Fenuxe Magazine - Smooth or Scruff? Issue 11-13 by Fenuxe Magazine Management

06.26.20 V11-13

Smooth or Scruff? BACK IN THE GAME - T R O Y R YA N

CREEP OF THE WEEK R A C I S M

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COVID-19 LGBTQ TRAVEL ROAD MAP

CREEP OF THE WEEK RACISM

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COVID-19 Redraws the 2020 LGBTQ Travel Roadmap The cover page of CMI’s May 2020 “COVID-19 and LGBTQ Travel in 2020” report. (Image courtesy of Community Marketing & Insights)

By Scott Stiﬄer

When Dorothy returned from Oz and declared, “There’s no place like home,” that dewy tribute to domesticity made sense, coming from a Kansas farm girl recently abducted by flying monkeys and repeatedly threatened by a wicked witch. But what if Auntie Em, instead of oozing empathy, informed her that she awoke to a changed world, told her to put on a mask, and delivered the devastating news that the big square dance was cancelled because of social distancing concerns? Flash forward three months, and the poor girl is staring out the window, hoping to hitch a ride on the next twister out of town. Friends of Dorothy feel her pain, and they’re aware the prospect of summer travel requires a new type of yellow brick road—one that will take them over the rainbow and back, free to venture out into the world without putting their lives, or anyone else’s, at risk.

yielded the recently released report, “COVID-19 and LGBTQ Travel in 2020” (available free, at cmi.info). Comprised of data from an online survey of 1,864 self-identified members of America’s LGBTQ community, ages 20-70, the report found 69% of participants “indicated extreme or moderate pentup desire to travel again for vacation,” although, at the time, 72% of the travelers in the study “have already canceled a vacation in 2020 because of COVID-19,” with cancellations being strongest for the March-July period. Of those who took a vacation in 2019, 68% plan to take at least one overnight vacation trip during the remainder of 2020, including 42% planning two or more vacations.

David Paisley, CMI Senior Research Director, noted they’ve been doing an annual fall travel survey for 20 years, but adapted its timing and content to acknowledge COVIDMindful of this new mindset, 19’s radical effect on the travel a mid-May survey by veteran (and pretty much every other) LGBTQ research firm Community landscape. Marketing & Insights (CMI)

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“The LGBTQ community very much does want to travel this summer,” noted Paisley, “but they’re in a little bit of a waiting mode.”

week of June,” said producer/ performer Peter Michael Marino, who noted, “We won’t find out if the campsite is open until a week before. Sort of strange, since it’s outdoors in What we do know, as the the middle of 9,000 square report noted, is “the drop- miles of forest.” off will be higher for more populated locations like big Marino says his group, which cities, with smaller reductions “normally crams into one car for outdoor and less-populated for the six-hour drive,” will destinations.” be splitting up this year. “A couple in our group already That translates into, said had the virus, and they’ll drive Paisley, “places where you can together,” he explained. “The walk through neighborhoods other two each live alone and and parks, and visit museums, have taken safety precautions which tend to be less crowded all along, so we don’t feel unsafe traveling than a nightclub… People are terribly also much more open to short- together.” term, car-based vacations, where they can make that Upon arrival at the lake decision a day in advance… It’s campground, “We canoe to a all about flexibility and keeping small, isolated island the size options open.” of a suburban backyard, with just an outhouse and fire pit. Road trips are the getaways We have plenty of space there of choice for two NYC and each have our own tents. residents who are trading time And while we won’t be wearing quarantined on the island of masks on the island or coughing Manhattan for time spent on… on each other, I think we’ll take great care not to directly share another island. food and drink.” (Note: Several days after our interview, Marino “I’m supposed to go camping cancelled his vacation upon [with friends] in the Adirondack learning the campsite isn’t Mountains, as I do the last

