OUT April 2017 by Pride Media

JESSICA LANGE ON FAME, FEUDS, AND THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE

CONTENTS APRIL 2017

Fo r e g r o u n d 9. NOBODY’S PRINCESS Actress Bella Thorne refuses to be anyone but herself. 12. THE GAY AGENDA The 21 things in pop culture you should be talking about right now 22.,28. TRENDING How to walk down the aisle in style—and properly put a ring on it

Fe a t u r e s

29. MOOD BOARD Tropical punch

52. BEACH & BEYOND Four adventurous honeymoons that offer way more than just surf and sand

30. LIQUIDITY You chose the right partner. Now choose the right wedding wines.

66. THE INDOMITABLE JESSICA LANGE Feud creator Ryan Murphy interviews his favorite leading lady. Photography by Ruven Afanador

32. GROOMING The new rules of shampooing 33. FITNESS A call to arms

Fa s h io n 74. LOVE IS LOVE IS... Modern couples, flawless looks. Photography by Tetsu Kubota. Styling by Grant Woolhead

S y m p o s iu m 39. BACK ON CHRISTOPHER STREET Once an LGBT safe haven, the West Village haunt is now a shadow of its former self. 42. THE HOMECOMING With Black Box, performance artist Shamel Pitts returns to America. 46. THE ANTI-CLOSET CASE Rethinking the dirty deed 48. ARMOND WHITE’S MOVIES Cabaret’s trysexual legacy 50. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN The gay man who married Carly Simon

66 Jessica Lange photographed by Ruven Afanador. Styling by Negar Ali. Dress by Jovani. Coat by Escada. Hat available at Western Costume. Earring and pearl ring by Yoko London. Circular ring by Anita Ko

37. POSITIVE VOICES Friendship, HIV, and me

S u r ve i l l a nc e 85. A SLICE OF LOVE An Out guide to wedding cakes DEPARTMENTS 6. Contributors and Feedback 87. Store Info 88. 1,000 Words Today’s celeb nemeses have nothing on Bette and Joan.

ON THE COVER: Jessica Lange photographed by Ruven Afanador for Out. Styling by Negar Ali. Top by Roland Mouret. Rings and earrings by Maxior

APRIL 2017. Volume 25, Number 8 Out (ISSN 1062-7928) is published monthly except for double issues in December/January and June/July by Here Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Telephone: (310) 806-4288. Entire contents © 2012 Here Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part without express permission of the publisher are strictly prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and at additional mailing offices. Subscription rate: $19.95 per year (10 issues). Annual subscription rate outside the U.S.: $54, payable in U.S. currency only. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Out magazine, P.O. Box 5236, New York, NY 10185. Out is distributed to newsstands by Curtis Circulation Co. Printed in the United States of America.

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APRIL 2017

CONTRIBUTORS

FEEDBACK

RUVEN AFANADOR

Can’t Fight the Moonlight

A longtime contributor to Vanity Fair, Afanador says he’s Team Joan in the lead-up to Ryan Murphy’s new series Feud, about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford’s rivalry. He’s a fan of Jessica Lange, who plays Crawford. “I’d always wanted to photograph her,” says Afanador, who got his wish shooting her for this issue’s cover story (page 66).

AUSTIN HARGRAVE Influenced by the likes of Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, the Britishborn lensman says his bookshelf is collapsing from the weight of his photo-book library. For this issue, he shot 19-year-old actress and wild child Bella Thorne (page 9). “She was comfortable in her own skin,” he says, “even when that skin had parrot claws digging into it.” Hargrave has also contributed to Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter.

ISAAC OLIVER Oliver published his most recent book, Intimacy Idiot, and he’s already hard at work on his next, while absorbing the work of Carrie Fisher. Contributing to this month’s Positive Voices column (page 37) struck a post-election nerve. “This regime wants us sick and stupid,” he says. “We must resist by staying healthy and informed.”

PETER MOSKOWITZ A native of New York’s West Village, Moskowitz remembers walking home there one night as a teen and being whistled at by drag queens. “They told me I had a nice butt,” says the writer, whose book How to Kill a City explores urban gentrification. “It was the first time I felt queer.” In “Back on Christopher Street” (page 39), he unpacks the disheartening rent hikes and tourism affecting the historic LGBT haven. Moskowitz has written for The Guardian and The New York Times.

A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

It’s telling of the climate in Hollywood that, a year after #OscarsSoWhite, many people still seem surprised by the runaway success of the queer, black-centric indie Moonlight. Trevante Rhodes, who plays the adult version of the film’s main character, Chiron, smoldered on our March cover and reminded readers of the cultural impact the film has had on the queer black narrative (and how good he looks in a tank top). But for all the appreciation of Rhodes’s physical assets (Homorazzi dubbed him “hunky” in the wake of our story), it’s his eloquence that cements him as a heartthrob, particularly when he spoke about his breakthrough role’s importance for him and Moonlight’s audience. “It’s like we invented fire,” he told Out of its groundbreaking creative team (which includes director Barry Jenkins and co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney). “The world benefits from that.” Though Rhodes didn’t receive all the awards-show buzz his cast mate Mahershala Ali enjoyed, the message and acclaim of Moonlight is a career launching pad unto itself. The Film Experience encapsulated Rhodes’s performance perfectly: “Here’s an idea: Let’s never stop talking about how brilliant a debut Rhodes delivered in this film until he receives his first Oscar nomination.” We second that motion.

The New Normal

The queer community has long embraced differences, especially when it comes to aesthetics. Now, with the growing prominence of a global, collective queer voice, we don’t just get to welcome mainstream society’s castoffs; we get to shatter traditional definitions of normal. Out’s digital feature on up-and-

coming gay model Bice, whose protruding brow and complete hairlessness (thanks to alopecia universalis) make him unique, quickly shot to the top of our site’s popular stories. Readers took notice—for better and worse. “I was expecting something real crazy,” said Jamie Daly on Facebook, “like someone who’s above age 25 or who isn’t ripped, white, and hairless. Turns out it’s just another article about someone who’s super-duper those things.” But positivity far outweighed any pushback from Bice’s Out.com debut. “He’s gorgeous,” Robby Wiggins wrote on Facebook. “He’s slaying this culture and he loves himself—that’s all that matters.” And Instagram user Will Erwin contacted Bice directly, saying, “My best friend has alopecia universalis, and she would have prospered with a role model like you—visible, loud, creative, and beautiful.” Preach, Will. And strut on, Bice.

WRITE TO OUT

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Nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Princess IN AN INDUSTRY THAT FORCES ITS STARS TO FAKE IT, BELLA THORNE REFUSES TO BE ANYONE BUT HERSELF. BY JONATHAN PARKS-RAMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY BY AUSTIN HARGRAVE

PREVIOUS PAGE: DENIM SHIRT BY TOPSHOP. WAIST BELT BY L.A. ROXX. THIS PAGE: SUIT BY NEIL BARRETT. SHOES BY AQUATALIA

1 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

stardom has been much harder. She was born in Pembroke Pines, Fla., where she and her three older siblings all dreamed of becoming actors; when Thorne was 9, her family relocated to L.A. to pursue those dreams full time. Then, in 2007, her father died in a motorcycle accident. “It was hard, especially for our mom, a single parent raising four kids with no money,” Thorne says. “We were working all the time, trying to make it happen.” Three years later Thorne finally got her big break, scoring the lead in Shake It Up. She never envisioned herself as a Disney princess but couldn’t say no to the opportunity. “We needed to live,” she says, “and this show was gonna help us.” She describes her stint in the House of Mouse as a blessing and a curse. As her fan base grew to epic proportions, execs began micromanaging every detail of her personal life. Forced into the Disney mold, she had an identity crisis. “I was never that proper, sweet girl, but I was so scared to be myself in any way,” she recalls. “I became this person I didn’t know. Finally, when I got off the channel and started going through my own shit, I got to a point of, ‘OK, I know who I am now.’ ”

Thorne has since developed a reputation as an unapologetic wild child, she sees her lack of inhibition as a sign of authenticity. When a fan asked the actress via Twitter last year if she was bisexual, she responded with a simple “yes” and promptly broke the Internet. “I didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal,” Thorne says, “but of course my publicist calls me right after, and she’s like, “You can’t just go around saying that!’ And I’m like, ‘Why can’t you?’ It made me even more like, ‘Fuck you guys, I’m totally bisexual!’ I think it’s about time people start stepping into the spotlight with the truth of who they are.” Her candor hasn’t hurt her prospects. Thorne has seven films due out this year, including Midnight Sun, an adolescent drama co-starring Patrick Schwarzenegger, and The Babysitter, a Netflix horror comedy with Thorne in the satanic title role. She also finds time to write a blog. But it’s a dance class she recently taught at L.A.’s Millennium Dance Complex that excites her most. “When you walk into a party in Hollywood, you feel the stuck-up noses,” Thorne says. “So it was nice to be in a room filled with people with genuine spirits ready to have a fucking dope-ass time.”

S T Y L I N G BY DA N I M I C H E L L E . H A I R : AV I VA AT S TA R WO R K S G R O U P. M A K E U P : TO N YA B R E W E R AT D E W B E AU T Y

ON A RAINY FEBRUARY afternoon, Bella Thorne is barefoot in her Los Angeles apartment, wearing leggings and a T-shirt, and sporting her signature Smurf-blue hair. She puffs on a joint as she glides through her home, the style of which could be described as “Willy Wonka goes to Burning Man.” LEDs line the stairway in the high-ceilinged foyer, turning the steps into an ascending rainbow. A transparent glass closet sits underneath the stairwell, crammed full of oversize teddy bears. “I was away, and my sister did this for me for when I got home,” Thorne says, pointing to her new companions. “Isn’t that so sweet?” Don’t be fooled by the teddies. Beneath Thorne’s playful, neon exterior is a precocious, audacious overachiever with a knack for getting the world’s attention. At 19, the former Disney Channel starlet has already become a tabloid fixture, thanks to her nipple piercing, love triangles, and revelation of her bisexuality, all of which she broadcast to her 9.9 million Facebook fans, 6.6 million Twitter followers, and 14.9 million Instagram followers. All the while, Thorne has been fiercely piloting her career. She knew the leap from her Disney sitcom Shake It Up to more mature projects would be difficult, so in 2014 she took matters into her own hands and optioned Famous in Love, a YA novel about a college student who auditions for a Hollywood blockbuster and miraculously lands the part. The story resonated with her. “Me and my manager were like, ‘Let’s make this a show,’ ” says Thorne. “[Pretty Little Liars showrunner] Marlene King wrote an amazing pilot, and we pitched it to nine different networks.” The resulting series, which premiers April 18 on Freeform, is a frothy delight: equal parts Tinseltown wish fulfillment and backstabbing soap opera. But if Thorne can relate to the protagonist’s sudden success, her own path to

“I was never that proper, sweet girl, but I was so scared to be myself in any way. I became this person I didn’t know.”

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T H E G AY A G E N DA

21 T H I N G S YO U S H O U L D B E TA L K I N G A B O U T R I G H T N OW

You really get into the origins of homophobia.

When I meet Ponch, I’m in the locker room wearing skintight underwear. You can definitely see my penis, and I go to hug him, and he’s not into that. So I go, “Hey, if you’re homophobic, I respect your right to be.” And he says, “That’s not the definition of homophobia.” We end up exploring that, and it’s never done in this generic, alpha-male way. It’s sincere. There’s actually a lot of penis humor in the movie.

DAX SHEPARD, CHiP OFF THE OLD BLOCK

Just when you thought ’70s remakes were played out, Dax Shepard (Parenthood) has made the one that should have come first. With his new movie CHiPs—which he wrote, directed, and stars in—he hopes to revive all the khaki-covered gay fantasies sparked by a classic show about two SoCal motorcycle cops. MICHAEL MARTIN Why did you want to make a movie about these guys?

Separately they’re idiots, but together they’re a perfect human being. My character, Jon, is an emotional genius, and Ponch (Michael Peña) is a logical genius.

My wife [Kristen Bell] has the hardest time understanding my fascination with this, but I think the penis is one of the most tried-and-true comedic tropes there is. It’s just so goofy that we have this thing hanging between our legs. She doesn’t agree with me. She thinks it’s dramatic?

I think she feels a bit of ownership over it. I read you did your own stunts.

A lot of them. I’m a very confident stunt car driver and pretty good on a motorcycle. But there’s a ton of tricks I can’t claim to have done. There was a stunt guy named God Bod who emasculated me daily, and I was grateful for it.

The Growing Pains of All This Panic “I never wish—I always forget to,” says Delia, one of seven New York girls whose youth is chronicled over three years in director Jenny Gage’s marvelous new documentary All This Panic. She is holding a dandelion, and, as its seeds blow off, the scene underscores a key theme of the film—that adolescence, while beautiful, is wildly precarious. As Gage shifts from intimate vérité to dreamlike shots of the wide unknown beyond Brooklyn’s shores, she captures a spectrum of coming-of-age stories: Delia struggles with first-day-ofschool fashion hysteria, uttering the line that gives the movie its title; Sage, who’s black, muses over the lack of diversity at her private school; and reluctant lesbian Olivia contends with coming out. “I’d have to deal with it for the rest of my life,” Olivia says. “Maybe one day it’ll make me happy.” It’s during these wistful moments of uncertainty— and hope—that All This Panic resonates with the teenager in all of us. R. KURT OSENLUND

You look jacked.

One of the kids who worked on the film is Zac Efron’s brother. I said, “Ask your brother for tips.” He sent back, like, an 11-page thing. It was the most scientific approach to looking good with your shirt off: “Fifteen minutes before your scene, you’re going to have seven nuts. Then you’re going to have a glass of water and do 22 push-ups.” No wonder nobody has a chance. Rumor has it you have one of the largest endowments in Hollywood. True?

Michael Peña (left) and Dax Shepard.

1 2 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

I can’t say for certain. But there’s no reason someone with Karl Malden’s nose and a weak chin should be as confident as I am.

From left: Dusty and Delia

C O U R T E S Y O F WA R N E R B R O S . (C H I P S ). C O U R T E S Y O F TO M B E T T E R TO N ( A L L T H I S PA N I C )

Plus, having grown up in Minnesota, I loved the California setting. The motorcycles and Jon and Ponch— it was like taking a vacation every week.

