Fab Las Vegas Magazine - Volume 21 - #11

VOL 21, #11

LAS VEGAS MAGAZINE

FabLasVegas.com The LGBTQ+ locals choice

a l e g n a h

S

VI INTER

EW

CELEBRATING

SWAN SONG INTERVIEW UDO KIER & MICHAEL URIE

MOVEMBER MUSTACHE LIST

+ COLMAN DOMINGO AS BAYARD RUSTIN + JAMIE CLAYTON IN HELLRAISER + BEN PLATT + HALLMARKS LESBIAN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL + A TALE OF TWO OMARS BOOK REVIEW

@GayVegas

@GayVegas

24 YEARS

GayVegas.com Vegas’ #1 travel site for LGBTQ+

@GayVegas JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GayVegas

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

By: Chris Azzopardi Photo Credit: HBO

Shangela Is Spreading Pride With a Purpose, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Queen’ alum talks Season 2 of HBO’s ‘We’re Here’ You can’t keep Shangela down.

Seriously, she came back to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” three times. And now, along with co-stars Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka O’Hara, she’s back for Season 2 of HBO’s “We’re Here.”

Even when COVID-19 brought the production of the real-life series to a halt during its final episode of its first season, it was months before the drag trio could find themselves back in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 4 Fab Vegas

to finish prepping their drag kids for their on-stage debut.

But in true form, by the time Shangela and the crew returned, it wasn’t to hastily cobble together a disrupted season finale — it was with an Emmy Award nod and a second season secured. As Shangela herself would say: “Halleloo!”

On Oct. 11, Season 2 of “We’re Here” returned to HBO featuring dozens more stories of self-expression, actualization and discovery

through drag. The unscripted series has earned its reputation as a tear-jerker, but never at the expense of the smalltown America residents it highlights.

During a call she took from her aunt’s house in Paris, Texas, Shangela reflected on the unique insight her own small-town background has given her on “We’re Here,” why it seems like drag can get anyone to open up, and how the show has given her “an even greater sense of purpose.”

Visit www.HawksGym.com

FabLasVegas.com

5

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW Photo Credit: HBO

“We’re Here” is a show that visits conservative small towns across the U.S., which many LGBTQ+ people might find to be intimidating places to visit. But this season you traveled to your home state of Texas. Did that feel like a homecoming?

Well, I feel like it’s such a gift for me to be a part of show like “We’re Here,” because the show goes across the U.S. to 6 Fab Vegas

conservative towns that don’t really have a huge visible queer presence. And I’m like, “Oh, small conservative town in the U.S.? Didn’t have a queer presence? I grew up in one.”

I always think it would have been so awesome when I was a kid coming up to see this kind of visibility for artists, drag artists, queer artists just going to small towns and showcasing those particular kinds of stories. So, I think this show is really a huge gift.

And when we were able to visit a town in Texas, Del Rio, I was like, “Oh my gosh, totally.

Homecoming.” Because there’s just something about being a Texan and the experience in Texas. And then layer that in with the Black experience in Texas, the queer experience in Texas — it’s something that really unites a lot of us.

You did one show this season in Evansville, Illinois, and a man came up to you

Facebook.com/FreeZoneLV

7 Fab Vegas

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW with a gun on his hip. But even though he looked intimidating, he loved everything that “We’re Here” is doing. Despite your comfort with conservative small towns, do you ever feel nerves when talking about drag in these communities?

I think it’s really interesting you bring up Evansville, because that moment outside of the fireworks store just reminded us that even those of us in the queer community, we get stereotyped so much.

We meet people and go, “Have you ever come to a drag show?” And they’re like, “No,” and we’re like, “Oh, do you know what drag queens are?” And they have the worst stereotypes sometimes of what their perception of who a drag queen is. And when that guy walked up it reminded me that even us as queer people, we have stereotypes about other people that we feel might be outside of our community.

A lot of times people say to us, “Oh my god, you’re going to a small town? You poor things.

Are you going to be safe?

Do you have security? Those small-minded people who don’t support [us].” And then watching the show you learn that you can’t stereotype a town because it’s a small town or because it’s labeled even a small conservative town. And this show definitely shines a light on what the queer experience is like in a lot of these small towns but also the hope that we have that people can change, that the ways of thinking are evolving and the amount of inclusion can be increased if we really go out 8 Fab Vegas

there and unearth the pockets of support in some of the most unlikely places.

What do you think about drag is so disarming that it makes people open up?

The art of drag is not just about the showmanship of it.

Because a lot of people think, “OK, I’m getting in drag: wig, makeup, dress, outfit, heels.

OK, I’m a drag queen.” Drag is actually a very cathartic process because you’re breaking down the stereotype or the box that the world may have put you in [or] that you may have put yourself in. And you’re allowing yourself to expand, and you’re allowing yourself to do something that’s uncomfortable, a lot of times, to you. That’s something that our drag kids are going through.

A lot of times they’re like, “I’ve never done this before; I didn’t know it was this much work.” And even in preparing a show for the stage in front of a community of people that they don’t know if they’re going to support them or not, you know, it’s very unsettling to them. But doing something that makes you afraid can a lot of times be very empowering to you, because when you’re able to go through the fire as opposed to walking around it, you come out a stronger person. And that’s what this show does. It inspires strength and courage and love for oneself through their ability to make the leap and become a drag entertainer.

Does “We’re Here” ever cause you to reflect on your own

start in drag?

Whenever I’m working with my drag kids, it’s always a nostalgic moment to me.

Because for most of them, it’s their very first time ever being in drag and ever putting on heels, ever putting on a wig, ever putting on a show number. And they’re learning as they go along that drag is not as simple [laughs] as they think it is. But it does offer this great moment of power and strength and excitement.

It reminds me and makes me very nostalgic of when I was baby Shangie and doing it for the first time and just getting that love of not only being on stage but understanding as I continued to grow in drag what it meant. See, my job, in a very short amount of time, is not only to connect with my drag kids and allow them to share their story to work with them emotionally — whether it’s a breakthrough or revisiting some very hard experiences they wouldn’t want to revisit — but it’s about telling the story and sharing so it unifies us and connects us.

But in addition to that it’s about preparing them for the stage and teaching them that drag is not just about the exterior. Every time you step on the stage is a moment for you to inspire others and connect with others. It’s a moment for you to teach them and educate them about what the drag community is all about.

What do you hope your drag kids will take away from this experience?

Photo Credit: HBO

My [drag] kids, I want them to feel so prepared and so ready for the moment that they can go out there and they can shine and feel like, “You know what? My momma Shangie prepared me for this.

She taught me that it’s not just about, ‘OK, I listened to the song.’” No, baby. You learned the song. You learned the song so well that the people feel it’s coming from your soul, because when we create a number, we are not creating just a little ditty. It’s about telling a message and representing all the pain and all the struggles and all the things you had to overcome in your life. You made it to this point. There is someone out in that audience who is afraid to look at themselves in the mirror, to experience the hardships of life, and then have the hope that it can get better and work toward it.

There are people who can’t do that, so you have to represent that on this stage tonight, and

do it as a drag queen, so that they know that also who you are does not define who you can be in this world. And in this moment in drag, baby, you are becoming. As Michelle Obama says with the book, honey: “Becoming.” You are becoming the drag entertainer that you have created for yourself.