LGBTQ travelers are more willing to take a drive trip this summer compared to past years. (Image courtesy of Community Marketing & Insights)

opening, because of friendly places, she COVID-19 concerns.) urged, but do “travel smartly to those Those For drag performer destinations. wonderful Porsche, aka Brant vibrant, have Kaiwi, the ferry to Fire communities Island found folks “with already been hit hard by masks on and, from what the pandemic, so by all I saw, keeping with their means safely support!” groups and distant from others.” The trip, taken That yearning to be the second weekend of surrounded by the June, was this season’s similarly inclined is first for her, serving as especially strong right fact-finding mission to now. the Island’s Cherry Grove hamlet—where Porsche “One of the great will soon be resuming losses for the LGBTQ live performances, community this delving further into her summer,” noted Paisley, second decade at the “is the cancellation of Grove Hotel’s Ice Palace [public] Pride events nightclub. across the United States, which carries bigger “The Ice Palace is emotional weight than getting pretty creative the cancelation of other with how to handle a types of events.” fun crowd safely,” said Kaiwi/Porsche. “We are A normal summer, very lucky to have the observed Rivendell outdoor and indoor space Media President and that we do, and it’s going CEO Todd Evans, “would to be fun! I don’t want to mean lots of companies give it away just yet, but and events advertising the way they are doing it, for Pride, wanting to all guidelines are being promote their event and followed, and followed trying to show the LGBTQ creatively.” consumer is important to them.” But this year, Don’t be afraid of says Evans, who places traveling to LGBTQ- advertisements for the

National LGBT Media Association, the usually robust presence of stalwart supporters is, thus far, nowhere to be found. “Advertisers hate uncertainty,” noted Evans. “Nobody wants, ‘We might have a program, we might do that.’ The travel industry knows the LGBTQ market better than most. I’ve done a lot of inquiries, and my feeling is, they’re all getting ready, waiting until they have something solid to promote.”

the same as it was after months,” he said, “and I 9/11 and the [2008] have digital fatigue, as I recession. am sure most people do. So I understand the itch “I’ve been home for three to get out, to get away.” Drag performer Porsche, aka Brant Kaiwi, on this year’s ﬁrst trip to Fire Island. (Photo by David Emanuele)

Evans counts himself among those referenced in an early May 2020 Harris Poll® travel survey that compared LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ travelers. The Harris research, CMI’s report noted, “seemed to support the resilience of the LGBTQ travel community.” Said Evans, from anecdotal and personal perspectives, LGBTQ people “are more mobile, more ready, and willing to be the first,

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Creep of the WEEK R a c i s m

