GED MAGAZINE - JUNE 2023

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Alexander Rodriguez

Ethylina Canne

Stan Jenson

Michael Westman

Cover Model: Nick Adams

Cover Photo By: Evan Zimmerman

Happy PRIDE month and happy summer! This issue is all about pride – pride in being who you are and celebrating our LGBTQ+ community. You’ve seen our cover model, Nick Adams on Broadway, in and out of drag. Jason Stuart is a comedic trailblazer, coming out 30 years ago on Geraldo. Mama Tits, the spicy mama from south of the border, is heading out of Mexico for her first US tour. And, of course, we have your calendar of pride events throughout California.

I am also pleased to announce that GED Magazine is celebrating 11 years of publishing this month! To celebrate we are having some fun events –Mama Tits, will be performing at Oscars (oscarspalmsprings.com) on her first stop of a US Tour. You won’t want to miss her on June 7th! Dragaritaville Bingo on June 8th at the Margaritaville Resort, Ethyl’s Place Bingo on June 11th at The Roost Lounge (theroostcc.com) benefitting the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, and Equality Wine Fest (equalitywinefest.com) on July 1st.

Please visit us on the web at GEDmag.com to read the current digital issue and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @GEDmagazine. Gay Entertainment Directory… here for your entertainment!

ON STAGE with STAN

HOLLYWOOD BOWL: June means we are well and truly into summer and for me, that means entertainment under the stars. My #1 favorite is the Hollywood Bowl, a monstrous venue that seats around 18,000 people and has been in existence for nearly 110 years. Admittedly it takes a bit of effort to visit the Bowl. Most of the parking is remote, but the shuttles before and after concerts are surprisingly efficient. The front third of the seating is individual boxes for two or four guests. Dinner is encouraged and the staff installs tables and guests can dine facing each other. You can order dinner there, or bring your own, including wine.

When it’s showtime, the tables are removed, and all seats are faced toward the stage. These boxes are priced at a premium, but worth aiming for. The remainder of the seats are wooden benches with backs. Cushions can be rented, or you can bring your own. Large video screens give you close-ups of the performance.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic is the resident orchestra, and they often accompany pop acts such as Gwen Stefani on the official opening night, June 3. I’m looking forward to Backstreet Boys, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Loggins and Messina, and Ricky Martin. The Bowl also produces a Broadway musical each summer with concert staging – ie, the orchestra is on the stage and the musical, featuring name stars, is done in front of them using small set pieces and full costumes. This year’s offering is Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper’s salute to hard-working drag queens. It plays July 8 – 10.

Look at the calendar at www.hollywoodbowl.com . There are a number of light classical evenings, shows where the orchestra accompanies popular movies such as Back to the Future, an annual mariachi festival, jazz festival, etc. Try to schedule a performance which includes fireworks. Their pyrotechnic displays are accompanied by a symphony orchestra playing patriotic melodies and I have rarely seen anything as magnificent.

As always, when booking tickets make doubly sure that you are booking directly with the bowl. The re-sellers work hard to look like they are the official box office.

THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE: Another long-time favorite is San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. Each year they stage two Shakespeare

JENSON

plays in their outdoor Festival Theatre. Before you turn up your nose at the mention of the Bard, these productions are delightful, easily understood, and trimmed down to around two hours – very approachable. The actors are still speaking Elizabethan English, but they are so comfortable with it that it seems the most natural thing in the world.

Their first Shakespeare production will be The Taming of the Shrew, his comedy about the battle of the sexes, playing June 5 through July 10. That will be followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream which features magic, humor, music, spectacle, and merriment.

The Old Globe is in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Parking is tricky so arrive early and be prepared to walk a bit from the car park. Again, the park is so beautiful that you might consider picking up some takeout food and enjoying it in the park before your show. There are also numerous museums and gardens near the theatre.

The Old Globe operate three separate theatres next to each other. In addition to the outdoor Festival Theatre, they have medium and small indoor theatres which present outstanding fare. Take a look at their schedule or buy tickets at www.theoldglobe.org.

AFTERGLOW: An exciting production opens this month at The Hudson Theatre at 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Afterglow, an international hit sensation, is a raw, one-act play exploring the emotional, intellectual, and physical connections between three men and the broader implications within their relationships. When Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, invite Darius to share their bed one night, a new intimate connection begins to form and all three men must come to terms with their individual definitions of love, loyalty, and trust as futures are questioned, relationships are shaken, and commitments are challenged. The producers, Midnight Theatricals, haven’t announced a closing date, but I would suggest booking a ticket right now. The material is relevant, the theatre intimate and, well, the men are hunky. For tickets and more information, please visit www.afterglowla.com.