3. Tom

Payne, Our Gay Jesus THE DEBATE IS finally over: Yes, Jesus is gay. Speculation has swirled around Paul “Jesus” Rovia, the character played by Tom Payne on AMC’s The Walking Dead, ever since he first appeared in its sixth season. Though die-hard fans knew Jesus’s full story from the original comic books, the series’ creators have kept their incarnation of the savvy warrior sexually ambiguous—until now. Payne, who knew the truth from the beginning, applauds them for their slow reveal. “I was excited to first establish Jesus as a kick-ass ninja, then have the fact that he happens to be gay dropped in later,” he says. “The way it’s done is subtle. It’s a small moment.” Unlike Payne snagging his part on the show. The British actor, best known to American audiences for his performances in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and HBO’s Luck, had been steadily working in Hollywood for years but had yet to find the project that would give him his breakthrough. Then came Dead and a coveted, beloved role on one of the biggest hits on television. Now that Jesus is joining the ranks of a select few—fictional gay superheroes are still a rarity—he’s set to amass a whole new following. Just don’t expect his friends from the Hilltop to throw him a coming-out bash. “Can you imagine?” Payne says with a laugh. “Like, ‘Hi, guys, I know we’re worrying about the zombie apocalypse, but I need a party.’ ” JONATHAN PARKS-RAMAGE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY DURAN

WHAT IS ODEFSEY®?

What are the other possible side effects of ODEFSEY?

ODEFSEY is a 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older. It can either be used in people who are starting HIV-1 treatment, have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, and have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL; or in people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. These include having an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) for 6 months or more on their current HIV-1 treatment. ODEFSEY combines 3 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day with a meal. ODEFSEY is a complete HIV-1 treatment and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines.

Serious side effects of ODEFSEY may also include: • Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Skin rash is a common side effect of ODEFSEY. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get a rash, as some rashes and allergic reactions may need to be treated in a hospital. Stop taking ODEFSEY and get medical help right away if you get a rash with any of the following symptoms: fever, skin blisters, mouth sores, redness or swelling of the eyes (conjunctivitis), swelling of the face, lips, mouth, or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, pain on the right side of the stomach (abdominal) area, and/or dark “tea-colored” urine. • Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you: feel sad or hopeless, feel anxious or restless, have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself. • Changes in liver enzymes. People who have had hepatitis B or C or who have certain liver enzyme changes may have a higher risk for new or worse liver problems while taking ODEFSEY. Liver problems can also happen in people who have not had liver disease. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with ODEFSEY. • Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. • Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to ﬁght infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking ODEFSEY. • Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking ODEFSEY if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking ODEFSEY. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body ﬂuids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body ﬂuids on them.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects: • Buildup of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

• Worsening of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY

is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking ODEFSEY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take ODEFSEY? Do not take ODEFSEY if you take: • Certain prescription medicines for other conditions. It is important to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY. Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. • The herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ODEFSEY? • All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare

provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, mental health (depression or suicidal thoughts), or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. • All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how ODEFSEY works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take ODEFSEY with all of your other medicines. • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ODEFSEY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking ODEFSEY. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Ask your healthcare provider if ODEFSEY is right for you, and visit ODEFSEY.com to learn more. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about ODEFSEY including important warnings on the following page.

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

SHOW YOUR

RADIANCE ODEFSEY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day HIV-1 treatment for people 12 years and older who are either new to treatment and have less than 100,000 copies/mL of virus in their blood or people whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with ODEFSEY.

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

(oh-DEF-see) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ODEFSEY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF ODEFSEY

ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects, including:

ODEFSEY can cause serious side effects, including:

•

Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

•

Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/ or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area.

•

Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking ODEFSEY. Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time.

• • • •

• •

Those in the “Most Important Information About ODEFSEY” section. Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Depression or mood changes. Changes in liver enzymes. Changes in body fat. Changes in your immune system. New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Bone problems.

The most common side effects of rilpivirine, one of the medicines in ODEFSEY, are depression, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and headache. The most common side effect of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, two of the medicines in ODEFSEY, is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of ODEFSEY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking ODEFSEY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with ODEFSEY.

BEFORE TAKING ODEFSEY ABOUT ODEFSEY •

ODEFSEY is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before and who have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL. ODEFSEY can also be used to replace current HIV-1 medicines for some people who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/ mL), have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have never failed HIV-1 treatment, and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements.

•

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.

Do NOT take ODEFSEY if you: • Take a medicine that contains: carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®), dexamethasone (Ozurdex®, Maxidex®, Decadron®, Baycadron™), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant®), esomeprazole (Nexium®, Vimovo®), lansoprazole (Prevacid®), omeprazole (Prilosec®, Zegerid®), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®), pantoprazole sodium (Protonix®), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Dilantin-125®, Phenytek®), rabeprazole (Aciphex®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®), or rifapentine (Priftin®). •

Take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort.

•

Take any other HIV-1 medicines at the same time.

Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, mental health (depression or suicidal thoughts), or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY.

HOW TO TAKE ODEFSEY • •

ODEFSEY is a complete 1-pill, once-a-day HIV-1 medicine. Take ODEFSEY with a meal.

GET MORE INFORMATION •

• •

This is only a brief summary of important information about ODEFSEY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. Go to ODEFSEY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit ODEFSEY.com for program information.

ODEFSEY, the ODEFSEY Logo, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: March 2016 © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. ODEC0026 06/16

F O R E G R O U N D T H E G AY AG E N DA

Tommy Dorfman

Need a reason to love the young gay newcomer? We have 13 of them.

J O H N BA I N G R I F F I T H ( D O R F M A N ) . C A R O L R O S E G G ( I N D E C E N T ) . C O U R T E S Y C A R A R O B B I N S ( S O M )

Before landing the role of queer intellectual Ryan on the new Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, Tommy Dorfman wasn’t looking to play gay characters. “I’ve had a lot of insecurities about being gay in this industry,” says the actor, whose part in the ensemble mystery, executive produced by Selena Gomez and adapted from Jay Asher’s

Adina Verson and Katrina Lenk in Indecent

2007 YA novel, marks his first professional gig. “I only wanted straight roles—just to prove some false masculinity. But when this came I was like, I get this kid, and he needs to be seen.” Like Ryan, the editor of a high school zine and one of 13 teens tied up in the suicide of lead characternarrator Hannah (Katherine Langford), Dorfman knows the itch of wanting to chase big dreams in a place where the outspoken thrive. “I had to get to New York,” says the 24-year-old Atlanta native. “I related to Ryan’s fear of getting stuck and was inspired by him being so vocal with his beliefs.” Dorfman was cast last May, roughly a year after finishing college (where he studied theater), and 13 Reasons Why had nearly wrapped shooting season one when he married his husband, Peter. They wed on November 12, four days after Trump’s election. “I felt so scared for the first time in a long time about our safety,” he says. Still, portraying Ryan helped ignite Dorfman’s urge for artistic activism. “I’d love to play the first gay superhero,” he says, “or do the first big-budget gay rom-com. That doesn’t exist. It needs to.” R. KURT OSENLUND

5. Broadway’s Indecent

Proposal

JAY SOM, THE NEW VOICE OF INDIE ROCK

Jay Som can pinpoint when inspiration struck for her lush, aching debut album, Everybody Works: It was during her 2016 tour with fellow indie rockers Mitski and Japanese Breakfast. “I knew it was going to be special because we were all Asian-American women,” says the 22-year-old California-born songwriter. “I didn’t have that when I was younger.” Emboldened, Som (real name: Melina Duterte) set out to create a project that examined the lives of the oppressed— women, people of color, the queer community—with the goal of galvanizing them. Recorded and produced in her Oakland bedroom, her new LP expands on the lo-fi aesthetic of Turn Into, her 2015 collection of demos, to embrace a heartier sound. While many of its lyrics are abstract, the title track explicitly addresses the longstanding dismissal of marginalized groups. “As a female-identified musician and a queer person, you have people constantly telling you the world isn’t made for you,” she says. “I think this is a very sensitive time where we should be thinking about people who don’t have as many opportunities as the typical white indie band.” STEVEN J. HOROWITZ

Indecency is a charge often lobbed at subversive art, but in her stirring new Broadway production, Indecent, Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel uses the word as an indictment of persecution. The show tells the true story of Sholem Asch and his landmark theatrical piece God of Vengeance, which was censored for its lesbian characters yet was still performed, even in the Lodz ghetto of Nazi-occupied Poland. There, it had to be read and shared in private because of restrictions prohibiting Jewish theater. Vogel calls that demoralizing: “Yiddish theater gave Jewish people in Eastern Europe their sense of identity and community,” she says. This indignity was felt deeply when Indecent ran off-Broadway last fall, but the current political climate guarantees an overwhelming resonance this spring. “Once Donald Trump cuts the National Endowment for the Arts, we’re losing a major conduit of telling the truth,” Vogel says. “Newspapers cannot have the same impact as a play. We feel the truth in the theater.” BEN RIMALOWER O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 17

F O R E G R O U N D T H E G AY AG E N DA

7.-19.

A Guide to Bette(r) Living More than 50 years after her Broadway debut, Bette Midler is coming back to where it all began this spring in a hotly anticipated revival of Hello, Dolly! The 71-year-old icon’s latest feat marks a milestone in a life chock-full of them. Here, a primer to the greatest moments from her constantly evolving showbiz career. ADAM FELDMAN

1. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1966–1969) Soon after moving to New York from Hawaii, a 20-year-old Midler landed the part of eldest daughter Tzeitel in the original production of the Broadway classic. On the telecast of the 1968 Tonys, the baby-faced proto-diva can be seen mopping the floor in “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.” She’d go on to pack houses. 2. THE CONTINENTAL BATHS (1970–1972) Midler’s over-the-top camp style and passionate gay fan base were cultivated through years of performing at a bathhouse in the bowels of an Upper West Side hotel. “Those boys wouldn’t sit still for just singing,” she later recalled of her time at the Tubs. “I had to do everything to keep their attention.” 3. THE DIVINE MISS M (1972) Co-produced by her Baths pianist, Barry Manilow, the singer’s debut album was a sensational combination of nostalgia (a cover of the Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”) and contemporary pop (the resolutely upbeat “Friends”). Brassy yet hip, it won Midler a Grammy for Best New Artist. 1 8 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

4. THE ROSE (1979) Her fearlessly committed turn as a tragic, Janis Joplin–esque rocker earned Midler critical raves and an Oscar nod. “The scenery-chewing scenes were not really hard for me because I’ve been on stage carrying on like a banshee for many years,” she said of her first major film role. “The hard part was the nice, quiet, intimate stuff.” 5. DIVINE MADNESS (1980) Midler’s outrageous ’70s concerts offered “trash with flash” (or, less decorously, “tit and wit”), punctuating her songs with comic riffs and wacky char acters like Delores DeLago, a lounge-singing mermaid in a wheelchair. “Midler’s audience is her instrument,” wrote critic Pauline Kael of her 1980 concert film. “She plays on us, and we bring her to life.”

6. RUTHLESS PEOPLE (1986) After a career downturn and what she has called a nervous breakdown, Midler roared back with a string of comedies including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Big Business, and Outrageous Fortune. But she’s funniest in Ruthless People, playing the obnoxious victim of the world’s nicest kidnappers. 6 10

7. BEACHES (1988) In this weepie about the ups and downs of a pair of BFFs, Midler is the proudly vulgar singer C.C. Bloom, a send-up of her own 1970s persona. She had the biggest single of her career with the film’s song “Wind Beneath My Wings,” a very sentimental ballad that snagged her Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. 8. THE TONIGHT SHOW (MAY 21, 1992) Johnny Carson had championed Midler from the start, and when he retired after 30 years, the host chose her as his final musical guest. Her wistful rendition of “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)”—with Carson

2 12

admiring her in the background— became a highlight of the late-night canon. 9. THE NEW YORK RESTORATION PROJECT (1995–PRESENT) The onetime queen of trash devoted herself to getting rid of it when she founded the nonprofit NYRP in 1995. Its goal: to clean and spruce up public parks and community gardens in underprivileged areas. In partnership with New York City, the group has planted more than a million trees. 10. THE FIRST WIVES CLUB (1996) Midler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn were each around 50 when they costarred in this revenge comedy about a trio of scorned women—a gay cult favorite thanks to its tangy one-liners (“What’s the matter, Morty? Can’t you buy her a whole dress?”) and a climax in which the ladies sing “You Don’t Own Me” decked out in white and dripping in defiance. 11. KISS MY BRASS TOUR (2003–2005) In the early 2000s, Midler treated fans to a stage show in the spirit of her early tours, packing in the hits and old gems like her bawdy “Soph” jokes (an homage to vaudeville legend Sophie Tucker). Right up through a final group sing-along of “The Rose,” it was a mutual lovefest. 12. I’LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS (2013) Midler returned to the Great White Way in this solo play—“an hour and a half of nonstop B.M.,” she quipped—about another famous Hollywood broad: talent agent and gossip queen Sue Mengers. The New York Times called it “the most lusciously entertaining performance of the Broadway season.” Hello, Dolly! begins previews at New York’s Shubert Theatre on March 15 and opens April 20. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 1 9

F O R E G R O U N D T H E G AY AG E N DA

Minimal Aesthetic, Maximum Effect

20.

21. The Art of Being Suave

In the decade since its launch, the minimalist brand COS has transformed from an industry secret into a global powerhouse, with nearly 200 outlets in 32 countries. One of its biggest draws is its chic, unfussy stores, which abandon the throbbing music and teeming shelves of its parent company, H&M, making shopping for clothes a distinctly grownup affair. “It’s modern and it’s timeless,” says creative director Karin Gustafsson, who joined COS at its inception, shortly after she graduated from the Royal College of Art in London. “In everything we do, we see the functional aspect. If we do a little black dress, we add a pocket. We want the customer to feel they can find something for any occasion.” Today, the cornerstone of COS is innovation, continuous reworking and reinventing of closet staples (though a white shirt remains the starting point for every collection). “We build the wardrobe in a different way,” Gustafsson says. “We look towards art and architecture and design for inspiration.” This is quite clear upon inspecting the clean lines of a boxcut wool jumper with a square neck hole. Bonus: The piece is machine-washable. COS’s knack for providing intriguing silhouettes with playful proportions, all without breaking the bank, is what first caught the attention of its current menswear designer, Martin Andersson. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in London, Andersson designed for Hackett London, known for its polos, before a brief stint at luxury brand 2 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

From Jean-Paul Belmondo to Louis Garrel, Frenchmen have long possessed a certain je ne sais quoi that allows them to radiate style effortlessly. So why can Belmondo pull off a turtleneck sweater and not you? The answers to this and other age-old sartorial conundrums are dispensed like gold nuggets in Gonzague Dupleix’s Suave in Every Situation (Flammarion), a Gallic-centric etiquette manual, illustrated with flair by Jean-Philippe Delhomme. Here, three choice tips to set you on the path to suavedom. JULIEN SAUVALLE

Aquascutum. “I would walk past this new store, COS, and very quickly became a customer,” he says. “It was everything I wanted to wear, and the price was great.” A year later, he was asked to come on board. It was a no-brainer. Though Andersson’s menswear is slightly more tailored than COS’s womenswear, it still offers the relaxed forms with which the brand is synonymous. Pair one of his blue suits with a white tee and sneakers, and you’ll look as comfortable at the wine bar as you do in the boardroom. For its 10th anniversary, COS has developed a special capsule collection, to be unveiled later this year. It will serve as both a retrospective of what it has accomplished and an indicator of how it will move forward. If it continues to make men’s trousers the way it does, no doubt COS can look forward to celebrating another 10, 20, 30 years—modestly, of course. ASAF ROTMANN

Should you tuck in your sweater? “A model’s main aim, considering the economic stake he represents, is to display clearly what he is wearing, which includes the belt. This—let’s be realistic here—is not exactly the case with you.” What should you do with your arms in beach photos? “Take inspiration from Michelangelo’s David: one arm hangs, while the other, chest level, is in the middle of completing a task.” Can you wear a beret today? “Wear the beret to the right, you’re in the company of defenders and heroes; to the left, you’re among poets; in the middle— you just look dumb.”

