T6hhju by Quedateylrcdtm

“I have an intense desire to make people feel good.”

MIKE RUIZ GETS REAL EXCLUSIVE

THE SUPERSTAR PHOTOGRAPHER, RUPAUL BESTIE, AND ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST IS HOT—YET AGAIN.

TINA FEY AND TITUSS BURGESS:

UNBREAKABLE MANHATTAN’S SEXIEST LATE-NIGHT SPOT

STUNNING NIGERIAN STYLE PRIDE POSTPONED

EMILY ESTEFAN SHANGELA

& HOT FASHION COOL GADGETS AND WEHO DATING

Is there a color youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen before? |

YOUR FAVORITE NEW COLOR ISNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T A COLOR

LEXUS

While artists use paint, dye and ink to create an array of beautiful hues, the morpho butterfly uses light to display a brilliant blue. Inspired by the morphoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vivid pigment, Lexus developed a unique paint that changes chromaticity depending on the angle you experience it. Creating a color that, like the butterfly, LVQ W UHDOO\ D FRORU DW DOO ,W V D SXUH UHp HFWLRQ RI OLJKW 'HOLYHULQJ RQH RI WKH SXUHVW EULJKWHVW EOXHV WKH KXPDQ H\H LV FDSDEOH RI VHHLQJ 'LVFRYHU D QHZ KXH DW OH[XV FRP FXULRVLW\

BLUE

STRUCTURAL

STYLE360

FEATURES ON THE COVER

Lagos Is Lit The Nigerian city is taking over as a modern fashion hotspot. By Simone Teague

COVET

Iron Mike Beneath muscles and tight Ts, celeb photographer and reality regular Mike Ruiz has a heart of gold. By Richard Pérez-Feria

Native Design Mozh Mozh’s new collection recruits female artists from Peruvian villages. By Diane Anderson-Minshall

PORTFOLIO

CELEB DESTINATIONS

IT TAKES TWO

EAT/ DRINK

The Art of Ruiz Check out some of cover star Mike Ruiz’s sick celebrity photography. By Mike Ruiz

The Unbreakable Tina & Tituss Tina Fey and Tituss Burgess discuss trauma, triumph, and the upcoming Kimmy Schmidt interactive special on Netﬂix. By Jacob Anderson-Minshall

Till We Meet Again A few of our favorite peeps name their favorite places. By Richard Pérez-Feria

Global Spirit Travel the world—by way of your liquor cabinet. By Diane Anderson-Minshall

FASHION RELIEF

King Louis Delectable man candy + the latest Louis Vuitton Men’s confections = total satisfaction.

ON THE COVER: MIKE RUIZ photographed by Rick Day. Suit by Franco Lacosta New York. ABOVE: BILLY PORTER photographed by Mike Ruiz. See his porfolio on page 33.

APRIL/MAY 2020. Volume 28, Number 5 Out (ISSN 1062-7928) is published six times a year by Pride Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Telephone: (310) 806-4288. Entire contents © 2020 Pride Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part without express permission of the publisher are strictly prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and at additional mailing ofﬁces. Subscription rate: $19.95 per year. Annual subscription rate outside the U.S.: $54, payable in U.S. currency only. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Out magazine, PO Box 2660 New York, NY 10108. Out is distributed to newsstands by Curtis Circulation Co. Printed in the United States of America.

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

CELEBRATE YOU With a vibrant collection of cultures and activities, Greater Fort Lauderdale is the destination where everyone comes together, under the warm embrace of the sun. All are welcome to ﬂy your ﬂag high, make an impact and radiate life – because who you are is worth celebrating. Create your own adventure at sunny.org/lgbt

ART & CRAFT

MIRROR

TOUGH

GORGEOUS

GROOMING

Mi Vida Loca The trailblazing show with a nonbinary Latinx lead is bidding adios. But Vida’s impact is long-lasting.

High on Hydration We show you our favorite new CBD skin care products.

Dragging America D.J. “Shangela” Pierce brings drag to America’s heartland in a new unscripted HBO series.

Face Framers If eyes are the windows to the soul, then eyebrows are its curtains. Here are the latest grooming techniques.

STAGE

Reality Bites Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? triumphantly returned with a queer-inclusive cast—just as Broadway went dark.

MUSIC

BOOKS

AFTER HOURS

Beating Her Own Drum Music may be in Emily Estefan’s DNA, but the talented queer Latina is forging her own path.

Night Owls Omar Hernández’s latest after-hours speakeasy speaks our language.

Love, Native American Style Natalie Diaz heats things up with her Postcolonial Love Poems.

Hookup Hangover Looking for love in all the wrong apps? David Artavia is here to help.

ART

Endless Summer A new exhibit captures the uncloseted joy of queer life in 1950s Cherry Grove.

Cancel Culture With 2020 Pride events postponed, how can the LGBTQ+ community stay connected?

ABOVE: LAGOS FASHION, see Style360 on page 14 4

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

ORANGE CULTURE:JESSE NAVARRE VOS

Hot Homebody Gyms may be closed for the time being, but this tech can help you stay ﬁt at home.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUT Now Available in both Print or Digital Editions One Year (6 Issues of OUT) Just $19.95 That’s 52% off the annual newsstand price! When ordering add The Advocate to the OUT one year print subscription $29.95 – THE BEST DEAL.

.com/subscribe @ outmagazine

D IR ECTOR’S S TAT EM ENT

People are also getting sick and dying. For me, hearing the phrase “I tested positive” takes me right back to the late 1980s when my friends were dying of complications from AIDS. I know it triggers a lot of folks, with or without HIV, some of whom are the most vulnerable. We want to remember them as well as trans and bi women who may be stuck at home with an abusive partner (statistics say they’re in the most danger of intimate partner violence when there are not social outlets) and the LGBTQ+ youth who may not have a home to shelter in or who are stuck in an inhospitable home situation for their quarantine.

where snow-capped mountain ranges are the view from my new office window (so unlike our Los Angeles office). I’ve got two dogs at my feet and one on my lap, a cat trying to cover the keyboard, and a Slack alert pops up from my team about every 30 seconds or so. Even still, I was at one of the country’s hottest nightclubs last night, my ﬁrst time dancing in a long time. But don’t fret, I’m still social distancing—a lot. You see I was at Club Quarantine (or Club Q for those in the know), an underground LGBTQ+ nightclub that happens every night on the Zoom app. (I was able to make my normal bedtime too, because on Saturdays the club opens at 6 p.m. Eastern so queer revelers in Europe can join in.) This may be our new normal. With all that’s going on with our global health crisis, people are working from home if they can, and events like Pride are being postponed until the fall, canceled altogether, or moved to virtual events. We’re even getting in on the game by hosting Pride Media’s Virtual LGBTQ+ Prom Week in May on Out.com, Advocate.com, and Pride.com. Imagine virtual dance parties, interviews, live streaming, meet-cute prom stories, and advice on living your own queer prom fantasy (in your living room, of course).

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

By having editors in residence—a concept stolen from the art world—we get the chance to look at how different LGBTQ+ people envision what a magazine like Out should be. We’d love to see what you’d do with it, too. Fan art, mock covers, suggestions for interviewees are all welcome. I’m hoping this year, somewhere in these pages, you see yourself. But if you don’t, tell us on IG, Twitter, or Facebook or, hey, you can even email me. DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL

CEO & Editorial Director diane@out.com

LUKE FONTANA

I ’ M W R I T I NG T H IS F ROM my home office in Idaho,

This isn’t meant to be a downer of a letter, though. My goal with this issue of Out and every one that comes after is to provide a bit of escape from what’s going on around us. It’s also the ﬁrst of our editors-in-residence series, where each issue is created by a new guest editor in chief. This issue came from the mind of Richard Pérez-Feria, a Latinx gay Gen Xer whose career has often dovetailed with mine, though we only just met two months ago. The cofounder of Poz magazine, Richard is famous for making People en Español the magazine it is today. He’s worked at dozens of outlets, including several magazines he’s launched himself, and he threw himself into this issue completely, bringing in some exciting new writers and artists.

PROVIDING COMPASSIONATE CARE

TO LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES

FOR OVER 50 YEARS, REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY

T ë× ÖÝë ×ª ªÝ× õ õÝ ïùééÝëõ Ýùë ɬÝëõïű

callen-lorde.org

G UE S T E DI TOR / I N RESIDENC E

OUT, AGAIN T H E F IR S T T IM E I moved back to New York City (that

owner of Publishers Weekly, and I would go on to become business partners for more than a decade; and several times over the years, almost became owners of Out. Almost, but not quite. All of this to say that I couldn’t be happier to be able to check this significant item off my media bucket list, to edit this issue of the very magazine I love so very much. And what could be better than to be able to feature one of my closest (and most talented) friends on the cover? In many significant ways, star celebrity photographer and personality Mike Ruiz unapologetically represents the Out I so admired all those years ago: fashionable, zeitgeisty, and just a bit cheeky. So, as I navigated around the other compelling features and exclusives that fill the pages of this magical publication, I’d like to thank the incredible team at Out that will ensure this important, necessary and, yes, revolutionary magazine will live on to stylishly ﬁght that very good ﬁght. After all these years, friends, Out is still very much in. As it should be. RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA

Guest Editor in Chief DORI FITZPATRICK

time from Miami) on a snowy Halloween day in 1993, it was less than a week after accepting the challenge of being founding editor in chief of Poz, a magazine I fully intended to help make a seismic difference in the country. Even the positioning that owner Sean Strub insisted on— Poz was not to be about dying of AIDS, but rather living with HIV—was revolutionary, and I was here for all of it. When Poz made its splashy, headline-grabbing debut the following spring, I knew we were on our way to something big, something necessary, something, yes, revolutionary. Somewhere between securing contributions from the likes of media superstars Maureen Dowd, Andrew Sullivan, Albert Watson, Bruce Weber, and scores of others and actually launching a magazine that reflected precisely the vision all of us involved had imagined, I met with another editor in chief who knew exactly what it felt like to execute a vision that seemed, at first, far-fetched. Michael Goff, Out’s OG EIC, and I broke bread at what was then Chelsea’s epicenter of muscle and fabulousness, Food Bar on Eighth Avenue, directly across the street from the always-packed Chelsea Gym. (Fun fact: Moments before Goff walked in, the restaurant’s owner asked me to come up with a marketing tagline to help explain his popular eatery to the uninitiated. Looking around, I said, “Food Bar—it’s not about the food.” He loved it, but feared his chef would quit). From that audacious, beautiful first issue Goff (and the late Sarah Pettit, the first executive editor) produced, Out has played a major, if largely unknown, role in my long magazine career. In fact, Poz’s first publisher, George W. Slowik, Jr., came from Out. Slowik, who’s currently the

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

Here’s to chasing rainbows.