Lola was a loving, kind, gentle soul, who always had a smile She truly wanted to, and did, give back to our community in so many ways. A talented makeup and hair stylist, she loved sequins, shopping, a good hike au naturel, and worked at helping to destigmatize and eradicate AIDS/HIV

She was part of the GED Magazine family for many years and we will always be grateful for our time together. Her smile will endure in our hearts forever. RIP Lola/Miki, we love you.

Pool Pool Party Party

Teresa Giudcoochie Teresa Giudcoochie & TonyOMFG & TonyOMFG

Photo by Bella Marie Adams

Nick Adams Loving His Queer-Forward Career

By Alexander Rodriguez

Nick Adams is an entertainer on many levels. Acting, singing, dancing, film, stage, and more, he’s done it all. He’s won Audience Choice Awards from Broadway.com, received an Astaire Award nomination for Best Dancer, and has been honored by the American Theatre Hall of Fame. He is instantly recognizable by his signature smile, powerhouse vocals, and yes, that body that held Mario Lopez to task. His theatre credits have taken him from appearing in classic Broadway hits that include Guys and Dolls, Chicago, and A Chorus Line to appearing in Wicked and the critically acclaimed North American Tour of Lincoln Center Theatre’s Broadway production of Falsettos Film work has included a dash of everything from HBO’s The Other Two, Netflix’s Inventing Anna, Sex and the City 2, to Hulu’s big gay summer hit, Fire Island. This fall, he took part in the world premiere of DRAG: The Musical, written by Drag Race’s Alaska, and appeared alongside New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre, drag’s Jackie Cox, and Jan Sport, sharing some scene-chewing scenes with Alaska herself.

Nick’s love affair with musical theatre started at eight years old when a touring production of A Chorus Line came to his hometown of Eerie, Pennsylvania. Fifteen years later, he would join a revival of the show on Broadway. His first trip to New York City at age 15 to see his first Broadway musical, Chicago, would also prove to be fate.

The show was still very new and fresh then, so it was dangerous and electric. It was such a massive hit, and I was so excited. I love Kander and Ebb, this was just a huge weekend for me. I also saw Cabaret that weekend. I just remember sitting there thinking, how do I ever get there? It just seemed so unattainable and so lofty. And then I made my Broadway debut in Chicago.

His Broadway debut came hot on the heels of completing his studies at the prestigious Boston Conservatory. He booked his first musical and was met with a string of shows. His success was a double-edged sword, finding his voice on stage was easy, but who was he as a person?

I didn’t even give myself another option of what to explore or do with my life, because I was just so in love with this art form since I was a kid. I was in the city for less than a week and then got Chicago. I left and was just sort of on this streak of show to show. I was so grateful to be in the right place at the right time and was prepared to meet the

moment. I think that was really the key to that happening. It worked out in my favor, but I’ll tell you, after doing so many shows in New York, the hard part for me was then I felt like that was normal. And when that didn’t happen, I immediately thought who am I, what is my worth? I was so used to the routine of school, that sort of regimented structure, to then immediately joining the workforce and doing shows. That’s all I knew was just to be in a show. I didn’t know my identity as an adult in New York City without it. And so that part of my life, once I wasn’t always booking and always in a show, was hard for me to sort of navigate, but like the best life experience because I had to find who I was outside of just what I do.

Nick’s relationship with his body and the recognition of his fitness would be put into the spotlight when he appeared in A Chorus Line. The production featured a highly campaigned appearance by Mario Lopez. Soon the focus would shift from Mario’s talents and body to Nick’s. Comparisons between the two performers’ bodies would soon become headline-grabbing.

It was wild - it was overnight. I was an ensemble dancer, and then suddenly, I’m in the National Enquirer. My mom was looking at pictures of me in the National Enquirer in underwear and my body, comparing it to people. That kind of changed things a little bit and for a period there, people that were in our industry knew what I did and what I had to offer, and that’s why I was being employed. But then I kind of felt for a minute like, oh, (my body) is all that people think that I am and that I have to offer. For a minute, I started to believe that, maybe that’s why you’re working. But then I had to get back to like, “you were doing this, you were part of this industry before there was any light shed on that.” And yeah, of course, l have been cast in certain things that require a certain aesthetic or something, but I don’t think, had I not been able to bring what I bring to the table just personally, I would’ve had any of the opportunities that I had. There is certainly pressure because it’s been this sort of inflated thing that I obviously have had some hand in contributing to because I know how to capitalize on it in a way when I need to. It’s been a lifestyle commitment.

