies this past while questioning all she knew about herself.

Avengers: Endgame In theaters April 26 | Quotes at 180 minutes | Time | Action, Fantasy

The universe is in ruins after Avengers: Infinity War. The remaining Avengers must come together once more to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe. Marvel Studios is calling this their grand conclusion to 22 films. Tuesday Mahrle is a film critic and host of “Whiskey and Popcorn,” a Phoenix-based movie podcast. 58

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Entertainment

Hosted by Clayton McKee

OPENING NIGHTS

Out Cirque acrobat flies high in Amaluna By Seth Reines

n 2011, a young British athlete came out to his family, boarded a flight to Montreal, and began his new life as a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. Phoenix audiences can now catch him flying high under Cirque’s iconic yellow and blue tent in Amaluna, a celebration of love and the power of women. Growing up in the small English town of Southport, David Rimmer became involved in men’s artistic gymnastics at the age of five. Competing nationally until 18, he left gymnastics to contend internationally on the trampoline and double mini trampoline. In 2011, he began his career in Cirque’s Corteo, joining Amaluna this past November. While Amaluna’s cast is 70% female, Cirque’s 33rd production also showcases a troupe of exceptional male acrobats including now teeterboard artist Rimmer.

David Rimmer 60

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Echo: Had you ever done teeterboard work before?

Rimmer: I had no idea what teeterboard was or what one looked like. I had never even heard the name. So, they started by showing me videos, and I was super excited to do it. Echo: How did your journey with Cirque begin? Rimmer: I knew of Cirque through friends that I competed with. I entered an audition in Paris. It was a three-day process where they recorded everything you could do acrobatic-wise, gymnastic-wise, and personal characteristics. I was hired from that profile. Echo: What did your Cirque training entail? Rimmer: We all train for six months at Cirque’s General Formation program in Montreal. It’s almost like going to a circus school. You have training in your specific discipline plus you have voice and clown classes. And you spend a lot of time ENTERTAINMENT

Cirque Artist David Rimmer. Courtesy photo

Photo by Martin Girard

family and children with you all the time on tour. And relationships can be quite difficult.

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Audra McDonald.

Echo: As an openly gay acrobat, did you find Cirque LGBTQ friendly?

A year later, Paulus’ Broadway revival of Pippin won her the Tony for Best Direction of a Musical, making her the third woman in history to win the award (following Julie Taymor in 1998 and Susan Strohman in 2001).

Rimmer: The Cirque world is very open. It’s really nice. When you come into one of the shows or the Cirque environment, you are always very comfortable. And you know that people are open and accepting. And, for the members of the company who are out, it’s like one big family. Echo: What makes Amaluna unique?

learning how to express yourself and find out who you are as an artist. Echo: As Cirque shows are so demanding physically, what is the career lifespan of an acrobatic artist? Rimmer: It depends upon the difficulty of what you are doing. With somebody who does teeterboard, it is probably between 35 and 40. If you are a clown or a musician, you can be with the company a lot longer. Sometimes an athlete will finish their career as an acrobat and then go into technical work or lighting or directing. There are many different paths you can take.

Rimmer: It is very female-oriented. Most of the cast is female and they have an all-female band. That’s very different for Cirque. It is very beautiful, very colorful, and very feminine as well. The power of women is very strong in this show, which is nice to see.

Echo: How long do Cirque performers usually stay with a show?

Loosely inspired by Greek and Norse mythological tales, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Amaluna takes place on an island ruled by powerful Queen Prospera. During a storm, a group of young men are washed ashore, and Prospera’s daughter falls in love with one of them aptly named Romeo. The epic tale of the challenges faced by the couple on their journey to mutual trust, harmony and love forms the show’s narrative.

Rimmer: Most stay from four to five years. Touring is difficult. So, people like to do a tour for a while and then take a resident show so they can get a house, a car and they can settle down and create a family. Sometimes it hard to have your

Amaluna was created and directed by Diane Paulus, Artistic Director of Harvard’s American Repertory Theater. Her Broadway directorial debut Porgy and Bess was nominated for 10 Tonys, winning Best Revival of a Musical and

ENTERTAINMENT

In 2015, Paulus helmed the Sara Bareilles musical Waitress, the first Broadway musical to boast an allfemale creative team. Still on Broadway, the show’s National Tour played to enthusiastic audiences at ASU’s Gammage Auditorium this past fall. Paulus, who champions strong female roles onstage and off, was a perfect match for Cirque’s Amaluna. “I didn’t want to build a ‘women’s agenda’ show. But I wanted to create a show with women at the center of it, something that had a hidden story that featured women as the heroines.” Don’t miss high-flying David Rimmer and Amaluna playing through April 14 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. For tickets, contact https://www. cirquedusoleil.com/usa/phoenix/ amaluna/buy-tickets. M. Seth Reines is an award-winning theater buff who has directed more than 500 productions nationally for stage and television, and formerly served as head of Roosevelt University’s musical theatre program. EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

RECORDINGS

By Tom Reardon

s we slip into spring and the desert is starting to bloom, it seems only natural to look at three recent releases with local Valley of the Sun ties. Two of these artists have been around the block for some time now, with ties to folks like Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana, Neil Young, and Black Flag, and one is relatively new, but we shall see below if their recent output is worth the price of admission.

keyboard player, Ron Stabinsky, and for the first time in two decades, original drummer, Derrick Bostrom. While this is no Meat Puppets II, that doesn’t mean it’s terrible, which it is not by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a bit all over the place, but that’s what the Puppets do best. Stabinsky’s keyboards and Bostrom’s unique style take this record to heights the band’s previous three or four albums have failed to hit. Who else could cover The Searchers “Sea Of Heartbreak” and have it fit right in? Only the Meat Puppets. Let’s hope this lineup has the chance to record a few more records.