C O U R T E S Y O F B R A N D (C O S ) . © J E A N - P H I L I P P E D E L H O M M E , F R O M S UAV E I N E V E RY S I T U AT I O N : A R A K I S H S T Y L E G U I D E FO R M E N , BY J E A N - P H I L I P P E D E L H O M M E A N D G O N Z AG U E D U P L E I X ( F L A M M A R I O N 2 0 1 7 )

COS, master of the fashionable understatement, turns 10.

Celebrate love.

Wedding Crashers One of the best parts of marriage equality is that, having already fought to bend the so-called rules, we can now take a time-honored tradition and totally flip the script. What should a bridegroom wear to his nuptials? We say, take what you want and make the rest your own. If your path down the aisle involves a classic formal penguin suit, have at it—it’s sharp and never goes out of style. But it’s also your prerogative to shake things up. Flout convention with a graphic, text-scrawled jacket (hey, even bad boys fall in love), or go for a lighter, more casual alternative that’s perfect for a beachside “I do.” Whether you tie the knot in all white or in a sleek black tux, you won’t be wrong. Because the choice, at last, is yours. THIS PAGE:SUIT, $7,650, SHIRT, $720, CUMMERBUND, $545, AND SLIPPERS, $960, BY GUCCI. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SUIT, $1,195, AND BOW TIE, $125, BY POLO RALPH LAUREN; SHIRT, $480, BY BOTTEGA VENETA; CUFF LINKS, $3,200, BY TIFFANY & CO. SUIT, PRICE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST, BY PERRY ELLIS; SHIRT, $75, BY CALVIN KLEIN; POCKET SQUARE, $125, BY GUCCI; SHOES, $810, BY BOTTEGA VENETA. JACKET, $3,660, PANTS, $1,560, SHIRT, $1,125, POCKET SQUARE, $180, AND SHOES, $1,290, BY TOM FORD. JACKET, $1,855, AND PANTS, $860, BY MARC JACOBS; SHIRT, $480, SCARF, $250, AND SHOES, $810, BY BOTTEGA VENETA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEANDRO JUSTEN

S T Y L I N G BY: M I C H A E L C O O K . G R O O M E R : S U K I T S U J I M OTO. M O D E L : E T H A N T U R N B U L L AT S O U L A R T I S T M A N AG E M E N T

Foreground TRENDING

O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 2 3

Boys in the Bands Ancient cultures believed that a vein in the fourth finger of the left hand led straight to the heart. It was known as the vena amoris, or “vein of love,” and it’s apparently one of the reasons why, in Western societies, we put a ring on that finger. When searching for a rock or band to adorn this love vein—and signify an infinite bond—the modern groom has limitless options. You can go for the gold, shell out for the platinum, or splurge on a pattern. Can’t decide? Why not stack a few of your favorite pieces? Whatever your preference, just make sure your bling shines. More than a link to the heart, a good ring is an expression of the soul. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: RING BY DAVID YURMAN, $1,300; JACKET, $4,300, AND SHIRT, $930, BY DIOR HOMME. RING BY CARTIER, $1,580; SUIT, $1,395, AND SHIRT, $250, BY Z ZEGNA. RING BY TIFFANY & CO., $1,475; JACKET, $3,600, AND SHIRT, $800, BY LOUIS VUITTON. RING BY ZADEH, $1,980; JACKET, $198, AND SHIRT, $75, BY CALVIN KLEIN

2 8 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEANDRO JUSTEN

S T Y L I N G BY: M I C H A E L C O O K . G R O O M E R : S U K I T S U J I M OTO. M O D E L : E T H A N T U R N B U L L AT S O U L A R T I S T M A N AG E M E N T

Foreground TRENDING

Foreground MOOD BOARD

Tropical Punch After months of trapping it under heavy layers, it’s time to let your body out to play. Whether your destination is Bora Bora or Key West, the bright, festive colors and Hawaiian-inspired prints you reach for shouldn’t just say that you’re ready to party—they should announce your style as confidently as the blacks and grays you’ve left behind. So conjure the tropics in new blissful blues and palmtree patterns, and scope out the crowd from behind a pair of classic aviators. If you’re lucky, you’ll pick up more than just a tan.

M A R K E T E D I TO R : M I C H A E L C O O K . S H U T T E R S TO C K ( B O R A B O R A )

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SHIRT BY PRADA, $780; SHORTS BY TOPMAN, $115; SUNGLASSES BY NAUTICA, $98; BAG BY THOM BROWNE, $3,200; SWEATER BY MISSONI, $4,375; SANDALS BY TOMMY HILFIGER, $80.50; SHIRT BY HASPEL, $175; TIE BY RALPH LAUREN, $125; SWIM SHORTS BY KATYA DOBRYAKOVA, $390

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GIEVES ANDERSON

O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 2 9

Foreground LIQUIDITY

Your Wedding, Uncorked You chose the right partner. Now choose the right wines. YOU’RE GETTING HITCHED. You’ve spent months making sure everything’s impeccable—the flowers, the music, the bow tie. But how much attention have you given to the wine? Yes, most of your guests will drink to the point where they don’t even care what’s in the glass, but there’s no reason the booze at your reception shouldn’t be as memorable as everything else on your big day. The first order of business: “Don’t trust the caterer,” says Anthony Giglio, Food & Wine magazine’s “Wine Wise Guy,” who has planned hundreds of events around the country. “Google the wines they’re proposing—the markup will blow your mind.” Instead, exclude wine from your wedding package and source your own bottles. Venues are often flexible with corkage fees, and many caterers will buy the bottles for you wholesale. Before making your selection, get advice from the local wine shops you trust. Set your price range and 3 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

guidelines. Ask for lower-alcohol, medium-bodied, fruit-forward wines— stuff that’s easy-drinking, but nothing that’ll leave half your party wasted before the appetizers arrive. Bring home some reds, whites, rosés, and sparklings and hold a tasting with friends. Opt for aromatic whites (sauvignon blancs or blends from Europe are generally more dynamic than oaky chardonnays), bright rosés (Provence is your go-to region for pink), and soft-tannin reds (pinot noirs are flexible enough to transition from the reception to dinner, pairing with both fish and meat). The sparkling wine you choose will depend on your budget. “If you can afford one made in the Champagne method, also labeled as the ‘traditional method,’ they will have more finesse and depth,” says Giglio. “These undergo a second fermentation in the bottle, creating the sparkle, and are usually aged a minimum of two years, which makes them more refined and flavorful.”

The second bubble-making fermentation in prosecco and cava is done in big tanks in the Charmat method, which is far less expensive but still yields a fresh, fruity taste. It may be preferable for a larger wedding. For a classy touch, set out a sign at the bar at the reception listing the wines you’re serving, along with short descriptions of each. (You may also want to put these on the table.) Pass out mini bottles of sparkling wine (Chandon, Mumm, Pommery) to get the party going after dinner. Make sure you have enough: Figure a bottle of wine per person. Aunt Ellie might be a teetotaler, but Uncle Edgar has been known to drink the bar dry. Instruct the staff not to uncork all the bottles at once; if you’ve negotiated a corkage fee, the unopened bottles can be returned. As for the Champagne toast, plan for eight pours per bottle—so for 100 guests, you’ll need only about a dozen bottles of the good stuff. Splurge on real Champagne for the toast, and then serve lower-priced sparkling after. If this all sounds like a lot, know that the added stress of nailing your nuptial drinks is worth it. “Wine is so overlooked at every wedding I’ve attended,” Giglio says. “Couples will invest in premium vodka, oyster bars, even chocolate fountains, but I always suggest they make the wine as important a part of their early planning as possible, knowing people will be enjoying it with their meal. Upgrade the wines, and don’t take no for an answer.” —BARONESS SHERI DE BORCHGRAVE

S H U T T E R S TO C K

Figure a bottle of wine per person. Aunt Ellie might be a teetotaler, but Uncle Edgar has been known to drink the bar dry.

Foreground LIQUIDITY

The List Eight wedding wines that won’t break the bank

SPARKLING

WHITES

ROSÉS

REDS

Roederer Estate Brut

La Petite Perrière Sauvignon Blanc

Barton & Guestier Passeport

Nobilo Icon Pinot Noir

A translucent pink Provence rosé with red berry and honeysuckle flavors, it’s a “best buy” in many leading wine publications. $15

With opulent blackberry and red plum flavors, this New Zealand red is a guranteed crowd-pleaser. $22

Lovely and crisp with floral notes, this gem comes from a ninth-generation, family-owned winery in the Loire. $13

Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rosé

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

A blend of pinot Noir and chardonnay from cool-climate vineyards in Northern California, the festive pink bubbly is aged two years and offers exciting berry fruit flavors. $29

The tropical, citrusy sipper from New Zealand makes for an addictively quaffable reception wine. $17

Prieuré de Montézargues

Smoke Tree Pinot Noir

From Tavel, France’s only appellation producing exclusively rosé wine, this exciting pink contains strawberry, gooseberry, and citrus notes. $19

For your dinner wine, go for this delicious, savory Sonoma pinot, rich with dark cherry and spice aromas. $23

COURTESY OF BRANDS

From the makers of Champagne Louis Roederer, this California cousin has flavors of pear and citrus, an elegant effervescence, and real finesse. $24

O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 3 1

Foreground GROOMING

Life After Lather The new rules of shampooing You may not know it yet, but chances are you’re in a dysfunctional relationship with your shampoo. If your scalp is too dry, too greasy, or too itchy, the underlying issue might be the same: detergent. But don’t worry. A new generation of shampoos is ditching chemical suds in favor of naturally nourishing oils, which are like a spa for your scalp. Here, New York hairstylist Wes Sharpton and Jackie Bauer, who works in product development at Hairstory hair studio, discuss the dos and don’ts of follicular maintenance. JULIEN SAUVALLE

NEW WASH BY HAIRSTORY

This powerful cleansing cream enriched with jojoba seed, sunflower seed, and peppermint is designed to clean and moisturize the scalp. One bottle does it all, so no need for conditioner. 8 oz., $40, Hairstory.com CITRUS ORGANIC HAIR RINSE BY DR. BRONNER’S

DO: LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS LIST

Shampoos are 80% water. The rest can be good or bad. Essentials oils like sunflower seed oil, peppermint oil, and jojoba seed have natural cleansing properties, which are better for your scalp. What to avoid? “Sulfate [also listed as SLS, SLES, or ALS] and any -glucoside component [e.g., deca-glucoside, coco-glucoside] have stripping qualities,” says Bauer. “Parabens and silicone, often in conditioners, should be on your ‘no’ list.” DO: TREAT YOUR SCALP LIKE YOUR FACE

“Your scalp is your skin, so switching shampoo is just like changing your skincare regimen,” Sharpton says. There’s no real difference between shampoo for 3 2 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

curly hair or oily hair, both of which can irritate your scalp. Whatever your hair type, opt for something gentle. DON’T: FREAK OUT ABOUT FLAKES (UNLESS IT’S SERIOUS)

“There’s confusion between dry scalp and dandruff,” Sharpton says. “Heat, urban environments, and bad dietary habits, such as fried food, can cause the scalp to produce soft little white flakes.” But they shouldn’t be confused with dandruff, which is flaking combined with oil. That’s a medical condition and requires an expert opinion. DO: WASH YOUR HAIR MORE OFTEN IF YOU USE PRODUCT

“Using products clogs pores, so the more you use, the more frequently you should wash your hair,” Sharpton says. How many times a week? “When switching to a detergent-free shampoo, stick with what you currently do. After the first month, become an observer to see if you need less or more.”

A concentrated organic solution mild enough for all hair types, it contains fair trade– sourced coconut oil and olive oil, as well as shikakai powder to stimulate hair growth. 8 oz., $7.49, DrBronner.com NATURAL SHAMPOO BY HANZ DE FUKO

This best-selling plant-derived serum cleanser doesn’t foam, and is completely sulfate-, paraben-, and fragrance-free. 8 oz., $19.50, available at Birchbox.com

COURTESY OF EVERETT COLLECTION. COURTESY OF BRANDS

DON’T: OVERCOMPENSATE WITH CONDITIONERS AND SERUMS

“Detergent does a lot of the work for you in the bubbles, but it tends to scrape everything out,” Sharpton says. “It creates a lot of problems, then sells you a lot of solutions. Anti-frizz serums, masks, conditioners—all of those products are really designed to fix issues the detergent is causing. It’s a vicious circle.”

3 GREAT SUDSLESS SHAMPOOS

Foreground FITNESS 101

A Call to Arms Six tips to develop guns that will make everyone ask, “Excuse me, sir—do you have a permit for those?” WE ALL KNOW THAT America has a gun problem. No, not the Second Amendment one—that’s less a problem than an epidemic that’s threatening to drag us all screaming into the bowels of hell. But how are your biceps doing? While a great pair of guns looks sexy, the way things are headed we might all soon have to bulk up our arms just to pull the country back on the right track. Yes, it’s time to Make America Flex Again! Here, Chris Matsui, director of high-performance training at New York’s Fusion Performance Training, offers six ways to pump up your bis and tris. 1. EAT—AND EAT AGAIN

“If you want to grow, you need to fuel up,” Matsui says. “Eating more kcal (kilocalories, or 1,000 calories) will help you grow and recover, and potentially help your energy levels during training.”

then move to the triceps,” he says. “Keep in mind that this is only for a limited time (again, two to three weeks), then you’ll move into a different phase. If something feels off, it may be best to rest and focus on a different body part.”