Was there a moment during filming where you thought, “We’re really making a difference in this person’s life”?

Oh my god, every episode.

Every episode. That’s why I’m so excited for people to see “We’re Here” and experience the second season because, you know, Season 1 we had six episodes. Season 2 we have eight, so we’re telling even more stories. And when I tell you every one — and not just mine [but] Bob’s, Eureka’s — every story is like, bam, bam, bam! That’s why

so many people are moved to tears in watching the show, because you find this moment of connection. Because no matter what community we’re from, we all know what it feels like to be isolated or to feel discriminated against just for being who you are. There’s so much fear in our world because, especially in America, we live in a place where [the LGBTQ+ ] people have not always been supported and accepted. And a lot of times those of us who live in larger cities or places where there is a huge gay community of support, you forget that there are still these places where people are afraid to even say “gay” out loud for fear that they may be discriminated against, beaten, bullied, looked down upon.

Your positivity is infectious, but how do you find the energy to keep it up in communities where queer identities are not FabLasVegas.com

10

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT encouraged?

I’m gonna tell you: One part of it is I love drag. I love being a drag entertainer and I love being able to share that with people — especially those who have never had the touchpoint before, right? I’m like, “All right, just wait, baby, you gonna see Shangela; we gonna turn it out.” In addition to that, though, this show has given me an even greater sense of purpose.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” I loved being a part of that show, but it was a competition show.

You go in, you compete, you’re hoping for a cash prize. And

it’s allowed me to be able to travel the world and connect with so many people around the world in performing. This show is different because it gives me this greater sense of real purpose in life. There is no prize that we’re competing for; we’re just working to help amplify voices of people who don’t get to tell their story very often but deserve to have their stories told. And it allows us, I think, as a community of queer people, to hopefully feel more strongly united in a world where we’ve had to be socially distant over the last year and been able to get together, whether it’s for

Prides or just, heck, birthdays, to get to celebrate each other and be like, “Yes, bitch!”

You know, it’s cool to get to be a part of a show that reminds us of the importance of having a community and remember that everyone doesn’t get that opportunity. So, when you see somebody, lift them up. Don’t try to push them down. There’s enough in the world trying to do that already.

Photo Credit: HBO

12 Fab Vegas

------------------------------------------------------------------------

LGBTQIA+ BOOK CLUB

By: Terri Schlichenmeyer

-----------------------------------------------------------------------“A Tale of Two Omars” by Omar

this book.

Which is not to say that readers will like them all.

You always wanted to make your mark.

There’d be no footstepfollowing in your life. You’d carve your own path, select your own adventures, seize the opportunities that appealed to you, and blaze trails for the sake of others’ journeys.

You’d take the best of those you knew and loved, and you’d go your own way. As in the new memoir, “A Tale of Two Omars” by Omar Sharif, Jr., you’ll also make your own mistakes.

Born into a family that had ties on several continents, Omar Sharif, Jr. never had to worry about money or a place to live. On one side of the family – his maternal side – the Holocaust left a mark on his mother’s parents, who’d barely escaped the concentration camps. On the other side, Sharif ’s paternal grandparents were both famous and beloved actors with roots in Egypt. Sharif was close with his entire family, but particularly with his grandfather, Omar Sharif.

Sharif recalls many a dinner party, listening, while his grandfather held court at dinner, laughing and telling stories. Everyone, everything seemed so elegant and refined and those meals showed Sharif a life that he could have if he wanted it. As time

passed, the lessons he received were paid back: he was one of the few allowed to help his grandfather as Alzheimer’s took hold at the end of the great actor’s life.

But this is not a story of a famous actor or a grandfather.

It’s the story of a man who’s not just half-Jewish and Egyptian. He’s also gay, a part of himself that Sharif kept hidden until well into adulthood, although he says that other children must’ve sensed it when he was young.

It was a part of himself that he feared revealing to his father.

It helped him land a dream job that ultimately became a nightmare.

Indeed, parts of this book may seem as though you’ve read them before: bullied as a child, fear of coming out, the college revelation, the mismatched first love. Those ubiquitous bits are here, but they pale in comparison to Sharif ’s ultra-urbane life and the hairraising, terrifying account of getting and getting out of what seemed like the ultimate job with a wealthy sheikh, a job that slowly grew dangerous.

That story-within-a-story is so edgy, so mouth-drying, that you’ll throw away the thriller you bought last week.

Then there’s the part about his life-threatening activism, a tale that starts and ends this book...

And so beware at the unevenness of this memoir, but understand that the tedium doesn’t linger. Skip past the ho-humness of “A Tale of Two Omars” and the rest is remarkable.

Photo Credit: Thomas Synnamon

Sharif Jr. $26.00 / 224 pages

The title of this book – “A Tale of Two Omars – is a bit of a misnomer. Judging by what author Omar Sharif Jr. writes here, there are several Omars: the activist; a globe-hopper; a son and grandson; a writer; and a grandfather whose life was impactful but who has a surprisingly small footprint in FabLasVegas.com

13

Handwashing

at Home, at Play, and Out and About Germs are everywhere! They can get onto your hands and items you touch throughout the day. Washing hands at key times with soap and water is one of the most important steps you can take to get rid of germs and avoid spreading germs to those around you.

How can washing your hands keep you healthy?

Germs can get into the body through our eyes, nose, and mouth and make us sick. Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands and helps prevent sickness. Studies have shown that handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

Handwashing helps prevent infections for these reasons: People often touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without realizing it, introducing germs into their bodies.

Germs from unwashed hands may get into foods and drinks when people prepare or consume them. Germs can grow in some types of foods or drinks and make people sick.

Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, such as door knobs, tables, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.

What is the right way to wash your hands?

1. Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.

2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.

3. Scrub all surfaces of your hands, including the palms, backs, fingers, between your fingers, and under your nails. Keep scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice.

4. Rinse your hands under clean, running water.

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

CS 280522A

When should you wash your hands?

Handwashing at any time of the day can help get rid of germs, but there are key times when it’s most important to wash your hands.

• Before, during, and after preparing food • Before eating food • Before and after caring for someone who is sick • Before and after treating a cut or wound • After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up a child who has used the bathroom • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing • After touching an animal, animal food or treats, animal cages, or animal feces (poop) • After touching garbage • If your hands are visibly dirty or greasy

What type of soap should you use?

You can use bar soap or liquid soap to wash your hands. Many public places provide liquid soap because it’s easier and cleaner to share with others. Studies have not found any added health benefit from using soaps containing antibacterial ingredients when compared with plain soap. Both are equally effective in getting rid of germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

How does handwashing help fight antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria resist the effects of an antibiotic – that is, germs are not killed and they continue to grow.

Sicknesses caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be harder to treat. Simply using antibiotics creates resistance, so avoiding infections in the first place reduces the amount of antibiotics that have to be used and reduces the likelihood that resistance will develop during treatment. Handwashing helps prevent many sicknesses, meaning less use of antibiotics.

Studies have shown that handwashing can prevent

1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and

1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

For more information and a video demonstration of how to wash your hands, visit the CDC handwashing website:

www.cdc.gov/handwashing

https://espanol.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Síntomas del coronavirus (COVID-19) Conozca los síntomas del COVID-19, que pueden incluir:

Tos, falta de aire o dificultad para respirar

Dolor en el cuerpo o los músculos

Fiebre o escalofríos

Vómito o diarrea

Pérdida reciente del gusto o del olfato

Los síntomas pueden ser de leves a graves, y aparecer de 2 a 14 días después de la exposición al virus que causa el COVID-19.