I try to just focus on what I’m doing, and I’ve always done that. I don’t pay attention to what seems extraneous or

Photos by Bella Marie Adams

doesn’t relate to who I am as a human. That’s part of the way you’re taught to package yourself and be a product and sell yourself and all of that. That came from when I was in college and my teachers said I was not going to work because I was so teeny. I was just a skinny little gay thing. They said, “You can’t be gay, and you can’t be thin. You must like look like a leading man if you want to work.” I was like, well, I’m going to do whatever it takes to do this because this is what I want. I wanted to move to New York and be as employable as possible. That’s really where my fitness came from.

In Hulu’s Fire Island

“Cooper,” alongside Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Matt Rog ers, and film writer and star Joel Kim Booster. The highly an ticipated film was a hit and brought topics like body issues, classism, and racism in the LGBTQ community to light. Nick believes the future of LGBTQ filmmaking is bright.

I think the way the movie presented it is very true to life. What’s also interesting is when I meet people now after that, even in interviews for press junkets and things, everyone would ask me, “Oh, are you very much like this character?” I’m nothing like that. Which was why it was so fun to play. We have all met that guy. We know who that guy is. And so, I had a lot to draw from, people that I’ve met.

The queer community is becoming more and more mainstream with every film that is made. I think the lens that we are portraying the community through has broadened. We are no longer limited to only trag edy or over-sentimentality. We are showing all sides of an experience that isn’t always universal and is very complex. I am thrilled at all the opportunities that con tinue to come and the stories we can share.

Shortly after finishing studio concept album for what the future of the project was, Nick went in to record the album while recovering from a bad foot injury from shooting Fire Island received and the musical received a summer workshop and, ultimately, the world debut at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood, California. Nick’s character, drag queen Alexis Gillmore, finds herself wrapped up in a battle between two drag bars. Even amid the flashy numbers and catty lyrics, it is really about the sense of family that exists in the drag world and the LGBTQ community. What made Nick say yes to the project?

Originating something and being part of the process from the beginning – I think actors love to do that be cause you get to contribute, you get to be the help with the creation of something. It’s so much different than coming in as a replacement, which I’ve also done. It’s a little bit easier when you have a structure to follow and then bring your own flavor spice.

Photo by Bella Marie Adams

I think I’ve crafted, without intentionally doing it, a very queer forward career where I’ve never really had a moment of coming out and I’ve never shied away from it. So, I thought oh, a new musical that’s going to be part of our catalog. I said to myself, do I do another musical in drag? This is my fourth musical as a drag queen. But, this is what the industry is asking me to do right now. I do it well, so I’m going to do it. The last time was 12 years ago when I was in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. After that show, I was very resistant to doing anything drag related because I was afraid of being pushed into a category. But now I just figure, I’m good at acting like that, so lean into it. Enjoy it. Do it. So just say yes.

In looking back at his varied career, Nick notes the biggest change that he has gone through personally throughout his career. My approach has changed. I’ve been centered around being in the present moment without tying any expectations to my work. There is so much freedom in that for me which has allowed me to fully be available to the work and experience the joy in real-time. I remove the need to impress or prove something and that unlocks a new level of enjoyment and artistry.

I recently saw a play that shook me to my core. The Inheritance had me reeling with emotion, hanging on every word. I want to be a part of that kind of storytelling. I want to work in this industry as I age. I want to be financially secure as I do it. I want peace.

And support of the drag community is even more important during Pride season.

Support your local queens. Go to their shows, amplify their socials, tip them! Make donations to the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund, Drag Isn’t Dangerous, and Drag Out The Vote! With so much recent proposed legislation directly attacking our community, specifically targeting the art of drag and transgender and non-binary individuals, we need to stand in solidarity and also CELEBRATE together louder than ever.

Nick’s message for us this Pride?

Pride is a sense of true self love and connection to community. It’s a defiance of heteronormativity, it’s a proclamation. It’s celebrating our individuality, our uniqueness, our resilience, our collective. It’s an observance of those who came before us so that we may exist today and take up space and stand in our power. It’s all love. Love for others and love for self.