“Tempo can make a heck of a difference in your pump,” Matsui says. “Instead of repping it out as fast as you can, try slowing down the movement with a 3-to-5-second tempo.” 5. SLOW DOWN

EXAMPLE: ● Day 1: Preacher curls—3 sets of 12

reps (3 x 12) ● Day 2: Barbell curls—2 x 15 ● Day 3: Preacher dumbbell curls

S H U T T E R S TO C K

4. TAKE YOUR TIME, DO IT RIGHT

2. SWITCH IT UP

(single arm)—4 x 10

Be open to change. If you’re already training your arms pretty efficiently, try decreasing the number of sets you do but increasing the number of times you do them per week. As an example, Matsui suggests increasing your training frequency from three or four times a week to five or six. Limit each training session to two to four sets each and change the exercise selection every other workout. “Try a phase with the biceps, rest,

● Day 4: Barbell curls—2 x 8 ● Day 5: Dumbbell curls—3 x 15 ● Day 6: Cable curls—4 x 12

Be sure to get full range of motion. “This may mean you’ll have to lighten the weight, but it’ll be worth it for the extra range of motion [ROM] and the tension you’ll put on the muscle,” says Matsui. Shortening ROM may allow you to increase the weight, but if you want gains, you really want to focus on a full ROM to ensure the targeted muscles are getting a good workout.

3. DON’T FORGET YOUR CORE

6. STAY SAFE OUT THERE

While direct arm work is great, you still need a strong foundation, so also do some core exercises. Says Matsui, “Make sure you’re getting in plenty of bench presses, overhead presses, pullups, lat pulldowns, and rows.”

While it’s easy to get impatient, you shouldn’t take on more than you can handle. Says Matsui, “Don’t push beyond your limits, and maintain good technique first.” —LES FABIAN BRATHWAITE OUT APRIL 2017 33

WHAT IS GENVOYA®? GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older and weigh at least 77 lbs. It can either be used in people who are starting HIV-1 treatment and have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. These include having an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) for 6 months or more on their current HIV-1 treatment. GENVOYA combines 4 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day with food. GENVOYA is a complete HIV-1 treatment and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines. GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking GENVOYA. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body ﬂuids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body ﬂuids on them.

medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA. Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. • The herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection.

What are the other possible side effects of GENVOYA? Serious side effects of GENVOYA may also include: • Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. • Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to ﬁght infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking GENVOYA. • Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking GENVOYA.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA?

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking GENVOYA?

GENVOYA may cause serious side effects:

• All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

• Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness in the right side of your stomach area. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking GENVOYA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without ﬁrst talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

Who should not take GENVOYA? Do not take GENVOYA if you take:

• All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how GENVOYA works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take GENVOYA with all of your other medicines. • If you take antacids. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or after you take GENVOYA. • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if GENVOYA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking GENVOYA. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see Important Facts about GENVOYA including Important Warnings on the following page.

• Certain prescription medicines for other conditions. It is important to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about

Ask your healthcare provider if GENVOYA is right for you, and visit GENVOYA.com to learn more.

GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

SHOW YOUR

POWER

Take care of what matters mostâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you. GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment for people who are either new to treatment or people whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with GENVOYA.

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

(jen-VOY-uh) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GENVOYA

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF GENVOYA

GENVOYA® may cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness in the right side of your stomach area. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking GENVOYA. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time.

GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About GENVOYA” section. • Changes in body fat. • Changes in your immune system. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with GENVOYA.

ABOUT GENVOYA • GENVOYA is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older and weigh at least 77 lbs who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. GENVOYA can also be used to replace current HIV-1 medicines for some people who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL of virus in their blood), and have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months and have never failed HIV-1 treatment, and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements. • GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do NOT take GENVOYA if you: • Take a medicine that contains: alfuzosin (Uroxatral®), carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®), cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), lovastatin (Advicor ®, Altoprev®, Mevacor ®), lurasidone (Latuda®), methylergonovine (Ergotrate®, Methergine®), midazolam (when taken by mouth), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®), pimozide (Orap®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®), sildenafil when used for lung problems (Revatio®), simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®), or triazolam (Halcion®). • Take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort. • Take any other HIV-1 medicines at the same time.

BEFORE TAKING GENVOYA Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA.

HOW TO TAKE GENVOYA • GENVOYA is a complete one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine. • Take GENVOYA with food.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about GENVOYA. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. • Go to GENVOYA.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit GENVOYA.com for program information.

GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: December 2016 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0126 01/17

Foreground POSITIVE VOICES

Right Out There

S H U T T E R S TO C K

Friendship, HIV, and me MY BEST FRIEND MICAH HAS accompanied me to every HIV test I’ve had in the past decade. Carrie and Miranda had the Magnolia Bakery; we have the Gay Men’s Health Crisis on West 29th Street. You’re supposed to go every three months, and I’m there about every four and a half, sometimes five. I’ve learned to not listen to Aimee Mann on the subway ride. If you want my advice, just put Dolly Parton’s “Travelin’ Thru” on loop. Invariably I’m late, so Micah will wait for me in the Pret a Manger on the corner, as it’s either piercingly cold or summer stormy—you know, weather in which to get potentially life-changing news. We hug, say something bitchy, and walk into the clinic. I’ve always found negative energy to be an underrated quality of close friendship. The receptionist hands me a clipboard with forms to fill out. Micah used to get tested as well, but now he just sits with me, since he’s years into a monogamous relationship and, to really make a point of it, engaged. In my sole act of yenta-hood I introduced him to his partner, and they in turn have asked me to officiate their wedding’s “non-sacred portions,” which I presume means telling everyone to sit down and announcing the hashtag. We sit in the sad, tiny waiting room, which, when full of people, looks like a bland, tangled mass, like an undercooked pound of cross-legged spaghetti. It’s quiet; I’m usually the only one who has brought his best friend. Young men of all stripes sit hunched over their clipboards. I follow suit. The “Single/Never Married” box and I reunite, both agreeing it’s been far too long since the last form. What was it? My passport renewal? I get to the page where you’re prompted to check off any and all sexual tableaux in which you’ve participated:

without a condom, while intoxicated, with multiple partners, for money, with someone of unknown HIV status. That last one always rattles me, because, well, I blow strangers, and before I do so I ask them their status, but I’m taking their word for it. I check the box and turn in my clipboard. Rodrigo, a Peruvian vision, calls me back for my test. We sit at his desk, on which condoms and lube samples are displayed in a basket like fresh-baked cookies. He tells me that HIV infection is at an all-time high and that it’s still possible to become infected via an unprotected blow job. I don’t swallow, I tell him; when guys are gearing up to come, I pull off, leave the room, and drive to Connecticut until they’ve gotten it all out for sure. Rodrigo is not charmed. He asks what my riskreduction plan is. “Well,” I stammer, “to continue not to swallow,” and he cuts in, advising me to use condoms whenever possible and, if not, to at least avoid brushing my teeth right before oral sex, as it just tears everything up in there. I shudder, recalling that I once blew a guy who lived on Riverside Drive on my way home from the dentist. “Same goes for crusty bread,” Micah says in the waiting room. “Don’t eat a

“Now, should you test positive, do you have someone who you can turn to for support?”

baguette first—it’ll cut you up.” I’ve returned from the testing room, where Rodrigo pricked my finger and had to pump it for blood. I’m very upset by this, and nervous. The test takes 15 minutes. In hushed tones, Micah tells me two horrible stories about friends of friends, younger than us, who died suddenly, out of nowhere. He’s a minister, so these stories make their way to him with some frequency. “Why are you telling me this right now?” I snap-whisper. He talks about his mother, some French movie with full-frontal, his wonky toe. Like a construction crew pouring cement, he tilts the spout of the topic truck and fills each minute. “Now, should you test positive,” Rodrigo had asked earlier, “do you have someone, a friend or a family member, who you can turn to for support?” “I do,” I replied. “He’s right out there.” I say this every time, because every time he’s right out there. Micah stops chattering, clocking Rodrigo’s reappearance in the waitingroom doorway. Back in I go. —ISAAC OLIVER O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 3 7

F O U N DAT I O N THE NATIONAL LGBTQ SCHOLARSHIP FUND

S Y M POSI U M D I S PATC H E S FR O M T H E FR O N T L I N E S O F C O N T EM P O R A RY CU LT U R E

BACK ON CHRISTOPHER STREET

Once a safe space for disenfranchised youth, the West Village destination is now a shadow of its former self.

PIER KIDS

By Peter Moskowitz

I MEET ELEGANCE BRATTON at a Starbucks on the corner of Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue, a hundred feet from the Stonewall Inn, where Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women of color, helped start the LGBT liberation movement. Dressed in a wool coat and sunglasses that seem to have never left his face, Elegance speaks in a high, confident, almost Valley girl–ish tone. He is as fabulous as Christopher Street once was. That’s because Elegance came of age on Christopher Street, had sex for the first time with another man there, and now makes art there. His upcoming documentary, Pier Kids, documents how this street is still crucial for queer youth. I grew up a few blocks from Christopher Street, and though I was never in the scene (I was too white, and too young to have been a part of its

heyday), I deeply appreciated growing up on its periphery. After our insipid Starbucks coffee, I suggest to Elegance that we take a walk along the seven blocks of Christopher Street, not much more than half a mile, to figure out what happened here. I knew that to those who pass through, to the tourists holding phones close to their faces in order to figure out which avenue they’re standing on, to the business-casual set on their way from their offices to Le Pain Quotidien, this could be any typical New York street, packed with restaurants and people and stores of every kind. But to me it seems both banal and bizarre. Like Elegance, I’d known a previous era of Christopher Street, and this new sea of pedestrians doing nothing but consuming makes me sad. What happened to its queer scene? Of course, for those who relied on Christopher

Street as a safe space—the mostly black and Latino gay, lesbian, trans, and queer youth—the stakes of this transformation from a space of celebration to one of consumption have been much higher. I stand there and wonder, in the year of a Donald Trump victory and the massacre of 49 members of the queer community at an Orlando club, what does it mean that this street no longer feels like a queer haven? The queens and the voguers and the butch lesbians who had helped me figure out who I was, who had become a ragtag family to Elegance from the time he was a teen, have moved on. It feels not only like change but like loss. To understand why Christopher Street was and is important, one must first understand what happened here, how a space so crucial to the identity and safety of so many could slowly vanish. So Elegance and I walk. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 3 9

SYMPOSIUM

ELEGANCE, NOW 37, grew up a 40-minute train ride away in New Jersey. He knew he was gay early in his life, and—facing rejection by his family— headed to Christopher Street one evening at the age of 16, following three men he saw voguing on the commuter rail from Jersey until he found himself among dozens of people who made him feel at home for the first time. That night, Elegance was cruised by a man with, as he recalls, “light brown skin, curly hair, greenish eyes, and big hands.” By the end of the night, the two were hooking up on the far end of the concrete pier that juts out into the Hudson River. The skyline of Jersey across the river played background to Elegance’s first night of real romance. The more confident Elegance became The street, especially for people of in his sexuality, the less welcome he felt color, was the safest space they could in his mother’s home, until New Jersey find. But it always came with risks: was entirely out of the picture. He ended Marsha P. Johnson, the black trans up homeless, crashing on couches, in activist who helped kick off the Stonewall beds, in the dorm rooms of NYU kids. riots, ended up dead in the water at That was his life for 10 years—with no the end of the Christopher Street pier permanent home but Christopher Street. in 1992. Police ruled it a suicide, but Elegance was like a lot of kids out friends suspected she’d been murdered. there; 40% of homeless youth identify Harassment from neighbors and police as LGBT. The majority of those kids, was ever-present. But over the past 20 like Elegance, were forced out or ran years, it seems to have gotten worse. away from home. And in New York, until In 1998, the state signed away partial recently, Christopher Street was the place control of Hudson River Park—i.e., the to go when that happened. There were piers—to an organization funded with other options, of course—nonprofits that private dollars from the owners of the provided services, homeless shelters high-end buildings that surround the where one could sleep—but Christopher pier, which lines nearly the entire west was the place queer kids went to feel side of Manhattan. Christina Hanhardt, accepted and loved. a professor of American studies at the “I was just drawn to it,” Elegance says. University of Maryland and the author of “I was addicted to seeing people who Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History looked like me, who were gay. At home, and the Politics of Violence, argues that’s people didn’t even know I was gay. On when gentrification was kicked into Christopher Street, not only did they overdrive. The privatization of the pier know I was gay, they knew how I wanted to have sex. They knew all this stuff about meant real estate owners began to see race and class as threats to me that I couldn’t even their property values. And admit to myself out loud.” so the pier got new grass, As we walk down “I was addicted new pavement, playgrounds, Christopher Street toward the pier, Elegance to seeing people gates, locks, increased police presence, and a curfew. paraphrases a quote who looked like Public bathrooms began from a theologian named shutting down earlier. The John O’Donohue: Home me, who were medical vans that served is where you feel most gay. At home, the LGBT youth were understood. For Elegance, suddenly required to secure and thousands more, people didn’t a $25,000 permit to operate, Christopher was the even know I and the nonprofit FIERCE only place where it was documented a rise in police possible to feel that. was gay.” 4 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

harassment and brutality against the LGBT youth who hung out on Christopher Street, especially at the now partially privatized pier. The mostly white residents of the West Village were never very sympathetic to the mostly black and Latino queer scene, but in the 2000s, tensions rose. The local press documented an increase in residents complaining about the noise, the fights, and the violence that would break out at night. The owners of bars mostly frequented by white gay men began to complain too, saying their business was being hurt by the rowdiness outside. Chi Chiz, the last Christopher Street bar left that felt like a welcoming space to Elegance and many others, closed in 2010 after being sued by the city for allegedly allowing people to sell drugs on its property. Chi Chiz was not alone: In the 2000s, several bars and clubs closed, some the victims of police raids, and others of ever-increasing rents. But for black and Latino queers on Christopher Street, the closure of Chi Chiz felt particularly troubling. “I felt like it was a line in the sand. It was very clear what was going to happen next,” Elegance says as we pass the space once occupied by the bar (it’s now a sushi place). “When I walk through here, I have a range of emotions for this space. What can you do with the will of the rich in a city obsessed with money? What can you really do except just persist to be present and hope that eventually these rich people will find somewhere else to go?” Police, residents, and those frequenting Christopher Street have butted heads for

SYMPOSIUM

decades, but this decade has seen the addition of countless hookup apps that provide a safe space for meet-ups away from the prying eyes of the public and the police. And so with more police, more fences, and more apps, Christopher Street’s queer scene became more isolated, more dispersed, more private, pushed to the edges of the neighborhood and out of it entirely, its culture flipped so that the norm of 10 years ago—black and Latino kids proudly parading down the block—is now the oddity, the thing to be gawked at from behind a window over a glass of wine at a French restaurant. ON A FRIDAY night I walk down Christopher Street alone. The pier is relatively desolate, except for a few joggers, a cop car, and two people huddled on a bench. Nay B. and Rudy Jimenez, both in their early 20s, are friends from high school, and both started coming here about eight years ago. Nay knew by the time he was taking the train down from the Bronx that Christopher Street was long past its heyday—not “dicks galore,” as he puts it—but he also knew it was the only place where he could find “freedom, solace, and community.” He and Rudy said they’re ambivalent about the police presence, as Christopher Street does get violent, but just hope it doesn’t get cleaned up too much; otherwise it will become all joggers and tourists and be as boring as midtown.

