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INSIDE
VOL. 31, ISSUE 16 / NOV. 28-DEC. 11, 2012
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Anchors Aweigh by Michelle McCarthy Cole Porter’s Tony Award-winning Anything Goes pulls into port at the Ahmanson Theatre for the holiday season! Photo: Jennifer Broski L-R: Kristopher Thompson Bolden & Aaron Umsted
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INSIDE
VOL. 31, ISSUE 16 / NOV. 28-DEC. 11, 2012
LEADING BY EXAMPLE NBCUniversal ..............................................18 NEWS News Briefs..................................................20 NOM’s #BigFail ..........................................26 Election Fallout, Speaker Pérez on Labor & Gays ..............................................28
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GIFT GUIDE 2012
SOCAL GUIDE Events Calendar..........................................50 Snapshots ....................................................52 Arts Calendar..............................................54 Nightlife Calendar ......................................57 Eating Out ....................................................60 ENTERTAINMENT Film Reviews ................................................62 Music Reviews ............................................64 Theater Reviews ........................................66 Out & About ................................................68 Little Miss Know-It-All..............................69 Billy Masters................................................70 Queersay ......................................................71
by Stephan Horbelt Here’s our annual roundup of great gifts for everyone on your list!
ANSWERING THE CALL TO LOVE GOD’S PEOPLE
FRONTIERS MARKETPLACE Listings ..........................................................83 Business Profile ..........................................84
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POSITIVELY ANTI-STIGMA by Alex Garner PositiveFrontiers.com teams up with The Stigma Project to help bring an end to the epidemic.
MODELS: L-R: Michael Milton & Ryan Steer
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We take a look back at the significant strides made in HIV treatment this year.
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HEALTH Getting Personal ........................................82
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: Jennifer Broski
STATE OF HIV by Alex Garner
CITY GUIDES West Hollywood ........................................72 Orange County ............................................74 Long Beach ..................................................75 Palm Springs ................................................76
FRONTIERS4MEN Adult Classifieds ........................................86 Sex Ed ............................................................92
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by Brenda Bos An openly lesbian pastoral intern at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Santa Monica weighs in on what it means to be accepted by her church.
Frontiers magazine is published by Frontiers Media, LLC., 5657 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 470, Los Angeles, CA. 90036, and distributed throughout Southern California. Up to the first three copies of any single issue are free; additional copies are $10 each. Violators caught stealing or destroying issues will be prosecuted under California Penal Code 484. For magazine subscriptions, please call (323) 930-3220. The contents of Frontiers may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Letters to the editor, artwork, photography, manuscripts and other correspondence may be submitted to Frontiers at the above address. We cannot acknowledge or return material unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Allow at least three months for processing. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Frontiers is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation or the HIV/AIDS status of such person or organization. Copyright © 2012, Frontiers Media, LLC.
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APRIL 3, 2012
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ONLINE Find these articles exclusively at
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GIFT GUIDE 2012 Find tons more gifts from this year’s gift guide online at frontiersLA.com/Features.
DIVAS SIMPLY SINGING by Duane Wells
Sheryl Lee Ralph, the diva behind the annual AIDS benefit Divas Simply Singing, sits down to chat about this year’s event. frontiersLA.com/ExclusiveInterviews
A GIFT GUIDE FOR READERS by The Bookworm
PHOTO: JOAN MARCUS
There’s always somebody on your list who’s impossible to buy for. Here are a few LGBT-themed books that might be just right. frontiersLA.com/BookReviews
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We've taken on the challenge of listing Los Angeles’ cherished landmarks, celebrated hotspots and famed destinations from A-Z, all of which are fun and exciting for both the L.A. local or SoCal visitor! frontiersLA.com/ WhyWeLoveGayLA
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FrontiersLA.com Volume 31, Issue 16 5657 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 470, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Phone: (323) 930-3220 Sales Fax: (323) 857-0560 Administration Fax: (323) 848-2058 Accounting Fax: (323) 857-0503
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Contributing Writers Aaron Batts, Brenda Bos, Jackie Beat, Christopher Cappiello, Peter DelVecchio, Gossip Gay, Alex Garner, Greg Hernandez, Stephan Horbelt, Gary M. Kramer, Jim Larkins, Dan Loughry, Dr. Bethany A. Marhsall, Billy Masters, Michelle McCarthy, Dana Miller, James F. Mills, Paulo Murillo, Karen Ocamb, Dominik Rothbard, Nick Rufca, Kevin P. Taft, Paul V. Contributing Photographers and Illustrators Gabe Ayala, Brenden-John Photography, Jennifer Broski, Joseph DeSoto, Greg Gorman, Glen Hanson, Jake Kale, Kenneth Kawano, Michael Lamont, Paulo Murillo, Karen Ocamb, Richard Phibbs
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©2012 Thanks to the dawn of the information age, we believe distribution/circulation not only encompasses hard copies printed and the pass-on rate of those hard copies, but web browsing and electronic copies being downloaded by our growing online readership. This has become a substantial boost to the number of readers of our magazine. Currently, an average of 30,000 hard copies are printed biweekly. Studies have shown each hard copy has a probable “pass-on rate” of two to three, meaning each hard copy taken will be seen by two to three additional readers. With the pass-on rate alone, estimated readership can conservatively average 55,000 to 90,000, not encompassing visitors who visit us online at FrontiersLA.com.
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BUILDING COMMUNITY
Leading by Example
NBCUniversal Says LGBT Equality Matters By Michelle McCarthy
NBCUniversal is responsible for the first lesbian kiss on TV (L.A. Law, 1991), the first television series to feature a gay lead (Love, Sidney, 1981) and the first lesbian wedding on TV (Friends, 1996), along with TV series and films that have shaped our culture (Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Brokeback Mountain, Milk and The Kids Are All Right) . Now it can add another milestone to its résumé. For the second year in a row, Work Life Matters magazine is honoring the trailblazing company’s work for LGBT equality, both within and outside the company. “NBCUniversal is a pioneer in the effort to support the LGBT community,” says Lori Sokol, Ph.D., founder and publisher of Work Life Matters. “They have not only internally supported their employees, but they have been the first to include LGBT characters in their films and on television. They are going into homes throughout the country and showing LGBT individuals and making them more familiar.” We spoke with Jayzen Patria, executive directo of learning and organization development for NBCUniversal and global chair of OUT@NBCUniversal: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Ally Alliance, about the award. Why does NBCUniversal think it’s important to work for LGBT equality? We are in business to create and deliver content so compelling, it entertains, informs and shapes our world. We want our employees to be able to bring their whole selves to work and channel their energy into creating the best TV shows, movies, theme parks and digital experiences. Simply put, we believe in doing the right thing and treating people the right way.
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Why did you earn the award? Our employee resource group— OUT@NBCUniversal: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Ally Alliance—builds on our foundation of LGBT inclusive polices and benefits by engaging employees to use their diverse backgrounds to deliver business results. Driven by employees, the group partners with management to attract, develop and retain LGBT and ally talent and partners with our portfolio of brands to effectively reach our community. This year, we’ve increased our commitment to creating the next generation of storytellers by working with LGBT youth. We hosted our second annual NBCUniversal: Behind the Scenes event, in partnership with nonprofit Live Out Loud, welcoming 30 LGBTQ high school students to 30 Rockefeller Plaza to learn about storytelling. OUT members volunteered to train and mentor at-risk LGBT youth on how to develop, film and edit their own movies as part of OUTSET, a youth mentoring program from Outfest and LifeWorks Mentoring. In April, we announced the creation of the NBCUniversal Point Foundation Scholarship for an LGBT student pursuing a degree in film/TV production or broadcast/digital journalism. In October, the company supported GLAAD’s Spirit Day by going purple on air, online and behind the scenes to show support for LGBT youth and speak out against bullying in our schools. How long has NBCUniversal been working for equality? We have a long history of supporting the LGBT community and our employees. When former Universal star Rock Hudson publicly announced he had AIDS, he not only gave a face to the disease but rallied our studio and the industry to face the growing epidemic. As a result, executives and employees had conversations around homophobia and AIDS phobia that became
the foundation of early LGBT alliances at the company. In New York, NBC News employees responded by creating the Association of NBC Lesbian & Gay Employees in 1986. In California, Universal Studios executives helped to found Hollywood Supports, a nonprofit to fight homophobia and AIDS discrimination in the entertainment industry, in 1991, and the studio became the first major entertainment company to provide same-sex domestic partner benefits and add sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policy in 1992. What kind of programs does the company have that work toward equality? Expanding our benefits with a focus on diversity and inclusion, Comcast and NBCUniversal are offering enhanced benefits to transgender employees. Our health benefit plans cover hormone therapy and counseling services, and starting in January 2013, we will cover medically necessary health care services that transgender people need, including transition-related treatment such as genital surgeries, hormone therapy and mental health counseling. In 2011, Comcast and NBCUniversal established a goal to develop the most successful model of diversity and inclusion in the communications and entertainment industries. We practice and believe in diversity as both a social value and a business philosophy. We define diversity broadly—not just as embracing differences in race, gender, culture, color, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, age or ability—but also embracing a business culture that respects and includes different thoughts, choices, philosophies and experiences.
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NEWS By Peter DelVecchio & Karen Ocamb
Uganda ‘Kill the Gays’ Bill Back A couple of years ago, legislators in Uganda’s parliament proposed a law calling for execution and other draconian punishments for homosexual acts. It seemed that the so-called “Kill the Gays” law had been dropped after widespread, international outrage, but no. The central African nation’s Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga is pushing to pass the bill before parliament’s Christmas recess begins Dec. 15, Box Turtle Bulletin reports. The “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” would make
the offence of “aggravated homosexuality” a capital crime. Besides the capital offense, the “offense of homosexuality” would carry a life sentence, and anyone who knew that someone was gay and failed to report it to authorities within 24 hours would also be subject to incarceration. The bill provides similarly harsh punishment for other gay-related “offenses.” The measure would also expand the definition of a homosexual act, which currently requires penetration, to include simply touching another person with homosexual intent.
Quick Pic
In honor of the 14th observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, Director of the Office of Personnel Management John Berry (pictured far right) joined National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling (10th from left) and two dozen other trans advocates in a moment of silence at the White House to remember people lost to anti-transgender fear, discrimination and violence. (For more go to transgenderdor.org.)
“The feds charged her with transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, possession of child pornography and five counts of sexual exploitation of children.” —Box Turtle Bulletin founder Jim Burroway on Nov. 18 regarding the arrest in New Hampshire of attorney Lisa Biron of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a group of right-wing evangelical Christian lawyers.
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“Probably the numbers stuff, since I had that from when I was six.” —New York Times statistical whiz Nate Silver, who accurately predicted the results of the presidential election in all 50 states, answering whether being gay or a geek made him more of a misfit, via rawstory.com on Nov. 17.
L.A.’s Center and WeHo Sheriffs Meet Over ‘Concerns’ On Nov. 14, West Hollywood Human Services Commissioner Jimmy Palmieri angrily blogged about testimony given by Roger Coggan, Legal Director for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, about alleged ill treatment of non-white clients by West Hollywood Sheriff’s deputies. The blog post led to two meetings between representatives from the Center, West Hollywood and the WeHo Station, including WeHo Mayor Prang and Captain Fraser. Coggan told Frontiers his primary concern is the “institutional problem” with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department “as a whole,” which he said “directly impacts the quality of policing in the city and the experience of our clients.” He said that there have been 10 incidents since October 2010, ranging from verbal abuse to a handcuffed client being physically abused. Coggan and Alan Acosta, the Center executive who oversees the legal department, said the allegations they presented had been deemed “unfounded” by the department. “We raised these points so they would be taken seriously,” Acosta said. “The meetings were a good first start. ... The Sheriffs and the city all want the best possible policing, so this is why we’re bringing it to their attention.” WeHo Station Operations Lt. Cheryl NewmanTarwater, a married lesbian with children, and Area Operations Lt. David M. Smith, who has a gay son, told Frontiers that each of the allegations had been thoroughly investigated. However, they said, any problems need to be addressed. “We take everything very seriously,” Newman-Tarwater said. “If we have a piece of the system that is broken, we need to fix it. ... Whatever Roger brings to us, we will thoroughly research it, and if we missed something, or if there was misconduct in any way … it will absolutely be dealt with.” Another meeting is expected after Thanksgiving. (For more on this story, go to FrontiersLA.com.)
SPEAK OUT “Over 2,400 people living with HIV/AIDS access one of APLA’s Vance North Necessities of Life food pantries every single week.” —AIDS Project Los Angeles, launching a World AIDS Day food drive in Los Angeles County on Dec. 1, per APLA’s website at apla.org.
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SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
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NEWS
NOM’s #BigFail BY PETER DELVECCHIO The National Organization for Marriage has been one of the nation's most prominent and well-heeled opponents of marriage equality. As more and more states legalized same-sex marriage over the years, NOM countered with the argument that voters had rejected marriage equality 32 times at the ballot box, including significant victories with California's Proposition 8 in 2008 and Maine's Question 1 in 2009. But NOM’s “the-people-agree-with-us” mantra crashed and burned spectacularly on Nov. 6 when voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington opted to legalize gay marriage in those states, and Minnesotans refused to amend their state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
"Calling himself a constitutional scholar, [NOM’s Chairman of the Board John Eastman] declared that if the state allowed gay marriages, citizens had a duty to ‘rise up and abolish’ the government. Eastman also proudly noted his philosophical attitude could be summed up by the declaration Justice Thomas has on an office plaque: ‘I ain’t evolving.’” NOM has tried to put a pretty face on this trouncing, implying in a Nov. 9 release that the results in these “four deep-blue states” was anomalous and noting, if somewhat wanly, that "the pro-marriage position out-performed the Republican ticket by an average of 6.6 points in the states." NOM also touted a September survey of 800 purportedly randomly selected adults that found 57 percent opposed to gay marriage.
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(NOM’s poll disagrees with those of Pew, Gallup, AP, CNN and the Washington Post/ABC News, all of which show nationwide support for marriage equality growing, with a majority of Americans now approving legalization.) NOM President Brian Brown apparently came off as slightly less sanguine during a Nov. 8 post-election conference call with supporters, as reported in the American Independent. Brown seemed to have concluded that, as Americans increasingly accept same-sex marriage, and as more and more U.S. corporations endorse it, groups like NOM will have to take the fight overseas. Speaking of Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks, which supported Washington’s marriage equality measure, Brown said, “Their international outreach is where we can have the most effect. So for example, in Qatar, in the Middle East, we've begun working to make sure that there is some price to be paid for this. These are not countries that look kindly on same-sex marriage. And this is where Starbucks wants to expand, as well as India. So we have done some of this; we've got to do a lot more." Brown also lamented NOM’s financial position, noting “that NOM’s resources had been spread thin," according to the American Independent. “It takes money to go up against someone like Starbucks.” Brown appears to have been speaking the truth here. In 2011, the most recent year for which figures are available, IRS filings show that NOM's fundraising fell off by a third, from $9.1 million raised in 2010 to $6.2 million collected the following year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which runs the website NOMexposed.org. NOM’s IRS filings also explode the group's claim to be a grassroots organization born of supposedly widespread outrage over the prospect of same-sex marriage. Just two donations of roughly $2.4 million each account for 75 percent of NOM’s 2011 funding, according to the group’s 2011 IRS Form 990. In 2010, more than 90 percent of NOM’s funding came from 10 donors, according to that year’s Form 990. NOM has repeatedly run into trouble with state regulators regarding its extreme reluctance to disclose its donors' identities. Fred Karger, an out Orange County Republican who
sought the 2012 GOP presidential nod, has pursued NOM relentlessly on this front. "The Maine Ethics Commission has been investigating NOM for over three years on a complaint I filed against them for money laundering in the election of 2009," when Maine voters rejected same-sex marriage, Karger wrote in an Oct. 31 Huffington Post piece. "In 2008, NOM raised $345,000, including $10,000 from Mitt Romney to qualify and pass California's Proposition 8, and did not disclose this money at the time," Karger wrote. "The California Fair Political Practices Commission has been investigating NOM on those charges I filed as well." Karger says NOM has threatened him with criminal charges, but he remains undeterred. "They want to break me," he recently told the OC Weekly. "That's not going to happen. They have to obey the law, and when they don't, I'm going to be there, catching them in their lies and filing complaints." In 2010, NOM unsuccessfully challenged Rhode Island’s finance disclosure requirements all the way to the federal First Circuit Court of Appeals. Extremist rhetoric spewed by some of NOM’s top officials might be harming its image with the public. A March 2010 speech by John Eastman, a professor at Orange County’s Chapman University School of Law and NOM’s Chairman of the Board, to a California tea party group is described in a Nov. 8 piece in the OC Weekly as follows: "Calling himself a constitutional scholar, [Eastman] declared that if the state allowed gay marriages, citizens had a duty to ‘rise up and abolish’ the government. Eastman also proudly noted his philosophical attitude could be summed up by the declaration Justice Thomas has on an office plaque: ‘I ain’t evolving.’” NOM’s strength going forward, and perhaps even its relevance, will soon be tested. The U.S. Supreme Court was set to decide the week after Thanksgiving whether to hear several challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the 9th Circuit's ruling overturning Prop. 8 and an Arizona case concerning domestic partner benefits. Additionally, Politico reported on Nov. 20 that LGBT advocates believe same-sex marriage stands a good chance of being legalized— by courts, legislators or voters—in several states by 2014.