Meat Puppets — Dusty Notes

Favorite tracks: “Nine Pin” and “Unfrozen Memory.”

If you grew up in the ‘80s in Phoenix, or for that matter, any college town anywhere, you were probably aware of the Meat Puppets. The Kirkwood brothers, guitarist/lead vocalist, Curt, and bassist, Cris, were darlings of the college rock world after a brief dalliance with punk in their early days and the occasional bout with heavy drug addiction. They played shows with everyone from Husker Du to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and confounded many an audience with their unique take on underground rock. On Dusty Notes, they are joined by Curt’s son, Elmo, and

LUAU — Nothing To Say EP

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EchoMag.com

Sometimes the first few seconds of a record make me hate myself a little bit. The inner music snob says, “Turn this the fuck off!” but then I remember that I have a job to do and goddamn it, I have to keep listening. Frankly, I’m glad I did with LUAU. They are not typically my cup of tea, and opening track “Discrete Company” is the weakest of the four tracks, but there is something here on this new EP, Nothing To Say, that gives me an inkling they are going to be pretty popular in more places than

Phoenix fairly soon. Singer/guitarist Evan Hallock has a supremely pleasant voice that will only mature and grow more confident with experience and his bandmates, guitarist Chad Bergman, bassist Chris Windsor, and drummer Joel Knight have the chops and charisma, as well as the boyish good looks to take this as far as they want to go. Equal parts soulful, indielove balladry and tough(ish), fuzzy boisterousness, Nothing To Say actually has more than a few things to say for itself. Favorite tracks: “Where’s The Ledge” and “How.” Entertainment

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Nils Lofgren — Blue With Lou Holy ghost music, Batman, this album rules. Nils Lofgren delivers the goods on this twelve-song bluesy rocker with six of the songs being collaborations with the late, great, amazing, rock deity, Lou Reed. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently, Reed and Lofgren had gotten together in the late ‘70s and talked about collaborating after legendary producer Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd, as well as Lofgren and Reed) recommended that they do so. Originally the two rockers, each with an incredible pedigree, penned thirteen songs together. Over the next few years, they each selected a few of these tracks to put on their respective solo releases, including Reed’s highly underrated, The Bells, but six of the songs ended up being unreleased. A few years ago, after Reed’s death, Lofgren decided to revisit the project and has released these final six, along with another halfdozen originals. Lofgren, who lives in Scottsdale and has for a few decades, is an accomplished singer/song writer and guitar for hire who has worked extensively with Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, and Neil Young, just to name a few. On Blue With Lou, Lofgren shines, and on occasion, you can hear echoes of Reed’s iconic vocals as Lofgren stays true to his collaborator’s trademark phrasing. Highly recommend this album to anyone who loves rock and roll.

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Favorite tracks: “Give,” “Rock Or Not,” and “Don’t Let Your Guard Down.” Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) TV, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. Entertainment

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

BETWEEN THE COVERS

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

about homosexuals until World War I. And yet – people couldn’t get enough of “queer” folk, especially with cabaret shows, vaudeville, and “freak shows” so wildly popular and a subway ride to Coney Island costing just a nickel. New Yorkers flocked to the boardwalk, perhaps titillated by the idea that the performers were “gay.” But “things started to go off the rails” for the LGBT community at the end of World War II. Being gay was perceptually equal to a crime. Starting then, says Ryan, “… the vibrant queer histories of places outside Manhattan would soon be forgotten.” Reading When Brooklyn Was Gay is something like frosting a cake.

When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan c.2019, St. Martin’s Press $29.99 / $38.99 Canada 308 pages

our city sure has changed.

Landmarks were destroyed, the skyline is different, and streets are shifted in a way that feels same-notsame. It’s like having dinner with a relative you met once, when you were nine: as in When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan, everything and nothing is familiar. Once upon a time, Brooklyn was little more than farms and fields.

That’s the vista Walt Whitman saw when he stepped beyond the boundaries of the city where he’d been creating his Leaves of Grass. He loved the area, a love he shared with laborers, prostitutes, and the rest of the crime-ridden, mostly-white population of Brooklyn in the mid-1800s.