I will be celebrating Pride in New York City this year with my chosen family. Probably on a rooftop somewhere in a crop top and a wig. Happy Pride!

Follow Nick on IG: @theNickAdams

Jason Stuart A Comedic Trailblazer

By

Alexander Rodriguez

Photo by Joe Seer

SoCal audiences have known comedian Jason Stuart for a long time. Popping up at gay events, emceeing Prides, performing stand-up at comedy clubs for gay and straight nights, making jokes on red carpets, stealing the spotlight at house parties, and flirting with boys at the bar is just a normal week for Jason. His comedy is just a part of his wildly colorful career. As an actor, he has over 265 film and TV credits to his name, from playing that funny character that always gets the zingers, to serious and even (gasp!) straight parts in films like The Birth of A Nation, to David E. Kelly’s Goliath (starring Billy Bob Thornton). You never know where his signature expressions will pop up next, he is just as home acting for a major studio as he is supporting an LGBTQ web series. You only need to meet Jason once, and his voice, his mannerisms, and his punchlines are engrained in your mind; there is no missing his sass and style. His co-star celebrity list reads like an Entertainment Weekly’s Who’s Who with names that include George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, J.K. Simmons, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Angela Lansbury, Damon Wayans, Jai Rodriguez, and on and on…always holding his own.

As a gay man, he does not shy away from using his dating life, flailing hands, and lilting voice as part of his routine. The comedy in his “gay” presentation should not be taken for granted, Jason is a trailblazer for the community who, this Pride season, celebrates the 30th anniversary of his coming out publicly on the Geraldo Show declaring to the nation: “I’m gay, deal with it!” Long before even Ellen came out, there was Jason, setting the stage for entertainers to come out publicly, even at the risk of limiting his blossoming career. Our current boom in LGBTQ entertainers coming out and having a safer place and more opportunities are because of performers like Jason Stuart. Why did he do it?

I came out because I was extremely depressed and felt like I couldn’t find my voice as a comedian and move to the next level in my standup work. As a character actor in showbiz, people could only see me one way, and that was as a gay man that had no power. There were very few roles for me. I was always considered “unique” and told to be patient and wait for that special role to appear. It never did. Then I came out as a standup comedian, and I was able to tell my truth like I’ve never done before which made me successful and funnier. As a character actor, I was able to play both gay and straight roles with the confidence that I had never had before. All this made me very deeply grateful. It has not always been easy, but it’s been incredibly gratifying.

I always knew I was gay but could not put a name to it. I was very attracted to the boys in school. I remember looking up the word “homosexual” in the World Book Encyclopedia 1971, the kids call it the internet today. It said, “mentally ill.” I slammed that book shut. That caused me to have 10 years of therapy. It took me a long time to merge the idea of having sex and a loving partner together in the same person. I just didn’t see it anywhere in books, movies, TV, or even on stage as a kid…or in life for that matter. I just had to learn by doing.

Making people laugh was always a part of Jason’s life, it was just who he was.

I was always a funny kid. Both my parents are funny. Like most comedians, it was my way in. Lucille Ball was a considerable influence on me as a child, as well as all her TV shows. When she was pregnant on the show, I saw her have trouble getting in and out of chairs, and the audience would laugh. I thought, I can do that! I stole that idea when

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June 8 June 8

August 3 August 3

I was doing a play called Santa Claus for President and wore a fat suit. I acted as if I was Lucy, pregnant! I got all these laughs. The director of the play said to me afterward “You want to do this for a living, don’t you?“ and I said, with a Cheshire cat grin…”yes!”

His stand-up comedy has certainly evolved from his early years, but always stays sincere, even in the face of today’s political correctness directing cancel culture.

Most of my early years as a stand-up comic was about my weight problem, my punk rock girlfriend (I know, what was I thinking?), and my crazy family, as always. For me, I have always spoken my own truth, and talked about my own experiences without holding back, leading me to laugh at myself and make it MY joke about me. Political correctness has not always been an issue for me. Finding a decent boyfriend has!

Despite coming out before it was trendy, his career has thrived. To what has he attributed his success?

Showing up and being OK with being uncomfortable a lot of the time. Learning my craft as an actor and continuing to share my thoughts and feelings as a comedian. Always be open to learning new things and not be so hard on myself.

His personal crowning achievement would come from playing the opposite of who he was to the world.