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NEWS
Election Fallout, Speaker Pérez on Labor & Gays BY KAREN OCAMB For a few hours after the historic Nov. 6 election, President Barack Obama and his supporters basked in the hard-won victory to continue moving the country forward—not backward to some mythic time in the 1950s espoused by rich Republican loser Mitt Romney. But with the new day came the realization of just what kind of disaster the country had averted as Romney and his surrogates repeatedly revealed the alternate universe in which they had been dwelling. Romney, his family and advisors couldn’t believe he lost. His vice presidential pick, Rep. Paul Ryan, said the campaign was surprised by “urban” voters—a point that was underscored by Karl Rove’s on-air disputing of the exit polls, given how arduous Republican strategists had worked to suppress the black and Latino vote.
Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez
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Rove said it was Obama’s campaign that had suppressed the vote! But in a coup de grâce moment of unreality, Romney said Obama won because he had given “gifts” to minorities, and that’s why they voted for him. Suddenly, Republicans who were unconcerned about a presidential candidate who proudly claimed tax shelters in the Cayman Islands and talked about not bothering with 47 percent of voters started distancing themselves from their standardbearer: They didn’t despise voters. Many spoke forcefully about how the GOP must now have deep discussions about what the Republican Party could say to be more relevant to more than just older white voters. “Look, there’s a huge donor revolt going on. I mean, we have now lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections,” Republican strategist Mike Murphy said on Meet the Press. “This is an existential crisis for
the Republican Party, and we have to have a brutal discussion about it. We alienate young voters because of gay marriage, we have a policy problem. We alienate Latinos, the fastestgrowing voter group in the country because of our fetish and so-called amnesty when we should be for a path to immigration. And we have lost our connection to middle-class economics. We also have an operative class and unfortunately, a lot of which is incompetent. We don’t know how to win. So, this isn’t about new software in the basement of the RNC. It’s not about a few Spanish language radio ads. It’s a fundamental rethink that begins with policy, because the country is changing, and if we don’t modernize conservatism, we can go extinct. The numbers are the numbers. ... [T]he biggest problem Mitt Romney had was the Republican primary. That’s what’s driving the Republican brand right now to a disaster. And we have got to get kind of a party view of America that is not right out of Rush Limbaugh’s dream journal. We’ve got to look at reality.” Not everyone got that message. Sens. John McCain and Lindsay Graham are leading the charge against UN Ambassador Susan Rice becoming the next Secretary of State when Hillary Clinton leaves, because Rice “misled” the public about the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, even though everyone involved said she was just using the CIA’s own talking points. Graham said he didn’t trust her. McCain said she should apologize—though both men voted to confirm Republican Condoleezza Rice as George W. Bush’s Secretary of State, even though she was instrumental in publicizing misleading information (the “mushroom cloud”) that sent the United States into a pre-emptive war in Iraq. Neither man asked her to apologize, nor has McCain ever apologized for being so wrong about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.“ Additionally, for men supposedly so steeped in diplomacy and military tradition, the Republican long-timers seem unconcerned about publically eviscerating the president and his administration when servicemembers are still in harm’s way in war and the government is trying to negotiate a difficult truce in the Middle East.
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Election Fallout, Speaker Pérez on Labor & Gays
With such a strong drubbing from the election, however, and while not acknowledging that Obama has a mandate of any sort, Republican Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell both indicated they would be willing to consider revenues to avoid going off the upcoming “fiscal cliff.” Obama met with a number of leaders, including Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign, to discuss how to avoid that potential fiscal disaster created by a deadlocked Congress that would force the treasury to sequester and hence cut money already appropriated to federal agencies. “Programs designed to serve the most vulnerable Americans, including LGBT people, are on the brink of annihilation if Congress doesn’t get its act together,” Griffin said after the meeting. “Sequestration would take away vital lifelines that so many in our community rely on to get by—many even to live.” According to HRC, if sequestration cuts go into effect, “it is estimated that nearly 10,000 low-income people will lose access to life-saving medicines under the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Furthermore, hundreds of millions of dollars will be stripped from federal programs that provide treatment and housing to the most vulnerable individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Cuts to staff and resources could also stymie the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes, including those against LGBT people. Similarly, budgets for long-awaited programs focused on the unique needs of our community, like the National LGBT Aging Resource Center and the LGBT Refugee Resource Center, could be slashed if not cut entirely. These cuts are expected to impact many other critical programs that disproportionately serve lowincome Americans—from early childhood education and vaccinations to meals for older people in need to job training and education for people seeking work.” On a panel organized by the Kaiser Family Foundation, openly gay Georgetown law professor Tim Westmoreland estimated that the National Institutes of Health would lose $2.5 billion; the U.S. Health Resources & Services would lose $600 million; the CDC about half a billion; the FDA $300 million. The impact includes 700 fewer NIH grants, the slowing of innovation and progress in biomedical research and between 12,000-15,000 would be kicked off ADAP. “I would point out that most of those people have no place else to go for the drugs they need. For them, AIDS will no longer—during the sequester—be a manageable medical condition,” Westmoreland said, adding that while such looming threats have been tried before, “as far as I can see now, this doomsday machine is going to go off this time.” “If Congress fails to strike a deal before
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Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin
the end of the year, all Americans will suffer, including those that are LGBT,” said Jeff Krehely, Vice President of the Center for American Progress’ LGBT Research and Communications Project. “Sequestration in particular would inflict significant harm by requiring wholesale cuts to programs that are critical to the health, wellness and livelihood of LGBT people and their families. We cannot afford to let that happen.” The Center for American Progress, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and a coalition of 23 other national LGBT organizations released a new report detailing the impact of going over the fiscal cliff: Caught in the Budget Battle: How the ‘Fiscal Showdown’ Impacts Gay and Transgender Americans. HRC has an online action for members and supporters to contact their members of Congress at tinyurl.com/an4exk6. “Lives are literally on the line if Congress lets our country tumble off this cliff. LGBT people and our families—like so many families—are already struggling in this recovering economy, and draconian budget cuts will only make things worse,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “This critical report spotlights just how severe the consequences will be for LGBT people—from tackling LGBT youth homeless-
ness and bullying in the schools to fighting discrimination to enforcing hate crimes laws to ensuring proper health care for all. Our elected leaders must act responsibly and not put lives in harm’s way.” In the hours after Obama’s re-election, many LGBT politicos started speaking out about the need for Obama to appoint an openly gay person to his cabinet, and the necessity for the administration to step up in pressuring Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to give job protection to LGBT people in states where they can be easily fired. Ironically, if the fiscal cliff is not avoided, the employment security of LGBT workers would be jeopardized because federal agencies would have fewer resources to investigate claims of employment discrimination. The joint report says: “Under sequestration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal employment discrimination laws, would see an automatic cut to its budget in 2013, and these cuts will continue from 2013 through 2021 if no budget resolution is reached after sequestration occurs. As a consequence of these cuts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would have fewer resources to investigate discrimination complaints and to enforce our nation’s
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Election Fallout, Speaker Pérez on Labor & Gays
nondiscrimination laws. This limitation has especially important implications for LGBT workers, who face extraordinarily high rates of discrimination on the job.” But the election proved that there’s something else going on in the country and in California—the return of the labor movement—and through their ground forces, the defeat of the billionaire Super PAC-backed Republicans trying to crush the unions. John A. Pérez, the openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly, has been a labor leader for most of his political life. He often talks about how labor contracts are the means by which gay people secure job protection and domestic partnership benefits. Gary J. Gates, the Williams Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute UCLA School
rights since Harvey Milk sided with the union in the Coors Boycott in late 1970s to today’s fight for ENDA. The coalition is particularly strong in California. “Labor’s been on the ascendency in California for years. The mistake that folks make is doing these initiatives that frontally attack labor and think that it’s going to make labor weaker. And it doesn’t. It actually has labor double-down on their coalition politics and double-down on their organizing,” Pérez told Frontiers after the elections. “Look at this historically. The first time there was this kind of frontal attack was 1958 when they attempted to pass Right to Work in California. Labor was so strong in pushing back against it that they not only defeated it, but they elected Pat Brown governor. The next
“Sequestration in particular would inflict significant harm by requiring wholesale cuts to programs that are critical to the health, wellness and livelihood of LGBT people and their families. We cannot afford to let that happen.” —Jeff Krehely, Vice President of the Center for American Progress' LGBT Research and Communications Project
of Law, says labor union figures from the Gallup Poll data are: “Three percent are U.S. adults who say they are in a labor union identify as LGBT. About 10 percent of all LGBTidentified people are in a union. Among non-LGBT-identified people, the figure is 11 percent. The difference is not statistically significant. So you can say that LGBT people are as likely as non-LGBT people to say they are in a labor union.” LGBT politicos—such as those at Stonewall Democratic Club and Rick Jacobs’ Courage Campaign—worked hard to pass Gov. Brown’s Prop. 30 to fund schools and defeat Prop. 32 that would deny labor union members free speech. Such coalition building has been critical to the advancement of labor and LGBT
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time they tried to do it was in 1998 with Prop. 226, which is the same as Prop. 32. Labor pushed back, defeated it, built up Gray Davis’ credibility and got him elected governor. Then in 2005, when Arnold Schwarzenegger tried a cute trimmed-down version as part of a four-or-five-initiative package, it caused all of his initiatives to go down. And this year, it was part of the foundation of building the base to pass Prop. 30 and win supermajorities in both houses. “So,” says Pérez, “I think Karl Rove and his friends should have second thoughts about this strategy, just as this year makes them have second thoughts on their homophobic [antigay marriage] campaigns that were so effective in 2004. The people have learned and have
embraced us and have sent a very strong message that those kind of divisive politics—whether they’re aimed at labor, whether they’re aimed at immigrants or they’re aimed at the LGBT community—are no longer going to stand.” The lesson of how citizen ground forces can defeat Super PACs created by Citizens United is also a major take away from the election. “Boots on the ground always beat big money alone,” says Pérez. “You look at California initiatives—how many were financed by billionaires who just wanted to get their way and how many of those were turned down, whether they were good or bad. People do not want to just have a plutocracy where the well-heeled individuals get to dictate to the rest of us what we ought to be focusing on. And I think there’s a level of resentment of the last $11 million that they tried to sneak in by laundering the money through different accounts in California. There was a resentment of these billionaires trying to have everyone just do their bidding.” Additionally, voters were apparently turned off by the Republican message of “takers versus makers.” “It didn’t stick at all,” says Pérez. “The reality is we’re going through tough economic times. And it calls on all of us to come together as a community—a community of Americans, a community of Californians—to look at how we really create a better future together. And this election was a strong testament to that. Not since Franklin Roosevelt’s first re-election campaign did you see some of the stark contrasts and this call for community.” Low-income whites did not vote for Romney in California, Pérez noted, but they did elsewhere. “It’s the difference between what’s in people’s immediate interests versus what people tell them is in their interest. And oftentimes, divisive politics has been effective—it’s still a competition between love and fear, between hope and fear, between opportunity and fear, and fear can be a powerful tool, and it’s being less and less effective, thankfully,” he says. The question now is what will happen to the GOP, nationally and in California, where it is teetering on the edge of a cliff for its sheer existence. “The problem is so much of politics is echo-chambers—people wanting to listen to people who agree with them,” says Pérez. “And so, people are not always exposed to what’s going on in the real world. And I think what we saw was the Republican echochamber react to the reality.” Now it’s up to the LGBT community to do its part in helping prevent the potential disaster of going over a fiscal cliff—and at the same time remind anyone and everyone who talks about “jobs, jobs, jobs” that that means inclusion of the LGBT community, too, through ENDA. Elections have consequences, and LGBT job equality should be one of them.
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Gift Guide 2012
By Stephan Horbelt
The holiday shopping season has officially begun. Here’s our annual roundup of great gifts for all your dear ones— from the traveler to the trendsetter to the couch potato—and once your gift-giving is done, perhaps even yourself!
FOR THE PARTY HOST Don’t even think about arriving to that holiday party without something in-hand for the host! Booze or a nice bottle of wine is always thoughtful, but feel free to get creative.
Find tons more gifts for the holiday season at frontiersLA.com/Features
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1 Belvedere Red It’s the same vodka you love in a special edition bottle, and the company gives 50 percent of its profits to the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Every bottle you buy helps the fight! $29.99, belvederevodka.com — 2 Diane Von Furstenberg Home The Calypso Stemware line could be the perfect thoughtful gift for the party host of a certain discerning style. $90 each, dvf.com/home — 3 Moët & Chandon Gold Jeroboam This 14k gold-leafed Jeroboam (3 liters) was handcrafted and dressed with a red wax seal and floating black tie. It also comes with a pen that allows you to personalize the bottle with a message to commemorate the party! $995, moet.com — 4 Grand Marnier Cherry This brand-new spirit is a limited release only available this Fall/Winter 2012. Made from fine aged French cognac, tropical oranges and European cherries, it’s highly mixable and makes a great party gift. $41.99, grandmarnier.com — 5 Malin+Goetz Candle Collection A perfect gift, the eight scented candles in this collection are modern interpretations of traditional perfumery concepts. Each comes in a 9 oz. reusable glass cocktail tumbler. $52, malinandgoetz.com — 6 Corkcicle The Corkcicle ensures perfectly chilled wine every time you open a new bottle, keeping it at just the right temperature for an hour. $24.95, corkcicle.com — 7 Sushumna Chocolat This unique line of artisanal chakra-based chocolates contains seven flavor profiles, each artfully crafted with special foods and spices honoring the corresponding chakra point. ‘Sensual’ contains cardamom, cinnamon and chai with milk chocolate. Various gift sets available, sushumnachocolat.com — 8 Le Bon Garcon Caramels Give your party host delicious gourmet caramels made in the French tradition with only the finest, all-natural ingredents—and yes, these little babies made it onto Oprah’s list of favorite things. $6-27, lebongarcon.com — 9 Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie Goode Company specializes in authentic texas products, including this top-seller, its famous family recipe. The nine-inch pie is delivered in a branded wooden box, perfect for gifting. $31.95, goodecompany.com — 10 Dom Pérignon by David Lynch The ultimate luxury brand teamed up with world-renowned director David Lynch for this limited edition champagne, also available in rosé. The stunning bottle and gift box are signed by Lynch. $169, domperignon.com
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FOR THE TRAVELER These gifts are perfect for that friend or loved one who’s always on the go, whether he traverses the globe or loves a road trip to Vegas.