From the starting point of a poet and a wharf full of sailors, readers glide smoothly to wood-floor dancehalls; sweeping near audacious lesbian actors, scandal rags, legal fights, burly-Q stages, then to the Jazz Age and beyond. Each spot is covered, sprinkled with asides, personal anecdotes from author Hugh Ryan, and modern references to create connections, then gently folded into the next subject. What may delight readers the most, though, is in the details. While this is a history of Brooklyn, specifically, and New York, in general, we’re taken to other cities and cultures to see how worldwide changes impacted Brooklyn’s residents. Like the inner workings of a clock, tiny facts turn larger events that become part of a big picture for readers to see. Unlike many books, this one doesn’t ignore anyone in the LGBT initialism; all are mentioned here and given due diligence. For readers searching for a fun, fascinating, all-encompassing history, When Brooklyn Was Queer is a nice change.

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened, making it easy for residents to reach New York City. There, male and female impersonators found work at live entertainment venues, where race mattered little; and sexes and social classes mixed freely at saloons, concert halls, dancehalls, and theatres. For African American actors, that relative permissiveness led to more acceptance and sometimes, fame.

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EchoMag.com

Moving again should have been no surprise for young Jim Oseland. His father had always been somewhat of a nomad; in each new town, just as the family got settled, it seemed as though the first plan was to move again — although this time was different. This move was to California, and Oseland’s dad said he no longer wanted a family. Dad was staying in Minnesota. Just 13, Oseland hoped to fit in with his new ninth-grade California classmates at San Carlos High, but he realized on the first day that it wouldn’t happen. Still, over time, he managed to make friends with a boy who dealt weed; and with a tall Marilyn-Monroe-ish exchange student who invited Oseland to explore the world of punk rock. The music, the moshing, and the clothing were all things he’d seen on TV in Minnesota, but the culture was attainable in California. In club after club, 15-year-old Oseland was welcomed for his uniqueness; not fitting in seemed to be the whole point. He even felt comfortable enough to admit, out loud, that he was gay. It was something Oseland had known since he was very small, but he couldn’t articulate it until he was welcomed into the world of punk rock. And he blossomed. “Gone,” he says, “was the shy, awkward boy, to be replaced by someone with sharper edges.” He gained a boyfriend who was more than twice his age and, after the boyfriend moved to New York, Oseland followed. When that relationship soured, the 17-year-old returned to California, with a germ of an idea.

As a gay man, Whitman would have noted upcoming changes.

By the time Brooklyn merged with The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island in January 1898, a new word had emerged. “Homosexuals” had been targeted by obscenity charges for quite some time then but, though laws were created against them, they had a solid presence in mainstream society. Even so, says Ryan, most people didn’t learn much

One day, you were this kind of kid; another day, you were that kind; next week one, then another, as if you had a rack full of roles to try on and years to do it. In the new memoir Jimmy Neurosis by James Oseland, punk rock helped.

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generally. Think about whether you’ll be able to get food at those times, or if you need to bring a bag with bars, beef jerkies, trail mix, or other snacks that you like. Oh, and don’t starve yourself all day, asshole. Eat regularly – be aware, according to your potential schedule, when you will need to probably eat. And know, that sometimes, you might not be hungry at those times due to distraction and stress … make yourself eat anyway! You don’t want to get into a low blood sugar or energy crash situation. Stay ahead on your nutrition and you’ll keep the vibe high all day and night.

Work hard, play harder: maintaining your diet and fitness on Phoenix Pride weekend By Tia Norris

LIFESTYLE

ith Pride weekend fast approaching, I’m here as your fitness expert to arm you with strategies to have fun on the big weekend, while also not wrecking your health in the process. It’s all about the setup, going into a weekend like Pride: fail to plan, plan to fail! It’s worth noting that these strategies also apply to any weekend where you’ll be going HAM on the fun meter … keep these in mind for your next adventure, and I promise they will make the physical stress of a party weekend much more sustainable! There are three key areas to maintaining as much “health” as possible in the face of a holiday weekend: exercise, diet, and lifestyle. Let’s explore the potential pitfalls in each category, with my top-secret trainer tips on how to set yourself up to succeed and also enjoy the ride.

EXERCISE 1. When it comes to exercise, I always advise my clients to arrive at the destination “red-hot” … meaning, pedal to the floor on your exercise going into the weekend! Dial up your intensity and frequency during the weeks approaching the event, so that you can ride the metabolic afterburn of intense workouts while also not feeling too bad about missing a workout or two when you’re 66

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2. Hydrate! This echoes #1 above. Think about how much water you’re going to need throughout the day. Will you have access to a place to refill your water? You need to at least have a bottle of water on your person at all times, you never know in an event like Pride how long you’ll be walking or talking or doing whatever, until you’re able to get water again. And if you’re outside in the sun, drink even more! Stay hydrated to keep your energy up, today and for tomorrow. The water you drink today, is what will determine how you feel tomorrow. Remember that.

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busy enjoying yourself. The best-case scenario would be to, at the start of the weekend or event, need recovery for a day or two. This eases the stress of “needing to exercise” while on holiday and kills two birds with one stone. 2. If either you are unable to arrive at the event needing recovery, or you are on a program where you cannot take the time off from exercise during the event, get it in early. Wake your ass up an hour or two early and get your exercise out of the way on the big day! If you leave it for later in the day, the likelihood of it getting done decreases by the minute. Check the box, get it out of the way, and get on with the fun. 3. Plan group workouts if your crew is into that. Do you have a friend or two in the group that is also into fitness? Can you schedule a spin class, or a hike, or a boot camp, first thing in the morning on the big day? This goes along with #2 above, in getting shit done early… but, also combined with the strength in numbers! Group accountability is a powerful thing, take advantage of it if your people are down for it!