Busque atención médica de inmediato si alguien tiene signos de advertencia de una emergencia del COVID-19 • Dificultad para respirar • Dolor o presión persistentes en el pecho • Estado de confusión de aparición reciente

• No puede despertarse o permanecer despierta • Color pálido, gris o azulado de la piel, los labios, o el lecho de las uñas, dependiendo del tono de piel

Esta lista no incluye todos los síntomas posibles. Llame a su proveedor de atención médica si tiene cualquier otro síntoma que sea grave o que le preocupe.

cdc.gov/coronavirus-es CS-317142-G MLS 323226

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Know the symptoms of COVID-19, which can include the following:

Cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Muscle or body aches

Fever or chills

Vomiting or diarrhea

New loss of taste or smell

Symptoms can range from mild to severe illness, and appear 2–14 days after you are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.

Seek medical care immediately if someone has Emergency Warning Signs of COVID-19 • Trouble breathing • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest • New confusion

• Inability to wake or stay awake • Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your healthcare provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

cdc.gov/coronavirus CS-317142-A

MOVEMBER MIKEY

By: Mikey Rox

Upper-Lip Service: 26 of Pop Culture’s Most Memorable Mustaches of the Past and Present

Mustache culture has lost its historical edge over the past few years as the peak-andvalley trend has taken on a new identity as a marketing gimmick. Thanks, hipsters!

What was once a symbol of masculinity and maturity – if you could grow in your upper lip like you made puberty your bitch – is today plastered in cartoonish design across coffee mugs, shower curtains, and “ironic” T-shirts whose makers don’t know the meaning of the word. You can even make mustache ice cubes using pricey silicone trays – and that just makes us side-eye. Yet the real offense here is that nowadays every 20-something vegan pennyfarthing rider who hand dips his own beeswax votives and reads the newspaper on a stick sports the style – without giving an iota of props to those who blazed the bushy trail before them. So we’ll do it instead. Behold, 26 of pop culture’s most memorable Dalís, Banditos, Mistletoes and more to remind you of 18 Fab Vegas

what it was like to once be a man (who wouldn’t migrate to El Sereno if it was the last place on Earth).

26. Yosemite Sam

The only proper ginge on this list (even if he is animated), Bugs Bunny’s gun-slingin’ archenemy Yosemite Sam made his first official debut – walrus ’stache and fiery temper to boot – in the Warner Bros.

Merrie Melodies cartoon short “Hare Trigger” in May 1945.

25. Groucho Marx

Known for his quick wit and innuendo-laced patter, Groucho – one-fifth of the successful family comedy

act the Marx Brothers – established his signature mustachioed character with greasepaint in the early 1920s before growing the real deal in his later career.

24. John Aniston

For 36 years, John Aniston (yes, Jen’s dad) has played sometimes-villain Victor Kiriakis on NBC’s “Day of Our Lives,” and so has his muzzy.

23. Got Milk? Campaign

The Got Milk? campaign ran for 21 years starting in 1993 (it was discontinued in 2014 in favor of the forgettable Milk Life ads) and featured a diverse roster of popular

celebs wearing the chalky cookie dusters, including David Beckham, Whoopi Goldberg, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Tony Bennett, Suze Orman, and Jennifer Hudson, to name a few.

22. Ned Flanders

Homer Simpson’s overly religious neighbor, Ned Flanders – with chipper catchphrases like “Okillydokilly!” and “Hey-DiddlyHo!” – has only parted with his pushbroom a few times in the show’s 32-year history, once when Homer implied that people were mocking his facial hair behind his back and another to strike a deal with Homer to control his vulgarity.

21. Lyft

OK, so it’s not a legitimate mustache – in fact, it’s called a Glowstache by Lyft insiders – but you’ve got to hand it to the ride-sharing service on its clever branding: They’ve made it easy to spot the neon “natural” in a sea of taxis when your vision is less 20/20 and more 20 proof.

20. Steve Harvey

The man, the myth, the mustache. This Original King of Comedy is a 14-time NAACP Image Award winner, and his stint as host of “Family Feud” has raised the onagain-off-again game show to one of the most-watched on television.

19. Tom Hardy

Google Tom Hardy’s old MySpace photos. His dirt squirrel doesn’t disappoint.

18. Sean Penn

With or without a crumb catcher, “Milk” star Sean Penn has always looked a little weathered – though we prefer him as a death-row inmate over a surfer-dude doobie lover.

17. Sam Elliot

It’s no wonder that Elliot’s 45-plus-year acting career has seen its fair share of roles as a frontiersman. His horseshoe mustache and family heritage – one of his relatives fought in the Battle of the Alamo – make him well suited for

Hollywood Westerns.

16. Colin Farrell

A proponent of same-sex marriage equality in his native Ireland – he even penned an open letter supporting his gay brother Eamon for Ireland’s Sunday World magazine – Farrell proved that he’s a pro at giving mustache rides in his sex tape with model Nicole Narain.

15. Albert Einstein

The German-born physicist, whose name is synonymous with science, gave grandpas everywhere license to live facially untamed with his own wild and unruly mustache.

14. Idris Elba

Elba’s salt-and-pepper flavorsaver can go American gangster on our Pacific rim anytime.

10-13. The Beatles

If you can believe it, there’s a Beatles Moustache Index online – however unrefined – that chronicles the band’s foray into facial fur, starting with Ringo in 1962. The other three Beatles didn’t don fanny dusters until late 1966.

9. Lionel Richie

While much of the Middle East still has an awkward relationship with the U.S., Arab states, like Iraq, hold a torch for Richie and his longtenured lip foliage. In 2006, ABC News’ John Berman reported that “Grown Iraqi FabLasVegas.com

19

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

-----------------------------------------------------------------------men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name. ‘I love Lionel Richie,’ they say.”

8. Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin’s toothbrush mustache, that today is synonymous with his name, came in handy during the rise of Hitler (who showed off a similar style), which the silent-era comedian used to his advantage to parody the dastardly dictator in the 1940s.

7. Nick Offerman

Offerman stole our hearts as “Parks and Recreation”s sometimes-sentimental everyman Ron Swanson – whose lip toupée is among the best we’ve ever seen – but it was only when we discovered that he’s a grown-up teddy bear in real life (who’s married to gaycon Megan Mullally) that he earned a five-star rainbow rating.

6. Frida Kahlo

Kahlo, whose revealing selfportraits effectively capture her physical and psychological suffering, had affairs with both men and women – and she didn’t shave for any of them.

5. Clark Gable

Often referred to as the King of Hollywood, Gable is the epitome of what a leading man is supposed to be – complete with a smoldering gaze, comehither smirk, and tightly trimmed tickler that frankly doesn’t give a damn.

4. Salvador Dalí 20 Fab Vegas

Indicative of his flamboyant personality and grandiose behavior, Dalí’s mustache manipulations – he once fashioned it into an infinity symbol for a photo shoot – became a trademark of his appearance beginning in the 1920s. Influenced by 17th-century Spanish master painter Diego Velázquez, the surrealist’s delicate lip doily was voted in a British Movember poll as the most famous of all time, edging out Hulk Hogan’s handlebar by six percent.