Up the block, on the corner of Hudson Street, Bianka Van Kartier, a neighborhood regular who remembers everyone’s face, stops at the pizza place on the corner to help the young guy working behind the counter with his English assignment. The policing has eased up under Mayor Bill de Blasio, she says. It was worse under Bloomberg. “I remember the crowds, the loudness, the loudness of the fashion,” she says. “We’re a long way from that.” I walk a few blocks up, past two fancy dog stores, past a velvet-roped line outside Stonewall, past groups of carefree tourists. And I wonder what can be garnered from being here now. This place, even though I was only a tangential witness to it, was crucial in forming my identity, in helping me understand who I was. It feels, to put it bluntly, less crucial these days. I know police and real estate prices can’t be to blame for all of this—there’s a bevy of apps on my phone that provide the same basic function public spaces and gay bars once did for queer people. I know that even if Christopher Street were still thriving, I might be at home staring at Grindr instead. But Grindr doesn’t explain why there’s a healthy (mostly white) queer scene in Brooklyn and a dozen gay bars in Hell’s Kitchen. Most of the scene in

COOL, DISSECTED

A fashionable new book explore what it means to be of the moment.

C O U R T E S Y O F R I Z Z O L I (C O O L )

And so with more police, more fences, and more apps, Christopher Street’s queer scene became more isolated, more dispersed, more private.

New York hasn’t vanished; it’s just shifted. Still, especially for people of color, there doesn’t seem to be a central location to meet and be seen. “There used to be a specific region of a city you could go to. We don’t have that anymore,” says Dion McKenzie, a DJ from Jamaica, Queens, who goes by the name TYGAPAW and usually plays venues in the outer boroughs. Now she has to search out venues and clubs willing to host her and throw themed nights. There’s little sense of permanence. I end my night on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street, the heart of this place, where an NYPD floodlight is erected most weekends, casting a bright whiteness over the entire corner. The light is off this weekend for whatever reason, and so the street is dark except for the flashes of a police cruiser looping the block over and over again. On one pass, an officer leans out of his window and tells a group of young people under some scaffolding to move along. A young man, Deshaun Marie, hangs out near the subway stop there with his friends. The group has been chatting for about an hour, when a drunk man, holding on to the shoulder of a friend, stumbles through them, asking if they sell weed. They say no. Then Deshaun says he’s bored and leaves to go home to the Bronx to watch Netflix.

Subcultures: New Romantics

How do we determine what’s cool? It’s a question that’s evolved through the decades, in step with—and because of—the fashion, music, and media of passing eras. Working with writer and style guru Andrew Luecke, author-illustrator Greg Foley unpacks this phenomenon and spills it onto the pages of Cool, a monograph that, through Foley’s watercolors, captures trends and fashion movements across a century. From greasers and beatniks to club kids and riot grrrls, the art sets the scene, no matter the scene. And music takes things further. Complementing Cool is a wealth of streamable playlists with hundreds of songs. A collaboration with Apple Music, the lists have been curated by influencers like Michael Stipe, Kelis, Fischerspooner, and Susanne Bartsch—just a few of the cool kids who’ve defined these iconic subcultures. Cool is available this month from Rizzoli. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 4 1

SYMPOSIUM

THE HOMECOMING With his new production Black Box, performance artist Shamel Pitts returns to America. SHAMEL PITTS HAS COME back to America to be, in his words, part of the conversation. The performance artist and dancer, who grew up in Brooklyn, spent seven years in Israel as a company member of the country’s highly regarded Batsheva Dance Company, and his return to our shores could not be more timely. In January he premiered a solo show, Black Box, in which he combines visual arts, contemporary dance, and avant-garde expressionism to interrogate his own identity. “It is a very challenging and heated time to return to the United States with Trump as president, and with the country more divided and hurting than when I left,” he says. “Yet I feel, as an artist, it is my responsibility to be here 4 2 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

to question the heart of all these things, not just the noise and bullshit storming around them.” As most performance artists will tell you, their voice is their body. In a time of resistance and political uncertainty, particularly for people of color and the LGBTQ community, protests have resonated the loudest. But perhaps a nuanced, more delicate gesture could also move the many conversations forward, with more modulation, and less Sturm und Drang. “I use my body to communicate something that is potentially inexplicable with words, something unseen yet felt at the core,” Pitts says. “Dance can travel beyond comprehension and enter the body

and mind of the viewer in a way that transcends the experience of the moment and the moments after. It lingers through us all. Dance has always been there, and it will be always.” Black Box was first staged in February 2015, on Pitts’s 30th birthday, in Tel Aviv. Thirty friends were invited to watch his half-hour performance, in which he used movements and words to express his sexuality, his blackness, and what he considers his complicated place in the world. Since then, Black Box has morphed into both a short film (available online) and a solo performance. The film is directed and produced by the Israeli director Aviv Maaravi; the live performance is set in a confined space, in nearly total darkness. The only

P H OTO G R A P H Y BY A L E X A P T

By Daniel Scheffler

SYMPOSIUM

Obliquely referencing light source is a projector that the flight data recorder, throws black light into the “There were Black Box transcends space, part of a collaboration the traditional with art director and lighting huge moments travel-journal format, artist Tom Love. Layered over of self-reflection, becoming instead a this is a series of recordings self-destruction, record of a life—in a of Pitts’s observations and nod to Nina Simone— ruminations, drawn from his discovery, and as a “young, gifted, and travels with Batsheva: “Come perspective. It was black” artist, thriving passion and allow me to feel in constant motion. and decipher what is left from important for me “There were moments the distances spread inside to write—to give of self-reflection, selfof my chest. I look to you destruction, discovery, for strength and humanity a platform for and perspective,” Pitts and realness. I look towards these experiences, says. “It was important you as a mirror that’s oneto write—to give a sided, only showing you the memories, and platform for these multiplicity of faces that lie existential ideas.” experiences, memories, inside of you.” and existential ideas.” In Black Box, Pitts, clad Think of it as his way of giving words the only in a loincloth and caked in mud, power to dance. moves slowly and gracefully, as if in Pitts’s project grew out of a desire to meditation. His body seems familiar research existential questions of identity yet under-represented, the source from that are magnified in the world at large, which the strength of his work emerges.

a series of meditations on, in his words, “the color, the race, the orientation, the loss, the essence, the solitude, the consensus.” Black Box can be seen as a culmination of everything Pitts has worked on since his days at New York’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. “The LaGuardia environment was the first— and probably most—diverse collective of humanity that I’ve ever experienced,” he says. “I remember being so excited in a way that was unfamiliar and new, as I was learning more about myself, dance, art, other cultures, and other ways of being, among people who came from very different backgrounds.” While attending LaGuardia, Pitts was also a student at the Ailey School, founded by the great African-American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, who died in 1989. It was there that Pitts was given a copy of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, a baptism of fire for O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 4 3

the young dancer. “I had not heard of the book at the time, nor did I anticipate that it would have such an immense impact on my life,” says Pitts. “It delves deeply and poetically into ideas of homosexuality, bisexuality, blackness, and biracial relationships. Also the turbulence of love and living abroad, so many things that I knew very little about. Yet I felt that, at my core, they were already there as a part of me.” Baldwin may have come to his aid, but Pitts was always going to dance. After honing his skills at Juilliard and dancing with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance and BJM Danse Montréal, he went to Israel to dance under Ohad Naharin, artistic director of Batsheva and the man credited with creating “Gaga,” a bold dance language that has come to define the form in Israel. “Over the past seven years of living in Tel Aviv, I became a big part of the nightlife scene,” Pitts says. “I realized there was space for me to bring a creative, artistic side to my presence in it.” That was when he joined forces with Billy Barry, a fellow dancer from New York, to launch Fagazine, an Israel fashion blog. It took off, fueled by a series of parties he, Barry, and DJ Litty Lev held around Tel Aviv. The bashes included cellists, circus artists, twerk teams, pole dancers, hip-hop B-boys, Hula-Hoop performers, Russian avantgarde installation artists, video artists, photographers, and several professional dancers. As a symbol of opposition to conformity, they drew a line of white lipstick down their foreheads. “More and more people wanted the white line stripe, and eventually you would see a sea of people—different shapes, sizes, and all else—with this tribal-ass white stripe on their foreheads,” says Pitts. “This was very special, and an example of how diverse we can be within our tribe.” Black Box will be performed in Berlin at Dock 11 on March 31 as part of the Machol Shalem International Dance Festival. 4 4 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

P HTOTO K T KGTRKATPKH Y BY I TA I Z W E C K E R ( TO P) . C O U R T E S Y O F TO B I A S H O C K S T E I N ( B L AC K B OX )

SYMPOSIUM

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SEXUAL WELLNESS

SYMPOSIUM

THE ANTICLOSET CASE “I want people to say, ‘I had really amazing sex,’ the same way you’d say you read a great book.”

REMBRANDT DURAN was 23 when he stopped pursuing women. “I was like, Let’s try this gay thing for a bit,” he says. The gay thing stuck, and in the two years since, Duran has had sex with more than 550 men. He admits his promiscuity is partly fueled by gay repression. “Maybe it’s from shame and wanting to keep it ‘on the low’ or whatever,” he says. “But now I’m shouting it to the world.” And that includes on social media. If attention, and become more public and you follow Duran’s private Instagram unabashed with his alpha-gay persona, account, be careful opening it in CVS: the he’s allowed sex to permeate most of person behind you might think you’re his life. Capitalizing on his assets and logged onto PornHub. Rolodex of partners (his phone’s media Duran’s penis has made him popular scroll was once organized by bottoms, on Grindr, but that didn’t always jell tops, and sex videos), he’s worked at with the rest of his appearance. “I used and organized sex parties, private and to dress like the Mexican version of public, in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Prince,” says the 25-year-old New Yorker, He’s also served as an escort and a “sex who was formerly in fashion—his caps matchmaker,” he says, uniting partners have been worn by Missy Elliott and via his catalog of flesh, and never letting Will.I.Am—and describes himself as a attachment interfere. “A lot of guys keep “handsome, pretty, queer Mayan Dutch their friends and home lives separate— Jew.” He continues, “I had pink clothes, they can’t be friendly to people they have long hair, and huge hoop earrings. That casual sex with,” he says. “It’s all the same didn’t work with men. They’d love my to me. I’ll stay in touch and hook people nudes, but I’d show up and they’d be like, up with hot bottoms and tops. I don’t care ‘Next time leave the earrings at home.’ ” if they do it without me.” Compromise has been part of the game Though desired and dominant, Duran for Duran, who acknowledges that he’s doesn’t consider himself sexy. “I’m playing a role. Growing to resent his cute and high-energy,” he says of his look, he’s cut his hair, ditched the bold appeal. And while any clothes, and embraced his “masc” exhibitionist is seeking side. He’s even had the Yankees’ “It’s society some validation, what NY logo tattooed on his face. “I’ve Duran continually brings established myself in a certain scene that’s made up in conversation is a as being trade-adjacent,” he says. drive to destigmatize “And I’ve grown more aware of what sex into sex. “I want people to be certain guys are into. I give them a something like, ‘I had a really good gay street-dude fantasy.” dirty.” morning; I had amazing As Duran has gained more 2 17 0 1 6O O 4466 AMPARRI CL H2 0 UU TT

sex,’ the same way you’d say you read a great book,” he says. “Good sex is part of a good day, not something we should feel uncomfortable talking about. It’s society that’s made it into something dirty.” The same goes for Duran’s views on protection and STDs. He is HIV-negative, is on PrEP, and gets tested once a month. He confesses he’s not big on condoms, but he’s open with partners and lets them steer. “I’m speaking from a place of top privilege, and I understand that,” he says. “If I’m asked to use a condom, that’s important. I want people comfortable—it makes the whole thing sexier.” Duran has caught chlamydia five times and gonorrhea twice, and, without endorsing such things, he wants to knock out their stigmas, too. “Many STDs and STIs are more manageable than common infections, like a cold or the flu,” he says. “They’re only viewed so harshly because they’re tied to sex. That’s why people catch HIV—they sleep with people who don’t get tested because they’re afraid. It’s a social problem. Give me gonorrhea, I’ll get a shot, and it’s gone the same day. Give me chlamydia, I’ll take two pills, and it’s gone in two days. Give me the flu, and I’ll be off my game for two weeks—and I probably won’t ask for a second date.”