Meeting the man of your dreams isn’t as hard as you might think. Especially here in Key West. Because with gay tours, an eclectic art scene and other LGBT friendly attractions, you’ll discover new friends – and maybe something more. Add our colorful history, authentic architecture and vibrant cultural scene, and Key West could be the pot of gold you’ve been searching for. ﬂa-keys.com/gaykeywest 305.294.4603

Island House Resort Award-winning clothing-optional resort for gay men. Luxurious rooms. Poolside café and bar. Gym, sauna, steamroom, Jacuzzis®. Poolside massage pavilion. 800-890-6284 or 305-294-6284 islandhousekeywest.com

Equator Resort Key West Male only clothing optional resort consistently ranked #1. Equator features two pools and Jacuzzis®, all private bathrooms and free happy hour. 800-278-4552 or 305-294-7775 equatorresort.com

New Orleans House Key West The only “All Male” Guest House on Duval St., in Key West, a clothing optional resort. “Stay Where You Play” 888-293-9893 or 305-293-9800 neworleanshousekw.com

and Editorial Director

Joe Valentino Executive Vice President, Group Publisher and Corporate Sales

Richard Pérez-Feria Guest Editor in Chief

Stuart Brockington Vice President,

Diane Anderson-Minshall Chief Executive Ofﬁcer

Branded Partnerships and Associate Publisher

EDITORIAL

SALES & MARKETING

Mikelle Street Senior Editor Daniel Reynolds Senior Editor James Long Editor at Large Trudy Ring Copy Chief Desirée Guerrero Associate Editor Simone Teague Editorial Assistant Donald Padgett Copy Editor

Jamie Tredwell Director, Branded Partnerships Ezra Alvarez and Patty Aguayo Executive Directors, Integrated Sales Tim Snow Senior Manager, Branded Partnerships Dean Fryn Integrated Ad Sales and Branded Partnerships Coordinator Stewart Nacht Senior Director, Ad Operations Tiffany Kesden Manager, Ad Operations

CONTRIBUTORS

David Cowles, Bill Henning, Marco Medrano, Robert Risko, Kenta Seki ART

Raine Bascos Executive Creative Director Michael Lombardo Associate Creative Director Christopher Harrity Interactive Art Director Nicolas Bloise Photo Director Desirée Guerrero Interactive Art Associate

DIGITAL

Mikelle Street Digital Director Eric Bui Technology VP, Development Laura Villela Digital Media Manager Jocelyn Smith Social Media Director, Audience & Analytics Christine Linell Social Media Manager Javy Rodriguez Social Media Editor PRINT PRODUCTION

PRIDE MEDIA EDITORIAL

David Artavia and Tracy E. Gilchrist Editors in Chief, The Advocate Neal Broverman Editor in Chief, Plus and Digital Editor, Advocate.com Jacob Anderson-Minshall Editor in Chief, Out Traveler Raffy Ermac Editor in Chief, Pride Taylor Henderson Deputy Editor, Pride Jeffrey Masters Director of Podcasts and Special Projects

John Lewis Production Director Jacob Anderson-Minshall Production Editor CIRCULATION

Argus Galindo Director of Circulation FINANCE / ACCOUNTING

Betsy Skidmore Vice President, Finance Lorelie Yu Accounts Receivable Controller Paulette Kadimyan Accounting Manager LOS ANGELES ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL

Phone (310) 806-4288 Fax (310) 806-4268 Email letters@out.com SUBSCRIBER SERVICES (212) 920-2844

P.O. Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Phone (310) 806-4288 Fax (310) 806-4268 Email adinfo@out.com NEW YORK ADVERTISING OFFICES

P.O. Box 2660, New York, NY 10108 Phone (212) 242-8100 Fax (212) 242-8338 Email adinfo@out.com

For new subscriptions, renewals, bill payments, and address changes, go to Out.com/Services To contact us go to Out.com/subcontact or write to: Customer Service, Pride Publishing Inc, PO Box 2660, New York, NY 10108. Out is a registered trademark of Pride Publishing Inc. ©2020 Pride Publishing Inc. Founders Michael Goff, Bob Hardman All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

CON TRIB UTORS

The Team Out April/May 2020 By James Long

GIULIANA GUARINO (SEKI); ROBERT RISKO (RISKO); COURTESY SIMONE TEAGUE (TEAGUE); DAVID COWLES (COWLES)

KENTA SEKI Los Angeles-based fitness guru and entrepreneur Kenta Seki will be familiar to the hundreds of thousands of his fans who’ve been motivated to lead healthier, happier lives by his positive personality and challenging workouts. Having starred in more than 100 fitness DVDs, Seki sees an evergrowing technology platform for fitnessminded individuals in all stages of their wellness journey. “There’s a lot to look forward to in 2020, with all the new apps, products, and methods out now,” he says. “It’s important to stay informed and stay healthy and fit in these ultramodern times.”

ROBERT RISKO Renow ned for his iconic c elebr it y p or t ra it s a nd caricatures, Robert Risko’s work has been seen regularly in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Inter view. “I was super excited when Out asked me to draw Tina Fey and Tituss Burgess for two reasons,” he says. “The first is that Out’s g uest e ditor in chief and I go way back and knowing him, you can never say ‘No.’ The second reason is that the partnership of Tina and Tituss is simply genius. Drawing them is the next best thing to sitting in on an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt rehearsal.”

DAVID COWLES The distinctive and unmistakable work of award-winning illustrator and animation director David Cowles has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair. He’s also directed, produced, and designed many videos for the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. Returning to the pages of Out “is a pleasure,” he says, “and, speciﬁcally, to do a portrait of Carson Kressley, well, his outsized personality couldn’t be more perfect for caricaturing. Oops, I dropped a pun.”

SIMONE TEAGUE “During my college years, I worked as an editorial assistant for Saratoga Living and as a social media assistant for Salmagundi,” says writer Simone Teague regarding her ﬁrst assignment for Out. “Both experiences were meaningful, but as a bi woman of color with a trans older sister, I’ve always wanted to contribute to a magazine that celebrates and showcases people like us. Out is committed to doing just that, and I’m so excited to be a part of it.”

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 1 1

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY® This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: ` Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. ` Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to ﬁght infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. ` Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. ` Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. ` Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. ` The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

` Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you

have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: ` dofetilide ` rifampin ` any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: ` Have or have had any kidney or liver problems,

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

including hepatitis infection. ` Have any other health problems. ` Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. ` Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

` Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-

GET MORE INFORMATION

counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. ` BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at

MyDailyCharge.com

` This is only a brief summary of important information

about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. ` Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5. ` If you need help paying for your medicine,

visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP CREATING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: December 2018 © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0102 01/19

KEEP CREATING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are. BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. To learn more, visit BIKTARVY.com.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

S TYL E 360

LAGOS’S BIG FASHION MOMENT Naomi and Beyoncé help Nigeria take a couture bow. By Simone Teague

1 O4 UT AP AR P/ RM / AY M AY 2 0 22 00 2 0O U 0T 0

COURTESY OF ORANGE CULTURE/JESSE NAVARRE VOS

S TY LE 3 60

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 1 5

S TYL E 360

OVE OVER, PARIS, and watch out, Milan. The world has taken notice of Lagos, Nigeria, as a serious force in fashion, and it’s easy to see why. The city is home to a slew of innovative designers who pride themselves on blending modern and traditional elements to create fashion-forward masterpieces. In recent years, Beyoncé, Solange, and Kerry Washington have all been spotted wearing Lagosian brand Maki Oh, and just last spring, Naomi Campbell walked for Tiffany Amber at Lagos’ Arise Fashion Week.

The global interest in Lagos excites designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal, the creator of Orange Culture, an androgynous menswear brand. (@TheOrangeNerd) “For many years, we’ve had people speak on our behalf and try to force us into boxes as ‘African designers,’” he says. “Finally, we get to express our culture, background, and creative work through our designs to the global audience.” In a nation where gender fluidity remains a newer concept, Oke-Lawal has had his work cut out for him. He recalls that when he started Orange Culture in 2011, he “had to educate and infiltrate consistently” before the brand established a consumer base. Despite the obstacles, Orange Culture has grown and is currently stocked in London, New York, Los Angeles, Kenya, and, of course, Lagos. Oke-Lawal says he wants his clothes to make people feel “vulnerable, emotional, expressive, confident, loved, and accepted.” Isn’t that what fashion’s all about?

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 O U T

S TY LE3 60

COURTESY OF ORANGE CULTURE/JESSE NAVARRE VOS (BOTH PAGES)

“For many years, we’ve had people speak on our behalf and try to force us into boxes as ‘African designers.’ Finally, we get to express our culture, background, and creative work through our designs to the global audience.”— Adebayo Oke-Lawal, creator of Orange Culture’s androgynous menswear.

OUT

FE A P B/ R /MMAAY R 2020 3 17 1

S TYL E 360

COURTESY OF ORANGE CULTURE/JESSE NAVARRE VOS

Oke-Lawal wants his clothes to make people feel “vulnerable, emotional, expressive, conﬁdent, loved, and accepted.”

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 O U T

S TYL E 360/ COV E T

ANDRES ALTAMIRANO

We Want

MOZ H DE H M AT I N ’ S SLOW luxury fashion brand, Mozh Mozh, works with female artisans in Native Peruvian villages using local textiles (like alpaca) and innovative and traditional techniques to conserve Peru’s historical indigenous fashion. The result: Mozh Mozh’s colorful and timeless collection that brings a queer sensibility to reinterpreting the ancestral textiles of Peru. Their new Spring Summer 2020 collection features fusion of handwoven cotton fabrics, crochet knots, and beaded accessories for the “new ‘20s” (inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis). Also drawing inspiration from the Peruvian poet and plastic artist Jorge Eduardo Eielson, Matin incorporated elements of South America’s Andes Mountain Range, creating structural garments and bags inspired by Eielson’s “Nudos” sculptures. I love the Maska Multi Dress, a handwoven open back dress that steps up the rainbow fashion game for any femme. The equally fabulous but slightly more gender-neutral Ribbon Loom Roca Shirt and matching Fela Trousers are paired here with the brand’s Beaded Rain Dress. —DI A N E A N DE R S ON - M I NSH A L L OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 1 9

C E LE B DE S TI N ATIO NS

WHEN WE CAN TRAVEL AGAIN

Now is the time to dream of next year’s vacation with help from our favorite familiar faces.

I ’ V E A LWAYS L AUGH E D at the sections in many popular magazines that

exclaim in sheer amazement, “Hey, look, celebrities are just like us!” Who else would they be like? The stars are just people too, right? We asked some of our famous friends a simple query: “When you have to get away, where, oh where, do you go?” You know what, they are just like us. Who would have thought? —RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA

2 O0 UT AP AR P/ RM / AY M AY 2 0 22 00 20 O 0U 0T

“When I have to get away, I always like to travel to Paris. Why? Because that’s where my second apartment is.”

MIKE RUIZ

—J. Alexander, America’s Next Top Model (The CW)

C E LE B DE S TI N ATIO NS

“When I have to get the heck out of town, I travel to Provincetown, Mass. For those perfect Americana vibes, P-town is my fave destination. It’s the gayest, friendliest, and most quaint town in America. Even when it’s busy it doesn’t feel crowded—it’s perfect. When I need to get the heck out of the States, I head to Mykonos, Greece. By far the gayest island in the Mediterranean, Mykonos boasts amazing accommodations, great food, picturesque beaches, and, of course, a fun nightlife. If you want to feel like you’re on vacation, then Mykonos is the place to go.” —David Bromstad, My Lottery Dream House (HGTV)

—Carson Kressley, Queer Eye (original cast, Bravo), RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) 22

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 O U T

DAVID COWLES

“I’m a ‘retail enthusiast,’ a.k.a. compulsive shopper, so I love to travel to Paris. You can walk down almost any little street and ﬁnd something amazing. The Paris ﬂea market is beyond—I could spend days there. And don’t get me started on the museums. I louvre Paris!”

CEL EB DESTIN ATION S

“My latest favorite escape is Milos, a Greek island made mostly of volcanic ash and clay—it’s as if Mother Nature was like, ‘I’m going to have some fun with this one.’ Milos is surrounded by crazy cliff formations all in bright white against the sea. We stay in a secret place isolated from people, immersed in nature and sea. It’s simply the most romantic, perfectly designed, into-nature getaway.” —Genevieve Gorder, Stay Here (Netﬂix)

“My favorite travel destination is probably Buenos Aires. It’s not only a beautiful, Europeanfeeling city—rich in history and culture and warmth— Argentina is where my family is from, and connecting with my relatives is a powerful draw.” —Dan Bucatinsky, The Baker and the Beauty (ABC)

“I love to travel to my bathtub and soak in a hot bubble bath. It’s really peaceful. It’s inexpensive and usually no other humans are around.” —D. Smith, Love & Hip Hop Atlanta (VH1)

“I love to travel— especially the Maldives—because not only is it the ultimate adventure, but it also exposes you to new types of people, different ways of living, and opens up your mind and reminds me that, in the grand scheme of things, my life isn’t the only one I could live.”