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1 Bedol Water Clock You don’t need batteries or electricity for this alarm clock to wake you up in the morning—just fill it with water! It’s convenient and easily packed. $26, bedolwhatsnext.com — 2 Harmonia Macrocosmica Never lose your way with Taschen’s gorgeous reprint of the celestial maps of Dutch-German cosmographer Andreas Cellarius, first published in 1660. A truly stunning piece of publishing. $59.99, taschen.com — 3 CarMD The CarMD is like having a mechanic in your glovebox—it detects hidden engine problems, indicates whether the vehicle is ready to pass an emissions test and more. Never overpay for auto repairs again. $159.80, carmd.com — 4 eFlow E3 Nitro Perfect for commuters and other riders, this bike has a battery pack integrated into the bike’s seatpost and a powerful motor capable of powering the bike up to 20 mph. Available Jan. 2013. $3,995, eflowebike.com — 5 Extreme Hydro Sleeve Keep your iPad safe from impact and water damage with this sleek black sleeve that slides easily into and out of backpacks and suitcases. $49.99, g-form.com — 6 ShaveTech Portable Shaver Save space while traveling—and the aggravation of finding a free electrical outlet—by plugging this shaver directly into your computer’s USB port. The charge holds for 30 minutes of shaving. $39.99, shavetech.com — 7 Booq Mamba Daypack In addition to being über-stylish, this old-school-style backpack is made of natural fiber and is water resistant, which means it keeps your valuables safe. Your computer fits perfectly in the padded, lined laptop compartment. $99.95, booqbags.com — 8 Turo Skin Gift Set You can pack light with this gift set, which includes shave cream, moisturizer and a 3-in-1 shower cleanser that’s perfect for your face, body and hair. $80, turoskin.com — 9 Sena Motorcycle Bluetooth Headset Designed specifically for motorcycles, this headset lets you call handsfree on your mobile phone, listen to voice GPS instructions or have intercom conversations with a passenger or fellow rider. $209, senabluetooth.com
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FOR THE COUCH POTATO Everyone has that one couch potato friend whose life doesn’t extend far from the living room. Discourage or encourage his love of the couch with one of these gifts, which are actually perfect for friends of all types. |6| |5|
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1 Rock Bottom This latest book of photography by Justin Monroe focuses on some of the hottest butts to ever be photographed—with corresponding front views, of course. $35, monroe-land.com — 2 Evo Fitness Bike Get the authentic feel of a road bike while engaging your full body. This bike is the first to not have a belt, chain or external flywheel, meaning little or no maintenance. $1,299, relayfitness.com — 3 Wireless Smartphone Photo Printer Print vibrant color photos straight from your smartphone, all while never leaving the couch. The printer uses your home wi-fi network and a free app. $219.95, hammacher.com/82590 — 4 Homeland Season One Watch this critically acclaimed series’ first season again or for the first time. With a cast including Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin, you’re guaranteed superb performances all around. $34.98 — 5 Friends: The Complete Series Keep him on the couch for good with all 10 seasons of Friends, available on Blu-ray for the first time ever. There’s over 110 hours of content, plus 20 hours of special features. $279.98 — 6 Street by 50 Headphones The new line of headphones by rapper 50 Cent is stylish and shatterproof—and thanks to a recent partnership with Feeding America, each purchase provides 250 meals to hungry Americans. Also available in wireless styles. $249.95 (style pictured), smsaudio.com — 7 Anatomy of Stretching Discover how to get limber—and get the most out of a workout— without paying for a personal trainer. In this book, Craig Ramsay takes you through a series of stretches step by step to develop a pre-workout regimen that’s best for you. $20, craigramsayfitness.com DECEMBER 12, 2012
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Keep your friend or loved one ahead of the trends with any one of these stylish gifts. 1 Phosphor Appear Watch Using ‘M3D’ technology, this watch uses miniature rotors adorned with Swarovski crystals that revolve to elegantly reveal the time. $199-225, phosphorwatches.com — 2 Hartford York Headwear Keep your head warm and in style with the Scala Cashmere Watch Cap (left, style HYL18) or the JB Stetson Newsboy (style STW85). Both are perfect for work or play. $95 each, hartfordyork.com — 3 Urbanears Tweed Headphones These stylish headphones are enveloped in hand-woven Harris Tweed and made from 100 percent virgin wool. $80, urbanears.com — 4 Swissvoice Corded Handset Connect this headset to the audio jack of your phone or computer to improve voice quality and talk hands-free. As a bonus, it also directs radiation away from your head. $49.99, swissvoice.net — 5 Global Face Serum This all-natural, unisex blend of 11 essential oils will restore elasticity to your face, improve your complexion and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. $85, linahanson.com — 6 GlassesUSA.com Give the gift of sight with this website, the premier online retailer of glasses, with prices starting at just $38. Avoid the ridiculously high prices and hassles of getting the perfect prescription glasses or sunglasses. glassesUSA.com — 7 2(x)ist Vivid Stay on-trend ‘down below’ with the latest line of underwear from 2(x)ist, featuring vibrant, high-gloss silicone printed on microfiber waistbands. 2xist.com — 8 Christ Scapular Made of finely crafted silver, an image of Rio de Janeiro’s most famous monument, Christ the Redeemer, adorns this silver chain. $169.95, cariocawear.com — 9 Guide for the Modern Bear Discover bear-friendly attractions in cities around the world with this charming lifestyle/travel book, a must-have for cheeky members of the ‘bear’ community and its various subsets. $19.99 — 10 Woof Monkey This brand-new line of apparel is perfect for the urban jungle—fun, sexy and comfortable—at the gym or on the street. Find it at Rough Trade, 3915 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake. woofmonkey.com — 11 Glam Monster This ‘poison couture’ fragrance has hints of white grapefruit, casablanca lily and bittersweet chocolate. $185, glammonster.com — 12 Titanium Cross Bangle Adorn your wrist and turn heads with this titanium cross bangle. $76, allaboutyoumenswear.com
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Gift 2012 Guide |1|
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FOR THE KID AT HEART Who’s to say you have to act your age? These gifts are perfect for a younger loved one or a friend who still appreciates the less serious things in life.
1 MP3 DJ Doorbell Welcome guests in style by replacing that boring doorbell chime with your favorite song, courtesy of this wireless customizable doorbell. $49.99, swann.com — 2 Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection This 31-disc giftbox collection is the largest ever for Harry Potter fans, featuring five hours of never-before-seen exclusive material plus the entire film series on Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet. $499 — 3 Batmobile: The Complete History Get in the driver’s seat of the Dark Knight’s iconic ride with this book, which explores each of the crime-fighting vehicle’s evolutions and incarnations. $35 — 4 Marshall Hanwell Amp Speaker This is the very first home audio product to bear Marshall’s legendary script logo, moving the company’s heritage of big stage performance out of the arena and into your home. Warn the neighbors. $800, marshallheadphones.com — 5 Sonic Screwdriver Remote Control Change channels, control time and save the world with this universal remote control, a high-quality metal replica of the Sonic Screwdriver used by the 11th doctor in Doctor Who. $29.99 thinkgeek.com — 6 Turtle Shell Boombox This bluetooth boombox is built for rugged action—it’s water and dust-resistant, wireless and can even be strapped to your bike with a separate mounting kit. $149.95, outdoortechnology.com — 7 Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay Based on DJ Paul V.’s Born This Way blog, this charming and empowering book features 100 growing-up-gay stories and photos, with notable inclusions from Barney Frank, Andy Bell, Jackie Beat and Sia. Get your copy signed at Weho’s Book Soup on Dec. 5. $14.95 — 8 Korg PitchClip Perfect for the guitar player or music enthusiast in your life, this pitch clip comes in every color imaginable and has a vivid LED display. $19.99, korg.com
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FOR THE PET LOVER
These gifts are perfect for that pet owner on your gifting list.
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1 Skedouche Dog Sweater Even Fido wants to be festive, and now he can be! With dozens of styles to choose from, your pet will be stylish throughout the holiday season. $18.99-31.99, skedouche.com — 2 Urban Weather Station Monitor the quality of your macro and micro living environments by tracking weather, pollution levels and more. Don’t walk the dog without it. $179, netatmo.com — 3 PupLight 2 This adjustable, reflective collar has three ultrabright LEDs attached to it so dog walkers can see 30 feet ahead in the dark, keeping both pet and owner safe. $24.95, puplight.com — 4 Funhouse Mouse Cat Toy This cleverly designed tube contains a white felt, catnip-filled mouse that will provide your cat with hours of fun—and you with some lowcost laughs. Comes in six different characters. $12 for 3-pack, moodypet.com
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Gift 2012 Guide FOR THE NEW HOMEOWNER New homeowners—and there are plenty here in SoCal at the moment—typically need some help making their house a home. Help them along with any of these welcoming gifts.
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1 The Only Omelet and Waffle Maker Cook a perfectly golden Belgian waffle and an omelet simultaneously, creating the true breakfast of champions! $119.95, hammacher.com — 2 Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Skip the movie theater and cuddle up with any one of these 15 acclaimed films by the legendary director, on Blu-ray for the first time. You’ve never seen the Master of Suspense’s work quite like this. $299.98 — 3 Bitplay BANG Lamp Perfect for the wannabe-007, there’s no need to get up and turn off the lights—just point your remote-controlled pistol at the lamp and off the lights go! $299, dynamism.com — 4 BROllow When L.A. artist Toban Nichols unveiled his own line of pillows, he wanted to present a more masculine design aesthetic than what was already on the market. $98, tobannichols.com — 5 Luludi Living Frames Luludi creates custom-made frames with live plants that are simply beautiful in their simplicity. Prices vary, luludi.net — 6 SPARQ Home Griddle This double-sided soapstone griddle turns your cooktop into an indoor grill, or use it outdoors to allow for even heat distribution on your grill. $100, sparqusa.com — 7 The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection Treat anyone to an ear-tugging good time with 50 episodes hand-picked by Burnett herself, plus over 20 hours of incredible extras. $199.95, carolondvd.com — 8 Samsung Canister Vacuum Three new canister vacuums from Samsung are now available, with reduced noise levels and innovative design—anyone who has to clean would love one of these! $449, samsung.com — 9 Tyent Home Water Ionizer This kitchen upgrade increases the aesthetic and healthy value of one’s kitchen, providing pH-balanced, highly oxygenated water. $2,995, tyentUSA.com — 10 Tivo Stream New for this holiday season, this box lets you deliver content stored on any TiVo box to mobile screens like iPads and iPhones. Stream up to four shows at once to four devices. $129.99, tivo.com
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Left to right: Michael Milton, Aaron Umsted, Ryan Steer, Sean Watkins, Bobby Pestka, Kristopher Thompson-Bolden.
By Michelle McCarthy The Tony Award–winning musical Anything Goes celebrates the music of gay composer Cole Porter—and it’s coming to the Ahmanson Theatre. We spoke with Ryan Steer, the out dancer who stars as a hunky sailor aboard the S.S. American about what we can expect to see when the show pulls into our harbor.
What’s the basic plot of Anything Goes? It’s a hilarious farce—very slapstick and goofy with a lot of physical comedy. We follow the story of Billy Crocker, a stockbroker on Wall Street. He falls in love with Hope Harcourt, a debutante who’s set to wed an English gentleman. Billy doesn't have a ticket for the boat, so he meets a gangster on the ship, Moonface Martin. With his help and the help of Reno Sweeney, a nightclub evangelist singer played by Rachel York, Billy wins the hand of Hope Harcourt. It’s short, it’s light and there’s lots of great choreography. The whole show has a sort of throwback to old Hollywood, like the MGM classics. 42
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Tell us about your character. I play a sailor and a passenger, so I’m in the ensemble. The sailors are these ruggedly handsome men who have style. Then I get to change costumes and play a passenger. The passengers on the boat are rich. The women were debutantes, and the men were very wealthy. Traveling back then was not a casual thing like it has become today. People would make these epic journeys from the East Coast to London all the time, but it was always a big deal. It wasn’t something for the poor of pocket. [Laughs] As a gay man, how does it feel to be
part of such an iconic Cole Porter production? I have always been a huge Cole Porter fan, even before I was into musical theater. I remember sitting around my dad’s study—my dad plays the guitar— and we would play songs like “Night and Day,” “De-Lovely” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” I grew up listening to old jazz, so it's truly special to be able to live and breathe that music every night. Was it always a dream of yours to be an actor? My interest began in the visual arts. I did a lot of pottery, painting and drawing. I realized that I didn’t know where I was going with it, but I knew I would be involved in the arts somehow. It wasn’t until my later years of middle school that I began to explore acting. I did street theater all throughout high school. Then when I went to college, I became a dance major and it just snowballed from there. Whenever I go and talk to kids around the country, I always encourage them to try new things, because you never know. I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to try dancing, because it became such a pas-
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PHOTOS: JENNIFER BROSKI
Cole Porter’s Anything Goes Docks at the Ahmanson sion in my life. I can’t imagine if I had been too afraid to take that first class and afraid to make mistakes. It really broadens your horizons. When did you first perform in front of a live audience? My most notable memory was when I was 16 years old. I auditioned for My Fair Lady in high school. I got the part of Henry Higgins. My dad tells me to this day that he was scared shitless for me. Not that he didn’t think I could do it, he just had no idea. The thought of me memorizing all those words is baffling to him. He kept his reservations to himself and was just blown away by the performance. That was the moment I started to brainstorm that maybe there was something there. You travel a lot for your work. Do you get to go out and see the gay scene in the different cities you visit? Yeah, I always try to. Obviously, in the business of musical theater, you’re going to run into a lot of gay men and women. It’s great
to meet all the different guys and girls in the gay scene. We have fun and like to travel around to the different bars and see the local scene. Gay bars aside, I am a big fan of seeing local places, local restaurants, shops. I love to support local businesses no matter where I go. You travel on the road for so long and you think to yourself, “Oh my God, if I have to eat at Applebee’s one more time, I’m going to kill myself.” Do you like the traveling aspect of musical theater? Absolutely. When I was a kid, one of the things I said I wanted to do with my life from a very early age was travel. The fact that I’m able to do what I love and still able to see the country is a huge opportunity. I’ve been all over the world performing. I’m super fortunate to be in the position I’m in. Anything Goes plays the Ahmanson Theatre Nov. 27 - Jan. 6. Visit centertheatregroup.org for more details and to purchase tickets. DECEMBER 12, 2012
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State of By Alex Garner
HIV
There have been a number of significant changes in HIV since the beginning of the epidemic. One of the most significant changes occurred with the advent of treatment cocktails and protease inhibitors—the number of deaths from AIDS plummeted and HIV went from being a death sentence to a chronic and manageable illness.