by D’Anne Witkowski

I’m writing this on June 1, the beginning in order to protes of t police br Pr month. against Simultaneously, ac ide Black people? Th utality It is heartbreaking to se ross the country at was a protes e these people are protestin peaceful protest. ts happen An are escalating ov g and tensions their minds. Trump d racists lost because there ing right now is er the issue of ca racism. of a bitch.” Mike Pe lled him a “son contagious and po still a highly nc tentia e walked out virus of an NFL game be sweeping across th lly deadly ca us e e country kn ee ling And yet we This is, of course, players upset him have, as a coun . related to Pride. so. try, Many cite the St pushed people pa on st the brink. You 1969 as the pivo ewall Riots in And, of course, th ca n’t see a virus. Yo ese same racists ta u can see a the LGBTQ rights l moment in are losing their minds about the police officer kneel on a man’s neck movement. You can only oppress much less pe until he dies. You pe ac abuse them for so ople so much, happening across eful protests people protestin can see white g long before they the country. start to fight back. safety lockdown against public s with assault Remember how the very phrase rifles, threatening to kill elected We’ve had a problem “Black Lives Matte officials and havin r” the U.S. for over 40 with racism in white people, ev upset so many nothing. You can g the police do see the very real police departmen 0 years. Many would swear up an en some who and every day ag gression of racism ts began as an d down that they . effort to protect don’t have a racis th slavery. The roots e system of bodies as if racis t bone in their And so we have ye m is something of this problem are deep. that lives inside of on top of yet anot t another crisis a skeleton rather he than a perpetual ve president who do r crisis and a hicle of violence esn’t see either I don’t condone th cr at is always activ isis as a problem vio condone destructio lence. I don’t is silent? “ALL liv e even when it no doubt is th . In fact, Trump ril n. But I definitely es matter,” they think that police m said. White peop protests taking pl led about the urdering a Black le literally took ace because he man is a much bi gger deal than a a protest against Black people gets to act like a tough guy and police cruiser on being murdered an urge violence agai fi don’t, well, you mig re, and if you themselves. Man d made it about hope that this is nst “thugs” and en y ht be a racist. There is so much people would lik of these white the country from ough to distract ely say, “I don’t th hu rt an d an ge r in this country. see race,” as if race over 100,000 pe e fact that well And sadly we ople ha is so m e kind of in a m have no leader spectral aura rather atter of a few mon ve died at the highest th an a de ths from fi ni ng level of governm ent. We have a characteristic in a country that COVID-19. white supremacist deva Twitter troll Th lues brown and black bodies. Th masquerading as is isn’t Halloween ere were people And he’s just mak the president. day, 24/7 haunte . This is a 365- voted for Trump be who said they in d He’s urging state g things worse. ask Black people house that we tired of “the syst cause they were governments to em to walk through respond violently to burn everything ” and wanted . He’s promoting every day, multiple times a day. the idea of shoo over. This was, of codown and start ting looters. To say he is incapabl And if they dare co to be a metaphoric urse, supposed m e al burning. And pl of ai lea n ab di ou ng t it? yet, here we is Then we cran true, but he also are. k up do The more chaos he esn’t want to. We give police de the fear factor. pa better his chances can create, the history of violence rtments with a It will take a lot of are of reelection. hard work, a lot of against citizens Trump and far too many in America military-grade weaponry and gear. soul-searching, a lot of real change don’t see racism as We give them ta to actually addr nk see Black people a problem, they then, “Go out and s. We say to America. As a co ess racism in untry, we’ve risen and allies rising hurt the people up against 400 ye ars of oppression who are pushing back against the to many challenges. But this one is and violence and hurt. Go hurt them sinking us deep. more.” the problem. Everyt intimidation as hing was fine so long as everybod y pretended that And there is no correct way to everything was fine protest this. The wa . is delivered isn’t y the message D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and the problem. It’s Remember when comedian living in Michigan with her wife Colin Kaepernick the refusal of those in power to hear dared to kneel ne and son. She has been writing about LGBT xt to the football that message, to keep ignoring field during the Na Black voices, to sp politics for over a decade. Follow her on ell out “La la la, I tional Anthem ca Twitter @MamaDWitkowski n’t hear you” with tear gas.

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Back in the Game Former Varsity Baseball Pitcher Turned Helix Studios’ Exclusive Discusses Life After Troy Ryan By John Stein

Kacey Edenﬁeld was a junior in high school and the star pitcher of his varsity baseball team when he boldly came out as gay to his teammates. His peers shunned him. His coach cut him from the starting line-up. Even Kacey’s dad, a former professional baseball player, turned his back on him.

At ﬁrst it was a rocky road, to the point we had to go to counseling. But after the counseling, he was supportive. He even let my high school boyfriend stay over a few times. Did any of your teammates oﬀer support? Most weren’t very supportive. They would still talk to me, but I never got to hang with them outside of baseball and school. They always had excuses as to why they couldn’t. The one teammate I did have that was sort of supportive of it was one of the underclass guys, so, we didn’t hang out a ton. But I still appreciated the support nonetheless.

Kacey decided to turn in his uniform and give up his dream of playing college ball. After high school, he left his Tennessee home for Colorado and within the year, he would leave everything else he knew from youth – including his birth name – and find international fame as Troy Ryan, one of Helix Studio’s most popular gay adult What led to your decision to forego college? performers. He starred in 27 films over a multi- Was playing college ball the only reason for year span from 18 to his early 20s. going? That was six years ago. He made the decision to walk away from porn in 2017, putting Troy Ryan to bed once and for all and returning to life in Baseball was what I wanted, but I couldn’t have. Tennessee. He also returned to his first love of College was still on the plate for me, but one of baseball and today, he hosts the Balls and Brews my best friends asked me to move to my dream sports podcast. We spoke with Kacey Edenfield city in Denver, and I couldn’t pass the opportunity up. That decision is what led me to my adult film from his Tennessee home. start. What was it like to grow up as the son of How did you find your way to becoming Helix major league baseball player? Studios’ exclusive Troy Ryan? It was interesting! My friends thought it was Right before I moved to Denver, I was flying really cool, and I was proud of him. back from Hawaii with my family and while going through the Seattle airport, a guy hit me up on the Were pressures put on you to also be a star gay dating app, Jack’d. He said he was a recruiter athlete/baseball player? and suggested I apply. I knew I’d need money for Denver, and it seemed like fun so I gave it a shot. He never pressured me. In fact, he didn’t care Two weeks later, Helix called me, asked to fly me if I played baseball, basketball… it didn’t matter. out to Las Vegas, and the rest is history! He was supportive of what I wanted to do. But, eventually I fell in love with the game and decided What were some of your best experiences in to pursue it. adult porn? What led to your decision to come out as gay The best experiences I had were off camera. Helix really is a family-like atmosphere, and the in your junior year of high school? friendships I made during my time there are I partially came out to get a guy’s attention. He friendships I hope to have for the rest of my life. said he didn’t talk to closeted guys because of Dinner with everyone, playing the Xbox, hosting the drama. But I also did it for my own mental club events, and just spending time together. It health and wellbeing. The first person I told was was great. my mom, and then my best friend, Marissa. They What were some of your worst experiences? were the first to know.