LAUREN CREW

—Rodiney Santiago, The A-List: New York (Bravo)

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 2 3

Easy to Make Cocktails from Around the World You may be stuck at home, but you can still drink like a globe trotter. By Diane Anderson-Minshall

EAT & DR IN K / COCK TAIL S

ARUBA MULE Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino/ Palm Beach, Aruba Sip the refreshing ﬂavors of the ‘One Happy Island’ with an aloe-inspired concoction mixed with ginger beer, mint and fresh lemon. Ingredients • 1 ½ ounces vodka • 2 ounces aloe vera juice • ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice • ¼ ounce simple syrup • 4 ounces ginger beer • mint leaves Directions Fill a copper mule mug or a rocks glass with ice. Add vodka, aloe vera juice, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup to the glass. Top with ginger beer and stir gently. Garnish with mint leaves.

¡OYE! JUANJO Caña Bar + Kitchen/Curaçao Transport your tastebuds to the tropical Dutch island of Curaçao with this refreshing pineapple and tequila infusion. Ingredients • 1 ¾ ounces blanco tequila (preferable Don Julio Blanco) • 1 ½ ounces fresh pineapple juice • 1 ounce fresh lime juice • 1⁄3 ounce fresh ginger juice • ½ ounce agave nectar Directions Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake and fine strain into a tumbler with crushed ice. Top up with crushed ice and serve.

PEACHTINI

COURTESY DIAMOND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Barnsley Resort/Adairsville, GA Shake things up with a perfectly balanced mix of sweet and spicy citrus and sugar. Ingredients • 1 ½ ounces vodka • ½ ounce Combier Orange Liqueur • ¼ ounce Fresh Lime Juice • ½ ounce orange juice • ½ ounces peach purée • grenadine • peach slice Directions Add vodka, orange liquor, lime juice, orange juice, and peach puree to shaker with ice. Shake ingredients well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a peach slice and drizzle of grenadine. OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 2 5

EAT & DRI N K / COCK TA ILS

PIWIWI W Punta de Mita/Riviera Nayarit, Mexico Named after a local bird, this light libation combines tequila, fresh grapefruit juice, agave, fresh lime juice, and soda, making it the perfect way to cool off on a sunny day. Ingredients • ¾ ounce grapefruit juice • ½ ounce agave syrup • ½ ounce fresh lime juice • 1 ounce tequila blanco • ¾ ounce Ancho Reyes liqueur • 1 drop citrus bitter • Splash of soda water • Dried hibiscus leaves Directions In a shaker with ice, combine ¾ ounce grapefruit juice, ½ ounce agave syrup, ½ ounce fresh lime juice, 1 ounce tequila blanco, ¾ ounces Ancho Reyes liqueur, a few dried hibiscus leaves, and 1 drop citrus bitters. Strain into a rocks glass with ice, top with soda water, and garnish with a grapefruit slice.

PIÑA COLADA Caribe Hilton/San Juan, Puerto Rico Straight from the birthplace of the piña colada, this recipe dates back to the 1950’s and is one of the most popular tropical cocktails to date. Ingredients: • 2 ounces rum • 1 ounces coconut cream • 1 ounce heavy cream • 6 ounces pineapple juice • ½ cup crushed ice Directions: Mix rum, cream of coconut, heavy cream and pineapple juice in a blender. Add ice and mix for 15 seconds. Serve in a 12-ounce glass and garnish with fresh pineapple and a cherry.

Jade Mountain/Saint Lucia Mango lovers can tap into the tastes of the island Saint Lucia with a delicious blend of fresh mango, lime juice, and rum. Ingredients • 1 ½ ounces Bounty Rum • 3 ounces fresh mango puree • 1 teaspoon lime juice • 1 teaspoon simple syrup • 1 dash bitters Directions Put the rum, mango puree, lime juice, and bitters in a shaker. Cover and shake quick and hard. Strain into a large tumbler ﬁlled with ice. Garnish with a fresh mango slice. 26

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

ALL COURTESY DIAMOND PUBLIC RELATIONS

MANGO MADNESS

EAT & DR IN K / COCK TAIL S

RUM SWIZZLE Hedonism II/Negril, Jamaica Dating back to the mid-18th century, this cocktail has a history of making patrons ‘swizzle’ around the danceﬂoor (or their living rooms) after a few.

SWEET & SPICY MARGARITA The Palms Hotel & Spa/Miami Beach, FL Shake things up with a perfectly balanced mix of sweet and spicy citrus and sugar.

ALL COURTESY DIAMOND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Ingredients: • 1 ½ ounces Jalapeño-Infused Casa Noble Reposado • ¾ ounce Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur • ¾ ounce guava puree • ¾ ounce lime juice

Ingredients • 1 ounce rum • 1 1⁄2 lime juice • 3 dashes of bitters • club soda • 2 dashes of fruit syrup Directions Pour rum, lime juice, bitters, and fruit syrup ingredients into a glass filled with ice, add club soda and stir. Garnish with a cherry and pineapple slice.

Directions: Add ingredients to a shaker with ice. Rim the glass with ancho-sugar. Shake ingredients well and strain into glass with ice. Garnish with jalapeño and lime slice.

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 27

OPEN MIKE HOW CELEBRiTY PHOTOGRAPHER, REALiTY TV STAPLE, AND PHiLANTHROPiST MiKE RUiZ

FiGURED OUT THE GAME OF LiFE. BY RiCHARD PÃ©REZ-FERiA. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RiCK DAY.

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

he first time I laid eyes on Mike Ruiz, back in 1997, when he walked into my office to show me his photo book for a possible assignment, I remember thinking, He’s the photographer? We should be shooting him . But there he was, looking like a Tom of Finland illustration come to life, but smiling and giggling like a 9-year-old. It was then, as it is now, an intoxicating, ir resistible c ontradic tor y cocktail of tough and sweet. Who could resist? Oh, and the fact that he’s among the ver y top tier of American celebrity, fashion, and portrait photographers isn’t just icing on the cake—it is the cake. Ruiz is here to slay, brothers and sisters, and I’ve been rooting for him since our very first encounter. Ruiz and I have loved traversing the planet shooting some of its coolest stars for magazine covers: Ricky Martin, Michelle Rodriguez, Tiki Barber, Daisy Fuentes, and many more. In fact, Ruiz has famously worked with the world’s biggest celebrities—Kim Kardashian West, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and, yes, Betty White. But he’s been so much more than an in-demand celebrity lensman: Ruiz has evolved into not only video directing and production (Kelly Rowland, Vanessa Williams, Kristine W) but a star in unscripted television on The A-List: New York (Bravo) and Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List (Bravo) as well as a judge on both America’s Top Next Model (The CW) and RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1). Tyra and Ru on speed dial? Loves it. As if all of that wasn’t keeping him busy enough, Ruiz has turned his attention to helping pit bulls, with his annual benefit calendar, Bullies & Biceps, featuring top fitness models (many of whom are pit bull owners themselves) and gorgeous canines that need rescuing.

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

All proceeds from the calendar go to New York Bully Crew, an organization dedicated to rescuing at-risk pit bulls. I know how important this cause is to the talented Montreal native, since the loss of his beloved black pit bull, Oliver. As anyone who has ever crossed paths with Oliver knows, that was one unforgettable, amazing pooch, very much like Ruiz himself—tough exterior; jelly-ﬁlled, playful interior. Mike and Oliver was a love story to rival any. Love has been generous with Ruiz as well as devastatingly cruel. After years of bouncing around the dating scene, Ruiz found love with Martin Berusch. In 2013, when the photographer was trying to “simplify” his life, he and Berusch (and Oliver) moved to a beautiful home in central New Jersey’s horse country, and all seemed perfect in their world—until Berusch, whom Ruiz had been dating since 2010, passed away suddenly the day after Christmas 2016. Only recently has Ruiz been able to reconnect and find love again, this time with Wayne Schatz. They married last May. All of the seismic activity in Ruiz’s personal life isn’t that surprising, considering his description of an “emotionally volatile” childhood to his hometown newspaper, the Montreal Gazette, as one of three boys born to his late mother, Francoise, and father, Anthony: “I grew up in an unstimulating, blue-collar environment where we weren’t exposed to the arts. I was always very introspective and satisﬁed my creativity by imagining how my life would turn out.” And boy, how did that work out for our guy? His photography work is instantly recognizable, part carnival, part homage, and, again, much like the man behind the lens, demands attention. So yeah, Ruiz is clearly at the apex of a fulfilling personal and career ride: deeply happy in love, busy and challenged with work, and devoted to causes he cares about—including his extensive activities on behalf of GMHC and LGBTQ youth. I keep harking back to our first meeting nearly a quarter century ago and how remarkably consistent my feelings about him have remained: Mike Ruiz is a good guy, a solid human, and a lot of fun to hang out with. The talented, effervescent, tireless, delightful photographer was even game to answer a few questions for Out. As I said, who can resist?

Mike, are people intimidated when they first meet you (all those muscles) and delighted when you greet them? It’s quite the juxtaposition, your frame from your persona. Are people still intimidated? I think at this point, enough people have seen how nonthreatening I am that the word has spread that I’m a total pushover. How did you get cast in your debut film, Latin Boys Go to Hell? Do people still recognize you from that? It was a classic Hollywood story. I was in an elevator in New York City and the director, Ela Troyano, asked me if I’d like to be in a film. I let her know that I was a photographer and not an actor, but that didn’t seem to faze her. She gave me her card and asked me to call her. I never called her, so she ended up casting Tony Ward. I guess he didn’t come off as a Latino, so she found me again and pleaded with me to do it. Since I’m all about the experience, I agreed to do it. The budget was negligible, so we had to do everything in one take. Also, I hadn’t rehearsed with the other actors prior to my scenes, so I had to wing it. Hence my stellar performance. For those of us who know you well, it’s still surprising how highly sensitive and emotional you are. Can you sense how that translates into your work? I do suffer from an abnormally high level of empathy, which makes me hyper-conscious of people and their feelings. I guess the way this translates into my work is that I have the intense desire to make people feel good. That’s always my fundamental goal when photographing anyone. I want them to feel special and beautiful. I’ve always considered my work to be optimistic and aspirational, and that definitely comes from my need to see the world through hopeful, optimistic eyes—which I hope leaves my subjects feeling the same way.

lesson you wish you would have known decades ago? The lesson I wish I could convey to my younger self would be to love myself more. I did a lot of self-destructive stuff in the effort to be loved. The answer all along was to love myself. That would have made so many decisions so much easier. Tell me how similar and different RuPaul and Tyra Banks are. We know they’re both ﬁerce, but what’s your take? They’re similar in the sense that they’re both highly driven: success at any cost. At the end of the day, they’re just like the rest of us, human beings with struggles and triumphs.

“I’ve always considered my work to be aspirational.”

There’s a lot of visual drama in so much of your work. Is that you trying to stand out from the pack? I found early on that photography was the voice that I never had. I used it to create a visual world that I needed to see. It was just my visual point of view. I’m just grateful that it resonated with some.

After The A-List: New York, would you ever star in another unscripted series? Househusbands of New Jersey? I never say never. I’m certainly not seeking it out, but if it landed on my lap, I’d do it. I’m a lot wiser and savvier now, so the terms of such a project would be far less exploitative ﬁnancially. I’d have to have a stake in it. I’ve been on enough reality TV to know that I’m as good an executive producer as any I’ve worked with.

Dream assignment? Who are you shooting? Set it up for us. My dream assignment has changed over the years. Ten years ago, I would have said that I’d love to shoot Gaga or Madonna. Lately, I get the most satisfaction using my skills and visibility to help our LGBTQ youth and animals in need. If there was something that I could shoot that would have some kind of major positive social impact, that would be a career highlight for sure.