3. Freddie Mercury

There’s a laundry list of reasons to appreciate the genius that was Freddie Mercury, not the least of which was the time that he told an audience full of admiring, screaming fans that a lot of people hated his mustache – but he didn’t give a fuck. “It’s my mustache, and I’m gonna keep it!” he exclaimed before a crowd that only went wilder for the posthumous Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

2. Tom Selleck

As private investigator Thomas Magnum on “Magnum, P.I.” in the 1980s; Dr. Richard Burke on “Friends” in the ’90s; casino owner A.J. Cooper on “Las Vegas” in the late 2000s; and police commissioner Frank Reagan (the role he currently plays on CBS’ “Blue Bloods”), Selleck has redefined each decade for the past 30 years how to rock a serious Chevron with class and

panache. In fact, one of the only times you’ll see the sex symbol without his legendary mouth mirken is in “In & Out,” still one of mainstream Hollywood’s few attempts at a comedic “gay movie,” which in its day was widely noted for its 10-second kiss between the former California Army National Guard sergeant and co-star Kevin Kline.

1. John Waters

Yeah, we’re totally biased.

We admit it. But even the best argument against gay filmmaking and fashion icon John Waters reigning supreme as pop culture’s most memorable mustache is about as thin as his own renowned pencil pusher. The “Polyester” director started stuntin’ the suave style in the early 1970s, as a young auteur in Baltimore, joining the ranks of an elite group of famous folk like Errol Flynn, Sammy Davis Jr., and Little Richard who stepped out in kind. It’s not all God’s work, however; Waters relies on a little (perhaps Divine) intervention: He fills in his closely clipped mouth coif with Maybelline Velvet Black eyeliner. Totally mondo trasho.

21 Fab Vegas

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

By: Chris Azzopardi

------------------------------------------------------------------------

An Aging Queen Gets His Swan Song German character actor Udo Kier is on camera holding old prints of press photos from his previous films over his face like a Halloween mask.

He jokes that if a journalist dare ask a terrible question that he considers daft, the photos, not Kier himself, will answer back. Luckily those prints never made their way back onto camera during our conversation, which also included his “Swan Song” costar Michael Urie.

“Swan Song,” the new film from openly gay “Edge of Seventeen” director Todd Stephens (“Another Gay Movie,” “Another Gay Movie 2: Gays Gone Wild”), wouldn’t be the film it is without Kier’s brilliant performance at the heart of it. He’s a leading man for the first time, rightly earning him some of the 22 Fab Vegas

Arthouse icon Udo Kier and co-star Michael Urie on their moving, queer crossgenerational bond in ‘Swan Song’ biggest buzz of his 50-year career. But there’s no question the film’s bittersweet coda, a scene that serves as an elegiac tribute that Kier shares with Urie (“Ugly Betty”), is something special in its own right.

Poignantly, it honors older generations of unapoletically queer elders who enriched the lives of younger LGBTQ+ populations, demonstrating that, without them, queer life now wouldn’t be the same.

Though Kier, also openly gay, has appeared in more than 220 films over the span of five decades (among them: almost all of Lars von Trier’s films, as well as Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” and Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho”), he’s never played a character as proudly gay as Pat Pitsenberger, a legendary

Ohio hairstylist known as the “Liberace of Sandusky.”

Women loved Mr. Pat, as he’s called, for making them look, and consequently feel, beautiful.

Now in his advanced years and living in a nursing home, retired from doing hair, he’s more than earned the right to be a bitter old queen.

Mr. Pat survived the AIDS epidemic, lost friends, was at the forefront of gay liberation.

In this new gay world, he’s an outsider all over again, his glory days behind him. But when one of his former clients dies and he’s asked to do her hair, he has an opportunity to reclaim the history that made him who he is.

Kier, speaking from Los Angeles, and Urie, at home in New York, recently chatted

23 Fab Vegas

Photo Credit: Vegas Urban Pride

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

------------------------------------------------------------------------

about shooting their powerful scene, what attracted them to the film and the legacies they hope to leave behind.

What made you agree to do this project?

Udo Kier: For me, I got the script and I liked it. I said, “I want to meet Todd, because I want to see if I can work with him.” If I wouldn’t have liked him, I wouldn’t have made the film. But I liked him.

He came to Palm Springs, and we talked about it. His script was very strong. And I wanted to shoot as chronologically as we could. I wanted to start in the retirement home, which we did. I stayed there a single day on my own with no camera, because I wanted to feel the bed, I wanted to see where everything was. And then we went into town.

For me, the importance (of) this film is the different generation — my generation — and going back (to Ohio), and people don’t recognize me anymore. You see, I’m from Germany, and in Germany ... if two men lived together, and the neighbors were hearing some erotic noises, they could call the police and the people were arrested and put in jail.

Now they’re holding hands at Applebee’s.

So I think it’s so, so wonderful (that) in (a) relatively short time, two men or two women can get married and adopt children. It’s amazing. It’s amazing that, after 50 years in the business working with genius directors like Lars von Trier and Gus Van Sant, the critics now write that it is my best film.

24 Fab Vegas

Michael Urie: It was Udo from the beginning. When I was offered the job, he was already on board. That was very exciting to me, ‘cause I’ve been a longtime fan of both the filmmaker, Todd, and Udo. But it’s this quiet observation that we as queer people have when we’re younger. Most queer people do not grow up in households with other queer people, and so we look elsewhere to find ourselves to see what we could be.

Michael, your character Dustin acknowledges that Pat, even though they had never met, made it easier for him to be openly gay. Who are the queer people you never personally knew who paved the way for you to be openly gay?

Urie: I’m from Texas, and I grew up in a suburb of Dallas called Plano, Texas. I was in drama in high school, and I was reading great queer literature and (there was) theater: “Angels in America” and Terrence McNally plays. I was exposed to this stuff, and I was aware of it and titillated by it. But there was a guy in my high school who was tall, strapping, extremely well dressed, very attractive, and pretty obviously gay. When I picture him in my head, he’s 30, even though he was, of course, 17 at the time. I looked to him and his strength and his power and his beauty. He was, in many ways, my Mr. Pat. I still think back on him. I still think about how awesome he was.

As gay men, do either of you

see parts of yourself reflected in Pat?

Kier: I think, first of all, Michael, you did amazing, good work. (Our) scene on the couch works so well because I don’t move one inch. If I would have had a conversation, that would have been not good. But just having the cigarettes with the ashes, and listening, listening, listening made it stronger than if I would have answered you.

I’m more like an actor who likes to underplay (the character). That’s why, also, I never rehearsed with Todd, because Todd is a director who likes to rehearse. I learned from Lars von Trier, (whose) favorite line is, “Don’t act.” I always think about, especially if you’re in a movie like “Swan Song,” when you have a strong story, a strong situation, which is funny at times, and sad at times, there’s no need to do acting numbers. A lot of actors, they’ll start with their back to the camera, by the chimney, and then they’ll turn around and they’ll talk to the floor, and finally they’ll come up to the camera. No, no, no, no.

Yesterday I saw 20 minutes (of “Swan Song”), and today I will see the whole film at Outfest, and it’s a strong film.