Last year the HPTN 052 study demonstrated that if an HIV-positive individual is on antiretrovirals and has an undetectable viral load, their chances of transmitting the virus are reduced by 96 percent. That was the second game change in the epidemic, and ‘treatment as prevention’ was born. Treatment as prevention is the strategy of using antiretrovirals to prevent HIV. The primary goal of treatment is to improve the health of the HIV-positive person. The secondary impact of treatment is a form of prevention. The strategy is to identify HIV-positive people, get them into treatment and suppress their viral load. That, in turn, will suppress the
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community viral load, and fewer transmissions will occur. This strategy has given rise to numerous conversations about the rights of the individual versus what is best for the community. The human rights of an HIV-positive individual have to be respected if this strategy is to be successful. Treatment is still a decision left to the patient and his physician. Treatment as prevention is the strategy being adopted by almost every major HIV organization in the world. Antiretrovirals are improving and prolonging the lives of those infected, and are helping to reduce the community viral load. They are also being used prophylactically. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) are approved methods for preventing HIV in HIV-negative individuals. The treatment cascade has now become one of the best tools for examining the epidemic and gauging what needs to be done. Currently, approximately 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, but only 25 percent of them have a suppressed
viral load, and only 37 percent are actually retained in care. The accompanying graph shows the treatment cascade for L.A. County and the challenges we face. Our challenges are significant. Gay men represent over 80 percent of all those infected in L.A. County, and the majority of those infections are among gay men of color. Treatment as prevention is a key component of the Obama Administration’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy. That strategy is to reduce infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. If these things can be accomplished, we will have a chance to see an AIDS-free generation—not an eradication of HIV, but a generation free of deaths from AIDS. Success will be extremely challenging, and it will require more political will and resources tackling issues like homophobia, racism, sexism, poverty and stigma. It will also require a renewed engagement by the LGBT community. Our community started the fight at the beginning of this epidemic and will be instrumental in finishing it.
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Positively Anti-Stigma BY ALEX GARNER Anti-HIV stigma has a profound impact on the epidemic and the lives of gay men. It’s a destructive force that can prevent people from getting tested or seeking treatment, and it decreases quality of life. PositiveFrontiers.com teamed up with The Stigma Project to create an anti-stigma marketing campaign to be launched on World AIDS Day. The Stigma Project is a grassroots organization that aims to reduce stigma through education via social media. Through this collaboration we hope to reduce stigma, empower HIV-positive individuals and help bring an end to the epidemic. Stigma is encountered in all parts of our lives, and we wanted to call attention to that with these images. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, PrEP, is a newly approved option for preventing HIV. When taken as directed, in conjunction with safer sex practices, it’s over 90 percent effective, and no one should feel stigmatized for choosing this prevention strategy. The LGBT community constantly struggles with the stigma connected to our sex. That is made even more challenging with the presence of a deadly disease. Very early in the epidemic, HIV-positive people declared their right to a full and satisfying sexual and emotional life. A healthy sexuality is good for the individual and the community. Gay men are the most severely impacted by HIV in the U.S. We are the majority of new infections, total infections and deaths from AIDS. HIV has been an integral part of our cultural experience for the past 31 years. The lives of gay men have value, and HIV needs to be a top priority for our community. It’s our hope that these images can stimulate conversation and contribute to the discourse around HIV. We encourage you to be part of the conversation. If you’d like to share these images, please visit the Facebook pages of The Stigma Project and Positive Frontiers. Visit TheStigmaProject.org and PositiveFrontiers.com for more info.
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Answering the Call to Love God’s People
Here are additional LGBT-friendly places of worship in the Southern California region:
BY BRENDA BOS
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free to all of us and we, as God’s church, need to proclaim that message. Jesus promised “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door (of their heart and life) I will come in.” (Rev. 3:20, parenthetical added). It was time for the church to stop blocking the door! It was an interesting time. Closeted clergy had to decide whether or not they dared to come out. Gay and lesbian pastors who had been kicked out of the church had to decide if they could forgive those who had rejected them and be reinstated. People who had lost their jobs for being out had to decide whether or not they would forgive closeted friends who had avoided the public conflict. The church voted to affirm same-sex relationships, but also agreed if a congregation was not ready to take a stance, they would not be compelled to do so. While some people thought this was a compassionate step to keep conflicted Lutherans within the fold, others were furious at the seemingly weak stance. I am on the side of compassion. After the vote, LGBT people and their supporters finally felt welcome. In that same moment, good people who had loved this church their whole lives felt like outsiders. I could not bring myself to relish their alienation. Exclusion and judgment had been painful for me, why would I want it for them? And so, as a policy the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America affirms same-sex relationships, but not all congregations are welcoming in practice. In Southern California, most Evangelical Lutheran Churches will have some degree of welcome. If you wish to visit a welcoming Lutheran congregation that has an intentional ministry to the LGBT community, look for a Reconciling in Christ Lutheran congregation. In Southern California, they can be found at socallutherans.com. In the rest of the United States, they can be found at reconcilingworks.org. You and those you love will be welcomed in these churches. We know it is God who chooses us, God loves us, God made us. Come receive and celebrate that love.
Brenda Bos is the vicar, or pastoral intern, at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Santa Monica. Her internship has been funded by several pro-gay congregations and nonprofit organizations in the area.
Open Door Ministries The Seaport Marina Hotel, 6400 Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562)925-3533 open-door-ministries.org Christ Chapel of San Fernando Valley 11050 Hartsook St., NoHo, (818) 985-8977 christchapel.com St. Matthew’s Church 1920 Glenoaks Blevd., Glendale, (818) 842-3138 matthewchurch.com Hollywood United Methodist Church 6817 Franklin Ave., Hlywd, (323) 874-2104 hollywoodumc.org Glendale City Seventh-Day Adventist Church 610 E. California Ave., Glendale, (818) 244-7241 glendalecitysda.com Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim Dignity L.A. 6000 W. Pico Blvd., L.A., (323) 931-7023 bcc-la.org St. John’s Cathedral, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles 514 W. Adams Blvd., L.A., (213) 747-6285 stjohnsla.org PHOTO: KENNETH KAWANO
"If this doesn’t go well, I’m going to leave the church." It was 2009. Gay and lesbian members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (and our straight allies) had been collectively holding their breath to see what would happen at our national convention. I realized if my beloved church voted against me, I was going to have to leave. This was doubly painful because I was also in seminary. I wish I could tell you I had gone to seminary totally convinced I was called to be a pastor, but that was not the case. I went to seminary to prove a point: that I was not the sinner some conservative Christians in my life thought I was. I figured a good seminary education would prove that I loved God more than the rest of those undereducated Bible-thumpers who looked down on me because I am lesbian. This was not a good way to make a career decision. I had not thought this career path all the way through—my denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, was not ordaining openly gay and lesbian candidates when I started seminary. I had taken a bit of a gamble that they would change the policy before my graduation date. It was likely this would be a wasted education for a job I was poorly motivated for and probably could not get. But not to worry, I thought, I may be forced to quit this denomination anyway. A real-life tornado blew through Minneapolis while the delegates voted. Depending on which side a person was on, people declared this was God’s wrath over the proceedings, or celebrated the blowing through of the Holy Spirit. After the vote was counted, the assembly had voted to affirm God’s blessing on same-sex couples and to ordain lesbian and gay pastoral candidates who were in publicly accountable, life-long committed relationships. The good news was we were “in." The bad news was I now had to have a genuine “come to Jesus” moment. I had been hiding behind the church’s stance against me. Now they were saying I would be welcome to serve as a pastor. Would I step into the light and answer my call? Could I move past my revenge motive and see that really I wanted to share God’s love with all people? Yes, I did. I had been afraid to admit how much I wanted this job. I knew God loved me and all God’s other gorgeous LGBT children, but I had not known how to say that within a church context. Now the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America was saying the same thing—God loves all of us, God’s gift of grace is
Congregation Kol Ami 1200 N. La Brea Ave., WeHo, (323) 606-0996 kol-ami.org
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EVENTS THU., NOV. 29 DIVINE DESIGN Project Angel Food’s Divine Design is the largest charity shopping event on the West Coast, connecting shoppers with leading designer merchandise in home and fashion at heavily discounted prices. This year, there are five days of events planned, including a rock ‘n’ roll party, VIP cocktail reception and three general shopping days. divinedesign.org
SAT., DEC. 1 DIVAS SIMPLY SINGING Divas Simply Singing is a magical evening of song and entertainment, featuring numbers by a host of the most talented women in the entertainment industry united to fight HIV/AIDS. The event is put on by The Diva Foundation, started by Sheryl Lee Ralph, and this is its 22nd year! 7:30 p.m. $50-80. Club Nokia, 800 W.
Olympic Blvd., Downtown L.A. thedivafoundation.org
SAT., DEC. 1 FOOD DRIVE On World AIDS Day, AIDS Project Los Angeles initiates a massive countywide food drive to secure donations of nonperishable food and personal hygiene items for those who rely on the organization. Drop off locations can be found throughout L.A. County. Find more info and a list of needed items at tinyurl.com/b2a7pxm.
TREVOR
SAT., DEC. 1 AIDS AT 31 ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, in partnership with the city of West Hollywood, presents AIDS at 31: Looking Back/Looking Ahead. The day of programming will include worldrenowned speakers such as Dr. Michael Gottlieb, performers, screenings, a memorial slide-
WORLD AIDS DAY
show and a compelling exhibition. 1-10 p.m. WeHo Library Auditorium and Courtyard, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., WeHo. onearchives.org
SUN., DEC. 2 TREVOR LIVE The Trevor Project will honor international superstar Katy Perry with the Trevor Hero Award at Trevor Live, the highprofile annual event benefiting the organization’s life-affirming work of crisis intervention and suicide prevention. Don’t miss this irreverent evening of comedy and music. 5 p.m. prereception, 7 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. show. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 W. Sunset Blvd., Hlywd. thetrevorproject.org
FRI., DEC. 7 RETRO SLIDE SHOW With abundant joy, clever wit and a keen eye for oddball detail, Charles Phoenix supercharges the classic living room slideshow into a laugh-out-loud roast and toast of kitschy mid-century life. He returns with his Holiday Retro Slide Show, celebrating how we decorated, dressed up, dined and drank for the holidays in the '50s and '60s. Dec. 7-8. 8 pm. $25. Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance. torrancearts.org
SAT., DEC. 8
LIVE
HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the annual Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade is an event rich in history and tradition. Since its first sailing in 1963, the parade has attracted thousands to view the festively decorated boats competing for awards. This year’s parade, “Celebrating 50 Years: A Solid Gold Christmas,” will kick off with a short fireworks show to signal the start of the event. 6-8 p.m. Free. mdrboatparade.org
SAT., DEC. 8 TOY BOX PARTY The Toy Box Party is an all-volunteer, nonprofit party that began in NYC and now occurs in West Hollywood every December. This year the 100,000th toy will be collected! Once again, friends will come together for cheer and celebration with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at an (all-new) wonderful winter wonderland! 47:30 p.m. Bring an unwrapped toy for admission. tinyurl.com/ anvl8xg
SUN., DEC. 9 THREADS OF CHANGE To keep the Gay & Lesbian Center’s clothing closet for homeless LGBT youth stocked,
the Young Professionals Council hosts the sixth annual Threads of Change clothing drive party. Guests who donate a bag of gently used clothes will receive a complimentary mimosa. Free. Eleven Nightclub, 8811 Santa Monica Blvd., WeHo. lagay center.org/threads
SUN., DEC. 9 AHHHHHH! Downtown L.A.’s newest drivein movie theatre, operating on the rooftop of a parking garage at 4th and Broadway, screens a now-classic holiday flick, Home Alone. A significant portion of proceeds will benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. 7:30 p.m. $10 online, $13 at door. Electric Dust Drive-in, 240 W. 4th St., Downtown L.A. electricduskdrivein.com
WED., DEC. 12 SAN DIEGO’S ANGRY INCH FilmOut’s monthly screening for December is none other than rock ‘n’ roll masterpiece Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Hosted by Glitz-Glam, the night will also feature musical guests, a silent auction, prizes and more. 7 p.m. Birch North Park Theatre, 2891 University Ave., San Diego. filmoutsandiego.com
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PHOTOS BY BRENDEN-JOHN PHOTOGRAPHY
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THEATER ANYTHING GOES When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love— proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. Through Jan. 6. Tickets $30-120. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. centertheatregroup.org
ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, KAREN CARPENTER The musical mash-up parody returns for a limited engagement. Loosely based on Judy Blume’s popular coming-of-age novel published in 1970, this show lovingly recalls the sights, sentiments and sounds of The Carpenters, including music from their cherished holiday album. Through Dec. 16. Tickets $20. Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd. plays411.com/karencarpenter
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: TWIST YOUR DICKENS! Get a heaping helping of the classic Charles Dickens tale of hope and redemption with a hearty twist! In addition to Scrooge and Tiny Tim, the famous Victorian streets will spring to life with scheming politicians, sunbathing Santas, shoplifting celebrities and hilarious improv performed by Second City alums and special guests. Through Dec. 30. Tickets $20-60. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. centertheatregroup.org
CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS A “Jewish Christmas show” for people of all ages and faiths, here we meet Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who, much to her immigrant parents’ exasperation, is cast as Jesus in the school’s Christmas pageant. Mr. and Mrs. Abramowitz, with the help of a much-older Shirley, capture a timeless and universal tale of what it means to be an American during the holidays. Through Dec. 30. Tickets $47-
72. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. geffen playhouse.com
DONNY & MARIE—A CHRISTMAS IN LOS ANGELES In the holiday tradition of the Osmond Family Christmas television specials, the legendary Donny and Marie invite all of SoCal to celebrate the joy of the season in true Osmond fashion. With a dash of Christmas spirit and the entertainers’ trademark show-stopping production numbers, Donny and Marie bring us Christmas songs and holiday cheer, plus hits from their illustrious careers. Dec. 4-23. Tickets start at $25. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd. broadwayla.org
JUSTIN LOVE Justin Rush is Hollywood’s biggest movie star, and he has it all—a beautiful, devoted wife, more money than he knows what to do with and a huge summer action blockbuster set to open— but he’s finding it harder to keep his closet locked in our
ARE YOU THERE, GOD?