It was when I was cast in the historical drama in a major supporting role in The Birth Of A Nation. Playing a white heterosexual Christian plantation owner in 1831, with everyone knowing that I was a liberal gay Jewish man. That experience changed my entire life as an actor and as a

human being, to really connect to what has happened to black people in this country and to understand generational wealth. My motto has always been, you can always learn more in a deeper way.

With his Rolodex of high-profile celebrities he’s worked with, who has been a favorite?

I’d say working with George Clooney years ago on a series called Sunset Beat playing a club manager was so much fun. He wasn’t as famous as he is now, but he was still drop-dead gorgeous. He loved to improvise and was so incredibly supportive. Also, working with Faye Dunaway was an incredible experience - watching someone that famous still love and respect the work. People have said a lot of things about her, but I gotta say she really cares and worked as hard as she did on any of her big studio pics in her heyday. As did Kyra Sedgwick when I worked with her on The Closer. My worst experiences have always been with actors who felt like they didn’t get theirs - and most or all were not as famous.

Spilling the tea and dishing should be listed on Jason’s resume under special skills. He put these skills together with his life story for his autobiography Shut Up, I’m Talking!, now in its third print. It was a rave-reviewed hit.

I read several biographies and love learning about people who are in the process of life. How they handle trauma and move on to the next place is very important to me. So, when the reaction to my book came in, I was thrilled that through my experience, strength, and hope in life, people were actually interested in the story of this gay Jewish kid who has been losing the same 10 pounds for 40 years! I had a story to tell, and it made people feel less alone. It made me happy.

In addition to being a gay man, being Jewish also plays a big part in Jason’s comedy. Proud of his heritage, he learned a lot about life from his father, who was a Holocaust survivor.

My dad‘s life was mostly like the film starring Adrien Brody The Pianist. He lived with his parents and brother in barns, basements, attics, and ghettos. Having an immigrant family taught me to have more sympathy for people. It taught me not to give my opinion about other people’s experiences, and just shut up and listen. And to know sometimes folks just need to be heard.

His mother also plays a big part in his stories. Having recently moved to Palm Springs, Jason resides next door to his 86-yearold mom. This funny-as-hell mom-and-son routine wasn’t always so hilarious.

My mother took me out for my 24th birthday and I was all set to tell her that I was gay. But I couldn’t get the words out. So, I maneuvered the conversation so she would ask me, and she did: “Have had ever had sex with a man?” I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “What do you mean?!” And we both laughed out loud. It was very hard on her and took her a number of years to learn to accept me. She would stop speaking to me at one point, which was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. I had to learn to make my own decisions without worrying about what she would think of me, to learn to become a man. And now with lots of forgiveness, my mom and I are very close. She is in Ross Dress For Less right now! I have to pick her up soon. [Laughs]

This last year has been full of recognition of Jason’s work. This past year he won the Worldwide Comedy Award for Best LGBTQ Comedian and was honored in the 100 Out for Out Magazine. He also won the Best Actor in a Comedy title for the Indie Series Awards, recognizing his performance in the comedy series Smothered. Delivered in short, deliciously funny episodes, Smothered is a “hysterical and sobering look at a gay, Jewish middle-aged couple trying to salvage their hideous relationship in therapy hell.” The show has become an instant hit with Season 2 having just dropped, featuring a bevy of recognizable faces from the entertainment community.

I co-created the series with my pal Mitch Hara. It’s taught me more than I’ll ever know about collaboration, focus, and willingness to get things done no matter what stands in your way. We both have a motto that we live by: “We don’t wait for other people to create.” I’m extremely excited and proud of this accomplishment. Both Mitch Hara and I agreed that we wanted to make a show that was funny, real, and had dramatic moments. Our goal was for the work to be good first, and to have a good time doing it. Also, to get it out to as many people as possible. Revry. tv got us on all platforms and you can read all about it on Smotheredtv.com. I think have accomplished all that, especially with the support and love of our director Carlyle King and editor Robb Padgett.

Did Jason have any idea that Smothered was going to be such a big hit?

I thought the gays and the Jews would love it, and I was over the moon when it went viral. But the idea of a self-involved couple who hate each other and can’t afford to get divorced becoming a hit really proved to me to just do your best work. Build it and it will come. Our characters’ [Ralph & Randy] dysfunctional relationship seems to be universal among many couples. As Amazon fans are saying, we are comedy gold.