DIET 1. Plan to eat regularly and bring food if you’re going to need it. Plan everything. Think about your upcoming day, in detail, and when you’re going to need to eat,

1. Don’t forget sunscreen! If you’re outside, you need sunscreen, and I don’t care how warm or cold it is. Just put it on first thing in the morning and consider bringing some in your bag if you’re going to be outside all day. If you fry yourself in the sun, trust me, you’ll be feeling it later in the evening and most certainly the next day. 2. Rest up! I swear, no one gets enough sleep. Sleep is the oldest trick in the book to feeling good! You need it. Catch up on sleep going into your weekend or event, and you’ll at least get a head start on the likely sleep deficit you’re about to walk into. And on this note, consider taking a day or two with a lighter schedule after a trip or party weekend like Pride … you’ll need a day or two to catch up and reset before you get back to the grind. Remember, preparation is key! Set yourself up with the proper exercise plan going into your weekend. Stay on top of your food and hydration during the weekend. And do your best to actually recover after the damage is done, this is the most common time where people tend to get sick and run down. Work hard on all of this stuff, so that you can play even harder on special weekends like Pride! Tia Norris is the president and head trainer at FitPro, LLC, a local fitness company. Find out more at fitprollc.com. Health & Fitness

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APRIL 2019

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

When Pride cameth before the Fall By Buddy Early

ather ‘round, children. I’m going to tell you about a time when we had to walk three miles, around the mountain, in the middle of summer just to get to a Pride festival. Well, at least I did. It was the mid-’90s and the first Pride event I ever attended. It was at least 105 degrees on that June day. The festival was in a very inconvenient place for many people — tucked back behind Tempe Buttes between the I-10 freeway and 48th Street. Back in those days, Phoenix’s transit service was awful, particularly on weekends; I had no idea what bus I could catch, or where, or when. So, I walked from my house near the ASU campus to this event I knew nothing about except that it existed. The handful of gay people I knew were mere acquaintances, not anyone I could accompany to the festival. So, I was there alone in my jorts, my tucked-in t-shirt and my braided belt. For all of 45 minutes. It was a very confusing and intimidating, albeit eye-opening, 45 minutes. Although I probably uttered two words to anyone my entire time there, I took it all in. I was taken aback at the amount of HIV/AIDS information available and it was the beginning of me letting go of some of the ideas and notions I had about the disease. In the years since I would come to know, love, work with and for many PWAs. I remember seeing the Echo Magazine booth, but certainly did not imagine I would someday serve as its Managing

APRILE 2019

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Editor for five years (and 25 years later would still be writing for it). I stopped briefly at the entertainment tent to look at the drag queens with makeup dripping down their faces, performing their hearts out to hits of the 70s, 80s and today … err, that day. Little did I figure I would eventually know most of those drag queens in and out of face. I didn’t purchase any food, as I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t have anything to drink, as 100+ degree heat and alcohol are a recipe for disaster for me. Later, I didn’t tell my roommates where I had been, and I didn’t talk about my experience to my friends the following week. (I was out to most people, and by no means had I been rejected by any friends or family; I just never really discussed my “gayness” with anyone.) If all this makes it sound like I had a dreadful time, I can assure you that is far from the truth. This brief introduction to Pride — the concept and the event — was illuminating and gave me the courage to explore my sexuality and my community. Two-and-a-half decades later there still are people who don’t understand the concept of Pride. I still find myself explaining to straight people that Pride is about celebrating your true self. Pride is being able to stand in a place where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are not only accepted but are the majority. Pride is the reaffirmation that everything we have been taught in our schools, everything we have been fed from the

media, and everything we have been judged for by society, is utter bullshit. Attending Pride, whether it’s your first or your 21st, is an act of coming out without having to actually come out. Let’s face it, most of us have been coming out since the first time we did it, and we will be doing it for the rest of our lives. Every new work environment, every new neighborhood, every new mommy group, study group, high school reunion and social event ultimately leads to a coming out, because people are presumed heterosexual until proven otherwise. “There should be a Straight Pride,” say some straight people, acting like nothing cleverer has ever been articulated. I used to take time responding that straight people never had to spend the first two decades or more of their lives suppressing their true identity, being told they can’t love who they love, facing a world where they have to fight for basic equality and fear being attacked verbally and physically because of their sexual orientation. I used to try to make them understand. But in 2019 it’s no longer my job to educate the ignorant. Now I simply tell people to kindly fuck off with their Straight Pride. Everyone should try it. Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine. Community