DONNY & MARIE TMZ, Twitter-addicted, celebrityobsessed culture. Through Dec. 16. Tickets $35. Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd. celebrationtheatre.com
Feb. 24. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City. annenbergspace forphotography.org
THE SANTALAND DIARIES
STEVEN ARNOLD: CABINET OF CURIOUSITIES
The outrageously funny solo play by humorist David Sedaris follows his experiences as an unemployed writer who takes a job as a Macy’s Christmas elf in New York City. At first, the job is simply humiliating—but once thousands of visitors start pouring through Santa's workshop, he becomes battle-weary and bitter, occasionally taking out his frustrations on parents and children alike. Through Dec. 16. Tickets $30. Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd. theblank.com
EXHIBITS & ART GALLERIES NO STRANGERS No Strangers: Ancient Wisdom in a Modern World is a group show about the wonder of culture and the plight of indigenous people throughout the world. The exhibit is guestcurated by esteemed anthropologist, author and photographer Wade Davis and explores the ways cultures express a shared humanity and navigate the circle of life. Through
A retrospective exhibition of this groundbreaking yet under-recognized queer artist celebrates Arnold’s radical imagination, presenting many of his tableaux vivant photographs alongside never-before-exhibited drawings, sketchbooks, paintings and original poster art. In conjunction, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives will screen Arnold’s four films, including Luminous Procuress (1970). Through Jan. 13. Suggested donation $5. ONE Archives Gallery & Museum, 626 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. onearchives.org/stevenarnold
THINK AGAIN Think Again is an activist/artist collective that expects something political from art, including hotbutton social issues such as homophobia, the "war on women," AIDS activism and immigrant rights. This exhibit highlights public artworks from two decades of work by David John Attah and S.A. Bachman. Through Dec. 15. Free. The Advocate & Gochis Gallries, 1125 McCadden Pl., Hlywd. lagaycenter.org/art
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THU., NOV. 29 THEY’VE GONE WILD
The Abbey gets more wild than ever at its weekly Thursday party Guys Gone Wild, sponsored by the same group that created the raunchy vids of the same name. Indulge in the Abbey dancers, DVD giveaways and great cocktail specials. Get the gay weekend started off right! The Abbey, 692 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. abbeyfoodandbar.com
FRI., NOV. 30 GET DIRTY Dirty Pop, taking place every Friday at Micky’s, is a party made for dancing. Drew G spins tracks to keep you on your feet all night long—and well into the wee hours of the morning. (The bar stays open til 4.) The party’s free ‘til midnight, and you’ll find drink specials all night long. Micky’s, 8857 Santa Monica Blvd., WeHo. mickys.com
FRI., NOV. 30 BELIEVE THE HYPE
Put the hype back in your weekend at Hype Fridays, the only WeHo party that has featured amazing guest performances by the likes of Robyn, Kelly Row-
land, Brandy and Nicki Minaj. The party also features L.A.’s hottest go-gos and a crowd hell-bent on starting the weekend right. Ultra Suede, 661 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. hypefridays.com
SAT., DEC. 1 ROYAL FLUSH
The team behind Stripper Circus brings you Hooker Casino, transforming Here Lounge into the dirtiest casino in the world. Win $100 or be a judge for the ‘Best Ass’ contest at midnight— or just drink, dance and find someone to rub up against. 696 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. herelounge.com
SUN., DEC. 2 SUNDAY BUST Get your draft drink on at Lumberjacked, an all-night beer bust at the East Side’s Eagle L.A. DJ Steve Cunningham provides the musical entertainment, along with a horde of mighty go-go jocks. The party has no cover and cheap drink specials. 7 p.m. 4219 Santa Monica Blvd., Silver Lake. eaglela.com
SUN., DEC. 2 ALL-DAY AFFAIR Spend your Sunday at WeHo’s
GUYS GONE
popular video bar, Revolver. Indulge in the afternoon beer bust with buckets of Corona, $5 margaritas and a patio barbecue, then stick around for Sophomore Sundays, a night of debauchery and “a second chance at bromance.” Revolver, 8851 Santa Monica Blvd., WeHo. revolverweho.com
MON., DEC. 3 MONDAYS ARE A DRAG You know you’re gonna watch it anyway, so catch RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race at the Eagle, where Pit Crew member Shawn Morales hosts a screening each week. There’s no cover, and you can enjoy happy hour prices from 8 p.m.-midnight. Stars of the show are even known to pop by! 4219 Santa Monica Blvd., Silver Lake. eaglela.com
TUE., DEC. 4 TICKLE ME HOMO
Check out one of WeHo’s wackiest parties, Billy Francesca’s Lip Tickler. Put your mouth where your money is every Tuesday night, with dancing, zany performances, a little bit of this and a whole lot of that. Micky’s, 8857 Santa Monica Blvd., WeHo. mickys.com
WILD
HYPE FRIDAYS WED., DEC. 5 IN THE CENTER OF THE RING
You’ve never been to a party quite like Stripper Circus, with carnival games and chances to win cash and prizes all night long. Now it has more strippers than ever, plus weekly live performances! 8 p.m. $5 includes early open bar. Here Lounge, 696 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. herelounge.com
FRI., DEC. 7 JUST DANCE Celebrate LGBT History with The Lavender Effect, all while enjoying a night of CountryWestern dancing. Plus, get a sneak preview of The Lavender Effect's Timeline Dance Project, featuring choreography by Adam Parson and Joelle Martinec. The organization seeks to create a state-of-the-art LGBT Museum in L.A. 8 p.m. $3. Oil Can Harry’s, 11502 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. thelavendereffect.org
FRI., DEC. 7 LIGHT MY FIRE It’s one of the East Side’s most popular parties—Cub Scout draws bears, cubs and otters to The Eagle with the lure of great music and cheap drinks (the cheapest drinks in town, actually, with $2 draft beers all night long). SF drag diva Lady Bear plays
PHOTO: ROLLING BLACKOUTS
hostess. Eagle L.A., 4219 Santa Monica Blvd., Silver Lake. eaglela.com
SAT., DEC. 8 RUSSIAN LOVE MACHINE
Rasputin is the Saturday night party everyone’s been talking about. There’s no cover (although you can pay $5 to bypass the line) and no rules here. A team of Russian Dolls makes up the host committee. Robertson, 665 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. face book.com/RasputinLA
SAT., DEC. 8 AHOY, MATEYS
Brutus sails into The Faultline every second Saturday of the month, and it’s all hotties on deck. Have a beer and join in on the search for hidden treasure. DJ Chris Bowen provides the soundtrack, Mark Cuadrado mixes live video montages for the crowd and Mario Diaz hosts. Faultline, 4216 Melrose Ave., Silver Lake. faultlinebar.com
SUN., DEC. 9 SIZE HIM UP
Everyone loves a good, long nine, right? Size 9 celebrates nine years of great Sunday afternoons all summer long. Expect to find a gorgeous group of guys imbibing before starting up the work week. Here Lounge, 696 N. Robertson Blvd., WeHo. tomwhitmanpresents.com
For more Nightlife listings by day of the week, go to FrontiersLA.com/Nightlife. DECEMBER 12, 2012
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THE WEST HOLLYWOOD AUTO SHOW On Nov. 10 and 11, Frontiers hosted the first-ever West Hollywood Auto Show on the Sunset Strip. The show, geared toward the LGBT community and its allies, was the first of its kind in the city, and the first large-scale weekend event for the magazine. The auto show attracted a diverse group of L.A. and West Hollywood residents, and individuals from all over Southern California came out to meet car dealers who support the LGBT community. The latest models from dealers throughout the city were showcased, including Fisker, Subaru, Lexus, Toyota, Scion, Honda, Cadillac, Volkswagen, Kia, GMC, Fiat, Jaguar and Land Rover. Sponsors included LAcarGUY, Casa Automotive, Honda of Hollywood, Toyota of Pasadena, Santa Monica Fiat, Longo Lexus/Toyota/Scion, Hornburg L.A., Vespa Sherman Oaks, the Tinting Factory, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and O.N.E. Coconut Water.
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HOLIDAY SEASON PARTY-PLANNING:
LET A RESTAURANT DO THE COOKING BY NICK RUFCA
The holiday season has begun, and if you’re like me, you’re already wondering how to get everything done. Most likely on your to-do list: navigating the busy malls to find gifts, getting those cards in the mail sometime before the new year, and of course, throwing the most fabulous holiday party on the block. With regard to the party planning, I can offer some time-saving assistance. The following restaurants are not only known for their delicious food, but they also offer amazing catering menus that will satisfy your party guests, no matter the size of the bash.
Fabiolus Cucina
Bossa Nova
A robust Italian spread adds a homey touch to any party. Fabioulus Cucina, the popular eatery in the heart of Hollywood, has the perfect catering menu for such a meal. Their insanely good vodka sauce is my top choice when served over their penne pasta. For a crowdpleasing entrée, opt for the rosmarino chicken—grilled chicken in a delicious, creamy rosemary sauce. Be sure to get the Caesar salad, plenty of their complimentary bread and pesto dipping sauce and— voila!—you have provided your guests with a memorable feast that complements the season nicely. 6270 Sunset Blvd., Hlywd. (323) 467-2882; fabiolus.info
For a little cultural flair, it doesn’t get much better than a Brazilianstyle spread from Bossa Nova. None of your guests will have reason to go hungry with grilled vegetable skewers, picanha-style steak and Bossa Nova’s popular skinless, boneless grilled chicken as options. The well-known side dishes come with the catering order, so you’ll have plenty of black beans, rice and those sweet, delicious fried plantains to go around. Be sure to have some of the tantalizing coconut flan on hand to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. Multiple locations. bossanovafood.com
Taste Thinking gourmet American cuisine but with a modern touch? Look no further than the tantalizing catering menu provided by Taste, the cozy eatery with locations in West Hollywood and Pacific Palisades. The small bites available include truffled mac-and-cheese bites, prosciutto-wrapped dates and port wine beef sliders. For entrées, there’s a plethora of choices, including pomegranate-glazed salmon and lavender spice-rubbed roast pork tenderloin as two of the standouts. If you think you’ll have a hard time choosing what to order, imagine the happy dilemma your partygoers will soon be facing. 8454 Melrose Ave., WeHo, (323) 852-6888; 538 Palisades Dr., Pacific Palisades, (310)459-9808; ilovetaste.com
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Simplethings Sandwich and Pie Shop This adorable sandwich café on 3rd, well known for its scrumptious mini-pies, has a delightful catering menu as well. If your party happens to be a daytime affair, the party platters offered here are perfect for afternoon grazing. Fried chicken on a biscuit, prime rib and blue cheese crostini and adorable mini-peanut butter and seasonal berry jam sammies will give your party a fun “comfort-food” vibe. Of course, don’t forget those fantastic desserts that Simplethings is famous for. Salted caramel, pumpkin streusel and chocolate peanut butter are the essential mini-pie flavors to try. 8310 W. 3rd Street, L.A.,(323) 592-3390; simplethingsrestaurant.com
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ENTERTAINMENT
FILM
REVIEWS HELENO
Starring Rodrigo Santoro, Alinne Moraes, Angie Cepeda Opens Dec. 7
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Heleno de Freitas (Santoro, who was memorably flamboyant in 300) was a celebrated Brazilian soccer player who was both hot and hot under the collar. Santoro is all sex appeal on the soccer pitch in the rain, or in various Rio de Janeiro bedrooms. But he also displays violent outbursts, as when he misses a penalty shot, or reacts badly to a kid who simply wants an autograph. This luminously shot (in black and white) biopic opens with Heleno in his final days, in a nearly catatonic state. As the film flashes back and forth in time, it also toggles between his relationships with his girlfriend Sylvia (Moraes) and Diamantina (Cepeda), a sultry nightclub singer. If the emotional arcs of these romances are only mildly impassioned, Heleno focuses on showcasing its title character’s ego and arrogance. He speaks in the opening moments of wanting to be remembered and understood, and the film celebrates him warts and all—illustrating his selfishness in the locker room, where he displays contempt for his teammates—along with his self-destructive tendencies, such as refusing treatment for syphilis. Santoro gives a full-bodied performance, making this rogue hero as hardheaded as he was hard-bodied. —Gary M. Kramer
CALIFORNIA SOLO
Starring Robert Carlyle, Alexia Rasmussen, Kathleen Wilhoite Opens Dec. 7
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DEADFALL
Starring Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Charlie Hunnam Opens Dec. 14
###
Given that it takes place during a white out, Deadfall is more film blanc than film noir. This grisly, intense thriller opens with a bang—well, more like a crash, then a bang. Siblings Addison (Bana) and Liza (Wilde) are on the lam with stolen cash when they have an accident, which is followed by a shooting. Cut to Jay (Hunnam), a badass boxer who gets out of prison and quickly into trouble that could land him back in jail. As Addison heads off to find sanctuary on his own, Liza meets Jay, who gives her a ride. Meanwhile, Hanna (Kate Mara), the area’s lone female cop, gets embroiled in the manhunt. Deadfall features plenty of nasty, violent moments, as characters are shot, stabbed and otherwise dismembered, which makes it gasp-inducing. But the relationship that develops between Jay and Liza fails to convince, and there is little tension wondering, “Is she playing him?” The film goes further slack when all the characters meet up at Jay’s family home for Thanksgiving. Any irony or insight—about the complex familial relationships between Jay and his disappointed dad (Kris Kristofferson) and/or Hanna and her chauvinist cop father (Treat Williams)—seem perfunctory. All the characters get what they deserve, and viewers deserve something slightly better.
—Gary M. Kramer
—Gary M. Kramer
FRONTIERSLA.COM
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner Now Playing
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California Solo is a laid-back character study about a flamed-out musician that takes the form of a redemption song. As Lachlan MacAldonich, a former Britpop performer with a current drinking problem, Robert Carlyle’s hangdog face is world-weary. Pulled over by a cop for an aggravated DUI, Lachlan unexpectedly faces deportation because of prior legal trouble. He tries to raise money from his former manager (Michael des Barres) to pay his mounting legal bills, and he even enlists the aid of his ex-wife (Wilhoite) to help him stay in the country. But the only support he gets is emotional, and it comes from Beau (Rasmussen), a customer at the organic farm stand he runs. However, the relationship between Lachlan and Beau is neither interesting nor convincing. California Solo is best when the self-destructive Lachlan gives a confessional podcast about his late bandmate brother, or when he goes on the expected bender. Carlyle is the sole reason to see this film; he is soulful when he sings to Beau one night, and has a touching exchange with his estranged daughter late in the film. These moments compensate for all the bad decisions Lachlan—and writer/director Marshall Levy—make that should be heartbreaking, but are really frustrating.
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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, PART 2
To say that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2—the final installment in the vampire series—is the best of all the Twilight films isn’t really saying much. The bar was never set all that high to begin with. In order of release, from Twilight to New Moon to Eclipse to Breaking Dawn, Part 1 to the new one, the oneword reviews could read as follows: ‘meh,’ ‘horrible,’ ‘not bad,’ ‘campy’ and ‘good.’ What’s that—Breaking Dawn, Part 2 is good, you say? All things considered, yes, it is. Let’s be grateful that Bella was finally turned vampire, because it gives Kristen Stewart something to play other than sullen teen. She’s fierce here. Let’s also be grateful that the warring vampire counsel— the Volturi—is headed by Michael Sheen as Aro. He’s the right mix of camp and frightful and brings needed tension to every scene he’s in. Let’s give thanks to Bill Condon’s direction in the climactic fight between the Volturi and the ragtag clan pulled together by the Cullen family—a showdown on a snowy field that’s impressive. And let’s be grateful that this series—perhaps the most boring in cinematic history—is finally over. —Dan Loughry
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MUSIC
REVIEWS
Robbie Williams Take The Crown (Island Records)
Take The Crown, Robbie Williams’ ninth solo album, follows his brief reunion with Take That with an LP full of big, brash hooks, glossy production and soaring choruses. The lyrics? They’re basically about how in order for Robbie Williams to make a comeback, he’s going to have to record an LP full of big brash hooks, glossy production and soaring choruses. Yes, it’s that superficial. After a pair of ‘experimental’ albums that nearly derailed his career, Robbie’s all about giving us what we want. Opener “Be a Boy” has all the hallmarks of a hit. It’s Passion Pitlite. The lead single, “Candy,” has a fun energy that Williams himself admits “sounds like the Haribo jingle” but that doesn’t deny it’s got a chorus with legs. In fact, “Candy” just hit number one on the UK singles chart, a feat Williams hasn’t pulled off in nearly a decade. “Shit on the Radio” is as self-referential as half his catalog, but considering the title, the track doesn’t have much bite. The album closes with the folksie “Losers,” proving that Williams doesn’t need all the bells and whistles to create a compelling song. This is a passable effort, but one that unfortunately fails to capture the glory of Williams’ early days. —Dominik Rothbard
Fake Blood Cells (PIAS America)
Madness Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da (Lucky 7 Records)
Mogwai A Wrenched Viral Lore (Sub Pop)
Porcupine Tree Octane Twisted (KSCOPE)
Vitalic Rave Age (PIAS America)
Fake Blood is maverick UK DJ Theo Keating, most famous as one half of The Wiseguys and for his “I Think I Like It” club smash in 2010. But he’s also remixed the likes of The Gossip, Little Boots and Miike Snow. The coolest thing about Keating is that he likes the darker, more menacing corners of the dance floor. You could even call his output slightly macabre, and some of those sci-fi or sinister tones can be found inside “Phantom Power,” the suspenseful “London” and the nearapocalyptic and frenetic “End of Days.” Actual vocals or singers are rare, but you must hear “All in the Blink”—it features the voice of his other duo project, The Black Ghosts (which is Simon Lord, most famously heard in Simian, and the vocal star of Justice’s “We Are Your Friends”) . This is his clear standout track, not only for its engaging melody but Lord’s white-boy soul adding some blinding sunshine to the dank alchemy. Lord is also featured on the chanted “Soft Machine,” and both these tracks rival the best of The Black Ghosts’ output. But for the majority of his debut full-length, his mindbending acid riffs, eccentric rave hooks and cascading drums keep the beats banging and the energy quite manic.