2020 is something else: COVID-19, presidential election, LGBTQ rights under attack. What keeps you so ﬁrmly on your indefatigable positivity train? It’s not easy. I see so much hardship and despair, but I feel that if I contribute to it, I’m not doing myself or anyone else any favors. What a person says and does says everything about them, and the last thing that I would want to do is leave a legacy of hate and sadness. It’s like exercising—the more love you put forth, the easier it gets.

In your life and career, you’ve experienced some extreme highs and devastating lows. What’s the

Send us on our way with this: Mike Ruiz is… …trying his very best.

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

PORTFOLIO PH O T O GR A PH Y BY M I K E R U I Z

MJ RODRIGUEZ

RUBY ROSE

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

PENN BADGLEY

TARAJI P. HENSON 36

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

KATY PERRY

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

BETTY WHITE

Unbridled Unbreakable

By Jacob Anderson-Minshall Illustration by Robert Risko

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

Tina Fey and Tituss Burgess are going where no comedy has before, with an all-new, interactive Kimmy Schmidt special.

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

you voted?” The mail clerk pointed to my sticker. It was 2016 and I was absolutely 100 percent “with her,” ready to see Hillary Clinton break through sexism and the ultimate glass ceiling by becoming the first female president. I’d been a Hillary supporter for a long time, since I helped launch the lesbian magazine Girlfriends in 1992. That same year, Hillary relocated to Washington, D.C., for her husband’s new job. Her inability to be the kind of wife to stay quiet and look pretty cursed her for many conservatives in the decades to come. If you’d asked if anyone was more qualified to run the country at that moment in November 2016, I would have said “No.” Still, when the clerk pointed at my T-shirt and said, “I didn’t even know they were running,” I couldn’t help myself. I just blurted, “Oh my God, I wish!” You see, the dream team represented on my shirt was Amy Poehler and Tina Fey (although I would have reversed their standing, supporting Fey for president). “Bitches Get Shit Done,” the tagline proclaimed. Indeed they do. On the verge of scoring yet another comedy first—with the upcoming interactive Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Netflix special (featuring the show’s gay lead Tituss Burgess)— Fey continues to demonstrate just what a determined woman can accomplish. Fey parlayed her ability to write comedy (and boss men around) into running the writers’ room at Saturday Night Live and becoming one of the sketch comedy’s breakout talents, best known for her portrayal of Sarah Palin. Fey also created and starred in the hit sitcom 30 Rock, based on her experiences behind the scenes at SNL. Her 30 Rock character Liz Lemon, the smart, sexy nerd girl in glasses who was showrunner of the fictional The Girlie Show (later renamed TGS With Tracy Morgan) proved every week for seven years showed why she was—and deserved to be—the fucking boss. The point on a Venn diagram where sexy nerd girls in glasses and bossy feminist bitches overlap is territory where Fey is clearly at home. When Fey first pitched Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to NBC (the network passed, and the show ended up on Netflix), she knew she wanted to center strong women— not by portraying them herself or showing female bosses trying to have it all. Instead, Fey wanted to write characters that illustrated how strong ordinary women can be, especially with the support of other women. “I was also motivated by how resilient women are in having second acts in their lives after deep tragedy and deep abuse,” Fey says. “I really was motivated to see if there was any way to write comedy from that place.” In the show, actress Ellie Kemper plays the relentlessly-positive-despite-it-all Kimmy Schmidt, who was imprisoned in a bunker for 15 years yet somehow emerges with a sense of innocence and naivete intact. Fey was just as determined to pair Kimmy with a jaded and snarky femme gay Black man as her secondary lead. 42

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

Writing the character, she had a specific actor in mind. She even named Titus Andromedon in his honor. Even so, Tituss Burgess still had to audition for the role. The two first met on the set of 30 Rock when Burgess came in to read for the (small) role of D’Fwan. Burgess would later admit that he was initially frightened of Fey. Asked why grown men might fear her, Fey feigns ignorance. “I don’t know,” she says. “It’s always funny to me to hear that. Maybe it’s that kind of thing where, because I am sort of quiet, that it’s misperceived as if that’s withholding.” I offer another interpretation to the star: “I think that some men are kind of afraid of women who have power, and you clearly do.” “Thank you for saying so,” she replies. “I’ll leave that to you to say.” Fey admits she hadn’t originally realized who Burgess was. By the time he auditioned for the 30 Rock role, the singer-actor was already a bona fide Broadway star, having debuted in the musical Good Vibrations as Eddie in 2005, appeared in Jersey Boys as Hal Miller, originated the role of Sebastian the Crab in the musical version of The Little Mermaid, and played the formerly white role of NicelyNicely Johnson, in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls. “It wasn’t until after the series wrapped, after 30 Rock wrapped, that I was just in my office working on something else, and then I somehow stumbled upon Tituss singing,” Fey recalls. “I was like, ‘God. Oh my God. Oh my God!’ I had no idea that Tituss had the Broadway background. He was just this guy that had come in to read for D’Fwan. And so then we were just blown away and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to find a way to do more with this man!’” Burgess—who recently had a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, has a new album, Saint Tituss, and has a starring role in the upcoming film Respect with Jennifer Hudson—has a powerful voice. What Fey stumbled on was likely the viral video of his 2013 performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” (the song made famous onstage by Jennifer Holiday in Broadway’s Dreamgirls) at a Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraiser. Since Burgess aced his Kimmy Schmidt audition, he and Fey have led the show to widespread acclaim (and yearly Emmy nominations since it premiered in 2015). Burgess has taken home numerous awards, including the Gold Derby Award for Comedy Supporting Actor of the Decade. Now the final season has wrapped and the two are unveiling a new interactive special (out May 12 on Netflix). In a first for a comedy series, the show will allow viewers to decide what happens next. JACO B AN D E RSO N - M I N SHALL: The character

Kimmy Schmidt is similar to the NBC page, Kenneth Parcell, on 30 Rock. They both seem sort of naively positive in a world of disenchanted cynics. What draws you—and viewers—to characters like this?

TI NA F E Y: I think there’s sort of a comedy trope of

ﬁsh out of water or a gal starting over in the city. You

JENNY ANDERSON/WIREIMAGE

OOUUTT SA EP R T/O / MC AY T 201 20 9

Tituss Berguss as Titus Andromenon in The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt.

I wish I could relieve Tituss of that burden. Ellie Kulper (right and with Tina Fey on set above ) plays the resilient Kimmy Shmidt.

can trace it to Mary Tyler Moore, I think. In The Mary Tyler Moore Show, she’s broken off an engagement and is going to go work in the city. And so with Kimmy Schmidt, we thought, well, this is a kind of 21st-century heightened version of this... yes, she’s new to the city and she’s starting over for these very extreme reasons. We see a lot of drama, we see a lot of titillating cop shows about how horribly women and girls are treated, and I thought, Well, can we subvert that and tell it from the woman’s point of view, and let her go on to be more than just the story of her trauma? JAM : This really is the ultimate survivor story, about moving

forward after something terrible happens to you. Do you think it’s also about having agency rather than being deﬁned by what happens? TF: I think in some ways, yeah. That’s well put, Jacob, that it’s

about having agency as opposed to letting what someone did to you deﬁne you.

JAM : Do you also consider yourself a survivor?

to Kimmy—but I had some weird thing happen to me when I was a kid that I’ve written about a little in Bossypants. I do think…there is a little of that in the fabric of her, of just like, Oh, this happened to me. But if anything, it had sort of a strange opposite effect of like, Oh, weird things happen and you don’t

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

COURTESY NETFLIX

TF: Well, I had—compared to Kimmy, [it’s] nothing compared

necessarily die. I am actually a pretty optimistic person and I think that was a weird outgrowth of that, of having this thing happen to me. And not only surviving it physically, but also being…treated like a special child after that because of it. I sort of internalized, I’m very special—in a way that was actually just pity, but I just took it in the best way. [Tituss Burgess joins the conversation] TITUS S B U RG ES S: How are things? How’s the new

show coming along?

TF: It’s going ﬁne. The Kimmy special is, I think, all

locked and mixed now. It looks really good.

TB: How much footage was there? How many hours? TF: So, Jacob, we shot this interactive special, which is

kind of like the show Black Mirror, but with our universal comedy. I mean, not Black Mirror but [the episode] “Bandersnatch” speciﬁcally. I think, all told, it’s got to be over three hours of footage. We basically shot more than enough for a feature-length movie in 28 days. It’s insane, right, Tituss?

JA M: How do you decide what to keep and what to drop? TF: Well, the cool thing about this version is…because it’s

interactive, we can kind of keep everything somewhere. You can take a different path and see a whole different version of scenes or deﬁnitely different jokes. And even if you play through once and you go back and play it again, and even if you make some of the same choices, the computer can tell if you’re watching it for a second time and will give you some different jokes.

TF: I’m sort of the same way. I would say if I had a time

machine, the one thing I would change is I wish I could relieve Tituss of that burden. We just should have changed the character’s name. It would still happen, Tituss, but it would be easier for people.

TB: I talk about it as though it’s this cross that I bear

every day. It is not as intense as it may come across when I explain it. I only bring focus to it because I’m a human being and human beings are flawed. The fall from grace, if you make one mistake, is so dramatic when you are no longer their precious Titus, but when you are someone who is moving through life trying to navigate what it means to be a gay Black male in this Trumpian world. My patience is thinner and I call the world out on its stuff and I suspect the world will do the same, but it looks more severe when you are trying to have a serious dialogue when someone just wants to hear it through the lens of Titus Andromedon. He started out very late, mind you, in his trajectory as a gay man.… I think part of his tenacity…when we first met him in season 1, was the result of a gasp for air. It was like, Ah. Finally, I get to be who I am in a city that doesn’t know me. But the danger is living inside that sort of persona without anyone to hold you accountable, without any circumstances to draw out the more humane qualities in you, the danger is ignoring what it means to have a best friend and what it means to not put yourself first. JA M: I came out as transgender and transitioned when

I was 38, so I understand being overdue at realizing something essential about yourself. Have either of you realized something where you’re like, Oh my God, I should’ve known this 20 years ago? TF: I feel, certainly, nothing as epic as what you’re

JAM : Wow. Are there any wrong turns a viewer can take?

describing, Jacob, but identifying as this person who was a very late bloomer—like late, late, like an old virgin.

TF: Yeah. I mean you can accidentally die and stuff, but

TB: There’s no handbook on how to be in the spotlight.

because it’s comedy, it’s kind of funny when you die.

TB: “ It’s funny when you die.” [laughs] It’ll send you into,

I guess, a dead end, sort of.

TF: Different characters will tell you, “No, that’s not

[happening].”

JAM : Tituss, you’ve said that viewers often confuse you

for your character. Why do you think that is?

TB: There’s a hero ownership, if you will, as you walk

through the streets and you are adored and loved and people shout out references from shows and it’s all amazing. But…oftentimes I’m met with a little disappointment that I’m not as ebullient as Titus Andromedon. I’m very direct and a lot more intense and serious and a lot shyer. I actually do not enjoy being the center of attention, believe it or not.

It came with a lot of things that I didn’t know it came with. I’m an only child. I love my privacy. [But]…when you have a job like ours, a lot of that just comes with the territory. You have to share yourself. I think I was not equipped to handle that, and it forced me to make some egregious errors. There were times where I quite literally did not know how to integrate the newness of what I was given with the way I had been living and the choices that I had been making. I think that is a question that comes with a movable truth too, and I hate to go back to Trump, but truly when Obama was in office, I felt so supported and I felt a sense of community. I felt safe to fuck up and I felt proud to lead and now every little step I obsess over because everything is such a fricking domino effect. One thing affects all things, and as Tina so brilliantly wrote in, I believe, season 3, there was an episode where I repeated the line, “Choices matter.” And Titus Andromedon goes, “They do?” OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

SHOT ON LOCATION AT 10 GREENE ST, PH, NEW YORK CITY, COURTESY OF FREDRIK EKLUND AND JOHN GOMES, DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE.