I hope a lot of people will see it. I showed it before to a few friends. Not many. I don’t have many friends. But I showed it to a few friends, and they all said, “Oh, I cried and cried.

And I laughed.” So that is good. If you’re able to tell a story where people laugh and cry, that’s good.

It’s amazing how many really young people liked the movie.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CELEBRITY INTERVIEW

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You know, I was afraid that (they’d say), “There’s an old man.” But it’s not true. There were young, young people.

And one girl, yesterday, said to Todd, “This is one of my favorite films ever.” And I said, “Wow. Maybe she only goes once a year to the cinema.”

I got choked up throughout the movie thinking a lot about my older self and what I might be like when I’m Pat’s age, how I might look back on my life. Do you feel like you share something in common with Pat when it comes to being gay and aging?

Kier: That’s why I accepted the role. Todd told me a lot about Pat and when I got there (to Sandusky) I talked to Pat’s friends and (they) told me how he was smoking and things like that. It’s definitely the generation, and we’re very lucky that in Sandusky, the main street became our set.

So in that green suit, I went to have a glass of chardonnay, and they all know me. There was the secondhand store and across the street was the theater, so it became all real.

It was not a film where you have trailers. No, no, no, no. It was a real film. It was all from my heart. It wasn’t calculated.

I never in the whole film calculated a situation. When I come out and say, “I’m back!,” that was a copy of Liberace.

Because when Liberace was performing in Las Vegas, he ran through the stage with all (his) rings and said, “You paid for them.”

Because this movie says a lot 26 Fab Vegas

about the legacies we leave behind, how do both of you hope others will remember you?

Kier: Well, in my case, because Mike is so much younger, doing it for 50 years, being Andy Warhol’s Dracula, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein, people will, I guess, remember me (for those roles). But, for me, it’s really amazing that Variety and all the critics write that (“Swan Song” is) my best film. I feel a little bit strange about that. Making so many films with great directors, like “My Own Private Idaho” with Gus, and now they write it’s my best film. I know why.

You know why? Because I have the leading part, and you follow the character. If you have a guest part in a film, people say, “He’s very good.

He’s a good villain, yeah, yeah, yeah.” But they cannot follow you through the story, from folding napkins to wearing wonderful shoes when he’s dead (laughs).

Urie: I guess I want my legacy to be: “He was part of cool things. And he was always himself.” I’ve been in a lot of queer movies and queer theater and — Kier: Strange movies.

Urie: (Laughs.) I’ve been in a lot of strange movies. And there was a point when I was first on TV and I was playing a very flamboyant gay character and I was told, “Don’t do this again. Don’t do any more of these. Don’t get pigeonholed.”

And I thought, “There’s so many different kinds of gay people.” And I do play gay parts all the time, and they are different. We have so

many different ways of being LGBTQ, and there are so many stories to tell.

I’m so proud to be part of this one, which I saw with a group at the Rooftop Film Festival in Brooklyn (with) a group of predominantly heterosexual people who loved it. That is a really exciting thing, too, to be a part of a movie that you would maybe call a gay movie because the protagonist is gay and the central conflict has to do with his homosexuality, but this is a straight person’s gay movie. Straight people love it.

I think that’s a testament to Udo and a performance at the center that can compel and delight and break your heart.

It’s a piece of life, watching it. And working on it felt like walking into the movie.

As Udo said, we took over that town — or they took over that town, and I showed up. I showed up at a certain point in the shoot and I felt like I was walking into a movie — not onto a film set, but into a movie. There he was in his green suit, and we didn’t talk much before we started shooting. He wanted our first interaction to be our first interaction. I’m used to going on stage and making people laugh, and here I am in this movie, reacting to a person.

This is a guy walking into my space, and it was actually very easy because he was bringing so much over to me.

Michael, what do you think this film says about aging, in particular regarding the queer demographic?

Urie: That’s very interesting because now the way queer people navigate the world —

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------marriage, parenting — there is a more traditional societybased way of getting older. An older person gets taken care of (by) family and loved ones.

But I think all of us as queer people, we’re not going to have a life that society deems as normal. That is one of the things that we fear: that we will grow old alone or have no one to take care of us.

Certainly it’s a fear that I have and I think about.

But what’s so beautiful about Mr. Pat and the way in which I relate to Mr. Pat is that, even though now it’s 2021 and queer people are accepted — I can walk down the street holding hands with my partner and I don’t feel any shame anymore or any danger, and I actually feel proud to do that; we’re legal, we’re allowed to marry, we’re allowed to have kids, we have full protections under the law, for the most part, I can blend in, I can

27 Fab Vegas

assimilate — I don’t want to.

I think that is something that the older generation, when marriage equality became a thing and when people started getting married, thought, “Why would we need that?

We’ve been fine without that. We don’t wanna be like straight people; we don’t wanna get married.” It’s two different things. It’s the right to be married, versus the need to be married. Also, I’m proud of who I am, and I’m proud to be different, and I don’t need to assimilate. I can be someone else. I think that I want to always have a little bit of Mr. Pat. I don’t wanna walk down the street and have people think, “That’s a straight person.”

Kier: (Laughs.) You have to get a green suit! Get a green suit and just smoke like (him).

Yesterday I looked up, because I hear (it) now so many times, the word “queer.” I wanted

to look in the dictionary (to see) what it means. And queer means, actually, strange. If you go on the dictionary, it says queer means strange. Um, (I) definitely did a strange performance. (Laughs.)

So you might call your performance queer?

Kier: Not me. It’s just a performance. It’s not my swan song. I have made already four films after that. And so it’s not my swan song. That was the danger of it: I thought, “Oh my god, ‘Swan Song.’ I’m 77 years old soon, so is that maybe my last movie?” No, no, no. I had to go to Lars von Trier and quickly make a movie. And that’ll be my swan song.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity

PLANET OF HOLLYWOOD

By: Romeo San Vincente

Colman Domingo Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

LGBTQIA+ HOLLYWOOD

Civil Rights Movement hero Bayard Rustin gets biopic with Colman Domingo Bayard Rustin, one of the organizers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington, was less often a public figure due to being openly gay at a time before the queer civil rights movement had the momentum it built in the 1970s. But his Quaker beliefs were part of King’s philosophy of justice and non-violence, and now it’s time for his place in history to get its spotlight with a biopic.

We couldn’t ask for a better actor to take on this role than Colman Domingo. Tonynominated for “The Scottsboro Boys,” the openly gay actor has also been working for a long time now in film and TV – “Zola,” “Euphoria,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and anytime he shows up it’s 28 Fab Vegas

a welcome addition to the project. “Rustin,” the first produced by the Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, for Netflix, will be written by Dustin Lance Black, directed by George C. Wolfe, and will focus on Rustin’s personal journey and his public work with King. Chris Rock co-stars, and, because we’re all queer here, there’s an added bonus with the casting of Broadway star Audra McDonald in a supporting role. Look for “Rustin” on Netflix sometime in 2022.

‘Hellraiser’ reboot pins Jamie Clayton to star The “Hellraiser” reboot has a cast! And as we hoped, Clive Barker creation Pinhead – who we always assumed was queer because, come on, is there a bigger diva? – will be handled by none other

than “Sense8” and “L Word: Generation Q” star Jamie Clayton. Clayton is one of our favorites among Hollywood’s exciting crop of upcoming trans artists who’re changing the game when it comes to casting, so this news couldn’t be more timely or appropriate.