UK’s legendary Madness have returned with their 10th studio album. The album opens with “My Girl 2,” supposedly a sequel to the classic “My Girl” from Madness’ 1979 debut LP, One Step Beyond. Musically, the song has a lot in common with the band’s humble ska beginnings. This is followed with “Never Knew Your Name,” a beautiful midtempo dance number about lost romance. “How Can I Tell You” echoes the horns, pomp and circumstance of their later ‘80s output. “Kitchen Floor” is a tired reggae retread, something they’ve done so many times before and so much better. It seems odd to try and compete with the past, but that’s just what this album does. Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da pulls from just about every era of Madness. The result of so many disparate styles on one record is unfortunately muddled. Oui Oui fails to come close to the dizzy heights of the band’s 2009 masterpiece The Liberty of Norton Folgate. The album closes with the wretched “Death of a Rudeboy,” an obvious slice of two-tone monotony that would even be unwelcome as a B-side. It’s not a terrible album, it’s just so clear that Madness can and have done better.
The genre known as post-rock— I don’t get it. Tortoise, Explosions in the Sky, The Album Leaf. Pretty, loud, dynamic, largely instrumental, boring. And though I’ve never given them much mind in the past, the Scottish band Mogwai has always seemed the least egregious of them all (though they do have a death fixation in their album titles). And though I doubt I’m going to go back and enjoy Come On Die Young! or Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, their latest project, A Wrenched Virile Lore—consisting of 10 tracks remixed and/or reimagined by a variety of knobtwiddlers—is a couple shades of alright. Because these are dense tunes surgically enhanced by various types of electro artists, there’s an emphasis on enjoyment here—there are beats and soundscapes—and, what the hell, even melodies— floating around. “How to be a Werewolf” sounds like Brian Eno’s Another Green World set to fluttering, tinny drumbeats and Krautrock synths. “White Noise” could be an Active Child B-side. Sometimes the remixer follows the band right up its own ass, as Tim Hecker does on “Rano Rano,” but most of the time the tunes are pleasantly distracting enough.
—Dominik Rothbard
—Dan Loughry
Having been around for 25 years, you’d expect a live album by the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree to be wellplayed. Tight, even. And Octane Twisted, a double-disc live document of their ’09 tour, is technically stunning. Main man Steven Wilson is a generous bandleader; all the musicians shine throughout the two-hour running time (especially drummer Gavin Harrison). The songs are epic—as you’d expect—but also quite gentle and, for prog rock, subtle. (The saving grace of Porcupine Tree has always been that they don’t go in for loopy conceptual flights of fancy; no tales from topographic oceans or passion plays for them) . Wilson’s voice is very thin; perhaps that is why their music tends toward the gentler side. He’s not a screamer vocally, but he’s a hell of a shredder on lead guitar. And the live setting brings out beautiful shades in well-known songs like the waltzing “Time Flies” and the show-closing “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here.” Yet, for all its plusses, it’s an unnecessary document. It lacks the grit and fire of the best live records out there— The Who’s Live at Leeds; Bowie’s Stage; hell, even Kiss Alive. So listen to the band’s studio albums, and then buy a ticket to the real show.
French producer Vitalic (born Pascal Arbez) caught my ear in a huge way in 2001 with an astounding single called “Poney Part 1” (and if you love dogs, you’ve most likely seen its captivating music video) . It put him high up on the glowstick pedestal with electro comrades Daft Punk and Aphex Twin. Lead single “Stamina” is a hyperactive blast of discombobulated, firecracker synth lines and warped vocal effects (courtesy of Shitdisco’s Joe Reeves) and just a hint of electroclash inspiration (which you’ll also find on the fiercely popping “La Mort sur le Dance Floor”). On the more pop end of the spectrum, “Under Your Sun” almost has a Sia-meets-nudisco feel to it and a breathy female vocal. When he handles the vocals himself, the results are mixed, but he scores well on the perky, Alphavilleinspired “Fade Away.” The most compelling moments are the instrumentals, where Arbez' creativity really shines. "Nexus" could easily anchor a Dario Argento film; "The Legend of Kaspar Hauser" and “Vigipirate” are both horror-minded nods to the music of John Carpenter or Mike Oldfield; and “Lucky Star” (not a Madonna cover) is more of those fierce electroclash sounds. Can you tell I miss those? ‘Cuz I do!
—Dan Loughry
—Paul V.
—Paul V.
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THEATER REVIEWS AVENUE Q THE MET THEATRE | 1089 N. Oxford Ave., L.A. Through Dec. 16 | Tickets $20-34.99 | domatheatre.com Before Avenue Q took home 2004 Tonys for best book (Jeff Whitty), score (Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx) and musical, it enjoyed a successful run off-Broadway. When the Broadway production closed in 2009, the show reopened to an offBroadway house. DOMA Theatre Co.’s splendid current revival, in the 99-seat Met Theatre, demonstrates that this subversively funny show—combining humans and Muppet-like puppet characters—is most at home in an intimate space. Or maybe it’s just that puppet sex packs more of a punch when you’re not watching from the balcony. Yes, puppet sex, racism, homophobia and internet porn are just some of the topics touched on with clever, comic lyrics as the show tracks Princeton
(Christopher Kauffmann), a recent puppet college grad, who lands an apartment on the titular street in the fictionally far reaches of New York’s Alphabet City and searches for his purpose in life. Princeton’s neighbors include fellow puppet Kate Monster (Danielle Judovits), stand-up comic wannabe Brian (Chris Kerrigan) and his Japanese therapist fiancée, Christmas Eve (Janelle Dote), as well as the puppet odd couple, sloppy Nicky (Mark Whitten) and his uptight banker roommate Rod (Kauffmann) . The early number “It Sucks to Be Me” hilariously establishes these twentysomethings’ discontent. The puppets fall in and out of bed with each other (with an explicitness that would make Cookie Monster blush),
PHOTO: MICHAEL LAMONT
the humans get married, Rod gets dragged out of the closet and somehow they all end up realizing we can only live “For Now.” Some of Avenue Q would be cringeworthy in the wrong hands, but Richard Israel, one of our most reliable and capable directors, has steered his dynamite cast to be both passionate and precise, accessing the emotion of the show while also nailing the humor. Kauffmann is a marvel in his puppet double-duty, clearly delineating Princeton and Rod and seeming to have a blast in the process. Judovits is similarly impressive as Kate and her slutty rival, Lucy. Whitten is tirelessly funny as the laid-back Nicky and the voice of creepy Trekkie Monster. While Dote misses some of Christmas
Eve’s comic potential, she raises the roof with “The More You Ruv Someone.” Staci Walters’ set design perfectly captures the shabby Sesame Street look while imaginatively filling the Met space and incorporating the show’s projections. Musical director Chris Raymond deftly leads his skilled onstage band, and David Crawford’s sound design amplifies the evening without losing a word. If you’ve never traveled to Avenue Q before, Israel’s high-octane production is a terrific introduction. And if you caught the show at the Ahmanson five years ago, some of the novelty will be lost, but encountering the characters and events up close makes for a richer theatrical experience. —Christopher Cappiello
THEATRE IN THE DARK ODYSSEY THEATRE | 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd, West L.A. Through Dec. 16 | Tickets are $25-30 | odysseytheatre.com
Taking the notion of old-time radio shows and giving it a modern twist, Odyssey Theatre’s Theatre in the Dark (and upcoming More Dark) is theater… in the dark. For real. Like, pitch black darkness. The world premiere of a concept that has drawn raves in London, Theatre in the Dark is comprised of a series of 12-15 short pieces that are written by a number of different playwrights, including original pieces and previously published work. Because of this, the inventive evening is a cornucopia of styles and themes; some are scary, others are humorous, while even more mix the two. When the night begins, we are told that the people behind the scenes are watching the audience on infrared monitors (so no funny business!) and if there is an emergency, you should wave your program and someone will come get you. Other than that, you are told to sit back and immerse yourself entirely in the sounds and stories you will hear— 66
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but not see. Most of the time. Here and there the lights come up a bit for a surprise or two, but for the most part, you really can’t see a dang thing. It takes a bit to get used to the utter darkness. For me, being claustrophobic, I was a little taken aback at knowing I had no control over what I could or couldn’t see. But once the stories began, it was easy to let yourself go. The sound design is especially clever, and in the spookier passages, it’s pretty creepy. Some of the stories were more straightforward, while others were headscratchers. I would say about two-thirds of the stories were successful, with one-third feeling like they either didn’t go anywhere, or their point was lost in translation. One play about a man moving a plethora of objects into a new apartment ended abruptly and seemingly without much of a point. The ones that worked especially well were one bit about a dinner party with a surprise ending, a monologue about going to
PHOTO: JOSEPH DESOTO
Whole Foods where the audience got some tasty treats and a meditation about an ant colony. Less successful were a story about a man on a train that had a confusing ending, and one about a guy being forced to say the same word over and over. With a second evening called More Dark on the horizon, this could evolve into an exclusive original theater experience where every story leaves a chill or a laugh on your lips. Sticking with the frightening, humorous or more direct might be the best way to go when audiences aren’t
used to being immersed in darkness. There is a temptation to fall asleep, and without anything to focus on, sometimes the mind drifts if the narrative isn’t as compelling. That might just be a sign of the times in a world where we need constant visual stimulation. Despite that, this new concept feels charmingly oldfashioned and certainly is a fresh way to spend an evening. Credits for the night are varied and include six directors, 12 actors and 13 writers—some alive and some not so much. —Kevin P. Taft
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ONCE MORE FOR OLD TIMES’ SAKE! I do love this quote from the writer Lewis Mumford: “Traditionalists are pessimists about the future and optimists about the past.” That’s a fairly cynical view of the cyclical rituals and sameness that most of us endure and sometimes embrace. This time of year, tradition comes at us in so many ways, like fruitcakes and family get-togethers. Recipes or genes thankfully temper those particular examples. But there are still others that we as a community have that are wonderful and warm. Some old, some new, yet all worth noting. On the new front is the Rose Parade! This year, at the 123rd annual spectacle, Michael Weinstein’s AIDS Healthcare Foundation entered the firstever float in the parade addressing HIV and AIDS. As a kid from South Pasadena who has forcibly ridden in seven Rose Parades, I know firsthand of the white bread, oldschool imagery and grandeur the Tournament of Roses folks live to relish in as a kind of faux aristocratic yet snug framework of life, immersed in riches and leisure. But happily, once you get to know the bunch that carry on the pageantry in their crisp white jackets, you realize they are just like you and me, clinging to the best part of a tradition while evolving with the world, albeit in their case at a slower pace. It took a float honoring a beloved legend in the form of Elizabeth Taylor for the rabble wrapped in roses to accept an entry dealing with one of the most devastating plagues of the twentieth century. The AHF float was called “Our Champion” and was a tribute to Elizabeth’s amazing devotion to people living and dying with HIV and AIDS during her lifetime. It went on to win the Tournament’s Queen Award. As many customs begin, once you’re in, you’re in. So now, on Jan. 1, 2013, AHF will once again be represented in the Pasadena Rose Parade with a float focused on the global face of AIDS. This is happily now a tradition for the history books. On Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, AIDS Watch is back for its 16th year. My friend 68
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David Reid created this simple blessing that basks in honor and reverence. For 24 hours, names of those the world has lost appear in stark white letters on a stark black screen for just the time it takes to take a breath. The effect is mesmerizing. In the next few days, take just a moment and go to aidswatch.org to add a name or discover how you can be involved and view this silent and important recitation. AIDS Watch is a tradition I both loathe and love. I hate its importance, and so respect the invocation of it all. In a holiday season of caboodles of tradition, one I am so thrilled to be a part of is the Toy Box Party. Dec. 8 marks the 17th year of our community coming together to celebrate, reflect and toss back some good cheer. It all began with 50 of us in the vestibule of a church collecting toys for the holidays for families and friends affected by HIV & AIDS. Now, thousands of us create the joy that comes with giving. This year, during Disability Awareness Month, the city of West Hollywood and its wonderful Disability Advisory Board honored Toy Box Party as the nonprofit event of the year. Our California Assembly and Senate joined in and commended us as well. This year, we will collect our 100,000th toy. AIDS Healthcare Foundation via its Out of the Closet stores will again distribute all the toys to the families of clients of AHF, APLA, Bienestar and Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project. The city of West Hollywood and our City Council have again waived all city fees, and this year we are joining with the dynamic Impulse Group guys to ring in the holidays and also promote safer sex and reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS here in WeHo. We are creating an all-new winter wonderland on El Tovar Place at Robertson. Please join me on Saturday, Dec. 8 for this party with a cause. Seems to me there is no ideal anything. Only the one occurrence you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires and affections, and dare I say, traditions. May your traditions bring you at least a smile. If you work at it, perhaps more.
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ILLUSTRATION BY
GLENHANSON .COM
The holidays are almost upon us, dear reader! And no matter what you celebrate—Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice or simply the fact that you finally get some time off from work and have license to eat tons of delicious, fattening food—it truly is the season to give. So here is my Annual Gift Guide (not to be confused with my “Anal Gift Guide,” which is merely a short list of sex toys and lube and is, frankly, wholly inappropriate to discuss during the holidays!) to help you navigate the rocky waters of merry materialism at the mall. Whether you’re shopping for family or friends, or even yourself—you selfish, self-centered bah humbug bastard—I think you’ll find something for just about everyone on your list! I’M GONNA READ YOU TO FILTH! Books make a wonderful gift. They say, “I not only love you, but I actually think you’re smarter and more sophisticated than you really are!” I know what you’re thinking—“Jackie, no one reads anymore!” Well, maybe you’re right, but there are wonderful books out there that are more invigorating than intimidating, more freak than geek and more sassy than classy. These books are like a gay guy from the Midwest doing drag for the very first time. Translation: An easy read! Lots of photos, not too many words and fag-friendly subject matter all add up to a book suitable for even the most brain-dead moron on your list. Here are my picks, all available on Amazon.com: Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay by Paul Vitagliano It all started out as a humble blog featuring fabulously campy (and often touching) photos of children proving, once and for all, that being gay is not only natural but also undeniable from a very early age. Whether it’s the fierce fashions or the perfect pose (or the knockout onetwo punch of both!), these images and accompanying stories say “Honey, this kid is, and always has been, gay!” I am very proud to be a part of this book. (A photo of a very young me kissing a statue of Caesar on the lips is even on the back cover!) And just in case you’re wondering, yes, the blog by Vitigliano (aka DJ Paul V) came long before the Gaga anthem.