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WE THE PEOPLE

Trump’s fake emergency disregards the real threats to LGBTQ immigrants By Steve Kilar

he day after President Trump stood in the White House Rose Garden and rambled on about why he was declaring a national emergency to fund his border wall, the Washington Blade reported a transgender woman the Trump administration deported was killed in El Salvador. Camila died on Feb. 3 in a San Salvador hospital after being admitted for “multiple injuries,” the Blade said. The cause of the injuries was not known, but the Blade did not hesitate to call her cause of death murder. Another transgender woman, Lolita, was killed in El Salvador “with a machete on February 8,” the news outlet said. Transgender people “still live in constant danger because El Salvador has not implemented sufficient legal mechanisms to fully protect their human rights,” American University and Heartland Alliance stated in a Feb. 2015 brief submitted to the United Nations. LGBTQ people face similar threats in Honduras and Guatemala, Amnesty International said in a November 2017 report. Camila came to the U.S. in a migrant caravan last year because she faced threats at home, the Blade said. But the U.S. deported her to her country of origin, where she lived for no more than five months before being killed, the newspaper said. LGBTQ people suffer when the U.S. walls itself off from its neighbors, inhibits the legal right to seek asylum, and dehumanizes immigrants. The U.S. should be proud to be a haven for LGBTQ people and others trying to escape violence and oppression. About 900,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender 70

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adult immigrants live in the U.S. and a third of those people are undocumented, the Center for American Progress reported in March 2013. Under U.S. law, any foreign-born person “who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States” may apply for asylum. But in November, the Trump administration tried to prevent people from applying for asylum if they crossed into the country at a place that is not a governmentsupervised entry. Within days, after the ACLU and other civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the policy change, a federal judge blocked the new rule. The president’s attempt to override the intent of Congress’ asylum law violates the separation of powers, the judge said. Then, in late January, the Trump administration began forcing many asylum seekers at the southern border to turn back and wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed. In addition to violating immigration law, this policy requires asylum seekers to wait in dangerous places. It also makes it difficult for them to prepare their asylum cases because of a lack of access to lawyers and other professionals who can help navigate the process. One of the people who brought a federal lawsuit in February to challenge this harmful practice is a lesbian from Honduras. She “fears returning to her home country where LGBTQ individuals like her face discrimination, violence, and death, and receive no protection from the authorities,” according to the lawsuit, Innovation Law Lab v. Nielsen, which is

being litigated by the ACLU and other immigrants’ rights groups. “In Honduras, Bianca became pregnant by a man who raped her because of her sexual orientation, and who was then granted custody of their son by a Honduran judge who cited the fact Bianca was a lesbian as evidence of her unfitness as a parent,” the lawsuit states. “Bianca was forced to flee Honduras after her partner’s abusive father discovered their relationship and threatened to kill them both if Bianca did not leave the country immediately.” When Trump on Feb. 15 proclaimed a national emergency to build his wall while at the same time saying, “I don’t need to do this,” he made yet another choice to hurt LGBTQ people. Every time he acts to limit refugees’ access to the U.S., he chooses to disregard the lifethreatening situations queer people around the globe face and may be able to escape if they can reach American soil. There isn’t a national emergency at the border. The only reason Trump declared one is because Congress refused to fund his wall. But many LGBTQ people trying to reach the U.S. do face emergency situations. Their lives may be at stake. The ACLU, as well as 16 states, have sued the Trump administration to stop it from unlawfully misusing taxpayer dollars for a southern border wall. This gross abuse of power cannot stand. Steve Kilar, is the communications director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona (acluaz. org). If you have questions about your rights that you would like addressed in a future issue, write him at skilar@acluaz.org. COMMUNITY

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HISTORY

The Past I Heard …

Linda Hoffman glows with Pride By Buddy Early

Linda Hoffman. Photo courtesy of Gregg Edelman.

o celebrate Echo’s 30th birthday, this year I will be catching up with some of Arizona’s LGBT personalities from past and present to revisit the people, places and events that helped shape our community. Of all the roles you could play in our community, I’ve always felt like Pride volunteer has to be the most thankless. The amount of hours these folks dedicate to planning and producing the event vs. the appreciation shown in return doesn’t even enter the realm of a debate. Very rarely do people actually praise the committee and volunteers; they’re more likely to complain about he things they don’t like. It’s a no-win situation and un unacknowledged commitment. But to the volunteers themselves it is one of the most personally rewarding experiences they’ll ever have. I decided to ask longtime volunteer Linda Hoffman why she stuck with the organization through all the good and bad years. There certainly were times during her tenure when most of us would’ve given up. From the time I came out and started going to Pride events through all the years I worked as a full-time, professional homosexual, Linda was a mainstay with the Phoenix Pride organization. She started her run in 1994, the year after the festival was

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almost rained out and near bankruptcy. In the coming years, however, Linda, along with an all-volunteer Board led by personalities like Beth Verity and Ernie Mendoza, would help shepherd critical growth in the festival. She helped ensure the important move from Tempe to Phoenix, and assumed the responsibilities of Parade Director when that portion was brought back in 1997.

With money in the bank, Pride was “on the path to growing into the large organization it is today,” Linda beamed. This included eventually hiring the organization’s first full-time executive director, taking over production of the Rainbows Festival, and adding numerous other events to its regular slate. But it was the creation of the Pride Scholarship Fund in 2002 that Linda is perhaps most proud of.

Then, in 2001, she became President of the Board. This was right after the festival was hit by “Hurricane Aurora” — what I call the storm that shut down the weekend event a few hours after the gates opened on Saturday, named after then-reigning Miss Gay Pride Aurora Gayheart — putting Pride closer to bankruptcy than ever before.