Photographed by NICOLAS BLOISE Modeled by EVAN JAMES BETTS at Muse NYC Grooming by KIYONORI SUDO at L’Atelier NYC using Bumble and bumble

LOUIS

VUITTON AFTER ANOTHER CHALLENGING WEEK, IT’S TIME TO WIND DOWN AND TURN UP. OUR HERO IS UP TO THE TASKWITH A LITTLE HELP FROM LOUIS VUITTON.

ON THE

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

FLOOR

LOUIS VUITTON MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DNA SHIRT WITH COLLAR, CUTAWAY BLAZER, CIGARET PANTS, UTILITY 35MM BELT, SUMMERLAND BOAT SHOE IN NOIR

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

BELOW: LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S INSIDE OUT CASHMERE PANTS ACROSS: LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S CUBAN CHAIN BRACELET, TAMBOUR MOON DUAL TIME WATCH IN BLACK AND WHITE; INSIDE OUT CASHMERE PANTS, COWBOY HAT

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

LOUIS VUITTON MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MULTIPOCKETS PANTS, QUILTED EFFECT 3D CHAIN SWEATSHIRT, MONOGRAM EMBOSSED UTILITY JACKET

LOUIS VUITTON MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OBERKAMPF ANKLE BOOT, CARGO 3D POCKET PANTS, MONOGRAM EMBOSSED UTILITY JACKET

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

LOUIS VUITTON MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OBERKAMPF ANKLE BOOT; CARGO 3D POCKET PANTS

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

GROWING UP IN MIL AN, Mich., our model Evan James Betts planned to be an athlete. However, these days the 31-year-old has become one of New York City’s hottest fitness models and trainers. Some of you might recognize him as the ambassador of Fiji Water, or through his vast work as a contributor to magazines like Men’s Fitness and Cosmopolitan. The sky is the limit with this one, but of course that’s no accident. As a young student, Betts developed a “go get it” attitude pretty quickly when he was forced to make ends meet. “My dad was a very hard worker, but he lost his job while I was in college and our family came on tough times,” Betts opens up. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish college anymore and had to find ways to make payments each semester. I ate ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because it’s all I could afford. I realized very quickly that I had to take control of my situation, and started working multiple jobs while I was in school. When I moved to New York, I brought that ‘go get it’ attitude with me because I knew if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t make it very long.” Seven years later, Betts has fully embraced everything that comes with being a well-respected model in the Big Apple, which isn’t exactly easy to handle, but he makes it look good— especially on social media.

“My social media is something that I work on, on a daily basis,” says Betts, who is also a founding trainer at the gyms Grit Bxng and Performix House. “I treat it almost as a job now. Everyone has become a brand essentially, and needs to present themselves in the way they want to be seen. Whether you’re a fitness professional, a baker—a this, a that—typically our social medias will now reflect that. My social media will always be a melting pot of my fitness, any gym I’m with, daily life, and the brands that I love working with.” The journey has just begun for Betts, who is signed with Muse Management. This year, the model will be a 2020 Fuel Guru for the W Hotels and will be hosting wellness events across the country. Plus, he has a fitness retreat planned in Barbados in November with Active Escapes, where he’ll be the lead trainer. In addition to also hosting online training sessions for anyone who wants to train with him outside of New York, Betts is working another top-secret project. “I’m working on a new fitness piece of equipment that I’ll announce later this year,” he teases. We’ll definitely have to follow up soon! (@EvanFitness_NYC) DIANE ANDERSONMINSHALL

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

PRIDE CANCELED Pride event organizers worldwide are teaming up to help the global LGBTQ+ community respond to COVID-19. BY DONALD PADGETT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

TEDDY ÖSTERBLOM/UNSPLASH (OPPOSITE PAGE); SHUTTERSTOCK (MAP)

AS PRIDE EVENTS WORLDWIDE ARE CANCELED or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, event organizers are refocusing their efforts to meet an entirely new set of challenges ahead. The International Association of LGBTI Pride Organizers (InterPride) and the European Pride Organizers Association announced they have teamed up to form the COVID19/ Pride International Coordination Group to respond to the needs of the community at an international level during this crisis. “Today brings the devastating news that the number of Prides cancelling or postponing because of COVID-19 will pass 100, and it’s very clear that this pandemic is going to have a huge impact on our movement,” Kritine Garina, president of the European Pride Organizers Association, said in a press release earlier this spring.“Right now we must all be focusing ﬁrst on our own wellbeing and the welfare of those around us, but we are passionate about Pride and we will work together, and do all we can, to help Pride organizers get through this.” Made up of a number of various Pride groups and movements worldwide, PICG began holding virtual

OVER 100 PRIDE EVENTS around the world have been either canceled or postponed as a result of the growing COVID-19 pandemic. The nation’s capital have added their names to that list in March. The board of directors of the Capital Pride Alliance announced the cancellation or postponement of its events and those of partner organizations. This includes Capital Trans Pride, API Pride, Youth Pride, Silver Pride, DC Latinx Pride, and DC Black Pride. The large Pride Parade and festival have also been postponed. “Like our fellow Pride organizers around the world, the Capital Pride Alliance has been monitoring the escalating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

meetings to determine the best path forward. Among the groups invited were Consolidated Association of Pride, CSD Deutschland, Fierté Canada Pride, UK Pride Organizers Network, and U.S. Association of Prides. Each participating group was asked to funnel the information gleaned from the meeting back to their members and communities. In the U.S., Pride plans remained in in ﬂux as of press time for those venues scheduled later this year (like New York, scheduled June 14-28) But L.A. Pride was forced to postpone its 50th anniversary celebration and the ﬁrst-ever Pride of the Americas, slated to take place in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was pushed until fall. Rather than dealing solely with matters pertaining to Pride events, the goal of the new group is to channel its combined resources to help the community weather the crisis together. “As we face an unprecedented global threat, our Pride movement will come together to support each other and create community at a time when we need it most,” said Linda DeMarco, co-president of InterPride in the release.

and has determined that the safest course of action will be to postpone all planned Capital Pride events in May and June,” Ryan Bos, executive director of CPA, said in a statement. “Throughout, we have worked and will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners as we make decisions to ensure the safety of the entire community. We will collaborate with all the agencies and our partner Prides to identify new dates and potentially new ways that our community can come together in Pride.” Some of the Pride events in D.C. will still go on at a later date, and those will be announced in the weeks to come according to a release. Others are canceled outright.

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 0 50 7

ART & CR AF T / TV

Adiós, Vida

A trailblazing show, which cast a nonbinary Latinx actor as the lead, is bidding adiós—but the impact is long-lasting. By Tracy E. Gilchrist

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

MATT SAYLES PHOTOGRAPHY

hen Vida premiered on Starz in the spring of 2018, it blazed a trail for Latinx and queer people like no other show before it. The series, which will air its final season beginning April 26, has taken on issues affecting Latinx culture, LGBTQ identity, and gentriﬁcation as sisters Lyn, played by Melissa Barrera (In the Heights), and Emma, played by Mishel Prada (Riverdale), navigated the intersections of their lives in the wake of their mother’s death. When the siblings returned to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, they discovered their mother, who previously exiled Emma for being queer, had married a woman, Eddy, played by Ser Anzoategui (above right) in a stellar performance. For Anzoategui—whose sweet butch Eddy has endured grief over the loss of her wife, Emma’s hurtful barbs, and a queer-bashing—the world Vida’s creator and showrunner Tanya Saracho built was life-changing. Anzoategui, who is nonbinary, bids farewell to Vida and Saracho’s singular vision, telling Out, “It’s something that I’m not sure I’ll be able to experience again because it takes an inclusive visionary to execute what Tanya, the production, and the network did.” “They hired a Latinx nonbinary actor to be a lead,” they add. “Being one of the only nonbinary people I know in TV was an uncharted course and an honor for me to be

acknowledged when I felt so small and so invisible in my profession for so long.” A rarity for any series, Vida began in all of its excellence and only continued to up the game with each episode, seamlessly weaving together the intersections of queer and Latinx identity while tackling topics including identity policing within queer communities and taking on ICE raids in the upcoming season. In the spirit of Vida’s continued evolution, the final season finds Anzoategui’s Eddy intrigued by a drag king and the binder the king wears. It’s not yet known exactly how Eddy will explore gender identity in the final season, but Anzoaetegui is excited about the possibilities that begin with the binder scene. “Hopefully it will just be normal to talk about gender or including gender-neutral language in their lives,” Anzoategui says of how they hope Eddy’s exploration of gender expression affects viewers moving forward. “Being part of this collective effort to tell these never-told stories through these never-seen onscreen characters brings a certain justice to the entertainment industry. It is something visceral that so many hungered for,” they add, summing up Vida’s importance in the TV landscape. “ Vida also set a precedent for how we make work,” Anzoategui concludes. “It impacted television so much that certain stories that weren’t able to be done before now have the opportunity to get inside that door and tell their story too. Go, shine bright and open that door for others as you do so.”

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 5 9

ART & CR AF T / TV

Halleloo from Hollywood D.J. “Shangela” Pierce continues to take the world by storm with the new HBO drag makeover series, We’re Here. By Desirée Guerrero

A RT & CRAF T / T V

KHUN MINN OHN/HBO (ALL IMAGES)

.J. Pierce is known by a few different names. The actor, producer, and dynamic stage performer was born Darius Jeremy Pierce and created the famous drag persona Shangela Laquifa Wadley—known simply as Shangela to most of the world—after competing on three separate seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race (tying with a fellow fan-favorite, Latrice Royale, for most appearances on the show). Indeed, Pierce is one of the most popular, respected, and successful queens to come out of the Emmy-winning series. If you’re queer and have never heard Shangela’s famous catchphrase, “Halleloo!” it’s quite possible you may be living under a rock. With more personality packed into his lithe 5’6” frame than law should allow, the 38-year-old from Paris, Texas, is proving he’s more than just a pretty fac e . A lon g side Brandon Voss (Voss Eve nt s), P ie r c e co - created and serves as creative director for the We rq th e Wo r l d tour—an ongoing, international dragstravaganza starring many popular Drag Race alums. (Fans can also exper ienc e some of the queens’ behind-the-scenes antics in the WOW docu- series of the same name). Pierce says he’s overjoyed “to see [the tour] continue to do so well and to have been a part of it, and continue to support those girls as they travel the world, honey!” Among other accolades, Pierce was previously named one of Out magazine’s “100 Most Compelling People” (2015) and last year landed on Time magazine’s prestigious “100 Next” list, which highlights the year’s hottest rising stars. Broadway legend Jenifer Lewis (his costar in the web-based series Jenifer Lewis and Shangela) told Time, “He’s so sincere. He loves what he does, and he does it well. When he puts that face on, he’s ready. Every time.” Aside from Drag Race fame, Pierce has also nabbed several notable parts (both in and out of drag) in television and ﬁlm. On TV, he’s appeared in 2 Broke Girls, Glee, Bones, and The Mentalist, and most recently landed a recurring role on the new CW series Katy Keene. On the big screen Pierce made a scene-stealing appearance in 2018’s A Star Is Born, costarring Lady Gaga. He’s also written hit songs (“Werqin’ Girl”) and an acclaimed solo stand-up comedy show (Shook), and has performed onstage with Miley Cyrus. Not too shabby for the ﬁrst queen sent home on Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Upon getting to chat with the self-proclaimed “Daenerys Targaryen of drag,” about his new unscripted HBO series,

We’re Here, I was surprised to learn the perky entertainment powerhouse hadn’t been a lifelong performer. “Prior to [appearing on RPDR], I worked a cubicle life,” says Pierce, a naturally handsome man out of drag. “I was in communications and marketing for TGI Fridays.” He explains how, after performing for the office in a Halloween costume contest (“I was gay, honey, I turned it into a pageant!” he quips), it was actually his boss who convinced him to pursue his Hollywood dreams. “His name was Richard Snead [former CEO of TGI Fridays],” recalls Pierce. “He passed away a few years ago, but he said, ‘You have something special. I’m just telling you right now, I’ve been doing this a long time. If you want to do something in entertainment, you should go now.’ And honey, I started saving up my money and in six months, I packed up my Explorer and moved out west.” And the rest is “Halleloo” history. These days, you can see Pierce in his f ull Shangela glory alongside Drag Race alums Bob the Drag Queen (Caldwell Tidicue) and Eureka O’Hara (David Huggard) in We’re Here, in which the queens recruit regular folks from small towns across A mer ic a to t rain in the art of drag. (Pierce, Huggard, and Tidicue also act as consulting producers on the show.) “We serve as kind of mentors and recruit people who want to express themselves and their story through drag,” explains Pierce. He confesses it was sometimes challenging and often comedic “trying to put together drag on barebones resources in the middle of nowhere. To Wong Foo, eat your heart out!” Ultimately, Pierce says, the series will touch hearts and change minds. “Actually, it’s been very eye-opening for me because one part that really sold [We’re Here] to me and made me really have a strong love for the show is that we’re meeting and helping and encouraging people who are queer or have a queer-adjacent story in these small towns across America. And I’m from a small town…. I know what it’s like to sometimes look around and think you’re the only person like you.” Each episode culminates with a one-night-only drag show, and Pierce says the response in these smaller communities has been somewhat surprising. “What we’re ﬁnding in a lot of these places…is that there is a greater community of support, even in places where you may not think there is.” We’re Here premieres April 23 on HBO.