David Bruckner (“The Night House”) will take on directorial duties and “Grand Army” actress Odessa A’zion will star alongside Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”), Goran Visnjic (“ER”) and Drew Starkey (“Love, Simon”).

We’re told the story involves the origin of the extradimensional creatures known as Cenobites, but that could have fully changed course since we first learned of the project. Hulu gets it in 2022, and until then there are so many sequels to the original film to catch up on, you can easily occupy your time until

FabLasVegas.com

29

PLANET OF HOLLYWOOD our favorite monster returns Photo Credit: to tear your soulInstagram apart.

Ready to love Ben Platt again in ‘The People We Hate’ Twitter-dunking on Ben Platt may be trending at the moment, thanks to the divisive film adaptation of “Dear Evan Hansen,” but we’re still on his team and rooting for the talented actor’s upcoming work, even if we’ll be very old when Richard Linklater finishes his shootacross-the-years “Merrily We Roll Along” in 2040. Sooner on the horizon is Amazon’s “The People That We Hate at the Wedding.” Production is underway in London for the ensemble comedy featuring Platt, Allison Janney and Kristen Bell. Bell and Platt play siblings at a wedding they don’t want to be at alongside Janney, their mother. Claire

FRONT COVER PHOTO BY Ben Platt ENTERPRISES MONARCHY 30 Fab Vegas

Scanlon directs the adaptation of Grant Ginder’s novel, where dirty laundry is aired and comedy ensues. And there’s a supporting cast that includes Cynthia AddaiRobinson (“Power”), Karan Soni (“Not Okay”), Dustin Milligan (“Schitt’s Creek”), Tony Goldwyn (“King Richard”), Isaach De Bankolé (“Black Panther”) and Jorma Taccone (“Popstar”). We hate weddings, too, but we’ll accept this invite.

It’s Lesbian Christmas at Lifetime Lifetime’s first lesbian-themed Christmas movie is coming this December, not a moment too soon. Leaving Hallmark in their dust when it comes to bolder strides toward story inclusivity, the network has greenlighted “Under the

Christmas Tree,” starring Elise Bauman, Tattiawna Jones and Ricki Lake. The story revolves around – get ready for this groundbreaking stuff – a successful businesswoman (Bauman) meeting a Christmas tree curator (Jones). They don’t get along at first! They dance around their attraction! Will it all work out in the end? Will they get together? How will bakery queen Ricki Lake employ gingerbread women to make the real life women fall in love? You know the answers.

You’ll watch it anyway. It’s lesbians. We need them at Christmas more than ever and you know it. Play the drinking game of your choice on December 19.

Romeo San Vicente prefers a boozy Christmas pudding on fire.

Vacúnese.

Tome su teléfono inteligente.

Empiece a usar v-safe.

10:18 AM

10:18 AM

Use su teléfono inteligente para decirles a los CDC si presenta algún efecto secundario después de vacunarse contra el COVID-19.

También recibirá recordatorios si necesita una segunda dosis de la vacuna.

Inscríbase usando el navegador de su teléfono inteligente en

vsafe.cdc.gov O Apunte la cámara de su teléfono inteligente a este código

Infórmese más sobre v-safe www.cdc.gov/vsafe 12/21/20

U. He Ce Co

Get vaccinated.

Get your smartphone.

Get started with v-safe.

10:18 AM

10:18 AM

Use your smartphone to tell CDC about any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

You’ll also get reminders if you need a second vaccine dose.