Linda felt that LGBT youth had so much to worry about, specifically basic living expenses, that it is up to the community to offer a hand up whenever possible. She also figured Pride Scholarship recipients would become future Pride volunteers.

Linda told me that despite the grim outlook, she never gave up. “I spent that summer working on a plan to be able to hold the festival and parade the following year, even with no money in the bank,” said Linda, who ponied up $26 for a Pride PO Box since the organization had less than that in its account. At a Board meeting that fall, members of the community and the media showed up, expecting to witness the dismantling of Pride. “A woman who was a member of the community, (and) on the board, said let’s get to the business of shutting this organization down,” Linda remembers. “I was shocked.” Linda wasn’t having it. She laid out her plan, which included having agreements from contractors and entertainers, allowing Pride to settle with them once income from vendors and admissions at the next festival was in. Cut to 2002 post-Festival: thanks to Linda’s leadership and fundraising efforts from Pride royalty, Pride was able to pay its debts and became solvent.

“The youth is our future. They have to be able to earn a living, have a place to live, and essentially be in control of their lives.” Although she is retired from her government job nearly a decade now, Linda is only semi-retired from Pride. She remains the event’s Radio Manager every April, and one volunteer is the annual recipient of The Linda Hoffman Spirit Award. However, nowadays she mostly enjoys “hanging out on the couch” and making jewelry, said Linda, who also was a longtime volunteer with the Arizona Gay Rodeo Association. “It’s a self-satisfaction,” she told me when I asked her what she gained from all those years serving the community. “I told the board every festival – at some point, go up on the top of the hill and look around, and understand that this is what you have created. … You have no idea who or how this event may have touched somebody in the crowd.” Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine. COMMUNITY