C O U R T E S Y O F R E M B R A N DT D U R A N

By R. Kurt Osenlund

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SYMPOSIUM ARMOND WHITE’S MOVIES Michael York and Liza Minnelli in Cabaret

CABARET’S TRYSEXUAL LEGACY von Heune (Helmut Griem, with a ALTHOUGH CABARET, the 1972 hit sinister mustache and appetitive movie-musical, gave Liza Minnelli gap-toothed smile). The pair is her icon status, it featured an equally drawn to Max’s money, but Brian important star: Michael York, who is particularly seduced by his own portrayed Brian Roberts, an English personal curiosity. He returns scholar thrown into the sexual-artisticMax’s devious sly glances, and political turbulence of post-WWI their hands touch when Brian lights Germany. The role was based on gay Max’s cigarette. Cabaret avoids showing author Christopher Isherwood’s memoir two men kiss, yet the movie’s songs and Goodbye to Berlin (also an influence on drama about social collapse center on Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s), and York made his character’s ambiguous sexual transgression. “Two Ladies,” sung by Joel Grey, as the Kit Kat Klub’s freaky coming out appealing and timely. When Minnelli, as American expatriate emcee, pantomimes a bisexual dalliance while Max entices Brian and Sally with an nightclub singer Sally Bowles, asks him if he sleeps with girls, York’s Brian skirts the African safari, a racially coded attempt to loosen their sexual inhibitions. issue by describing his past heterosexual This was how post-Stonewall experiences as “disasters.” York was Hollywood taught queerness: fitting it already a standout in several notable into traditional storytelling about tabooEuropean films (including Joseph Losey’s breakers who would try anything, and, bisexual tease Accident), and director most significantly, idealizing it in York’s Bob Fosse used his guiltless, fresh-meat blond, blue-eyed naïveté. “I was right. innocence to assuage the sexual fears of Blue is your color,” Max says when tossing post-Stonewall American audiences. Brian the gift of a blue cashmere sweater. Cabaret successfully changed York blinks like a trapped animal. Brian’s conventional attitudes toward sex by sexuality is found out; he can’t deny his introducing queerness in a historical nature. context. It used the era of He comes out coyly: He German Expressionism better tops Sally’s boast about than the recent film The Danish Cabaret fucking Max with the Girl even though Fosse’s pervy successfully classy riposte “So do I.” attraction to what Minnelli’s This reveal, delivered in Sally called “divine decadence” changed York’s elegant, purring alto, softened moviegoers’ conventional was less than a surprise to acceptance by allowing them to post-Stonewall filmgoers enjoy his bohemian characters attitudes for whom York was already while feeling superior to their toward sex by a sexual icon. In the 1968 Nazi-era fate. introducing Romeo & Juliet, director Stepping back, but moving Franco Zeffirelli presented forward, Fosse’s film centers queerness in him as a dashing, on Brian and Sally’s ménage a historical dark-haired Tybalt—an à trois with a rich and undeniably erotic, possibly experienced baron, Maximilian context. 4 8 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

gay figure in body-clinging tights and a colorful codpiece. York’s role in Cabaret redeemed one of his past aberrations. In 1970 he portrayed a murderous, bisexual gigolo in Something for Everyone—the first film directed by Broadway legend Harold Prince. That film’s new Blu-ray release by Kino commemorates an embarrassing moment in the evolution of Hollywood candor and tolerance. The filmmakers’ sophistication—and York’s winking appeal—turns against them through the story’s snickering, satirical equation of queerness with depravity. Ironically, Something for Everyone is not for everyone. It wasn’t a popular success, in part because its lovequadrangle plot (York beds an entire family of Bavarian aristocrats whose fortunes have faded after WWII) is even more darkly sinister than Cabaret’s. The film’s heartless decadence turns out to be rather unfunny when York’s character equates sexuality with distrust and horror. It taints the kind of innocence shown by Cabaret’s two young lovers (Marisa Berenson and Fritz Wepper) who ask a fundamental question about sexual attraction: “Is it love or is it mere infatuation of the body?” That question is always a dilemma for gay filmgoers who are seduced by an actor’s charms. Michael York’s on-screen trysexuality is notable because it creates a sense of personal identification and wonder.

COURTESY OF EVERETT COLLECTION

What the classic musical taught us about tolerance

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SYMPOSIUM

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN Jim Hart was an insurance salesman struggling with alcoholism and his homosexuality when a chance encounter with Carly Simon, who would later become his wife, changed everything. RON VAWTER, an old college friend, stood in front of me on the corner of Waverly and Sixth Avenue. He seemed to glide sideways, somehow catching me unaware, and kissed me on the cheek. We hugged each other for a long time. When I finally looked at him at arm’s length, Ron seemed etched out of the crisp autumn afternoon. He had often created a strange clamor within me. So much of his work as an actor with the Wooster Group was a kind of subversion: a way to get at the truth of things. I both loved and was terrified by this part of Ron. His cadence and stride immediately captured me, and he called me by a name that no one else ever did. In his most soothing voice he said, “Jimmyboy.” It was the last week in March of 1988, and we hadn’t seen each other for some time. We shrugged and walked together on this short, whimsical street toward the red brick of the Northern Dispensary. We turned left onto Christopher at the end of the block near Sheridan Square. Ron’s life as a performer had begun to take off in so many ways, and I had been busy with Carly. Ron said, “Let’s have a drink at Boots and Saddles, a gay leather bar on Christopher Street. There’s a cute bartender who’s a friend of mine.” “You know I don’t drink anymore.” “Right. Do you mind if I do?” “No, not at all. Let’s go.” Ron ordered a Jack on the rocks and lit a cigarette. He loved to smoke, and we had smoked and been drunk together so often. I wished I could have joined him for a few, but I knew I couldn’t. “Jimmyboy, Carly Simon?” “I know, it’s odd, isn’t it?” “I guess. You’ll tell me all about it— everything.” “What’s happening with you?” “Well, my commercial career is finally taking off. I’ve made some films recently— small but good roles.” “That’s wonderful.” “It’s quite bittersweet.” “Why?” 5 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

Hart in New York, in the summer 0f 1967

“I have just been diagnosed with the AIDS virus.” “Oh, Ronnie.” We hugged each other in the dim light of Boots and Saddles. The cute bartender looked on approvingly. I kept touching Ron, and we just kept moving closer and closer to each other. I wanted to kiss Ron down to his bones and tell him with one physical gesture how much I loved him. We were alone here for most of the afternoon. Just the two of us trying to share what had happened in our lives. We wanted to be alone just to feel and taste and see each word and gesture. WE RUSHED through so many people and memories—all the nights at various gay bars and all the guys I had slept with before Alannah and I were married, many of whom Ron helped me pick up. I especially remembered a couple of nights at a gay bar in Brooklyn and a flirtation with a sexy young man named Noodles. We danced through the night in a haze of booze, pot, and amyl nitrate. Every time I took a hit of amyl nitrate, I moved closer toward him. Noodles was dressed in skintight white bell bottoms,

and his legs were muscular, lithe, and sleek. As the drug took over, I so wanted him, and when the short effect of the drug wore off, I wanted him so much less. This sensual push and pull went on all night, and I felt that sleeping with Noodles would have forced me to declare something forever. I was always drunk or high on something in those days in the gay world, so nothing felt definitive, but this moment was different, as if Noodles could overturn everything within me. Something about his total commitment to his sexuality would have meant that I would have to commit also, and I knew I couldn’t, just couldn’t. Yet the image of Noodles’s swerving body and wide smile stayed with me forever. I would see Ron again fairly soon. Happily, he was an acquaintance of the writer Edna O’Brien, who had become a great friend to Carly. Edna had written a play about Maud Gonne and William Butler Yeats, and we thought Ron might be of help. Edna had a sharp and trained eye, and she recognized Ron as the real deal, a true artist, and admired his work. The last production I saw of Ron’s was a one man tour de force called Roy Cohn/Jack Smith: one of the most terrifying and moving theatrical pieces I had ever seen. Ron played two men who had died of AIDS while Ron himself was dying of AIDS. I knew Ron and Carly would like each other; they were both zany sorts of artists, and that quality was intertwined in their work and personalities. I worried that Ron in a mischievous mood might reveal some of my gay secrets to Carly, but I was willing to risk it. I was never exactly comfortable when the two of them were together. I presumed that somehow the truth would come out, but it never did. We all got busy with other things, and then Ron got sick. I sat one afternoon with Edna, Ron, and Carly at a restaurant in SoHo. As I looked at the three of them, I felt

SYMPOSIUM

These were two parts of me that Carly would never really know, and they were at the core of what I had wrapped in a kind of secrecy to protect myself.

B R I A N H U TC H I S O N ( J A M E S H A R T, M A I N I M AG E ) . P E T E R S I M O N (C A R LY A N D J A M E S )

Clockwise from left: Hart; Hart, Simon, and Jackie Onassis in Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 1992; Hart’s new memoir, Lucky Jim

excluded. These three had already achieved a great deal of success as artists. I knew I was just like them; I just hadn’t yet put myself to the test. There was something in the three of them that I lacked: a kind of bold and vigorous assertion of self. I felt they all cared for me deeply, and yet I lacked what I felt they had assembled—an array of tricks. My alcoholism had interrupted me. Yet in other ways, I felt more mature than all of them. I thought they were all capable of harming themselves and others in a way that I never could: They lived much more in the sway of their emotions. I felt sounder, as though nothing would ever overturn me. I was struck by how much Edna and Ron knew about me in certain ways that Carly never would. Edna knew all about my being an Irish Catholic from a poor and violent background, and Ron knew the other stuff. These were two parts of me that Carly would never really know, and they were at the core of what I had wrapped in a kind of secrecy to protect myself.

My calls to a sex line ominously named “The Dungeon” would indicate yet another circuitous path. It was a gay S&M telephone line that appeared in ads in The Village Voice. We had set up a writing office for me in a room that Carly had on the roof at 135 Central Park West. It was a remarkable space—soaring above the park in a pyramid-like structure that had tiny, high windows. Sometimes when I would get bored, I would call the S&M sex line and chat with guys about what they wanted to do to me. They all seemed to have growling bass voices with very particular and bizarre instructions: “You are a worthless worm. You will be my slave.” “I will?” “Who gave it permission to speak?” “No one. That’s right.” “It will only speak when I tell it to.” “OK.” “That is not how you address your Master. You will start every sentence with Thank You, sir.” “I will? Oh, thank you, sir.” I never remember being sexually excited by any of it. I was just fascinated that people had such unusual desires and

were willing to express them to others so candidly. We had so many phone lines that it never dawned on me that someone in Carly’s accountant’s office would be checking the bill and report back to her that calls were being placed to The Dungeon. Carly lived with suspicion. She had been trained in a house of lies as a child, and her many relationships with celebrities, artists, alcoholics, and drug addicts had sharpened her sense that she was never getting the truth. I knew that she would trace the calls to their source, so the only thing for me to do was to admit what I had done. I was terribly ashamed on so many levels, and I made an immediate appeal in my confession. “Please, whatever you do—don’t make me talk about this ever again. It will never happen again, I promise you, and please let’s not discuss it. It’s too embarrassing.” I sobbed throughout this admission, certain that this would be the end of our brief marriage. I am not sure whether Carly actually understood that it was a gay S&M line. After a day of thinking about it, she said she would never mention it again, and in fact she never did. The last thing she said was, “I think it must have something to do with the seminary. You must be a very bad boy. Do you think you need to be punished?” We didn’t revisit the subject again. This edited extract is taken from Hart’s memoir, Lucky Jim, available April 11 from Cleis Press. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 5 1

BEACH & BEYOND Newlyweds will find no shortage of surf and sand at these four honeymoon destinations, but for intrepid travelers thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no shortage of adventure either.

The long sandy shore of Guacalito de la Isla on Nicaraguaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pacific coast x x A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

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Nicaragua From beaches and volcanoes to virgin forests and colonial towns, the largest country in Central America is a perfect combination of exploration and relaxation. By Aaron Hicklin

ON FEBRUARY 14, 1972, a week before Nixon touched down in China, Howard Hughes flew to Nicaragua, with an eye to develop a string of resort hotels. A front-page story in The Chicago Tribune recorded how the eccentric Hollywood mogul had relocated with “several members of [his] all-male secretarial and security staff” and taken over the top floor of Managua’s Intercontinental Hotel. Ten months later, on December 23, the city was devastated by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that destroyed 80% of its buildings. Hughes fled back to the Bahamas, his plans for turning Nicaragua into a tourist hot spot abandoned. It has taken a long time for Hughes’s dream to materialize, but the largest country in Central America is finally following in the path of its southern neighbor, Costa Rica. Hughes’s failure may be Nicaragua’s blessing, sparing its pristine Pacific coastline the ugly tower blocks that were popular in his day. By contrast, Mukul (MukulResort .com), one of the country’s first luxury resorts, reflects the current vogue for small, low-impact chalets—love nests, really, each with its own plunge pool and sea vistas. Arranged almost

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surreptitiously around a sickle-shaped cove, with wide paths curling up and around steep slopes, Mukul is the brainwave of Nicaragua’s first billionaire, Carlos Pellas, whose company owns Flor de Caña, the country’s smooth, storied rum, of which there is no shortage at the resort. Just don’t request a Cuba Libre— it’s a Nica Libre here. Mukul’s version errs politely on the side of rum. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, and Mukul still feels like something of an anomaly in a nation catering primarily to backpackers. Although change is coming—including plans to build a new coastal road, connecting previously hard-to-reach shore towns—visiting Nicaragua today is to experience that rare sensation of arriving early to the party. Americans have been trickling here since the end of the Contra War of the 1980s, but it doesn’t take a lot to fall under the beguiling illusion of uncharted territory and limitless adventure. Mukul is a splendid hideaway from cares, where you can learn to surf or join a yoga class high above the Pacific waves, but it’s also within striking distance of several natural wonders. On Lake Nicaragua, a three-hour kayak trip down the Rio Istián, a marshy estuary on the island of Ometepe, will transport you to an idyll of tropical birds, howler monkeys, and, if you’re lucky, the odd sighting of a caiman or two. At dusk, the surface of the lake puckers and pops in the waning light as thousands of fish come up to feed on the flies. On a four-hour trek on the slopes of Maderas, one of two volcanoes on the same island, you feel spectacularly lonely but for the farmers harvesting sorghum. The petroglyphs carved onto the giant boulders are gentle reminders that you’re not the first, and

surely not the last, to come this way. Maderas is no longer active, but Nicaragua is full of volcanoes that are, including Masaya, known to the Spanish invaders, for good reason, as the “Mouth of Hell.” Located between the capital, Managua, and the colonial city of Granada, it’s one of only three volcanoes in the world where you can stand on the rim and look down into the molten lava below. It’s easy to feel humble in such a place, where the earth is still largely in command. In Granada, too, you see the impact of earthquakes and volcanoes— the houses here are simple one- and two-story affairs, painted in bright pinks and yellows, offering glimpses of dark interiors in which families sit around in the high-backed rocking chairs that are characteristic of the city. Mukul calls them “Grandma chairs,” and has carefully sourced its furnishings and materials locally. Even the art on the walls of the villas comes from recycled Flor de Caña barrels.

Americans have been trickling here since the end of the Contra War of the 1980s, but it doesn’t take a lot to fall under the beguiling illusion of uncharted territory and limitless adventure.