critiquing my body and appearance. That was probably the hardest part. But eventually I learned to pay attention to the compliments and interact with my following, and that was a great experience. What did you learn about yourself doing adult porn? I learned to be a little less reserved and to embrace unpredictability. My start into porn was unexpected, but I wouldn’t change it a bit. Did being an impact your

adult ﬁlm dating

star life?

No, it really never affected my relationship life. I dated out of the industry, just because in the industry, everyone knows everyone and I didn’t want that drama. But at the same time, it was hard for people out of the industry to understand that it really is just a job and no feelings are involved. I only had one main relationship during porn. Is he the reason that you decided to leave porn? Yes. He never asked me to stop. I had been doing it before I met him, so he knew it was a job. He even travelled to Las Vegas with me to meet everyone. But I could just tell, every time he dropped me off at the airport, how dejected he looked. Eventually it came to a point where he was more important, so when it was time to renew my contract, I took a step back and thought about it. I decided my relationship was more important. Did aware

your of

father your

ever ﬁlm

become work?

He was made aware by a vindictive ex at the time. What was his response?

Once he found out, he told my family. The reaction was about as to be expected. We didn’t talk for a few months. It took him some time to process. Now he’s my biggest supporter, and hypes me up How did your athlete father react to his son I never really had any bad experiences. Early on, every chance he gets. being gay? when I was new to the industry, it was hard to read a bunch of random people on the internet

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How about your old teammates, are they Tell us about Balls and Brews, your new aware of your film work? sports podcast with your straight friend . Word spread like a wildfire once someone at my Balls and Brews is a podcast my best friend old high school found out. Teachers, coaches, Johnse and I do. It’s a good time! We bring friends everyone knew. None of them said anything to on occasionally, drink some beers, debate sports, me, and I don’t talk to any of my old teammates everything. It’s basically our daily conversations now. Once we graduated, I fell out of touch. with each other, recorded. We jab at each other a little, and just have a good time with it! Looking back now, would you have done anything differently? Would you consider doing adult film work again? Absolutely not. I have no regrets about anything. I look back with fondness. If the right opportunity presented itself, absolutely. But I doubt it’ll happen. I’m at a stable point in my What about baseball? Have you picked up a life right now with a successful career, surrounded ball and bat lately? by good people. It’d be hard to add adult work back on top of all that. I’ve played a little beer league softball, and helped coach my little brother’s travel ball team, but that’s What is your current situation? about it. I’d love to find a men’s wood bat league around here, so I could get up on the pitcher’s I’m currently talking to an amazingly sweet guy mound again and sling it. I met a couple months ago. It’s early, but I’m excited! Haven’t been this excited about anything Who is your favorite team? like this maybe ever, so stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed. I think I found a winner. I’m a diehard Atlanta Braves fan, and tend to go to three or four games in Atlanta every year. I Visit HelixStudios.net. Listen to Balls and went to NLDS Game 1 with a friend from work Brews: https://anchor.fm/johnse-hatfield. last year, my first playoff game. That was a cool experience. Also, the Tennessee Smokies, the Double-A affiliate for the Cubs, are about thirty minutes away from me. Thursday nights they do dollar beer nights, so that’s hard to pass up.

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