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3/8/2019 11:44:33 AM

PHOENIX BARS

Phoenix Bar Guide

20 19

7 7

23 22 55 26 25 19 18 25

16 11 10

16 15 27

22 21 17

5th

9 8

32nd St. St. 32nd

Bethany Home

24 24 3 21 3 20

e. Av

1 15 2 14

10 9

13 12 44

18 17

14 13

11 12 *MAP IS NOT *Map is notTO drawn DRAWN SCALEto scale

76 60 92

APRIL FEBRUARY 20192017 2018 | EchoMag.com EchoMag.com OCTOBER | |EchoMag.com

LOCAL BUSNESSES Bar Guide

ANVIL ANVIL

2424 E. E. Thomas Thomas Road Road 2424

602-334-1462 602-334-1462

M, D, D, L L M,

2 2

AQUA NIGHT AQUA NIGHT CLUB CLUB

1730 E. E. McDowell McDowell Road Road 1730

602-253-0682 602-253-0682

F, N, D, E, F, E, N D

3 3

BAR 11 BAR

3702 N. N. 16th Sixteenth 3702 St. St.

602-266-9001 602-266-9001

M, N, E, N M, E

4 4

BLISS/R eBAR BLISS REBAR

901 N. N. Fourth Fourth St. St. 901

602-795-1792 602-795-1792

MF,N,N,ER M,

5 5

BOYCOTT BAR BOYCOTT BAR

4301 N. N. Seventh Seventh Ave. Ave. 4301

602-515-3667 602-515-3667

MF, D, D, E E MF,

6 6

BS WEST BS WEST

7125 E. E. Fifth Fifth Ave. Ave., Scottsdale 7125

480-945-9028 480-945-9028

MF, D, D, E E MF,

7 7

BUNKHOUSE BUNKHOUSE

4428 N. Seventh Ave. 4428 N. Seventh Ave.

602-200-9154 602-200-9154

M, L, N M, N, L

8 8

CARAVAN TAP ROOM CHARLIE’S

4835 N. Fifteenth Ave. 727 W. Camelback Road

602-592-9386 602-265-0224

MF, E, N M, C, E, D

9 9

CHARLIE’S CLUB VOLT

727 W. Camelback Road 3108 E. McDowell Road

602-265-0224 602-244-1465

M, E, D MF, D, E

10 10 10

CLUB VOLT CRUISIN’ 7TH

3108 E. McDowell Road 3702 N. Seventh St.

602-244-1465 602-212-9888

MF, D, E M, E

11 11 11

CRUISIN’ 7TH DICK’S CABARET

3702 N. Seventh St. 3432 E. Illini St.

602-212-9888 602-274-3425

M, E, N M, G

2 12 12 12

DICK’S CABARET FEZ

3432 E. Illini St. 105 W. Portland St.

602-274-3425 602-287-8700

M R

13 13 13

FEZ FLEX SPAS PHOENIX

105 W. Portland St. 1517 S. Black Canyon Hwy

602-287-8700 602-271-9011

MF, R M, AO

14 14 14

FLEX SPAS PHOENIX KARAMBA NIGHTCLUB

1517 S. Black Canyon Highway 1724 E. McDowell Road

602-271-9011 602-254-0231

M, A D, E

15 15 15

KARAMBA NIGHTCLUB KOBALT

1724 E. McDowell Road 3110 N. Central Ave., Ste. 125

602-254-0231 602-264-5307

D, E MF, E, N

16 16 16

KOBALT LOS DIABLOS

3110 N. Central Ave., Ste. 175 1028 E. Indian School Road

602-264-5307 602-795-7881

MF, E, N MF, R, N

17 17 17

LOS DIABLOS NU TOWNE SALOON

1028 E. Indian School Road 5002 E. Van Buren St.

602-795-7881 602-267-9959

MF, N, R M, N, L

18 18 18

NU TOWNE SALOON OFF CHUTE TOO

5002 E. Van Buren St. 4115 N. Seventh Ave

602-267-9959 602-274-1429

M, L, N M, A

19 19 19

OFF CHUTE TOO OZ BAR

4115 N. Seventh Ave. 1804 W. Bethany Home Road

602-274-1429 602-242-5114

MF, A MF, N

20 20 20

OZ BAR PLAZMA

1804 W. Bethany Home Road 1560 E. Osborn Road

602-242-5114 602-266-0477

MF, N MF, N, E

21 21 21

PLAZMA ROYAL VILLA INN

1560 E. Osborn Road 4312 N. 12th St.

602-266-0477 602-266-6883

MF, E, N M, AO

22 22 23

ROYAL VILLA INN STACY’S @ MELROSE

4312 N. Twelfth St. 4343 N. Seventh Ave.

602-266-6883 602-264-1700

M, A MF, D, N

23 23 24

STACY’S @ MELROSE THE CASH NIGHTCLUB & LOUNGE

4343 N. Seventh Ave. 2140 E. McDowell Road

602-264-1700 602-244-9943

MF, D, N F, C, D

24 25 24

THE CASH NIGHTCLUB AND LOUNGE THE CHUTE

1730 E McDowell Rd 1440 E. Indian School Road

(602) 244-9943 602-234-1654

M, AO

25 26 25

THE CHUTE THE ROCK

1440 E. Indian School Road 4129 N. Seventh Ave.

602-234-1654 602-248-8559

M, A M, N, E

THE ROCK

4129 N. Seventh Ave.

602-248-8559

MF, E, N

MAP CODES: 28 2601 ON CENTRAL A Adult Retail & Entertainment M Mostly Males F Mostly Females MAP CODES: MF Mixed Male/Female M Mostly Males F Mostly Females MF Mixed Male/Female

LOCAL Bar Guide BUSNESSES

2601 N. Central Ave. N Neighborhood Bar R Full Restaurant D Dance Club C Country Dancing A Adult Retail & Accomodations D Dance Club E Entertainment (Karaoke, Drag)

602-466-2074 MF, E, R L Leather/Bears E Entertainment (Karaoke, Drag) G Go-Go Dancers AO Accommodations/Other L Leather/Bears N Neighborhood Bar R Restaurant

EchoMag.com | APRIL 2018 2019 EchoMag.com | | FEBRUARY EchoMag.com OCTOBER 2015

77 61 93

BAR SPECIALS

Phoenix Pride Day at Arizona Renaissance Festival Feb. 24 in Apache Junction.

BUNKHOUSE S HH and $1 Drafts all day. Indian Fry Bread with Joe Jackson

Photos by Gregg Edelman.

12-9pm, Live Jazz with Kenny Thames 7:30-10 M 2-4-1 8am-2pm, HH 2-8pm, Pool tournament 9pm T 2-4-1 8am-2pm, HH 2-8pm W 2-4-1 8am-2pm, HH 2-8pm, Karaoke 9pm-close T 2-4-1 8am-2pm, HH 2-8pm, Underwear/Gear night $1 off drinks

if in gear or underwear 8-close, WMW dancers 10-12 F 2-4-1 8am-2pm, HH 2-8pm $2.50 Miller 8-close S 2-4-1 8am-2pm, HH 2-8pm, $2.50 Bud 8-close

CHARLIE’S S Super HH 4-7 p.m., $3 pitchers; $3 Long Islands open-close M 2-8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 8 p.m.-close,

1/2 off drinks for wearing underwear, $3 Jack Daniels T 2-8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1

cocktails & beer 8 p.m.- close W 2-8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; $3 Three

Olives vodka, 8 p.m.-close T 2-8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 drinks

open-close F 2-7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics, $3 pitchers; HH 7-9 p.m.; $1 well

& domestics, $1 drafts 10 p.m.- midnight S Noon-7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics; HH 7-9 p.m.; $1 well &

domestics, $3 Absolut & Bacardi 10 p.m.-midnight

STACY’S @ MELROSE S $1.50 Rolling Rock & Wells, open-7 p.m.; Showtime 7-10 p.m.; $1

Rolling Rock & Wells; $2.50 Bud Light; $3 Fireball shots 7 p.m.Close; Happy Hours 10 p.m.-сlose M Happy Hours; $2.50 Rolling Rock ALL DAY T Happy Hours; $5 Martinis & $2.50 Rolling Rock ALL DAY W 2-4-1 all day*; *no shots T Happy Hours 4-8 p.m.; $1.50 Rolling Rock & Wells 8 p.m.-midnight F Happy Hours 4-8 p.m.; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day; $2.50 Bud

Light, $4.50 Pinnacle vodka & Fireball 8 p.m.-close S Happy Hours 4-8 p.m.; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day; $2.50 Bud

Light, $4.50 Pinnacle vodka & Fireball 8 p.m.-close 78

APRIL 2019

EchoMag.com

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos

EchoMag.com

APRIL 2019

Miss Gay Melrose America

Mar. 2, Stacys @ Melrose, Phoenix. Photos by Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen.