As the first season of Smothered featured the couple with a variety of therapists, Season 2 turns to a more episodic formula, featuring an even bigger roster of actors.

Everyone from Amanda Bearse from Married with Children to Armand Fields from Queer As Folk to Aida Rodriguez from her popular HBO special, and Jai Rodriguez from Bros are in it. It’s more real and down to the bone of Randy & Ralph’s marriage. It takes you down the path of their hateful relationship, but also shows the love that they have for each other. And all that comes out in the form of laughout-loud comedy - and you may even shed a tear.

Jason’s favorite thing about doing the show?

What I learned most is that I have the confidence to create a TV show (with Mitch Hara) for a second season that has the quality of a network or streaming show. And if you are over 50, you are not dead yet!

Jason has been a part of and witness to the evolution of LGBTQ representation in Hollywood. He states that while his groundbreaking has paved the way for younger generations of artists to walk, so too, does he get to walk that walk. What is Jason’s view on Hollywood today?

We are now being included in many of the stories, and a lot of us are now able to play the big gay roles as we are as successful as some of our white counterparts. I still think there is a bias against actors who appear to be gay. People can only see what they can see. And a lot have been not given the opportunity to show that they are capable of playing more than one type of role. I am an actor who happens to be gay, and I am now playing straight roles. You have to be prepared when opportunity hits! You must have the craft to be able to do that. I work extremely hard to accomplish that …so thank you, Ivana Chubbuck and Larry Moss.

And Jason’s message this Pride season?

Come out, come out, wherever you are. And if you’re struggling, find somebody who’s safe, and tell them your truth one day at a time.

You can follow Jason on IG: @theJasonStuart Check out Smothered at smotheredtv.com

By Ethylina Canne

Photo courtesy Mama Tits

I first met Mama Tits at Seattle Pridefest pre-covid. She was hosting a brunch at the lovely W Hotel, and I was immediately a fan. She’s a larger-than-life package of simply divine decadence and if you haven’t seen her show, you need to truly treat yourself to that experience.

You’re not really having a full Puerto Vallarta moment until you witness her belting out some live vocals, mixed with just the right amount of comedy and racy tidbits thrown in at the perfect moments. You will leave the show a better person for it, TRUST!

I’m so thrilled that I got to catch up with her before she leaves the sandy shores of Mexico for a solo tour of the West Coast. (While writing this for my readers, I got a late breaking bulletin that it is now a North American Tour with new dates and venues added!)

How long have you lived in Puerto Vallarta and what made you decide to move to Mexico?

I’ve been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past seven going on eight years. I fell in love with PV within the first week of coming here for my first gig many years ago. It was the people, the culture, the food, the location, the beauty…everything! I immediately fell in love and knew that I needed to make this magical place my home.

Since moving there, you have become a staple in that town selling out your nightly shows year after year. What’s your secret to packing the house?

Hahaha! That’s an excellent question. I have no idea. but seriously, I’ve always just been myself and always try to keep my shows

100% authentic to who I am. And to be honest, it’s all that people should ever strive to be is 100% authentic to who they are. The magic of that is that it seems to be very relatable and many people are able to connect on a personal level. I can’t tell you how many times I have people tell me after a show that they felt that I was speaking directly to them, and that feels amazing.

You’re embarking on your first ever West Coast Solo Tour. How did that all come together and were you fearful of taking that first step?

Yes, thank you. I’m super excited for this opportunity and I can’t believe that we’re kicking it off in the beautiful city of Palm Springs. However, this tour has grown now into a complete North American tour! And I’m over the moon!!!!

Funny thing - I have been working with different people over the past many years to try to get some semblance of a tour created, but nobody could ever get anybody to bite. So this year I decided to take it upon myself, like the old adage says “if you want something done right…you gotta do it yourself.“ So, that’s exactly what I did. Now of course I did not do it alone, but I did take the helm.

It first started with me reaching out to my good Judy, Sherry Vine. I asked her for some leads on venues. She also said I could drop her name which could’ve been good or bad, depending on where we’re dropping it. I mean it is Sherry Vine after all, but seriously it helped me get a little leg up because they all knew Sherry and since I was able to use her name, gave me an opportunity for them to listen to what I had to pitch. And boy did I pitch my show. Baby, if there’s one thing I know how to do it sell

Photo courtesy Mama Tits

Photo courtesy Mama Tits

what I do!! So, I did just that. And trust me, it’s not as easy for a gal who’s built her own career her own way, without the aid of a television show. And that is in no way a dig towards anybody who’s been on TV, just a statement of fact. Without the television show backing you, it can be a much more grueling uphill climb. On the other hand, it can be more rewarding. So, I sent off the emails and waited. It wasn’t a week later that I had my first response and then a second, and then the third and so on. Everyone was so kind and welcoming that encouraged me to keep going.