OU OT UT AP AR P/ RM / AY M AY 2 0 22 00 2 00 0 61

A Revival for the Ages Broadway’s revival of Edward Albee’s seminal work Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is simply amazing—and just what we need right now. Too bad it was canceled before anyone saw it. By James Long

epending on your cinematic perspective, even before the current pandemic, early Sunday mornings on New York City’s subways can be like an extinct Krell-like set piece from Forbidden Planet, or that noone-else-around experience where you imagine meeting the train-dwelling ghoul in Ghost. Film iconography aside, entering the subway’s southbound entrance and passing through the turnstile at an ungodly hour I fully expected to be alone on the platform. I was returning from Bed Bath & Beyond, in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, to my Tribeca apartment a mere five stops away on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Local. I carried shopping bags full of items: new pillowcases to replace the fraying ones I’d been apologizing to overnight guys—er, guests—about for too long; clear shower curtain liners, the heavy grommetted ones I like, which the store carried; silver polish to tackle the tarnish on the Victorian sterling cigarette box I’d been apportioned when my mother moved into assisted living—a list of things I’d put off in lieu of weekend brunches with friends and “fear of missing out” museum exhibits. As every New Yorker knows, subway trains can be interminably slow on weekend mornings, and I quickly sighted the only bench far down the platform where I could drop my cargo and sit. Walking toward the bench I just as quickly realized I wasn’t alone after all. An older man was seated with his own gaggle of white shopping bags from the same big box store at his feet. Did I mention ﬁlm iconography? I might have added theater. As I sat down I glanced over at the man and, rather astonished, I said, “Edward?” “Yes,” he replied. The man was the playwright Edward Albee. It appeared I had made my entrance in an impromptu version of The Zoo Story, Albee’s first play, about two men who meet on a park 62

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

bench—the play that launched his career. I wa sn’t dist urbing his quiet contemplation, however. On the contrary, I was saying hello to an old acquaintance. I first met Albee as an undergraduate when he held an intimate discussion with a group of theater students at the University of Tennessee, my alma mater. A few years later and living in New York City, I found myself again shaking his hand backstage at the Broadway production of his play A Delicate Balance, which starred our mutual friend George Grizzard, the original Nick in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Sometime later I was introduced to Albee’s late partner, Jonathan Thomas, while in the company of yet another mutual friend. We had been invited to a Christmas party at their apartment, not far from my own, where I rubbed elbows with legends such as Elaine Stritch and Rosemary Harris. And now, sitting on a subway bench with America’s most acclaimed living playwright, I had Albee all to myself. I was in the “Dear Diary” stratosphere and the only time in all my years in New York that I hoped the train would never arrive. Chatting with Albee was revelatory. Before I move d into mag a zines I had worked for many years in stage management, on pre -Broadway engagements while still in college; at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C.; and eventually, on Broadway. Albee and I reminisced about old theater productions we had both regarded, now-older actors we had both worked with, and, in Albee’s view, the dearth of classical and otherwise intelligent plays being produced on Broadway for an increasingly splintered audience. Albee’s fairly nasal voice was the perfect understudy to his caustically insightful observations. Alas, 15 minutes later, like you hear on the news when someone is interviewed about a tornado touching down, there was the sound of a train approaching. Upon

its arrival we both gathered our shopping bags and boarded the nearly empty car, sitting while I casually sized up the two other passengers (they had no idea who they were in the presence of). More conversation, some gossip, and ﬁve stops later Albee and I arrived at our shared destination. Emerging to street level we exchanged our delight at meeting again and, hoard in hands, we diverted east and south to our own dwellings. There would be no Edward Albee backstage when I sat down at the Booth Theatre to see a preview of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Albee died in 2016, but my encounters with him loom large in my memory and the same can be said with this current revival. Under the deft direction of the always-great Joe Mantello, the luminous Laurie Metcalf is to theater what a nova is to astronomy, her Martha exploding and receding with such intensity the Hubble Space Telescope could only hope to witness. Rupert Everett’s laserlike George is a breakout performance that will undoubtedly take him to new career heights. And, as the naïve couple invited for a nightcap, I’ve had a secret crush on actor Russell Tovey (duh, right?) since I saw him on Broadway in The History Boys; his verbal undercuts as Nick are as muscular as his biceps, while Patsy Ferran’s Broadway debut as Honey is the most disheartening sober-to-drunk I’ve ever seen on the stage. Why mount this production now? It’s hardly escapable that the game that George and Martha play–the game that extinguishes not only themselves but also Nick and Honey’s youthful innocence–is the game we’re all playing at the moment, indeed, and have been playing since Derrida and deconstruction. Illusion versus certainty. Truth versus lies. Fake versus real. Assumption versus moral judgment. “You take the trouble to construct a civilization…to build a society based on principles…,” Everett’s George laments. “You bring things to the saddest of all points… to the point where there is something to lose…. And what is it? What does the trumpet [ironic emphasis mine] sound? ‘Up yours.’ I suppose there’s justice to it, after all these years…. Up yours.” The play is the timely yardstick to measure all others, to measure ourselves. Sadly, it was canceled after only eight preview nights, another victim of the current national health crisis. How this vibrant production would have morphed and staggered from its alcoholladen previews to opening night is beside the point. Maybe we’re all functioning drunks like George and Martha. Maybe we’re all destroying each other in a parallel living room in a house on a small New England college. This revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? desperately wanted to revive us. If it had happened, the hangover would likely have been severe.

ART & CR AFT / B ROA DWAY

BETTMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Edward Albee in 1962, the same year he wrote and ﬁrst staged Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In 1966, a ﬁlm version earned actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis Academy Awards. The stage show would later win the 1963 Tony Award for best play.

OOUUTT

AAPPRR//MMAY AY 22002200 0 06 3

On the Emily Estefan Express This talented daughter of musical legends charts her own beautiful path. By Richard PĂŠrez-Feria

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

ART & CR AFT / MUSIC

mily Estefan is an artist. Sure, that can be said of any multitude of singers and musicians, but what strikes me as most astonishing about this young singer’s course is how aggressively—fiercely— she’s taken that path without regard for naysayers or doubters. And it’s a wonder to behold. As her surname gives away, Emily is the youngest child of Cuban musical icons Emilio and Gloria Estefan. The resemblance in physical appearance and vocal tone to her superstar mother are undeniable, but that’s precisely why Emily’s choices are so stark, daring even. She’s decidedly not a pop singer, though she certainly could be. Her latest album, Take Whatever You Want, is exhibit A in the wondrous (and sometimes frustrating) exercise in trying to describe, let alone categorize, Emily’s musical choices into a tidy box. She ain’t playing that game. The young Estefan’s live performances are already the stuff of legend—check out Emily’s astonishing surprise performance in 2017 at the Kennedy Center Honors for her mom—and her future is clearly limitless. It’s exciting to hop on the Emily Estefan Express, with wild twists and turns sure to follow. The lesbian singer also headlined last year’s Miami Beach Pride festival. There are very few sure bets in the music business, but I’m willing to go all in and put my money on Emily Estefan. Talented? Sure. Fearless? That’s the ticket. That’s an artist worth betting on.

SHANNON FINNEY/GETT Y IMAGES (OPPOSITE); HARMONY GERBER/GETT Y IMAGES (TOP)

For the uninitiated, how would you describe your music? I get this question a lot, I never know how to answer except to say…fusion! Fusion of genres, thoughts, and energy. Energy between me and the listeners. Whatever you take away from my music, whether lighthearted or more profound, that is what my music is—whatever you need it to be. Career highlight so far? The dream, career-wise, would be what? I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of many incredible and personal musical moments. They range from televised celebrations for Quincy Jones to intimate family party jam sessions. But I’d say one of my top career highlights so far would be playing the ﬁrst press of my ﬁrst album on vinyl for the first time. I was alone and extremely connected to the music and the present. I haven’t had a moment like that since. My dream career is making people happy, making music, and growing as a human being until I expire on this planet. What’s your next project this year? It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had a big release, and I’m gearing up for some new music and art. I’m also very excited to be a part of the new Red Table Talk [with Jada Pinkett Smith] series, and a couple of other little secrets in the works.

How was your experience being the headliner at Miami Beach Pride last year? It was a blast! It’s so important to continue to bring live music and love to Miami Beach, and it truly felt like a beautiful celebration of life and love in any and all colors.

TOP: Estefan performs at The Novo in Los Angeles OPPOSITE PAGE: Estefan at the 2019 Gershwin Prize Honoree’s Tribute Concert at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

Are you comfortable with the label “role model”? I’d say it’s a responsibility more than a label, and I take it very seriously. If anyone were to ever look up to me enough to call me a role model, I’d try my very best to be my best self and serve humanity as we all should when we’re in positions of leadership. In a word, what’s the state of the world today? Fear. And fear is the opposite of love. Fear turns into hate, violence, pain, and suffering. Pure misunderstanding. That’s why I wish to fuel my art with love, to help heal the world in any way I can. Can music truly heal the world? Yes, because ultimately music can be true unity in my mind. And together, there are very few things we can’t do on this earth. Most important thing we should know about you. I strive to never stop learning and apply what I learn on my journey to everything I leave behind on this earth. Peace, love, and good vibes all day. OU OT UT AP AR P/ RM / AY M AY 2 0 22 00 2 00 0 65

A River Runs Through It Native American poet Natalie Diaz brings the thirst in her new collection. By Bill Henning

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

ART & CR AFT / B OOK

aised on California’s Fort Mojave Indian Reservation, Natalie Diaz spent four years playing pro basketball in Europe and Asia before finishing her MFA, then promptly set the poetry world on fire in 2012 with When My Brother Was an Aztec, her debut collection. Since then, Diaz has racked up both an endowed professorship at Arizona State University and a MacArthur Fellowship (the so-called genius grant), and the accolades will surely continue with the release of her sophomore effort. Postcolonial Love Poem is a densely layered meditation on “our many bodies of flesh, language, land, and water.” In it, Diaz reintroduces us to her brother, the high school basketball star broken by meth addiction—but the book’s purview extends well beyond the struggles of family. American history is a tale of the subjugation of both the land and its inhabitants, and for Diaz there can be no separation. The same river that snakes through the desert courses through her body—as it once flowed through the bodies of her ancestors. Environmental destruction is violence against indigenous peoples and, in one poem, peaceful Native Americans are teargassed during the pipeline protests at Standing Rock, N.D., in 2016. But the book is no polemic. While Professor Diaz’s verse name-checks everyone from Theseus to Jacques Derrida, things are definitely not all academic. References to The Three Bears and the classic 1988 hiphop jam “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock are in there too (as is an epigraph from the prophet Robyn Fenty). Diaz also has a devastating sense of humor, titling one poem “Top Ten Reasons Why Indians Are Good at Basketball.” But the hallmark of her latest work may be the ravenous sapphic sensuality that surfaces time and again.