JO SE P H M ORT IME R / S H UT T E RS TO CK (GR A N A DA). AA RO N H IC K L IN (O PE N IN G IMAGE). COU RT ESY OF MUKUL ( POOL A ND DEC K)

Left: the skyline of Granada. Opposite: the swimming pool at Tribal Hotel. Below: the deck of one of Mukul’s love nests

On trend, as it must be, Mukul will soon add a farm to its facilities, designed in collaboration with New York’s farmto-table guru Blue Hill. Guests will be able to pick vegetables in the morning, watch them being prepared in the afternoon, and then eat them beachside for dinner. Just don’t sit too close to the manchineel trees on the beach—a sign warns guests that even the scent of the tiny apples that cluster on the branches might be enough to kill you. Agatha Christie would have swooned. You will swoon, too, if you are lucky enough to participate in the hotel’s turtle-release program. Nicaragua’s Pacific coast is one of a dwindling number of spots where the critically endangered hawksbill turtle comes to nest, along with green turtles, leatherbacks, and the delightfully named olive ridleys. Turtles are liberated at sundown, and watching the little critters scurrying into the ocean to take their chances feels sacred and profound: O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 5 5

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Newport New England’s most picturesque beach town doubles as America’s most fascinating living museum of conspicuous consumption. By Brandon Presser

BEFORE THE HAMPTONS and Malibu were America’s out-of-town proxies for rigorous social networking, Newport, a quiet city in Rhode Island, was the go-to destination for the summering elite from the Northeast’s business hubs. Bastions of the Industrial Era’s nouveau riche, Newport’s lavish estates were thrown up by a new guard of barons who made their fortune by exploiting the nuts and bolts of the modern world: steel and coal. Their mansions, unholy mishmashes of architectural paradigms, spared no expense, effectively becoming America’s first McMansions. When the glory days of Newport’s pseudo-aristocrats waned, many of the properties turned into historical relics. And while academics debate the estates’ aesthetic value, these museums now recount a moment in time—a nadir of American capitalism—in vivid detail. Whether historical buffs or curious weekenders, scores of tourists visit the vacant mansions each year to appreciate the era when beach-going was hardly about scoring a tan. Today, visitors can stay at the Chanler at Cliff Walk (TheChanler.com) for the ultimate in immersive mansion experiences. The furnishings and decor are period-appropriate throughout the property; the ocean villas are particularly charming, with private terraces overlooking the bay below and direct access to the coastal trailhead. The burnished wood and thick coats of navy paint give the Nantucket suite a fitting nautical vibe—don’t miss the soothing bubbles of the secreted jacuzzi tucked beneath the stairway up to your room from the gardens. Sparkling wines with faint notes of orchard fruit—produced exclusively

A private residence on Ocean Avenue

for the Chanler on a private reserve in California—are generously poured for guests throughout their stay. Most guests—and stoppers-by—wind up at the hotel’s bar for an extended wine list and signature cocktails like the Spiced Pear Martini amid hunting-lodge-style surrounds. Complimentary shuttle services usher guests from the hotel to the local winery. Though it may come as a surprise, Newport Vineyards (NewportVineyards.com) has been actively producing an array of red and white varieties since 1977, capitalizing on the long, cool growing season fostered along the banks of the Narragansett. New England’s largest grape grower is regularly open for tastings and tours, and the unexpected

BRANDON PRESSER (NEWPORT)

Only one of every 1,000 will survive to adulthood, which puts things into perspective as you stand on the sand, throwing back a Flor de Caña Sunrise. Mukul is doing its part to ensure that enough of them will make it back to lay their own eggs in turn, discouraging egg-poaching by incentivizing locals to gather plastic bags (which can suffocate turtles) from the shore. These are then recycled into ingenious baskets and sold back to the guests. In other ways, too, Nicaragua is fast establishing its credentials as a locus for sustainable tourism. From the boat to Ometepe, you can see the wind turbines blossoming along the shoreline, part of a massive initiative to derive 90% of the nation’s power from renewable sources by 2027. Already the country is at 58%, and there is much emphasis on the use of reclaimed wood in boutique hotels like the zen den Jicaro Island Ecolodge (JicaroLodge.com), which lures tourists to Las Isletas—a chain of islands on Lake Nicaragua—and Granada’s serene Tribal Hotel (TribalHotel.com), all whitewashed walls and wooden beams. Tribal’s rooms are furnished with woven rugs and modern art, and surround a sun-dappled courtyard, fringed with banana trees, where generous breakfasts are served alongside a French press of velvetysmooth Nicaraguan coffee. A lazy morning lounging around the pool is the quintessence of R&R, but make time to venture out. The staff, dressed in utilitarian white cotton pants and shirts, are keen to arrange trips, tour guides, and restaurant bookings. Take their advice and try Espressionista (Espressionista.com), occupying the ground floor of an airy villa on Calle Real Xalteva, with mismatched chairs and tables, an open kitchen, and a sophisticated menu, on which the garlicky raw almond and watermelon soup is a standout. For most visitors, Granada—just 40 minutes from the airport—is a perfect way to end a trip, making Espressionista the scene for both a valedictory dinner and a fervent resolution: You will come back to Nicaragua. And soon. There’s still so much left to explore.

When the glory days of Newport’s pseudoaristocrats waned, many of the properties turned into historical relics. And while academics debate the estates’ aesthetic value, these museums now recount a moment in time—a nadir of American capitalism—in vivid detail.

complexity of the terroir should guarantee that a bottle will find its way into your suitcase. Follow the coastal Cliff Walk down from the Chanler toward the sea to find the dozen or so mansions on offer from the local preservation society. Each property boasts a unique design and an interesting history of conspicuous consumption; your first stop should be at the largest estate of them all—the Breakers (NewportMansions.org), filled to the brim with Italian frescos, tortoiseshell accents, and crystal chandeliers. The Breakers was the summer headquarters of the prominent Vanderbilt family, and tours today provide excellent insight into the upstairs-downstairs society that the

Vanderbilts and their neo-aristocratic kin sought to replicate from across the pond. Summer in Newport was hardly a break from the Big Smoke, as the women of the house maintained exhausting social calendars, hosting dozens of soirees and banquets. The ballroom at the Breakers was full throughout the warmer months, accommodating 400 guests at a time. The other “cottages,” as they were known with a winked eye during the Industrial Revolution, are also worth a snoop, such as Rosecliff, which was built by the heiress to Nevada’s Comstock silver lode. An unlikely fixture in Newport’s decidedly Northeastern society, Tessie, as she was known, was the daughter of Irish immigrants and brought a certain air of casualness to the area’s social register. Today,

Rosecliff—inspired by the architecture of Versailles—has been featured in numerous Hollywood films, including The Great Gatsby, Amistad, and 27 Dresses. But beyond the imposing stone of the faux-French facades, it should not be forgotten that Newport is a star among the constellation of New England’s colonial burgs, and it readily flaunts its Georgian brick along the inner harbor. The city’s best homage to the time of the Pilgrims is dinner at the White Horse Tavern (WhiteHorseNewport .com), the oldest tavern in the country. Erected in 1652, the venue has hosted countless notable figures throughout its history, from the Founding Fathers (including George Washington) to Jackie O, when the Kennedys used to summer in town during JFK’s administration and dubbed Newport “the Summer White House.” The restaurant has also been credited with creating the so-called businessman’s lunch, but today, diners enjoy the signature beef Wellington by candlelight, and a crackling fire warms the hearth in the colder months. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 5 7

Maui The original flavor of the American honeymoon swaps tiki tackiness for an honest island vibe. By Brandon Presser

CALLING HAWAII the classic honeymoon destination almost seems like an understatement; its swaying palms and volcanic crags have beckoned beach seekers ever since commercial airliners could complete the transpacific lift from the continental United States. A million travelers touched down on the tiny islands in 1967, and since then the number has continued to grow at an unwavering rate, reaching almost 9 million visitors last year in search of the perfect getaway. But you don’t need to puddle-jump between the islands of the archipelago for the complete Hawaii package. Instead, follow the saying “Maui no ka oi”—Maui is the best—and bed down in the place that locals lovingly refer to as the Goldilocks island for its astonishing breadth of experiences. The quintessential large-scale Hawaiian resort experience as seen in credit card ads is perfected along the beachside development of Wailea. With statistically the least amount of rain on the island (due to the cloud-shredding mountain of Haleakala overhead), Wailea’s oceanfront is a veritable parade of name-brand luxury properties, each proffering its own style of island charm. The guest rooms at Grand Wailea (GrandWailea.com), a Waldorf Astoria Resort, regally extend like giant spider legs to occupy the largest tract of sand in the region. Bathed in white, the behemoth tries its hand at a regal aesthetic, blending internationally acclaimed art—like dozens of large-scale Botero sculptures—with a distinctive tropical vibe. Although the hotel has cruise-ship proportions, it’s interesting to note that rocky outcrops at the corner of the property host a thriving colony of sea turtles who pick at the coral crag in 5 8 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

search of food. Guests can sign up for stand-up paddleboarding or kayaking tours with Aqualani (AqualaniBeach.com) for short trips around the bay or they can swim with the turtles in their natural habitat. Maui’s western coast feels light-years away from the grand resort development in Wailea. Anchored around the town of Lahaina, the area is interspersed with hotels and local haunts in equal measure as the coastal roads wind in and out of local communities. A gourmand’s

dream, western Maui is best explored by the plate, taking travelers far beyond poke to appreciate the archipelago’s extensive culinary vocabulary spawned by the unique intermingling of immigrant cultures. Start with breakfast at Cane & Canoe, the in-house restaurant at Montage Kapalua (MontageKapalua.com). Best enjoyed from the balcony of your oversize apartment-style suite, your first meal of the day will immediately introduce your palate to several fusion

B R A N D O N P R E S S E R ( K A PA LUA B E AC H )

Kapalua Beach

Hawaiian favorites like the local rice bowl, complete with hardy Portuguese sausage, or the more playful ahi Benedict, swapping out slices of ham and creamy hollandaise for local ahi and a wasabi marinade. Try the guilt-free Pitaya bowl—it’s like a frozen superfood smoothie on a plate, topped with toasted coconut flakes. Mala Ocean Tavern (MalaOceanTavern .com) sits so close to the water’s edge in downtown Lahaina that the waves often spritz diners sitting on the outside

patio. Mala, which means “garden” in Hawaiian, is the brainchild of chef-owner Mark Ellman, one of the dozen noted restaurateurs responsible for pushing Hawaii’s regional-cuisine movement forward on an international scale. Its seared ahi bruschetta is so popular you’ll get dirty looks from neighboring patrons if you don’t put in a request for at least a half-order. Crammed in the back of an industrial park, Star Noodle (StarNoodle.com) may not have the idyllic setting of the area’s

other top restaurants, but it pulls in an unending stream of diners with its panAsian comfort food. Start with the pohole salad—a bowl of local fiddlehead ferns soaked in fish sauce to pull out those elusive inflections of umami. Then try the Hapa ramen (“hapa” is a local slang term meaning “half,” for someone of mixed heritage), which takes the tasty tenets of porky broth and lightens the palate with local vegetables. You also can’t go wrong with the pillowy steamed pork buns or the “ahi avo” (the restaurant’s refined take on poke). Just don’t forget to grab a plate of daintily fried malasadas (Portuguese doughnut holes brought to the Hawaiian islands long ago) for dessert. Bridging the gap between western Maui and the farms of the island’s upcountry, Paia is worth a pit stop for a meal at Mama’s Fish House Restaurant & Inn (MamasFishHouse.com). The large beachside eatery has become O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 5 9

nothing short of a local legend for its tiki-chic decor and seafood, which is so fresh that the waiters can tell you the names of the fishermen who caught it. The trio of sashimi—Mama’s signature appetizer—will make you rethink your takeout sushi back home, and don’t miss the grilled he‘e (perfectly tender octopus) with a heaping portion of line-caught opakapaka (delicate Hawaiian snapper). Ginger from the island’s east coast and vanilla from nearby French Polynesia bolster the flavors, but the fresh catches and expert preparation need little enhancement. Beyond Paia, the straight road begins to curve and ripple like a flag in the wind as it hugs the unforgiving edges of the island’s northeastern coastline. Traffic signs recommend an impossibly slow 15 miles per hour at several of the hairpin turns—a worthy warning, lest you be tossed over the railing into a valley of cracked lava and wildflowers more than 1,000 feet below. It’s only around 35 miles to the storied village of Hana at Maui’s far eastern edge, but the drive takes about two hours to negotiate its serpentine path—or longer 6 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

for any curious soul eager to uncover hidden viewpoints or cliff-dive into secreted waterfalls along the way. There are dozens of points at which to pull the car over, but only two places that no traveler should miss: Waianapanapa State Park and Keanae. Both locations unite the choppy Pacific sea with the charcoal-like remains of ancient molten flows. Eons ago, as the splashes of lava from above met the cool waters down below, they quickly solidified into the dramatic fingers of stone we see today, now blanketed by carpets of tropical greens. Although neither area is suitable for swimming, there’s something mesmerizing about standing ankle-deep in one of the tide pools created as the rolling white waves plow through the fortresses of frozen magma. At long last the hamlet of Hana appears as the road starts to straighten out ever so slightly. The metal warning signs about upcoming turns transform into handmade wooden boards advertising shaved ice or homemade banana bread. Often perceived as a pit stop for lunch, Hana is best experienced at dusk after the day trippers have made their way back to

the more developed parts of the island. Because of its secluded positioning facing directly east toward the rising sun and a microclimate that benefits from refreshing splashes of tropical rain, Hana practically feels like a private island destination. In fact, for years before the mountain road was hacked into the side of the cliff, the isolated community was accessible only by sea—its large harbor, once used to load supple fruit and mounds of cane, is now a moody bay dotted with outrigger canoes. Small houses along the one seaside street casually offer rooms for rent. There’s only one proper resort in the village, Travaasa Hana (Travaasa.com/ Hana/), which embraces a palpably simple aesthetic as the perfect antidote to the mega-resorts elsewhere on the island. Televisions and air-conditioning are swapped for cool westerly breezes and sunrise yoga sessions are held among the grassy campus of timber-frame cottages. While the dedication to the duality of wellness—both physical and mental— lures travelers to spend a few nights, it’s the disarming nature of the local staff

B R A N D O N P R E S S E R ( A L L I M AG E S )

Top: detail of a relief at Four Seasons Lanai. Above: breakfast at Montage Kapalua. Left: Road to Hana

Travaasa Hana

Kapalua Bay

only hotel, the recently (most of whom are related There’s something to one another) that will mesmerizing about refurbished Four Seasons Lanai (FourSeasons have you talking about your standing ankle.com). Guests can relax visit for years to come. Before heading home, deep in one of the in shaded nooks around the amoeboid-shaped consider one final tide pools created pool or walk down to the experience away from the crowds. Linked to Maui as the rolling white island’s only swimmable beach and stunning by public ferry, the small waves plow house reef, Manele island of Lanai is culturally Bay, below. The entire tethered to its big brother. through the has a distinctive According to legend, the fortresses of frozen property Far East vibe with its long-ago king of Maui had a dark wood paneling foolish son. Fearing that his magma. and fiery blossoms of child would never mature exotic flowers. The Asian aesthetic is fully to become a capable leader, he sent the realized in the privacy of the suites with prankster prince to nearby Lanai, which the use of slatted mirroring that evokes was, at the time, an inhospitable realm the sliding tatami walls of traditional of ghouls and cannibalistic wraiths. The Japan. king’s son vanquished the evil spirits Although the resort was built for using his trademark trickery and lit a ultimate relaxation, its staff is keen bonfire to mark his victory. When the to point out the surplus of available king saw the flames from across the bay, amenities, including an on-site outpost he sent his men to collect his son, whose of the Nobu franchise (which somehow newfound bravery forgave his bad deeds. tastes even better when you know the He then offered him control of the island. sushi came straight from the sea out Today, the fantastical history of Lanai’s back), a designated skeet-shooting settlement is detailed on two stunning murals above the entry hall of the island’s school, and an armada of white jeeps