Sign up with your smartphone’s browser at

vsafe.cdc.gov OR Aim your smartphone’s camera at this code

Learn more about v-safe www.cdc.gov/vsafe 12/01/20

U. He Ce Co

South Torrey Pines Dr

Upland Boulevard

Alta Dr

iv e

West Charleston Boulevard

West Charleston Boulevard

Valley Vi ew Boulevard

Buffalo

South Cimarron Road

South Durango Drive

rd

va

ard

South Decatur Boulevard

lev

South Rampa

u Bo

rt B ou le

nd

Charleston Heights

Alta Drive

South Jones Boulevard

ridge

r

la Up

ive

w Boulevard

a Dr

Ramparet Boulevard

A lt

Alta Driv e

FLEX

WEST CHAR

Hills R

oa d

Buffalo Drive

THE PHOENIX

ve Dri

Sout hR anc ho

W es t Flamingo Road

15

West Tropicana Avenu e

CHARLIES

Raphael Rivera Way Roy Horn Way

Dean Martin Dr

West Sunset Road

Sunset Rd

West Sunset

South Fort Apache Road

d West Warm Spring s Roa

South Decatur Boulevard

South Decatur Blvd

S El Capitan Way

Mountain's Edge

Jones Boulevard

Buffalo Drive

South Durango Drive

West Wigwam Avenue

West Pebble Road

34 Fab Vegas

Enterprise

Dean Martin Dr

West Windmill Lane

West Robindale Road

Rainbow Boulevard

South Buffalo Drive

West Robindale Road

South Jones Boulevard

West Warm Springs Road

Warm Spri ngs Road

Rd

215

Raphael Rivera Way Roy Horn Way

Dean Martin Drive

Raphael Rivera Way Roy Horn Way

Raphael Rivera Way Roy Horn Way

Way

South Jones Boulevard

Brent Thurman Way

a el Riv era Way

orn

Dr

Raph

yH

West Sunset Rd

Sunset Road

South Rainbow Boulevard

Ro

rtin

15

West Sunse t Road

Road

Russell Roa

Dean Ma

South Decatur Boulevard

South Buffalo Drive

South Rainbow Boulevard

Tar kanian W Jerry ay

West Hacienda Avenue

West Russell Road

Rue de

Dean Martin Drive

ay Brent Thur man W

e

West Harmon A ve n u

Dr ive

West Tropicana Avenue

Spanish Trail

Spanish Hills

Sinat ra Dr

De Mar an tin Dr

West Flamingo Road

South Decatur Boulevard

West Tropicana Ave

in A ve

Dean Martin Dr

Spring Valley

Flamingo Heights

Tw a

Frank Sinatra Dr

West Flamingo Road

South el Capitan Way

We st

West Twain Avenue

Buffalo Ranch

Bridgeport

Spring Mou

Arville Street

Peace Way

Chinatown

Frank Sinatra

South Durango Drive

West Twain Av enue

South Jones Boulevard

South Cimarron Road

South El Capitan Way

Spring Mountain Road

South Lindell Road

st Twain Avenue

South Torrey Pines Drive

West Desert Inn Road

Polaris Avenue

th Drive

Rainbow Boulevard

Buffalo Drive

as t Dri ve eE ak

Lake Sou

West Pennwood Ave

Edna A venue

Decatur Boulevard

South Fort Apache Road

L

Valley View Boulevard

The Lakes

Frank

West Sahara Avenue

Road

Lake North Drive

Arville Street

South Cimarron

Canyon Gate

West Oakey Boulevard Lindell Road

anch

West W

Av e

Pecos Road

Ro ad

lark

Pe co

s Ve

Av e

East Stewart Avenue

BACKDOOR

th La

ville

EC

Eastern Ave

rd leva Bou

ne

gas

St

Av e

Bo n

s

La St

4th

th C Bou asino leva Cen rd ter

ue

Sou

S Cen outh tral Grand Par kway

Ma in

South Rancho Drive

So uth Martin L King Boulevard

ss

CENTER

rk A ven

Boulevard

Cla

Ga

Marion Dr

515

ndhill Road

Downtown

North Mojave Road

West Ave Bonneville

Eastern Ave

Alta Drive

d

Sou

on e tre

d ise R

Par ad

HE

HAWKS GYM

Sand Rd hill

LAS VEGAS LOUNGE SPOTLIGHT LOUNGE

East Desert Inn Road

Swenson Street

Maryland Parkway

UNLV

EASTERN AVE

Koval Lane

ne

515 East Flamingo Rd

EAST HARMON AVE

e Monte Carlo

East Harm Ave

515

THE EAGLE

East Tropica na Ave

Parad

East Hacienda Avenue

EASTERN AVE

East Hacienda Ave

Ru ss

Russell Road

ell

Ro

ad

North Green Valley Parkway

East Patrick Lane

Sunset Road

Sunset Road

Sunset Road

Sandhill Road

N

oa

R et

ns Su

South Las Ve gas Boulevard

MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Ru s Rd sell

South Pecos Road

Departing Flights

East Hacienda Avenue

East Hacienda Avenue

oad ise R Russell Road

ad

East Tropican a Avenue

EAST TROPICANA AVE

Mountain Vista Street

Giles St

Swenson Street

EAST TROPICANA AVE

Mandalay Bay Rd

East Flamingo Road

Sandhill Rd

RD

Swenson St

DISE

THE GARAGE

NAPLES DR

on

EAST FLAMINGO RD

PARA

The Loop

rc

ct

Spencer Street

In

MARYS

East Flamingo Road

te

Sandhill Road

od

e cL

Koval Lane

FUN HOG

South Nellis Boulevard

s-M

PARADISE RD

EAST DESERT INN RD

East Twain Ave

FREEZONE GET BOOKED PIRANHA QUADZ

Veg as Valley D rive

o Pec

Sands Ave

EASTERN AVE

Paradise Rd

EG SV LA

my

BADLANDS SALOON ENTOURAGE

d

Sa m

C

“T

VD BL AS

rD riv e nio

Da vis

Ju

e

HAWKS GYM

Convention Center Dr

d

Karen Avenue

Center / Square

R ill

ve

Karen Avenue

Karen Avenue

E

East Sahara Avenue

dh

lley Pa rk

Eastern Av enue

East Windmill Lane

Windmill Lane

Green Valley

le Val N o rth e Dr V erd

East Windmill Lane

East Windmill Lane

North Pecos Road

Paradise Road

South Las Vegas Boulevard

East Robindale Road

North Valle Verde Dr

East Warm Springs Road

North Arroyo Grande Boulevard

Road

W

Va ll e Verde Drive

wa

y

or th

East Warm Springs

East Warm Springs Rd

East Warm Springs Road

South Pecos Rd

East Windmill Parkway North Vall e V er de

Pecos Road

Wigwam Parkway

Pebble Roa

d

Pebble Road

Paseo Verde

oV er

de

P ark

wa y

e Drive

FabLasVegas.com ut h

Green Valley

So

eo Verde Par kwa y

Pa se

Pa se

P as

V alle Verd

oV e rd

Serene Ave nue Serene Avenue

de

eP a

ay rkw

n Gra South A rroyo ar d B oulev

Eastern Avenue

Bermuda Road

Pebble Road

ive

East Pebble Road

Dr

Wigwam Park way

South Maryland Parkway

Warm Springs R d

215

d

Hidden We ll Road

George Cro ckett Road

North Green Va

Dri

East Sahara Avenue

n Sa

nd

East Saint Louis Avenue

EAST SAHARA AVE

McLeod Drive

hla

East St Louis Ave

East Saint Louis Avenue

East St Louis Ave

North Lamb Boulevard

ST RIP ”

t

Hig

East Wyoming Avenue

tS

South Bridge Lane

e

515

em Fr

15

d

EAST CHARLESTON BLVD

South Main St

18b Arts District West Wyoming Ave

untain Roa

EAST CHARLESTON BLVD

South

RLESTON BLVD

35

Information for Teens: Staying Healthy and Preventing STDs If you choose to have sex, know how to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

What are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

STDs are diseases that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. These include chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis, and HIV. Many of these STDs do not show symptoms for a long time. Even without symptoms, they can still be harmful and passed on during sex.

consider before having sex. It’s okay to say “no” if you don’t want to have sex.

•

If you do decide to have sex, you and your partner should get tested for STDs beforehand. Make sure that you and your partner use a condom from start to finish every time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Know where to get condoms and how to use them correctly. It is not safe to stop using condoms unless you’ve both been tested for STDs, know your results, and are in a mutually monogamous relationship.

•

Mutual monogamy means that you and your partner both agree to only have sexual contact with each other. This can help protect against STDs, as long as you’ve both been tested and know you’re STD-free.

•

Before you have sex, talk with your partner about how you will prevent STDs and pregnancy. If you think you’re ready to have sex, you need to be ready to protect your body. You should also talk to your partner ahead of time about what you will and will not do sexually. Your partner should always respect your right to say no to anything that doesn’t feel right.

•

Make sure you get the health care you need. Ask a doctor or nurse about STD testing and about vaccines against HPV and hepatitis B.

•

Girls and young women may have extra needs to protect their reproductive health.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about regular cervical cancer screening, and chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. You may also want to discuss unintended pregnancy and birth control.

•

Avoid mixing alcohol and/or recreational drugs with sex. If you use alcohol and drugs, you are more likely to take risks, like not using a condom or having sex with someone you normally wouldn’t have sex with.

How are STDs spread?

You can get an STD by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has an STD. Anyone who is sexually active can get an STD. You don’t even have to “go all the way” (have anal or vaginal sex) to get an STD. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skinto-skin contact.

How common are STDs? STDs are common, especially among young people. There are about 20 million new cases of STDs each year in the United States. About half of these infections are in people between the ages of 15 and 24. Young people are at greater risk of getting an STD for several reasons: •

Young women’s bodies are biologically more prone to STDs.

•

Some young people do not get the recommended STD tests.

•

Many young people are hesitant to talk openly and honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex lives.

•

Not having insurance or transportation can make it more difficult for young people to access STD testing.

•

Some young people have more than one sex partner.

What can I do to protect myself?

•

The surest way to protect yourself against STDs is to not have sex. That means not having any vaginal, anal, or oral sex (“abstinence”). There are many things to

36 Fab Vegas

against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

If Iare getsexually an STD, how will Idiseases know? (STDs)?

What transmitted STDs are diseases that are passed from one person to another Many STDs don’t cause any symptoms that you through sexual contact. These include chlamydia, gonorrhea, would notice. only way(HPV), to know for sure genital herpes, humanThe papillomavirus syphilis, and HIV. if you haveSTDs an STD to get tested.forYou can get an Many of these do notis show symptoms a long time.

Even without they can stillwith be harmful and passed STDsymptoms, from having sex someone whoonhas no during sex. symptoms.

Just like you, that person might not

even he or she has an STD. How are know STDs spread?