Overnight the tour went from a few stops to a nine city 15 show tour. I’m going on tour! Now, it is scary and expensive, but I know that I’m worth it. I mean I tell people all the time “remember you’re worth it” so of course I’ve got to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. And the beautiful thing is usually when you take a chance on yourself and trust in the universe, The Goddess is there to catch you and show you that you did the right thing.

Drag is EVERYWHERE these days. Do you feel the drag in Mexico is different than here in the states?

Drag is different everywhere. That’s one of my most favorite things about Drag. It’s rooted in what we know. Meaning, the artists create from their own history, their own culture, their own surroundings. So, when the art hits the stage, if you will, it’s undoubtedly coming from its own perspective and completely individual. Now of course, if you want to make broad generalizations, yes there is a “type” of drag that is more prominent here in Mexico, which is based more in the cubs and consists of passionate ballads sung by very popular Spanish speaking artists. They not only perform one song, but they also do up to three or four in a row! It is amazing and something I’ve never seen before coming here. But again, even with that broad stroke, each individual artist is so uniquely themselves. And that is what makes drag magic to me.

As we are all aware, laws are trying to be put in place banning drag in many states in the US. You were on the front lines many years ago and went viral with some folks who had some views that you didn’t agree with. Tell us about that moment.

Oh, you want to know about THE moment? Well, it was a bright sunny June morning. I was set to host Seattle Pride from Westlake Center alongside some other people from the community. However, the beginning of the parade, which of course takes forever…so we had a lot of downtime while they were setting everything up. People were arriving while the parade marchers were getting in place. Unfortunately, there was a permit mistake, and a simple clerical error allowed a “religious” hate group to also march and had a police escort.

As the pride parade is waiting to start, here comes this group of anti-gay hate filled people. The moment I saw their signs on the parade route, I felt rage, but not a blind rage, a controlled calculated rage. I looked at my cohorts and invited them to come and “Care Bear stare“ these religious bigots! Of course, they all looked at me like I was crazy. I walked out in the middle of the road by myself, placed my arms straight out to my side and stood there, staring at the ringleaders eyes. He never actually looked into

my eyes, but did not move one step in his route, even though I was standing directly in his way, so we became infamously “tits to nose“ and that’s where the famous picture was captured . Now mind you in that moment. I had no idea anybody was really watching. I was so focused on my own situation right there and making my own stand. The protester actually hit me with his sign while I was being surrounded by his cohorts, and I noticed none of them had any life behind their eyes. Everybody seemed almost zombie like. It was crazy . After he hit me with the sign and I pushed back, that’s when the police started showing up to separate us. The anti-gay protesters then continued past me at the behest of Seattle police and continued walking the opposite route of the parade, quickly encountering a wall of dikes on bikes. However, before they could even reach the dykes on bikes, a group of teenagers ran into the middle of the parade, locked arms and created a wall of protection. At this moment was when the sound team was able to give me a microphone, I had 100,000 watts of sound projected over six city blocks in the palm of my hand. Up to this point it was voice against megaphone, but now I had the sound.

I remember thinking to myself “be 100% accountable for every word that comes out of your mouth from this moment on“ because I knew I had a responsibility especially because it was being projected publicly over many city blocks during the largest parade in the city. I had a responsibility to keep it classy, keep it factual, and keep it poignant. And that’s when I started to speak and it wasn’t until I saw the video later, that I actually knew what I had said. I felt like I was a conduit for all the people in the past and the words just came from me. It felt like I had Divine on one shoulder and Marsha P. Johnson on the other shoulder, with Sylvia Rivera, standing behind me, giving me strength and power to take on this hate. And the rest as they say, is history. But that was the day that changed my life forever and I’m very grateful to have had that experience.

Your current show “Por Que’ No? Life is Short” will be the one you take on tour. What do you hope the audience takes away from the show? Or what message do you hope they hear?