In the tourmaline dusk I go a same wilding path, pulled by night’s map into the forests and dunes of your hips,

SVITLANA KOSHELIEVA/UNSPLASH (OPPOSITE PAGE)

divining from you rivers, then crossing them— proving the long thirst I’d wander to be sated by you. If bodies of “ﬂesh, language, land, and water” are being discussed, Diaz is as eager to explore bodies of desire as she is the body politic. Postcolonial Love Poem (Graywolf Press) is out now.

OU OT UT AP AR P/ RM / AY M AY 2 0 22 00 2 00 0 67

ART & CR AF T / ART

SUMMER CAMP A museum show in Wilton Manors captures the uncloseted joy of queer life in 1950s Cherry Grove.

By Bill Henning

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF CHERRY GROVE ARCHIVES COLLECTION/BILL RONIN 68

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

Impromptu photo shoot, 1950s

ver feel like you need a vacation from being queer? I have. Spend 25 years living in New York City’s Chelsea gayborhood, followed by another three in Fort Lauderdale, and it can sometimes seem as if your entire adult life has been but 30 seasons of Queer as Folk (The L Word? Pose? Will & Grace? Noah’s Arc? Sense8? Please select the era, demographic, and pronouns of your choice, hunty.)—and all you want to do for a holiday is escape every cliché of “the lifestyle.” Well, if that’s your worst problem, consider yourself blessed. Seventy years ago, our LGBTQ forebears could only fleetingly enjoy a carefree, 24-hour-a-day queer life by running off to a handful of destinations comfortably removed from a homophobic America: most notably, Provincetown, Mass., Cherry Grove, N.Y., and Key West, Fla. Of these, perhaps the most secluded was Cherry Grove on Fire Island. While it’s just 60 miles from Manhattan, Cherry Grove is inaccessible by car and reachable only via ferry, boat, or seaplane (fancy!). That extra separation made the Grove a place where queers from greater NYC felt they could really let their hair down, and by the late 1940s the town was attracting gays and lesbians from all over. There, during the deeply closeted era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s Lavender Scare, they socialized openly, often with their straight neighbors, and found the emotional and social support to open up and thrive. You can get a taste of that life by shuttling off to a latterday LGBTQ mecca, Wilton Manors, Fla., to see “Safe/ Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove” at Stonewall National Museum & Archives, a fantastic exhibition drawn from the holdings of the Cherry Grove Archive Collection. The show boasts several display cases chock-full of memorabilia: ferry tickets, revue posters, house name plaques, and, yes, even a few reminders that the liberated life was not entirely carefree, such as a fingerwagging public notice addressing “a serious situation in Cherry Grove…the matter of drag” and a newspaper clipping naming five men charged with “outraging public decency” after being picked up during a 4:30 a.m. police raid on the Meat Rack, a cruisy strip of scrub just east of town. But the heart of the show is the 60-plus photos displayed on the walls—scenes at once achingly familiar and startlingly fresh. Many Cherry Grove regulars worked in the arts or entertainment, and the combination of artistic talent and queer sensibilities made the modest town— where ramshackle cottages often slept six or more—an unlikely beacon of cheeky glamour and fabulousness. Some of the show’s most striking images (often by photographer Bill Ronin) capture locals enjoying themselves at elaborate costumed house parties or performing in bawdy, outrageous theatrical productions. But what sticks with me, are the touching, intimate photos of everyday life in the town and on the beach— because in the 1950s holding hands was just as revolutionary an act as throwing on a dress. It still is.

“Safe/Haven” is an exhibit at Stonewall National Museum & Archives (Stonewall-Museum.org) in Wilton Manors, Fla. (closed for COVID-19 at press time). For more on the history of Cherry Grove, visit CherryGroveArchivesCollection.com. 70

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

Originally a gay hotspot, Cherry Grove later drew more lesbians like Patricia Fitzgerald and Kay Guinness, right at the beach, 1952. FROM TOP: Hat Party, 1950; Diaper Party, 1951; Mermaid Ed Burke at Helen and Howard Ely’s home, 1951; Beli Hi Party, 1951

ART & C RAFT / ART

OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 71

MODERN FITNESS

You may not be able to go to your gym, but you can stay ﬁt with this tech. By Kenta Seki

One of the main things I love about the fitness industry is that it’s constantly evolving. Yes, a push-up is still a pushup, but now with the boost of technology, there are myriad new ways to work out and stay healthy. Even now, in a time of mass closures, you can stay healthy using fitness apps, devices, and innovations. But since so many claim to be the next big thing, shopping for the right one can quickly become an overwhelmingly confusing (and frustrating) endeavor. We’ve all seen those ads for any number of unproven or even sketchy fitness products and supplements. And I hate to break it to you, but most of those skinny teas and waist trainers probably won’t work. Just saying. So we’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you by revealing the best fitness trends, gadgets, and industry developments everyone’s already buzzing about. And you don’t even need to leave the house to take advantage of them.

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

MI RRO R / TOUG H

SLEEP APPS WEARABLE DEVICES APPLE WATCH • Wearable devices have just about become de rigueur among gym rats, with the omnipresent Apple Watch easily leading the pack. The wearable art piece features a heart rate monitor, activity tracking, and live data. More features and apps that integrate with wearable devices in new and unimaginable ways are right around the corner.

SLEEP CYCLE • Good sleep is important. Sleep Cycle is a free app that tracks your sleep patterns. Just place your phone beneath your pillow, and an alarm will wake you up at the most ideal state of your sleep cycles. The app uses technology in your phone to track your body’s movement and breathing patterns. Fascinating.

RECOVERY THERAGUN • Recovery is, hands down, the fastest-growing category in the health and

MACHINES

PELOTON • Without a doubt, Peloton has become one of the biggest names in the ﬁtness industry. Peloton’s spin bikes and treadmills have large screens that display a trainer who coaches you through a workout. If you don’t mind the heft y price tag and the monthly membership, it actually is a terriﬁc way to get your workout in at home.

FITNESS GAMING

GIULIANA GUARINO (OPPOSITE PAGE); DOLLAR TAN (ALL SEKI); ALL PRODUCT IMAGES COURTESY MANUFACTURER

NINTENDO RING FIT • The enormity of the gaming industry is undeniable (just Google “Fortnite”), and now Nintendo wants to incorporate ﬁtness into the action too. Nintendo Switch recently released Ring Fit, a new game that uses devices to track your real-world actions and turn them into in-game movements. So-o-o cool! Ring Fit allows you to play a game on-screen by working out in person. Sold.

ﬁtness industry. The Theragun is essentially a targeted massage gun that helps your muscles relax and recover, and you can either use it on yourself or have someone use it on you. I don’t know how I ever lived without mine! Honestly.

STREAMING VIDEOS FITON • Video workouts have been popular since at least the 1980s—Jane Fonda, anyone?—and today you can stream all types of workout videos on any device, anywhere, any time. There are countless video streaming apps, but my favorite is FitOn for two big reasons: First, it’s free; and second, I’m on it. There are hundreds of free workout videos available from other rock star ﬁtness trainers, including some fun ones by Queer Eye’s fab Jonathan Van Ness.

VIRTUAL TRAINERS Many personal trainers on social media now offer e-books or online workout plans for purchase. You can even book one-on-one video sessions with them online as well as get personalized meal planning. This category can be murky with unqualified influencers, so I recommend making sure you look for experienced trainers with the proper certifications and degrees.

AUDIO FITNESS

SMART SCALES

AAPTIV • Aaptiv is the audio ﬁtness leader. And no, I’m not just saying that because I happen to be a master trainer on the app (coolest gig ever!). Aaptiv really changes your entire workout experience. There’s no longer a need to be locked to a screen—just put your earbuds in and be guided through all kinds of satisfying workouts that incorporate running, spinning, strength, yoga, and even guided meditation.

EUFY BODYSENSE • Scales can now do a lot more than tell you how much you weigh—they measure body fat, muscle mass, and even water weight—and you can track all of your progress on your iPhone. Great? Hmm, now you can ﬁnally see how much that weekend brunch affects your body. Bottomless mimosas, adios.

O UOTU T A PARP/RM/AY M AY2 022002 00 073

MI RR OR / GO RGEO US

Gnome Serum, Incann, and HAOMA are leading the pack in CBD beauty. By Marco Medrano YES, OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO, we’ve all heard all about CBD creams, CBD drops, CBD water—CBD everything. It’s as pervasive as Starbucks. So it’s not a total surprise, then, that CBD-infused beauty products have also been trying to attract customers without making too outrageous of beneﬁt claims. But are they any good? Let’s begin with a heads-up: Full-spectrum CBD (sometimes referred to as hemp oil) contains THC, the psychoactive, euphoric part of the hemp plant, and some full spectrum CBD/hemp oil serums—available mostly in droppers, gummy bears, and gel caps—can produce a positive THC drug test. To be clear, full-spectrum CBD doesn’t make you high, even if the test result says it does. I stopped smoking pot more than 25 years ago because I don’t like the sensation—or feeling perpetually sleepy and hungry. And since I’ve introduced CBD products into my daily routine, I’m free from a huge host of ailments I suffered from, including occasional insomnia, muscle aches, arthritic pain, and more. I’m a believer. And since I’m a proud black belt beauty expert in antiaging skin care and devices, I was dabbling with and testing 74

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 O U T

CBD beauty lines nearly a decade ago. But until I started using a non-THC CBD serum to counteract exercise stiffness and joint pain, the whole head-to-toe CBD lifestyle didn’t really connect with me. First the drops got me; then the leg salve; and then the facial regimen. No, it hasn’t replaced my other, more comprehensive skin care regimen, but it’s certainly now an additional part of it. A big part. First up, Gnome Serum. This upstate New York company came highly recommended, and became the first CBD beauty products I fully indulged in. In a still-confusing world rife with CBD misinformation, Gnome Serum came to me as a savior. I initially began weaving in its skin care products slowly, until they became a definitive part of my routine. Know that I layer my serums and skin care multiple times a day. Gnome Serum became my first point-of-entry topical before layering on other targeted, super-premium skin care, because the products’ organic purity truly penetrates the skin—a point I can’t underestimate its importance. Gnome Serum’s Timeless series of skin serums were potent, regenerating, firming and spot treating (Anti-Aging & Elasticity and the Calm Serum), as were the Repairing and Rejuvenating Serum I started with at night. The brand’s Joints & Bones full-spectrum hemp extract is an arnica and sweet birch blend meant for instant comfort upon contact. I wet one hand and emulsify the cream for added value. Check them out for yourself. (GnomeSerum.com)

SHUT TERSTOCK

CBD BRANDS KEEPING US LOOKING YOUNG

M IRR OR / GORGE OUS

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF MANUFACTURER

You could also enjoy all the beneﬁts of CBD products and support an all-women-owned company. Incann touts itself as a brand that wants its customers to “live with intention,” and the company’s compact, serious serum lineup is indeed intentionally quite effective. I particularly love the full-spectrum CBD/hemp oil capsules because you can micro-dose pain

management on top of a serum—and it’s easy for travel as well. Using the Bio Soothe Salve is a great way to begin (or end) your day after showering or working out, or at bedtime. The smart women at Incann are definitely on to something. (Incann.com) The latest CBD-infused beauty product line to catch my eye is Haoma, a brand that wears its Earth-first sensibility proudly with its practice of planting a tree with every purchase of their products. I know! Cool, right? That said, its CBD line is a terrific option as a topical beauty regimen. My main interest was on exploring its facial products. Hoama’s Cleansing Balm is rich, adding a heightened sensory experience to cleansing and hydrating simultaneously that is certainly not the norm. It feels, well, elevated. The brand’s Day Cream and Night

Cream are both a whipped gel-cream that was noticeably luxe, leaving an unusual, rubbery, expensive lift. Also not to be missed is Haoma’s Body Cream with red mandarin and ﬁg—soothing and beautifying. (Haoma.earth) While there are a lot of options—with more and more companies seemingly appearing every day—do your own research before simply accepting a

TOMORROW’S BEAUTY SECRET TODAY

manufacturer’s claim about how much CBD is in its product. The three brands’ products we discussed here have all undergone extensive research and have been tested by certiﬁed third-party labs for transparency, potency, and per-batch purity. In short, they’re legit. Though there remains a lot of noise in the anti-aging zeitgeist regarding CBD and its effectiveness, only you can decide which (if any) product line is right for you. Or, you can be like me and give them all a try. Beauty, after all, takes work too.