The Dead Celebrity Cookbook Presents Christmas in Tinseltown: Celebrity Recipes and Hollywood Memories from Six Feet Under the Mistletoe by Frank Decaro My God, that title is longer than most Puerto Rican porn stars’ cocks! But the mouthwatering recipes inside are just as juicy and delicious. Just one look at the gorgeous cover, featuring a photo of everyone’s favorite mother, Joan Crawford, carving up an enormous turkey (an actual bird, not a copy of Trog on VHS!), and you know you’re in for a heapin’ helpin’ of holiday hilarity. This morbid-but-merry collection features actual recipes from the kitschy kitchens of Peggy Lee, Burl Ives, John Lennon and even The Grinch himself, Boris Karloff! Sadly, there’s no American Pie recipe from Tara Reid or Sugar Tits Sugar Cookies from Mel Gibson, seeing how all the stars within are, in fact, actually dead themselves—not just their careers. This tasty tome is truly to die for! Dr.a.g. by Tectum Publishers Glam Gender by Marianne Larochelle & Jose A. Guzman Colon Two gorgeous coffee table books bursting with stunning photos of drag queens, drag kings, trannies, lady-boys and various cross-dressing creatures. I am thrilled to appear in Dr.a.g. (an acronym for “dressed as girl,” a reference to a stage direction from the days of Shakespeare when men played all the parts), but sadly not in Glam Gender. Hopefully my signature ‘natural look’ will be featured if there’s a Glam Gender 2! OK, so on the off chance you still think a certain person in your life wouldn’t appreciate one of these delightful books, I can only suggest the following gift—tickets to my annual holiday show, Jackie Beat: Come, They Told Me! Who doesn’t enjoy sitting on their lazy ass hearing all their favorite holiday tunes turned into crass, classless, cringe-worthy carols? People of all ages will no doubt thank you for what has to be the best present ever, the gift of laughter. (OK, maybe it isn’t suitable for really young kids, so Madonna and Calvin Klein will each have to leave their significant others at home.) Remember, although your bossy bottoms out there may disagree, ‘tis better to give than to receive, so go ahead and buy tickets for everyone you know at acteva.com/go/JackieBeat. DECEMBER 12, 2012
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"On a slow night, if few people are there, you can masturbate in the theatre. Or better yet, have sex with a fellow ticket-buyer on a really good night." —John Waters shares some heartfelt reasons why we should save San Francisco's Roxie Theatre, the oldest continuously running cinema in America. You can contribute via Kickstarter.
Most people are rarely thankful in the moment—giving thanks usually occurs in retrospect. But I must say I'm a very thankful person, and that's mostly due to you. It's true that had I been told in 1995 how long I'd be writing a weekly column, I'd have probably tied a noose around my neck. You realize that's about 10,000 columns, more or less. (I'm a writer, not a mathematician.) But what keeps it both challenging and fun is you— the people I write for, who ask the questions, who tell me when they like or hate something. It's quite possible that ours is the most successful relationship in my life. Keep that in mind when shopping for my Christmas gift. There are some people who are less thankful—for example, the cast members of certain shows that got cancelled. The first two casualties were Last Resort (which I abandoned after the second episode) and 666 Park Avenue (which I should have abandoned the same week). What is it about 10 p.m. on Sunday night? First Pan Am, then GCB and now 666 Park Avenue. I don't think ABC needs a new show—it needs an exorcism! I was one of the few people who enjoyed Whitney last season. But since Miss Cummings is also the creator of Two Broke Girls, her low-rated, self-titled sitcom was renewed. It was rushed back on the air after NBC cancelled the unwatchable Animal Practice. Alas, Whitney seems to be headed downhill. But it's better than Partners, which CBS
Whitney
thankfully put out of its misery. I take no joy in that announcement. Well, OK, maybe a little—but that's only because the show was abysmal. On the other hand, the cast (particularly Michael Urie) should be commended for making a silk purse out of—well, you know. Ironically enough, Urie was just named to the "Out 100"—that annual list of noteworthy gay people, a list I've never appeared on. And yet, after 17 years, I 70
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haven't been cancelled. So I'm thankful to still be employed. Cheyenne Jackson's time as a porn star has come to an end. Broadway play The Performers, a spoof about the porn industry, closed four days after opening.
One Direction
Cheyenne Jackson
Sure, that sounds like bad news. But let's compare it to some news coming from another Broadway play, Grace, which stars Paul Rudd and Ed Asner. At one performance, an elderly patron in the balcony became disoriented and nauseous. He leaned over the railing during the first act and began to vomit on the patrons in the orchestra section! Yes, you read the correctly. I'm told the cast never lost a beat whilst this drama was unfolding. This just happened to occur at the performance on Nov. 14—the same night that The Performers opened. Sounds like it was a bad night for Broadway all around. Jack Mackenroth isn't a porn star, but try telling that to the former Project Runway competitor. Since his sewing days, he's been an activist, participated in the Gay Games and done some modeling. His latest ‘shoot’ (such as it is) found him shaved within an inch of his life and in such diverse positions as bareback on a zebra and on all fours with ankle restraints. Photographer Justin Monroe took the sexy snaps, which show Mackenroth's bountiful assets from every possible angle— including if he were getting a colonoscopy! That said, he really does look incredible in the shots taken by Monroe (monroe-
land.com). Since he so obviously wants our attention, we're happy to present every inch of him on BillyMasters.com. Andy Cohen recently found himself in a bit of hot water. He appeared on the Today Show a few hours after One Direction and talked about inadvertently walking in on the band: "I barged right into a room of twinks—One Direction! Security was not exactly too tight, with all due respect." He also Tweeted, "No joke just walked right into One Direction greenroom. The blond dude was shirtless. #HolyTwink." Apparently fans of the band took offense to the word "twinks," and Cohen felt compelled to issue an apology: "Misused word earlier—I just meant they're cute." Given that definition, he certainly did misuse the word—at least when it comes to everyone in the band! In other twink news, Hostess has gone bankrupt. No more Ho-Ho's, Devil Dogs or Twinkies—which, as it happens, were all nicknames of mine while in college. Anyway, stock up now. I was recently at the home of former Logo head honcho Brian Graden for a swanky soirée honoring Wilson Cruz, who is the new Strategic Giving Officer at GLAAD. There was no press at this gathering, and I wasn't really invited—I was someone's ‘plus one.’ In this little microcosm we call a ‘community,’ Wilson is one of the very few people I hold in high esteem—someone I respect and admire and who always seems to make decisions for the right reasons. He spoke eloquently about the "new GLAAD" and how they've gotten back to their roots and have tried to revamp the entire organization from the ground up so that it truly represents our diverse community. I must confess that he touched me. I believe it was in the rotunda (always a lovely place to be touched). Seriously, I thought that if Wilson was this passionate about GLAAD, maybe
I should re-evaluate my views. After all, any organization is only as good (or bad) as the people running it. GLAAD is awfully lucky to have such a talented and dashing person working so hard on its behalf. And if it is true that one person can make a difference, then maybe Wilson is that person. He's certainly made me consider giving GLAAD another chance. Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Howard in Las Vegas: "I really enjoyed Political Animals this summer. What do you know about Sebastian Stan, who plays the gay son? He looks so familiar." Sebastian was born in Romania, and you may recognize him from the short-lived series Kings, where he also played gay. But for me, he's etched in my mind from the homoerotic thriller The Covenant, which also featured Steven Strait, Taylor Kitsch and Toby Hemingway. He also got to work with his Covenant co-star Chace Crawford on several episodes of Gossip Girl. But you probably recognize him as the Mad Hatter/Jefferson on Once Upon a Time. In real life, he's been romantically linked to the series star, Jennifer Morrison, just as he was reported to have dated previous co-stars such as Leighton Meester and Dianna Agron. I loved Political Animals, which was created by our own Greg Berlanti, and enjoyed watching Sebastian in a number of compromising positions with some rather hot guys— including Congressman Sean Reeves (shades of Aaron Schrock and his abs) played by David Monahan. Alas, it was just announced that that the USA Network has cancelled the series. But I'll bring you some sexy clips of Sebastian on BillyMasters.com to help ease the pain. When I'm sad to see anything political come to an end, it's definitely time to wrap up another column. Before I end, I must congratulate Elton John and David Furnish, who are said to be expecting their second child. While they haven't confirmed this story, Miss Elton certainly appears to be carrying twins. Et moi? I just watch from afar and silently report on it all at BillyMasters.com, like a gay Madame Defarge. If you'd like me to knit you a little something, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before I stock up on Twinkies (the dessert and the boys). So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's Bible.
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Queersay
ROLL WITH IT Healthy eating—Gossip Gay is all about it. It keeps you feeling great, your insides healthy and, most importantly, prevents you from turning into a fattie. Yes, boys, in WeHo, retaining one's manoxeric figure is of the upmost importance— and that is why yours truly hasn't ingested a single carbohydrate since 1993— aside from that psychotic break with reality we had last February at Panera Bread, of which we are unable to speak as the police investigation is still pending. Yet Gossip Gay still has a sweet tooth. So how, you may ask, do we satisfy our cravings? The answer: buying "sugar-free" (aka pre-packaged, super overprocessed) sweet treats from the grocery store in which any and all natural sugars are replaced with chemicals that will most likely give us cancer, but we don't care because we have a circuit party this weekend, bee-otch, and our size 28 hip-hugger True Religions are hip-hugging just a bit too much! Yes, anything and everything gummy, pecan-stuffed or coconut simply make us nut when the sugar is out and Splenda is in. But when we find the rack at Pavillons that proudly sells our carb-free snackables empty, we don't freak out like Britney Spears on a head-shaving bender. No, we deal. The same, however, cannot be said for one WeHo resident we espied sauntering the aisles for his Sunday night stock-up. This slightly obese gurlfriend (not a total fattie—in fact, probably Silver Lake hot but totally sticking-out-like-a-chubby thumb) scanned the sugar-free display for the no-carb Tootsie Rolls. (Sidebar: These "Tootsie Rolls" are made with so many chemicals, they're not legally allowed to be called "Tootsie Rolls," so they are called something like "Chewy Chocolate Chunks," but we kinda like it because we totally dated a Chewy Chocolate Chunk in college once. It brings back some good memories, you know?) Anyhow... This Girthy Gurlfriend, with the saddest of eyes, saw that the Chewy Chocolate Chunks were sold out, completely snatched up by other WeHo snatches. And instead of swallowing said sadness and walking away as we had decided to do, he called over the on-call manager and unleashed a barrage of insults mirroring something like what I'd imagine would happen if Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey were left alone in a room with baseball bats. So Mr. Man-of-Girth ranted [paraphrased and accentuated with wit]: "As a man who is trying hard to lose weight, how dare you not keep your shelves fully stocked with my favorite treats! I come here for Chewy Chocolate Chunks, and now my cravings may force me to Godzilla-style stomp into the ice cream freezer and binge like Kirstie Alley in an actual alley behind a Ben & Jerry's! My backfat is on your hands!" And to that, we slow-clap and say: "Well said, Girthy Gurl. Well said!”
For more Queersay, go to FrontiersLA.com/Queersay. DECEMBER 12, 2012
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THE CITY SPONSORS 24-HOUR AIDSWATCH ON WORLD AIDS DAY
WEHO HUMAN RIGHTS SPEAKER SERIES FOCUSES ON INTERNATIONAL AIDS CRISIS BY PAULO MURILLO West Hollywood brings you the city’s popular Human Rights Speaker Series, which will focus on human rights and the international AIDS crisis in light of World AIDS Day. The lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Council Chambers at the West Hollywood Library. Guest speaker Stephen Lewis will begin speaking promptly at 7, followed by a “Call to Action” dessert reception. Stephen Lewis is the co-founder and co-director of AIDS-Free World, an international advocacy organization that works to promote more urgent and more effective global responses to HIV/AIDS. He was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001 to 2006. He was also the deputy executive director of UNICEF from 1995 to 1999, and he is a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University in Toronto. “Ambassador Lewis is an international leader in the
fight against HIV/AIDS,” West Hollywood Councilmember John Heilman stated in a press release. “So much progress has been made in the fight against AIDS in the western world, although so much more needs to be done. We are very fortunate that he will be here to share his perspective on what the world needs to do to end AIDS.” West Hollywood’s Human Rights Speaker Series was established to bring together diverse communities to learn about and discuss global, national and local human rights issues in a supportive environment. It is a continuation of the city’s core value of Respect and Support for People. The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and AIDS Project Los Angeles will co-sponsor the “Human Rights and the AIDS Crisis” lecture. The public can watch the lecture live on Time Warner Cable Channel 10-WehoTV or at weho.org/wehotv. For more information, or to RSVP, call (323) 848-6460.
DO YOU THINK THE CITY’S WORLD AIDS DAY OBSERVANCE HAS ANY IMPACT ON THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS? “People really look to West Hollywood for the visibility of gay issues like HIV/AIDS. A lot of my friends are HIV-positive. They are very aware, but it’s good to remember that this is still very prominent. This may help people outside of our community understand more about HIV/AIDS because not a lot of people talk about it.” —Sharon Urquhart
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World AIDS Day is on Saturday, Dec. 1. The city of West Hollywood is set to sponsor AIDSWATCH, an electronic art piece that serves as a memorial to loved ones that were lost to AIDS. The electronic, televised memorial will be available on the city’s website at weho.org/wehotv. For 24 hours, from midnight to midnight, WehoTV will display thousands of names for three and a half seconds each—one name, one memory, one life at a time. Twice each hour, information about HIV/AIDS service providers will also be featured. The goal of the televised memorial is to reach into people’s living rooms and remind them that HIV/AIDS touches everyone. AIDSWATCH has been a part of World AIDS Day since 1996. It first appeared on what was then Century Cable in the L.A. area. At the turn of the century, the project moved to West Hollywood’s CityChannel. The city has dedicated the channel each year for the entire 24-hour program. Website technology improvements have made it possible for the program to go worldwide via the internet. The public is invited to contribute the names of people to whom they would like to pay tribute on AIDSWATCH. Names may be added at aidswatch.org. For more information, call (323) 8486400.
SPEAK OUT
“The observance of World AIDS Day usually happens within a community that’s already aware, so I don’t think it has much of an impact. We’ve become desensitized. It’s not really an issue unless you partake in risky sexual behavior and you need a good reminder.”
“I think West Hollywood does a lot to bring awareness to HIV and AIDS, and anything that makes people aware is bound to have a positive impact. I just wish the city would do more outreach via social media to educate the younger generation about safe-sex practices.