If we have learned nothing in the past couple of years, it’s that the world can change in an instant. Everything we thought we knew was gone or changed or stopped for an undetermined amount of time. And that got me to thinking “what was I waiting for?“ My main take away from my show is: “What are you waiting for?” It’s your life, so live it how you want. You don’t need anybody to give you permission except for yourself. You don’t need anybody’s approval except for your own. We get one life. Get out there and live it and when your expiration date comes, I want you to be able to look back at your life and say, “I did it all and it was GRAND!”

See Mama Tits when she makes her first tour stop at Oscar’s Palm Springs. June 7th at 7 pm. Limited tickets are available at www.oscarspalmsprings.com. For other tour dates and appearances head over to www.themamatits.com

Joyfully,

Ethyl

Our mission is to provide an open and welcoming environment for all members of the LGBTQ family.

Gay Pride History in Mexico

By Paco Ojeda

Happy Pride! While most of the world regards the month of June as Gay Pride Month, a quick dive into the website GoGayToday. com revealed that gay pride events this year started as early as January in Australia. Here in Puerto Vallarta, the official Pride always takes place at the end of May, so while it may be too late for you to pack your bags and enjoy our event, this is a perfect opportunity to share some insights about Gay Pride history in Puerto Vallarta, where the official event has only been celebrated for a decade.

It was back in December 1989 that Paco Ruiz opened his legendary Paco Paco bar. At the time, Puerto Vallarta was considered a popular destination among the LGBTQ+ community, but the city was not particularly gay friendly. As such, and not unlike other cities in the world, folks that attended his bar and other venues that followed did so under the constant threat of police raids in which authorities would attempt to incarcerate patrons in exchange for bribes simply for being at the venues.

A couple years later, cops saw two women kissing at Paco Paco and threatened to arrest them unless they received a bribe. Paco Ruiz famously intervened, preventing the women from being arrested but also refusing to pay a bribe. As a result, the police arrested the bar owner, instead.. Nino Canún, a highly respected journalist and TV personality in Mexico, happened to be in town at the time and learned of the arrest through Paco’s life partner of 30 years, David Langley. The case quickly received media attention nationwide, and much to the surprise of many, Mexico’s society at the time frowned upon the authority’s decision to arrest Paco. Under pressure, he was released from jail and little by little, Paco Paco became known as a “safe place” for the community.

Aside from owning the bar, Paco Ruíz was also a hotel owner and businessman who constantly advocated for those afflicted by HIV/AIDS. Sadly, he died in 2016 of a heart attack and complications from cancer, only two years after his partner, David. The legacy bar Paco’s Ranch continues to be one of the most popular gay bars in the city.

If you are interested in Mexico’s gay history, the 2020 feature film

El Baile de los 41 (Dance of the Forty One, available on Netflix) is a must watch. The film depicts a famous raid that took place in Mexico City in 1901—decades before Stonewall—in which a number of men, half dressed as women, were arrested in a private home simply for having fun. In the official report, 40 people were arrested, but there were 41 people present. Who was missing from the report? A gay congressman who had married the Mexican president’s daughter bug secretly cavorted with other men at the aforementioned private home. The incident so shocked society at the time that on the one hand, the number 41 became a symbol for the closeted gay community. It also enraged Mexico’s President Porfirio Díaz such that the use of the number 41 was abolished in the government—from infantry battalions to license plates.

Needless to say, Mexico in general and Puerto Vallarta in particular, have come a long way when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, and our city has become a mecca for gay travelers, worldwide. Furthermore, four months from now, Guadalajara—our state capital—will co-host the XI Gay Games 2023, also known as Gay Games 11, along with Hong Kong. The multi-sport event will take place from November 11 - 19, bringing together a large number of LGBTQ+ athletes, artists and musicians. Earlier this year, Guadalajara earned a spot on The New York Times list of “52 Places to Go in 2023” for its thriving LGBTQ+ scene.

Whether you celebrate Gay Pride publicly or privately, Puerto Vallarta continues to thrive as a not-to-be-missed destination for our community, largely due to the increased communication and understanding between us and our city administration, and one of mutual respect. But as usual—and we’ve said so before— it never hurts to look around you and follow the popular axiom, when in Rome do what the Romans do. Treat our city, our culture with respect and you’ll be guaranteed an amazing time.

Catch up with Paco Ojeda live Monday - Saturday at 10:30 am local time, on his talk show, “Coffee & Headlines,” where he shares headlines and stories for Puerto Vallarta’s local English-speaking community. facebook.com/pacoojedalive

Photo courtesy GayGuide

Photo generously provided by Bearadisemx.com

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