Want to be ahead of everyone right now? Yeah, me too. Kövo Essentials’ all-plant-based CBD and probiotic skin care line includes bakuchiol, a rarified, green retinol alternative (apparently, bakuchiol is the new buzzword in noninflammatory retinols). With facial serums and a toner mist among Kövo’s offerings, you can even skip moisturizer! The line also boasts collagen, peptides, and broad-spectrum CBD oil, and transforms these plant-based actives into potent organic skin care products. (KovoEssentials.com) OUT

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0 75

MI RR OR / GR OOMI N G

RAISING AN EYEBROW â&#x20AC;&#x201D;OR TWO Microblading, microfeathering, and microshading, oh my! New ways to shape your brows. By Marco Medrano

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

JUSTIN CHEN/UNSPLASH (OPPOSITE) ; UNSPLASH (TOP TO BOTTOM): ALBERT DERA, CHRISTOPHER CAMPBELL, DAVIDS KOKAINIS , IGOR RODRIGUES, JOHAN DE JAGER, EDUARDO DUTRA

MIRR OR / GR OOMI NG

P U T T I N G O U R B E S T FA C E F O R WA R D isn’t always easy, is it? Well, this is one time you’ll want to be brow beaten! Many of us have learned to achieve clearer skin through diet, exercise, and rest (and now social isolation). But there are other ways to step up our game of making our finer attributes more pronounced. It’s called face f raming. A llow me to ex pla in. Ver y few of us know how to capitalize on our brows, lashes, and eyeliner—let alone, how to apply color or shape perfectly. A lot of us do have a go-to eye pencil and concealer stick for those moments of imperfection, while others have drawers full and can apply makeup and coverup f lawlessly. I’m not one of those people (at least not on myself). Eyebrow “threading” is the alternative to plucking or waxing hairs, using varying degrees of thread, depending on the licensed artist. Many say it’s more accurate, but if you’re good with a sharp tweezer or wax, keep on keeping on. The goal, when talking brows, is about adding the look of hair with matching color pigment to your eyebrows. Some people can’t grow brows, while others have patchy or thin brows. Let’s beef ’em up! Permanent cosmetics have come a long way. A decade ago, one might have had to wait six months before permanent eyeliner looked natural, but not anymore. Here are some of the latest techniques: Microblading eyebrows is a long-lasting, semi-permanent incision infused with a color blade (a tiny scalpel) that can last from six months to three years. This format also offers a slightly deeper topical incision and adds more pigment staining with a staying power of one to three years. Microfeathering is a scaled-down version, meaning a more topical, less invasive incision that extends existing

hairs is used, rather than creating the look of a new hair, root and all. The effect can look similar, but over time will expose more patches. The tint wears off faster so you’ll need semi-annual touchups. But for those on the fence about brow enhancement, it may be just right. Microshading is good both as a lasting semi-permanent eyeliner and brow filler because it uses tools that diffuse or aerate strong lines via more color dots and less sharp lines, similar to eye shadow powders. Although still considered “new,” I’ve been custom-tinting men’s eyebrows for more than 25 years. T he re a l eyebrow ma ster s may use all three techniques on one person, over time, with several visits, and they usually at least possess a tattoo license. S e p a r a t e l y, l a s h a n d b r o w tinting doesn’t use any blades or dev ic es and c an be done regularly by a professional every six to eight weeks, including freshening up another artist’s microbladed brows (the real hair portion). Good artists can gently create a tiny, diffused line under lashes, but remember, they’re using specific professional products for around the eyes and your protection. Here are a few tips: • Do not try this at home • Keep retinols a n d a c id c le a n s e r s and creams of f the newly colored hairs of your face and limit sunbathing w ithout sunscreen • Don’t ever use hair color tint on your eyelashes; the higher levels of peroxide will burn and can seriously damage your vision health Generally, the microtints are the same or similar in these services. It’s the depth of incision that determines boldness and longevity of color. All usually require a topical numbing cream. The services can range anywhere from $300 to upwards of $1,500, but given the demand and the current economy, that could also change quickly. Wait, did you just raise your eyebrow at me? O UOTU T A PARP/RM/AY M AY2 022002 00 07 7

NYC’S

SEXIEST SPEAKEASY Omar Hernández’s latest late-night venue, Omar’s La Boîte, is all that and more. By Richard Pérez-Feria IN THE 1980S AND ’90S there was a particular kind of Is-this-really-happening? Berlin circa 1930s cabaret/ circus show known as a New York City Susanne Bartsch party. Although I’d always been partial to the monthly extravaganzas Bartsch hosted at the Warsaw Ballroom in South Beach in the early days of that spot’s reemergence as a can’t-miss, A-list destination, I was happily reminded of Bartsch parties while checking out Omar’s La Boîte. The latest offering from New York City’s new king of the afterparty, Omar Hernández, La Boîte is, in a word, magical. Hernández, surprisingly quiet (almost shy) in person, comes to life as the unmistakable emcee over his latenight, impossibly sexy speakeasys. First, in 2013, the Miami transplant opened Omar’s La Ranita, a small, private supper club and keeper-of-secrets den for the fabulous, just off lower Fifth Avenue. Then he opened Omar’s at Vaucluse, 78

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

catering to the ultra-luxe denizens of the Upper East Side, before ﬁnally, triumphantly, debuting Omar’s La Boîte on Broome Street in the Lower East Side earlier this year as part private supper club and part elegant after-hours clubhouse for the chic. The New York Times recently described the crowd at Omar’s La Boîte as a “highly curated mix of downtown scenesters, uptown 'Real Housewives' types, celebrities, jetsetters, heiresses, models, and other merrymakers.” Recent guests include Clive Owen, Ellen von Unwerth, Sienna Miller, Maxwell, Emily Blunt, Hamish Bowles, Anna Wintour, and Peter Dinklage. Sign me up. The man at the center of this well-heeled tornado says he’s thrilled to cater to his “perennials”—what Hernández calls partygoers and revelers of all ages. Out pinned the slightly mysterious gay Venezuela native down just long enough to answer some burning questions.

COURTESY OMAR'S LA BOITE (RESTAURANT, FOOD); DERRICK LEUNG (OMAR)

AFT ER HO UR S

What is it about the environments you create that feel equally inviting to all, yet exclusive to only the most beautiful among us? My spaces are very intimate, well-lit, and create a feeling of home. Curating the evening and the crowd is a daily meditation. How would you describe Omar’s La Boîte to someone who’s never been there? It’s the best cocktail party you’ll ever be invited to. At the height of the party, it feels so connected in that space, without regard to anything else except the shared experience of spreading love and laughter. Is that a fair assessment? Absolutely!

How did you become “Omar?” Was there a moment in your life that changed everything? I became “Omar” when I opened Omar’s La Ranita in 2013 out of an idea of creating a character who inhabits all my spaces and has an unbreakable commitment to hospitality and continues discovering new ways to host and entertain. “Omar” is still ﬁguring things out, and I hope that never changes. Are you in love? Who would be your perfect partner? I assume they’d have to be something of a night owl, given the after-hours lifestyle you lead. I am—he’s my total opposite! Tell us something big happening in 2020 for you. A new opening! OU OT UT AP AR P/ RM / AY M AY 2 0 22 00 2 00 0 79

AF TER HO UR S / SWIPED

THE BACHELOR IN ALL MY YEARS AS A SINGLE GAY MAN, I’ve never seen a generation love its gadgets more than today’s hookup culture. That’s no shade—believe me, that’s no shade. I have them all: Grindr, Scruff, Chappy, Tinder, you name it. But in these ever-changing grids of horny hunters, I can’t help but wonder: What exactly are we searching for? I was 22 when Grindr ﬁrst came out. For many queer guys my age, it was an easy step into what became today’s digital hookup scene. Unlike generations that came before us, we’re no longer limited to meeting in parks or cruising in public spaces. Sex is like online shopping, and we’ve embraced the fact that we can get it everywhere. This column, the first of many, will explore the ins and outs of digital cruising. Specifically, it will be my experiences gallivanting the streets of WeHo in search of love, sex, and well, sometimes both. That’s always a plus, right? Of course, the never- ending search for authenticity in dating and hookup apps might be a long shot, but I’m nothing if not an optimist. Whether we like it or not, cruising on apps is part of culture now. In fact, a recent study by Tinder showed that 80 percent of LGBTQ 80

A P R / M AY 2 0 2 0

OUT

people believe these apps have beneﬁted their community. Still, my dilemma has to do with the long-term side effects of virtual connection. How hard is it breaking free of the hookup mindset once you’ve been in it for so long? It’s hard to unplug. Earlier this year, I asked a guy out. He was a total looker, and we’d been flirting for weeks at the gym. Sometime between his dead lifts and bench presses, I found an opportunity to connect. I nervously walked over and struck up a conversation. Considering that I’m a writer and I spend virtually my entire day behind a screen, that in itself was a victory. The date was great, and once it was over we decided to go to his place. We had more conversation followed by amazing sex. Then after the sex was over…we both fell silent. Eventually, the silence became a cue for me to go. It wasn’t awkward or meanspirited. In fact, it felt normal for both of us. But therein lies the rub. It was too easy for me to veer into a onenight-stand routine where everything is cordial, pleasant, nice, then you have sex and it’s, OK, thanks for the lay. Text me later, or not. Was I so used to hookup etiquette that I forgot what it was like to actually date someone in real life? Probably so.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that much of my dating life has been behind a phone screen. I feel safe behind them, and I’m well aware that they mask my own fears of rejection. Unfortunately, that habit is part of our culture today. But for those like me, who wear our hearts on our sleeves, it’s also important not to forget what we’re searching for. I’ve learned that if you are truly going to dive into the apps, you have to be real with what it is you want. Is it sex? Is it the hunt? Is it love? Is it comfort? Is it temporary companionship? Is it just to get off? You rarely ﬁnd something that you aren’t looking for. Or to put it another way, you’re always going to ﬁnd the thing you are searching for—whether you mean to or not. My ultimate goal is to discover how digital cruising is impacting our emotional and physical lives from the inside out. I hope my experiences—as personal as they may be—will help inspire you to search deeper for what it is you’re looking for, outside an app. No matter which direction you swipe, make sure it’s the right one. David Artavia is an award-winning writer and co-editor in chief of The Advocate magazine. Follow his adventures: @DMArtavia

SHUTTERSTOCK

Dating is much better in the digital age, so long as long as you know what you’re looking for. By David Artavia

Now Available in both Print or Digital Editions One Year (6 Issues of OUT) Just $19.95 That’s 52% off the annual newsstand price! When ordering add The Advocate to the OUT one year print subscription $29.95 – THE BEST DEAL.