You can get an STD by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with Where can I get tested? someone who has an STD. Anyone who is sexually active can get an STD.There You don’t have that to “gooffer all theteen-friendly, way” (have anal or vaginal areeven places sex) to get an STD. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, confidential, and free STD tests. This means that are spread by skin-to-skin contact.

no one has to find out you’ve been tested. Visit

How common to arefind STDs? GetTested an STD testing location near

STDs are common, especially among young people. There are you. about 20 million new cases of STDs each year in the United States.

About halfSTDs of thesebe infections are in people between the ages of Can treated?

15 and 24. Young people are at greater risk of getting an STD for Your doctor can prescribe medicine to cure several reasons:

some STDs, like chlamydia and gonorrhea.

• Young women’s bodies are biologically more prone Other STDs, like herpes, can’t be cured, but you to STDs.

can take medicine to help with the symptoms.

• Some young people do not get the recommended If STD youtests. are ever treated for an STD, be sure to

•finish Manyall young peoplemedicine, are hesitanteven to talkifopenly and better of your you feel honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex before you finish it all.

Ask the doctor orlives. nurse

testing and treatment for your partner, •about Not having insurance or transportation can make it more difficult young people to access STD avoid testing.having too.

Youfor and your partner should until you’ve both been •sex Some young people have moretreated. than one Otherwise, sex partner you may continue to pass the STD back and forth. It is possible to get an STD again (after

What can I do to protect myself?

• The surest way to protect yourself against STDs is to not you’ve been you have sex with have sex.

Thattreated), means notifhaving any vaginal, anal, or someone who has anThere STD. oral sex (“abstinence”). are many things to consider before having sex. It’s okay to say “no” if you don’t want to What happens if I don’t treat an STD? have sex.

Some curable STDs can be dangerous if they aren’t treated. For example, if left untreated, CS287360A chlamydia and gonorrhea can make it difficult— or even impossible—for a woman to get pregnant. You also increase your chances of getting HIV if you have an untreated STD. Some STDs, like HIV, can be fatal if left untreated.

What if my partner or I have an incurable STD? Some STDs, like herpes and HIV, aren’t curable, but a doctor can prescribe medicine to treat the symptoms.

If you are living with an STD, it’s important to

tell partner before youyouhave sex. partner Although • Ifyour you do decide to have sex, and your should get tested for STDs beforehand.

Make sure that you and it may be uncomfortable to talk about your your partner usehonest a condom from start to finish every STD, open and conversation can help time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Know where to your partner make informed decisions to get condoms and how to use them correctly. It is not protect his or her health. safe to stop using condoms unless you’ve both been STDs, knowwho your results, and are them? in a mutually If Itested havefor questions, can answer monogamous relationship.

If• you have questions, talk to a parent or other Mutual monogamy means that you and your partner both trusted be afraid be each openother. andThis agreeadult. to only Don’t have sexual contactto with honest with themagainst aboutSTDs, yourasconcerns.

If both you’re can help protect long as you’ve been and know evertested confused or you’re need STD-free. advice, they’re the first place to start.

After were young once, • Before you have sex, all, talk they with your partner about how too.you will prevent STDs and pregnancy. If you think you’re ready to have sex, you need to be ready to protect your

Talking about sexalso with parent or another body. You should talkato your partner ahead of time adult doesn’t need bewill a one-time about what you willto and not do sexually. Your partner conversation. bestyour to leave the forthat should alwaysIt’s respect right to saydoor no to open anything doesn’t feel right. conversations in the future.

• Make sure you get the health care you need. Ask a doctor It’s also important to talk honestly with a doctor or nurse about STD testing and about vaccines against or nurse.

Ask which STD tests and vaccines HPV and hepatitis B. they recommend for you.

• Girls and young women may have extra needs to protect

their reproductive health.information?

Talk to your doctor or nurse Where can I get more

about regular cervical cancer screening, and chlamydia

CDC and gonorrhea testing. You may also want to discuss

unintended birth control.

How You Canpregnancy Preventand Sexually Transmitted • Avoid mixing alcohol and/or recreational drugs with sex.

Diseases If you use alcohol and drugs, you are more likely to take www.cdc.gov/std/prevention/

risks, like not using a condom or having sex with someone

Teen youPregnancy normally wouldn’t have sex with. https://www.cdc.gov/ teenpregnancy/teens/ index.htm

CDC-INFO Contact Center 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) Contact wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ ContactUs/Form HealthFinder.gov STD Testing: Conversation Starters https://healthfinder.gov/ HealthTopics/ Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/ hiv-and-other-stds/std-testing-conversationstarters American Sexual Health Association Sexual Health and You http://www.iwannaknow.org/ teens/ sexualhealth.html FabLasVegas.com

37

STD (SEXUALLY TRASMITTED DISEASES) INFO SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES INFO, TESTING & RESOURCES WHAT IS A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE? Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), are infections that are commonly spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex and oral sex.

WHAT IS HIV? HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system.It is usually spread by anal or vaginal sex or sharing syringes with a person who has HIV. The only way to know you have HIV is to be tested.

Everyone aged 13-64 should be tested at least once, and people at high risk should be tested at least once a year. Ask your doctor, or visit gettested.cdc.gov to find a testing site. Without treatment, HIV can make a person very sick or may even cause death. If you have HIV, start treatment as soon as possible to stay healthy and help protect your partners.

Nevada is the fifth highest state in the United States for rates of new HIV diagnoses and is #1 in Syphillis *According to CDC HIV Surveillance Report, 2017 and the CDC Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report, 2017 released in 2018

38 Fab Vegas

STD TESTING RESOURCE SOUTHERN NEVADA HEALTH DISTRICT ADDRESS: 280 S. Decatur Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89107 HOURS: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.* *The clinic opens at 9:00 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month.

The following services are offered at the Sexual Health Clinic: 1.

Diagnosis and treatment of active or suspected cases of:

•

Chlamydia

•

Gonorrhea

•

Syphilis

•

HIV

•

Trichomonas (females only)

•

Bacterial Vaginosis (females only)

2.

Free condoms and instruction on how to safely use them (both male and female condom)

3.

Follow-up bloodwork

4.

High-risk behavior counseling

5.

HIV Nursing Case Management

6.

Injection series for syphilis medication

7.

Partner notification

8.

Referrals by private physicians

9.

Sexual assault follow-up

10. Test results and couseling Clients seeking treatment at the Sexual Health Clinic should know that the Health District is required to report cases involving assault or abuse to appropriate agencies.

HIV Testing: HIV antibody testing is a simple blood test performed by a trained professional. This procedure is strictly confidential. Counseling regarding the meaning of the test and its result take place before the actual testing to ensure you understand HIV infection and the testing procedure.

HIV testing procedure: Blood Test – Blood drawn from a vein is tested for HIV antibodies. This test is available at the Sexual Health Clinic (280 S. Decatur Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89107 ), Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Please call (702) 759-0702 for more information.

If you have questions, contact the clinic by phone at (702) 759-0702 or by email at SexualHealth@snhd.org.

FabLasVegas.com

39

PRIDE FLAGS

PRIDE FLAGS

COMMUNITY RESOURCES 44 Fab Vegas

FabLasVegas.com

45

www.afanlv.org Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) provides support and advocacy for adults and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada.

AFAN works to reduce HIV infection through prevention and education to eliminate fear, prejudice and the stigma associated with the disease.