—Jose Santamaria
—Eric Danko
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salesmanager@frontiersLA.com OCTOBER 16, 2012
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ORANGE COUNTY
LIZA MINNELLI TO PERFORM WITH O.C.’S MEN ALIVE BY GREG HERNANDEZ She's Liza with a ‘Z’ and she's coming to Orange County. The one and only Liza Minnelli is doing a two-night gig with Men Alive, the Orange County Gay Men's Chorus, on Dec. 13 and 14. “We're pretty excited about it,” said Dean McCleskey, marketing director for the show. “We are inviting everyone to come to the Christmas Cabaret with Liza Minnelli and Men Alive.” The concert, officially called Liza Minnelli in a Winter Spectacular, will take place at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Minnelli, who performed at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this year, will perform a set accompanied by her own band, and will also be collaborating with the chorus on some special select numbers. “It's going to be a great night of holiday music and some Liza classics,” McClesky said. "It's a great way to kick off the holiday season." Minnelli has starred in the film musicals Cabaret, New York, New York and Stepping Out; dramas The Sterile Cuckoo, Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon and A Matter of Time; as well as the comedies Arthur, Arthur 2: On the Rocks and Renta-Cop. Her Broadway hits include Flora the Red Menace, The Act, The Rink and Liza's at the Palace, along with stints in the hits Chicago and Victor/Victoria. She is one of the few stars to receive an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and a Tony (she has four 74
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Tonys in all). She's also won two Golden Globe Awards. “She really is a superstar,” McClesky added. “I believe this is the first time she's performed in Orange County in 20 years, and the first time she's appeared with a Gay Men’s Chorus. She listened to tapes of us, and her musical director Billy Stritch has been working with (Men Alive founder and artistic director) Rich Cook.” Minnelli has enjoyed the same kind of loyal gay following as her mother, the late Judy Garland, since she became a star herself in the mid-1960s. She also has dedicated much time to The Foundation for AIDS Research. In 1994, she recorded the Kander & Ebb tune “The Day After That” and donated the proceeds to AIDS research. That same year she performed the song in front of hundreds of thousands in Central Park at the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Men Alive Gay Men’s Chorus is now in its 12th season. Prior to Minnelli, guest stars have included Michael Feinstein, Debbie Reynolds, Ruta Lee, Sam Harris, Leslie Jordan, David Burnham, Alec Mapa, Nikki Blonsky and Bernadette Peters. Tickets for the show are now on sale online at scfta.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling the Segerstrom Center for the Arts box office at (714) 556-2787. scfta.org
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LONG BEACH
THE CENTER HOLDS CANDLELIGHT VIGIL IN REMEMBRANCE BY GREG HERNANDEZ World AIDS Day, held each year on Dec. 1, will be commemorated in Long Beach this year with a series of activities that will include a candlelight vigil and the unveiling of a major new fundraising event. In 1988, the first World AIDS Day was held, and since then it has provided an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV. It's also a way for people to show their support for those living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died from the disease for which there are treatments but still no cure. Ron Sylvester, chairman of The Gay & Lesbian Center of Long Beach's board of directors, said activities will begin at 2 p.m. at the Center (2017 E. 4th Street). At some point, participants will make their way to the bluff overlooking the beach (across from Bixby Park) and a candelight vigil will then take place. There will be cardboard red ribbons on the bluff, and participants will stand by them as a way of remembering those lost to AIDS over the past 30 years. The small service will include a speaker from the Comprehensive AIDS Resource and Education program at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach about the ongoing importance of AIDS work. It will also serve as the announcement of a major new annual fundraiser that
will kick off on Nov. 30, 2013. Organizers declined to disclose specifics at press time but acknowledged that it will be one of their most ambitious annual fundraisers to date. The fundraising event will be produced by and benefit the Center and CARE. The event is designed to support local Long Beach efforts in the areas of education, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and related illnesses, and to increase positive life-affirming experiences for people affected and infected by HIV. “Both organizations are extremely excited to create this as a signature fundraising event for both our organizations and as another vehicle for the community to get involved in education, treatment and prevention of HIV in Long Beach,� Sylvester said. CARE is the largest HIV health care provider in the Long Beach area, with about 2,000 patients per year. It was founded in 1986 at the height of the AIDS epidemic when countless AIDS patients were coming through the emergency room at St. Mary Medical Center. The nonprofit hospital-based HIV program is directly funded by federal, state and county grants, along with private donations. centerlb.org
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A DAY WITH(OUT) ART EXHIBIT COMMEMORATES WORLD AIDS DAY BY JAMES F. MILLS AIDS may now be a manageable disease, but many people still suffer from the disease and many more are affected. To remind people how great an impact AIDS has, the Palm Springs Art Museum is hosting A Day With(out) Art on Saturday, Dec. 1, which coincides with the annual World AIDS Day. The museum has organized a series of events to correspond with the theme “In Memoriam: Loss, Identity and History in the Age of AIDS.” Programming includes a panel discussion about memory and loss, a lecture on AIDS-related art and the screening of a documen-
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tary about a dying artist’s final days. “This is really an observation of people who have been afflicted with or passed away from AIDS,” explains Bob Bogard, the museum’s director of marketing communications. “This crisis is not over, and we’re reminding people of that in a very symbolic way.” While some museums remove pieces of art or hang curtains over art to symbolize the loss to AIDS, the Palm Springs Art Museum has opted to periodically dim the lights throughout the day. “The whole gallery will go dark for about 20 seconds from time to
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time,” says Bogard. “We’ll have docents who will be stationed all over the museum to explain to people that this is not a malfunction, that we’re doing this on purpose.” Although the museum normally charges admission on Saturdays, for this Day With(out) Art observance, museum admission is free, as is all of the programming. First observed in 1989, A Day With(out) Art is an international observance designed to symbolize what would happen if AIDS wiped out the art community. The Palm Springs Art Museum has participated many times in the past, but this year’s observance will be the first since 2005. Art historian/writer Robert Atkins, one of the people who instigated the first Day With(out) Art, is now a Palm Springs resident and urged the museum to reinstate the observance. “There seems to be a budding renaissance of interest in AIDS now,” says Atkins. “On one hand, books and exhibitions about queer and especially AIDS issues still aren't an easy sell in our selfcensoring times, but on the other hand, I think queer baby boomers are resolved to—or at least attempt to—come to terms with the heartbreak of so many unnatural deaths.” Atkins will be on hand at the museum throughout the day and will also give the lecture about AIDS-related art. “Consider that all the major sym-
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Robert Atkins
bols of the epidemic—such as Silence=Death, the Red Ribbon, the AIDS Quilt—were produced for noncommercial reasons by conceptual artists and collectives and distributed by activists and allies in the street and media,” says Atkins. “It’s an inspiring lesson in do-ityourself art and politics, a reminder that if you want change, you have to go out and make it.” psmuseum.org
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DESERT AIDS PROJECT DEBUTS FLOAT IN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS PARADE BY JAMES F. MILLS Palm Springs’ Festival of Lights may be observing its 21st year, but the Desert AIDS Project, the Coachella Valley’s largest AIDS service organization, has never participated in that parade. This year, all that changes as DAP will have both a float and a large contingent in the holiday parade being held on Saturday, Dec. 1, starting at 5:45 p.m. on Palm Canyon Drive. “We decided we didn’t want to lose the opportunity to get in front of 50,000 people with our message about AIDS and testing,” explains Brett Klein, DAP’s fundraising and special events manager. “We are a community-based organization and we rely on the community at large, so this is a way to reach people who might not be familiar with us.” The calendar is responsible for the decision. With World AIDS Day, which always happens on Dec. 1, and the Festival of Lights, which always happens on the first Saturday of December, falling on the same day this year, DAP decided it was time to join the parade. “We typically do something here at the agency on World AIDS Day,” says Klein. “But with the parade happening the same day, this was a chance for greater exposure.” Built around the theme of “Love Lives
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On,” the DAP float will be covered in red and green lights and feature blackand-white figures with a red heart painted in the middle by the late artist/AIDS activist Keith Haring. If the float sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same float that DAP used in the Palm Springs Pride Parade at the beginning of November. Klein explains that while DAP always had a contingent in the Pride parade, it never had a float in the Pride parade until this year. “Since it is our 25th year, we wanted to have a larger presence in the Pride parade, so we did the float,” Klein says. “At the same time we decided to do the float for Pride, we also decided to do it for the Festival of Lights.” Those Keith Haring figures from the float will turn up again in February as decorations at DAP’s annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards gala honoring people who have given back to the community. “We were able to get the rights to these fun, eclectic Keith Haring figures, so we decided to use them for all three events,” Klein says. “We planned it all out earlier this year.” psfestivaloflights.com; desertaidsproject.org
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HEALTH
BY DR. BETHANY A. MARSHALL, PH.D., PSY.D., M.F.T.
Reaffirming What’s Important “I bet this is a busy season for you,” the man behind the cash register says with a knowing wink. It takes a moment for me to realize that he’s noticed the credentials on my business check and has assumed that, as a psychotherapist, I would feel that the holidays are a likely time for depression. “Actually, many people feel better during this time of year. After all, it’s a time for reaffirming what’s important. Friendship, meaning, being rooted in the past and turning toward the future.” As I speak, I realize my response seems hasty and perhaps even a little defensive. Yet I also know that I’m articulating something about which I feel strongly. There is something powerful and hopeful about this time of year. The holidays—if properly understood and thoughtfully celebrated—can actually buffer against depression, reaffirm what’s important and reinstill a sense of meaning into life. But how can the holidays help instead of hurt? And why has Christmas developed a reputation for imparting depression instead of hope? Tradition and expectation are important keys to the season. According to each person’s faith, belief system or family history, there is a set of traditions that is generally agreed upon. These traditions have been celebrated over time and represent what has become meaningful for a group of people. Tradition is important, because it helps us to feel rooted in the past. In our affluent, technology-driven culture, it’s easy to feel cut off from
history and others. The future tends to be overvalued and the lessons of the past forgotten. Tradition affords us the opportunity to learn more about the lives of those who have come before, and about values that have stood the test of time. It is important, however, to only adopt traditions that are personally meaningful. For instance, if Aunt Betty feels that everybody should spend five days together in a cabin with no running water in order to celebrate Christmas, and if your idea of Christmas is taking a much-needed break—think twice. Christmas will become a depressing experience if you feel coerced into embracing rituals that are empty, meaningless or even potentially hurtful. Spend time with family and loved ones, but disregard family expectations that are unrealistic and pointless. Avoid spending money you do not have. And instead, focus on celebrating traditions that have personal meaning, adding a few traditions of your own, and then sharing these with friends and loved ones. The holidays are also powerful because they attach us to something larger than our own existence. Feeling connected to a transcendent force is vital. At the beginning of life, we are connected to our mothers. As children, we understand that we are a part of a larger family. And as adults, we develop a sense of belonging when we join religious groups, make business affiliations, develop ideologies, make friends, etc. Unfortunately, many gay men are disenfranchised from family and support. And this disenfranchisement can lead to depression and lack of meaning during the holidays unless an accepting social group or surrogate family is actively sought out. This holiday season, take steps to become part of a larger family or group.
PHOTO BY SKALICKYPHOTO.COM
• If you are close to your family, find ways to commemorate their importance to you. • If you do not have a loving, supportive family, create one of your own. • Only celebrate with people who are close, loving and like-minded. • Throughout the season, stay mindful of people and influences that have shaped your life in a positive direction.
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Not only do holidays commemorate history, and a “larger force at work,” they also symbolize willingness to express appreciation and love toward others. Gift giving is one of the central symbols of gratitude and love, although many decry the commercialism of Christmas, there is nothing shallow or commercial about expressing “I love you” or “Thank you for all you’ve done” through an appropriate sentiment and gift. Finally, the holidays help reorient us toward the future. Not only is it vital to feel rooted in larger, collective history; it is important to feel that life extends positively and purposely into the future. Over the holidays, take time to reflect upon the future. What does yours hold? Do you wish to love or be loved? To take charge of your life in a particular way? To develop a talent or skill? At the cornerstone of the human psyche is a desire to generate something useful with one’s life. And this is the time of year to develop overarching ideas and plans that can gradually be implemented. Depression only sets in when one develops an idealized view of the holidays that cannot possibly be realized. For example, dreaming of a warm, loving family when yours is distant will create disillusionment. Wishing for countless party invitations when you have only a few good friends will lead to feelings of rejection. And fantasizing about buying extravagant gifts when on a limited budget will make purchases feel insignificant and trivial. A friend once shared the following: I don’t feel like I’m celebrating the holidays unless I’m drinking champagne, wearing a tuxedo and dancing to a full orchestra like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Needless to say, this friend was frequently disappointed when his hopes were not realized! The holidays are a time for taking charge of your own life, rather than fulfilling the dreams of others. This year, set plans that are realistic and obtainable. Reaffirm traditions and values that make personal sense. Embrace those who are closest to you. And let the spirit of the season infuse you with the continual rebirth of friendship, history, meaning and hope that is the ongoing fabric of celebration and faith.
Bethany Marshall, M.F.C.C., has offices in Beverly Hills and Pasadena. She can be reached at Bethany Marshall and Associates, Inc. (626) 796-9028 or (310) 843-9943. If you have any questions and/or comments, please direct them to: Frontiers, 5657 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 470, Los Angeles, CA 90036, or e-mail them to feedback@frontiersla.com. © 2012 Bethany Marshall. All rights reserved.
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Drinking and drugs are a large part of life for many people. But for others, sobriety plays an even bigger role. McIntyre House is one of the many places that help people make the transition from alcohol and/or drugs to sobriety. “We are a rehabilitation house for men seeking recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction,” explains McIntyre House Executive Director Brian Hardin. “We offer a program of activities, including one-on-one sessions, house meetings and 12-step group meetings, designed to ensure that each of our clients acquires the tools necessary for maintaining longterm sobriety.” With room for a maximum of 16 men, clients can live in the house for up to 12 months, but a minimum stay of three months is required. That’s vastly different from many other recovery houses, which typically have 30-day programs, but Hardin says the three-month minimum is needed for recovery. “It takes that long,” reports Hardin, a New York native who previously worked as an office manager. “It’s a long-term commitment to a better life. They need that chance to break the cycle, to learn the tools of sober living. For those who complete the program, they enjoy an 8085 percent success rate [of staying sober].” Founded 15 years ago by former prison minster Harley Noel, McIntyre House’s recovery model is based on 12step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, but also incorporates elements of
cognitive behavioral therapy. Residents do a lot of writing to challenge their thoughts, explore the things which trigger them and re-educate their brains. Residents can expect to live under strict rules, spelled out from the beginning, designed to teach self-discipline. “People often say the best thing about the house is the rules, and the worst thing about the house is the rules,” says Hardin. Kirk Gaughn, who got sober at McIntyre House two and a half years ago, believes it’s the rules that make the house so effective. “It’s very much tough love,” says Gaughn, who now works as the house’s evening manager. “As addicts, we don’t hear it unless the volume is turned up.” For men who are interested in joining the house, Hardin suggests stopping for a tour and a chat with staff to get a sense of whether it is the right place for them. Alternately, people can attend an open Narcotics Anonymous meeting held at the house every Wednesday at 8 p.m. Located near Melrose and Normandie Avenues in a 1920s-era fourplex, McIntyre House is in the midst of a capital campaign to raise approximately $450,000 for badly needed renovations, including new plumbing, an ADA-compliant bathroom and new kitchen facilities. “Donations for the renovations are very much appreciated,” says Hardin. “There’s a critical need to rehab the rehab house.” mcintyrehouse.org
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SEX ED
This Is Your Brain on Exercise BY JIM LARKINS
The fact that regular exercise converts the brain, heightening the ability to remember and think, is no news to research scientists. There is even a growing belief that exercise gives birth to new brain cells, a process known as neurogenesis. But just how working out affects the structure of the brain has remained a mystery, with many steps in the process left unidentified. A piece of the puzzle may now have been solved, according to a new study published a few months ago in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study shows that male sex hormones surge in the brain after exercise, and could be helping remodel the mind. While estrogen, the female hormone, has been well-documented as having various effects—including, scientists suspect, new brain cell growth— far less is known about the role of male sex hormones in the brains of mammals, particularly after performing various exercise routines. Both sexes do produce male sex hormones, but males produce more of them (mostly in the gonads), and researchers suspect these hormones also find their way into the brain. The only sure way scientists could narrow down the possibility of hormones being synthesized in the brain was to shut off production in the testes. This would guarantee that hormones from that region wouldn’t migrate to the brain. Therefore, some of the rats
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in the experiment were surgically castrated while the rest went through a placebo operation in which the testes were left intact. Having all the animals endure the same unpleasant experience was necessary to ensure that stress from the operation wouldn’t skew the results. In a separate laboratory, some of the animals were injected with a drug that prevents male sex hormones from binding to receptors in the brain. They might still produce hormones, but they wouldn’t have any effect on the brain. After the rats recovered, most ran for two weeks on treadmills while some remained sedentary. When scientists examined the animals’ brains, they discovered that the running rats had considerably much more dihydrotestosteron, a potent testosterone derivative. Even brains of the castrated rats were awash with this DHT. Most of the animals had an overabundance of new neurons in the hippocampus, which is the portion of the brain associated with learning and memory. This means that the uptake of DHT in the brain after exercise triggers the production of more DHT, and more DHT helps create fresh brain cells. This is great news for the jock who longs to match wits with the scholarly nerd, but all things considered, the full beneficial effects of exercise and sex hormones on the brain are still being drawn out.
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Read your ad carefully when it initially appears. We are not responsible for errors or minor copy changes after first issue of publication. If an error is found, please contact the classifieds department immediately for corrections. Frontiers assumes no responsibility for error or omission of copy. The right to reject, edit, cancel and determine proper placement of a classified ad is the right of this publication. [00CS0000]
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