APRILE APRIL 2019 2019 | | EchoMag.com EchoMag.com

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos.

EchoMag.com | | APRILE APRIL 2019 EchoMag.com

ADVERTISER DIRECTORY Please support our advertisers who help keep Echo free

ACCOUNTANTS/ TAX PREPARATION

Phoenix Pride Inc.

10, 11

Bradley B. Brauer, HomeSmart

David Oesterle, ReMax

Red is the Night

Steve Price, CPA

The Franciscan Renewal Center

The Phoenix Theatre Company

Flex Spas Phoenix

FAMILY SERVICES

Off Chute

Voices for Casa Children

ASSISTED LIVING

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Bridgewater Assisted Living

JW Advisors Inc.

Jackson White-Attorneys At Law Phillips Law Group

71 5

Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair

BARS & CLUBS 77

Charlie’s Phoenix Stacy’s @ Melrose

9 59, 76, 77

BEVERAGES Smirnoff

Exposed Studio & Gallery

of course it’s ORANGE

My Dentist

Open Wide Dental

Melissa Bailey, exp Realty

Nicholas Yale, Brokers Hub Realty

Shawn Hertzog, West USA

Tricia Amato, HomeSmart

RELIGIOUS GROUPS Community Church of Hope

New Covenant Church of Phoenix

RESTAURANTS

Carpet Depot

Denny’s

Quandt Landscaping

Hula’s Modern Tiki

Rainbow Bug

Rainbow Donuts

Tilton Electric

Whyld Ass Restaurant

Valdez Refrigeration

China Chili

Off Chute Too

RETIREMENT PLANNING 63 3

Calvin Goetz, Strategy Financial Group

Jeremy Schachter, Fairway 3

WELLNESS 67

FitPro, LLC-

CVS specialty Pharmacy

HIV Hooray

Fairmont Pharmacy

Ripple PHX

Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS

Terros - Turning the Tide

REAL ESTATE

Jonathon Van Ness

Contour

Memar Blakelee

Musical Instrument Museum

REALTORS

Night for Life

Arizona Gay Realtors Alliance Berney Streed, Re/Max Excalibur

3 74

TERROS Health - Safe Out LGBTQ Youth Coalition

Walman Eye Centers

Willo Medi Spa

To find out more about advertising in Echo, call 602-266-0550 APRIL 2019 MARCH 2019 | | EchoMag.com EchoMag.com

SALONS Salon 24

MORTGAGES

82 66

INSURANCE

Equality Arizona

RETAIL

HOSPICE

PHARMACIES 67

EVENTS

Phoenix Mercury

Anytime Fitness

Maricopa County Community College District

Melinda Murphy, Lifestyle Partners

Independent Mortgage Corp.

EDUCATION

Brian’s Bzzy Buns

Edward Vasquez, Allstate

Encanto Family Dental Care

Matthew Hoedt, Realty One

Beneﬁts Arizona

DENTISTS

Fred Delgado Team, Keller Williams

AZ Perfect Comfort

Hospice of the Valley

COUNSELING Stonewall Institute

HOME SERVICES

AUTO SERVICES

Bunkhouse

GALLERIES

ATTORNEYS

Robert F. Hockensmith, CPA, PC

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT / RETAIL

Bobbi Ryals, HomeSmart

PhurFest

THE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP IN THE HEART OF BILTMORE!

CONTOUR condominiums are located in the Heart of Biltmore on 24th and Campbell Avenue. This unique location is set in a charming neighborhood that’s surrounded by great shopping, dining, entertainment and outdoor activities. Destinations including Biltmore Fashion Park, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and the Canal Bike Trail are right in your backyard, putting vibrant urban living just steps from home. Our collection of contemporary residences features designer interiors with impeccable finishes, culinary-inspired appliances, beautiful wood floors and indulgent bathroom suites. Private patios offer up to ~700 square feet of outdoor living space. One-bedrooms starting from the high $200,000s. Two-bedrooms starting from the low $300,000s. Garden Collection starting from the mid $300,000s. Floor plans are drawn to varying scales to maximize visibility when printed. The floor plans, elevations, renderings, features, finishes and specifications are subject to change at any time and should not be relied on as representations, expressed or implied. Square footage or floor plan areas shown in any marketing or other materials is approximate and may be more or less than the actual size. Real Estate Consulting, Sales and Marketing by Polaris Pacific – a licensed Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington Broker – ADRE #661757000. ©2019 Liv URBN

SALES GALLERY

Open Daily M-F 10am-6pm | Sa-Su 10am-5pm 2300 E. Campbell Ave. #127 Phoenix, AZ 85016 520.210.3027 LifeAtCONTOUR.com