Mama’s Fish House

for guests to explore the more remote reaches of the little island. Rolling through Lanai’s backcountry, it’s easy to appreciate why the island had once garnered such an unfavorable reputation in ancient lore. Whereas Maui next door is pleasantly lush, the barren vistas of Lanai resemble the surface of the moon. Keahiakawelo, or the Garden of the Gods, in the center of the island encapsulates the thirsty nature of the terrain with its stacks of red-hot stones, wind-tossed tumbleweeds, and eroded sandy tracts. The signature orange rocks tumble all the way down to the sea at Kaiolohia—Shipwreck Beach—where the rusting carcass of a hulking cruise liner further adds to the island’s haunting mystique. While the parched landscape provides the perfect counterpoint to Maui’s diverse holiday offerings, its best asset is its no-filter-needed panorama of the Goldilocks island from across the channel, complete with its rippled volcanic ridges, low-slung village outposts, and a halo of clouds crowning Haleakala. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 6 1

Thailand Where dramatic seascapes pair perfectly with an enduring sense of place By Brandon Presser

ASIA’S HOSPITALITY destination par excellence, Thailand has an epic history of welcoming foreigners, from the European imperialists colonizing neighboring lands to the American GIs on leave from the Vietnam War. With the pressed palms of the wai (the traditional Thai greeting) and a serene glint in the eye, the kingdom has earned its moniker as the Land of a Thousand Smiles, staking its claim on modern-day vacationers. By the 1980s the first Full Moon Party had taken place on the now-infamous Sunrise Beach, making the shores of southern Thailand a permanent mark on the map for young explorers everywhere. Flash forward 30 years, and those directions to secret coves scribbled on the back pages of tattered Lonely Planet guidebooks have been swapped for a very performative travel ritual— documenting one’s journey through pictures and prose for the masses to consume on Instagram or Facebook. And as we carefully edit and filter our experiences, the popularity of the destinations themselves wax and wane like fashion trends. As such, Thailand’s readiness to welcome strangers has in a way become its handicap as more remote corners of the globe start to reveal themselves. The ease with which travelers move around the country has, also, somehow begun to betray the vast swaths of jungle, dozens of temple-topped cities, and hundreds of dramatically sited islands offering 6 2 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

plenty of pockets that feel wonderfully unexplored. But it’s not the delicate balance of lost and found that nourishes Thailand’s evergreen appeal—it’s the fact that the kingdom does an incredible job of constantly reminding its visitors that they’re in the Land of Smiles. Within an hour after touching down in Bangkok, you’ll be spouting sawasdee with the alacrity of a Hawaiian “aloha,” and as you tramp further afield you’ll begin to digest a special dialect of tourist English that requires the acquisition of several other key Thai phrases. Even the blank canvas of a sandy beach feels distinctly Thai as seaside stalls serve spoonfuls of spicy som tam (papaya salad) and colorful

long-tail boats putter around the bay. Though the beaches are the keystone of Thailand’s tourism infrastructure, locals have long considered them an unlikely source of income, as they were once thought to hold little monetary value. Traditionally, when parents bequeathed property to their children, they would give the arable lands to their oldest sons and leave the sandy patches to their youngest daughters. The rise in beach tourism—a decidedly Western pursuit, as tan skin is not considered a convention of beauty in Thailand— flipped the local economy on its head, filling the coffers of those who held the keys to the limestone towers and impossibly blue waters immortalized in

B R A N D O N P R E S S E R ( BA N G KO K )

Lumphini Park and the Bangkok skyline

Alex Garland’s cult classic The Beach. Garland’s novel, later turned into a film by Danny Boyle, explores the early days of Full Moon madness and the search for an idyllic island, flanked by a warm lagoon, hidden somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand. The characters lament the threat of unchecked tourism that globalization inevitably begets, and while some of their fear has been realized (as is the case with the hundreds of beach destinations around the world), there are plenty of balances in place afforded by the upswing in luxury travel. The Six Senses Samui (SixSenses .com) represents a changing of the guard on Koh Samui, the largest island in the gulf. Occupying a private peninsula

on the northeast corner of the island, the enclave promises 66 villas—many with private plunge pools—and a newly cleared tropical farm intended to maximize sustainability efforts beyond the already-implemented state-ofthe-art water and waste management. Combined with morning visits to the local market, the on-site farm will fulfill the regular need for fresh produce both in the kitchen and at the award-winning holistic spa. Green-thumbed guests are welcome to schedule exclusive meals on the farm, but the property’s unmissable eating experience is Dining on the Rocks, set on a series of cantilevered teak verandas leaning over sheer rock and open

It’s not the balance of lost and found that nourishes Thailand’s evergreen appeal—it’s the fact that the kingdom does an incredible job of constantly reminding its visitors that they’re in the Land of Smiles.

water. The unobstructed views of the sunset pair perfectly with the colorful cocktails created from the bounty of the resort’s garden. After dark, while savoring your fusion mains, it feels as though the bamboo balconies have magically transformed into rafts floating on a placid sea. The property also offers semi-private tours of Ang Thong Marine Park, a cluster of islets in the heart of the Gulf of Thailand that dramatically spring forth

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from the depths of the sea, rising to more than 1,000 feet. Largely believed to be the inspiration for Garland’s novel, the park’s rocky karsts protect coral shoals and hidden lagoons best explored with a snorkel in hand. Thailand paints on its cultural cues with thicker brushstrokes in the north, where Chiang Mai—considered the country’s seat of higher learning—acts as the gateway to a vast realm once ruled as the prosperous Lanna kingdom. While Bangkok plays up its cosmopolitan appeal, Chiang Mai holds its heritage dear and surges to life when national festivals sweep across the city. Not to be missed is Songkran, the Thai lunar New Year, held in mid-April over two full days. All bets are off as thousands of well-wishers take to the streets of the city, dousing one another with incredible amounts of water as part of the annual ritual cleansing. Balloons, buckets, and even Super Soakers are used in the biggest water fight on the planet, held with the same pomp as the Running of the Bulls in Spain or the tossing of colored powders during Holi in India. In late November, the city also performs what is perhaps the most cinematic rite on the planet during the holiday of Loi Krathong. Throughout the kingdom small lanterns are gingerly 6 4 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

Sky-lantern lighting during Yi Peng festivities

set afloat along riverbanks, but in Chiang Mai the ritual coincides with the Lanna lunar festival of Yi Peng, and special wishes are made as thousands of additional sky lanterns are gently released into the starry night. Let Smiling Albino (SmilingAlbino .com) lead you beyond Chiang Mai to unlock Thailand’s northern hinterland of wandering tribes and roving elephants. Offering tailored trips to individuals and small groups, the cadre of expert guides concertedly works against the exotification of the indigenous Karen— known for their long, gold-ringed necks—by providing thoughtful programs that allow visitors to understand what really makes the region tick, from homestays in the highlands to the exploration of the jade markets and tea plantations near Myanmar. Nothing has a glossy veneer—the way true travel should be. At the very northern tip of Thailand, where the Burmese and Laotian borders come to a single point, the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle (FourSeasons.com) preserves a hidden acreage of misty hills that’s home to a rehabilitation center for abused elephants. As the name suggests, a handful of canvas-clad huts are set on stilts throughout the lush jungle, loosely connected by a series of footbridges.

Inside, the throwback decor elicits a safari vibe perfectly suited for your early-morning mahout training sessions bathing elephants down at the gully. Over the course of each stay, every guest is paired with an elephant in the reserve, learning its backstory and helping with some of its preliminary feeding. After you remove your keeper’s uniform, you’ll spend your afternoons as if in a scene from a Kipling novel, relaxing on your balcony governing the leafy expanse below or taking a cue from your new pet elephant and sloughing off the midday heat with a dip in the pool. Dinners are a culinary miracle, as gourmet twists on Thai staples (think flash-fried soft-shell crab on a bed of papaya) appear as if from the surrounding thatch. Complete your Thailand experience with a stop in modern Bangkok, which somehow spins its chaos into bliss. A futuristic skytrain swooshes across the city, connecting traditional neighborhoods where steel food carts clang and motorbikes slide by honking taxis. And while a crop of towers rise above the grit—most of them glass spires, the warrens of the “high so,” or well-heeled elite—you’ll notice the odd golden-topped temple always poking through to subtly remind you that you’re never not in Thailand.

B R A N D O N P R E S S E R ( J U N G L E PAT H ) . TO U R I S M A U T H O R I T Y O F T H A I L A N D ( S K Y L A N T E R N S )

Jungle footpath at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle

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THE INDOMITABLE JESSICA LANGE Catfights! Backstabbing! Sabotage! The rivalry of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis is legendary. But in his new series, Feud, Ryan Murphy looks deeper to tell a story of heart and soul. Here, the creator speaks to one of its stars—his favorite leading lady.

t is Jessica Lange’s final day on the set of Feud: Bette and Joan, Ryan Murphy’s highly anticipated new series chronicling the bitter rivalry between illustrious screen queens Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The actress is nowhere to be seen on Fox Soundstage 10 in Los Angeles as crew members scramble to establish the next scene, which will capture Crawford, played by Lange, and Davis, played by Susan Sarandon, in one of their first encounters while shooting What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? That film is more than just an outlandish 1962 horror classic about the vicious sparring between two washed-up movie-star sisters—it was also the backdrop for Crawford and Davis’s own infamous squabbling. Theirs was an age-old grudge match, complete with alleged on-set catfights and Crawford’s successful scheme to torpedo Davis’s Baby Jane Oscar campaign, and it has given Murphy bountiful fodder for what will be one of the biggest television events of the year. A saga of glamorous costumes and callous backstabbing, Feud is the stuff of drag-queen fantasies. But viewers coming to it expecting the operatic camp of the 1981 Crawford biopic Mommie Dearest may be disappointed. Feud avoids turning its flamboyant subjects into scenery-chewing caricatures, instead mining the rich stories of their lives with precision and compassion. What surfaces is a stirring examination of the ways in which women have been, and continue to be, pitted against one another, and Hollywood’s complicity in

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Top by Roland Mouret. Ring and earrings by Maxior

Top by Roland Mouret. Skirt by Escada. Rings and earrings by Maxior

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our culture’s deep-rooted misogyny. While Sarandon tackles the role of Davis with a fearless, peppery wit, Lange brings refreshing humanity to her portrait of Crawford, a tortured soul who was reduced to a punch line. Lange glides onto the set in full Crawford regalia, sporting a sleeveless coral dress, a black wig, and eyebrows plucked to sinister arched perfection. She smiles as work comes to a halt and everyone gathers around her. “This has been the greatest crew,” she announces. “You have made this an unforgettable experience, so thank you.” As she stands there, Lange is both the uncanny embodiment of Hollywood royalty from a previous generation and a legendary queen in her own right. Crawford and Lange were two ships passing in the night: Lange made her feature-film debut in the 1976 remake of King Kong; Crawford passed away less than a year later from a heart attack. What they have shared is a tireless, unshakable ambition. Lange began her career working as a model in early-1970s Paris (she roomed with Jerry Hall and Grace Jones in a sort of crash pad for future gay icons) before moving back to America to become an actress. After her performance in King Kong, some pegged her as a shallow ingenue, but she was determined to shed the stigma and prove to small-minded studio execs—to the world—that she was more than that. She got her chance in 1982, with the release of two wildly different films: Tootsie, the queer classic in which Lange portrayed the love interest to a cross-dressing actor played by Dustin Hoffman, and Frances, a harrowing biopic in which she starred as another Hollywood legend, Frances Farmer. “After fooling around in things like King Kong...this stunningly beautiful woman emerges as a major film actress,” Vincent Canby declared in his New York Times review of Frances. The sentiment was shared by Hollywood: Lange was nominated for Academy Awards for both films, winning best supporting actress for Tootsie. Her career soared from there, with her scoring memorable roles in Sweet Dreams (1985), Music Box (1989), and Blue Sky (1994), which earned Lange her second Oscar. Though the leading roles started to disappear as she headed into her fourth decade on the big screen, she made a massive comeback in 2011, when she landed the part of the mysterious Constance Langdon on Murphy’s hit series American Horror Story. That performance reignited Lange’s notoriety in a major way, and over four seasons—playing evil nuns, freak-show doyennes, and witchy matriarchs—she established herself as an icon for a whole new generation of fans. Now, at 67, the actress is proving again that you should never underestimate Jessica Lange. Back on set, hours later, just before Lange leaves to catch an imminent flight back to her home in New York, the cast and crew assemble one last time. Everyone applauds her as Murphy lifts her off her feet for a huge, affectionate hug. Though Lange’s countless disciples adore her, they are no match for Murphy, who possesses a fierce love for his most treasured muse. A few days after they wrap shooting, Lange and Murphy reunite to reflect on feuds, fame, the evolution of their creative partnership, and Lange’s enduring gay following.

– JONATHAN PARKS-RAMAGE

RYAN MURPHY: We just finished shooting last week. Have you managed to shake the ghost of Joan Crawford? JESSICA LANGE: She’s going to be a hard one to let go of, because it was a character we explored in such depth, which always gets into the marrow of your bones and lives there for a while. I didn’t think about anything else for five months. I’d read a little bit of the horrible news of the world, but other than that, I just kept returning to Joan Crawford all day long, every day. RM: I will say, it was Bette and Joan that got me through the election. [Laughs.] JL: [Laughs.] Exactly. RM: The last time you played a movie star was when you were Frances Farmer in Frances. Frances was mentally ill, so maybe it was more difficult to shake her. JL: Yes, I think so, because Frances was so tortured. Not that Joan wasn’t tortured, but Frances was martyred in a way, thrown to the wolves by the system and her mother and society. Also, that was so early in my career. I hadn’t gotten used to stepping away from characters. Now it’s second nature, in a way… I think as the years go by, you just get more adept at coming to the end of something and not letting it continue to haunt you. But with Joan, I was just inside her world completely. RM: What I love about Feud is it takes you deeply into the interior lives of these women. Many people think of the Bette and Joan story as camp or comedy, but you and I both found that it’s not. It has a lot of depth—it’s a real tragedy. But one of the things I was most amazed by was that you’ve never seen Mommie Dearest. JL: No, I still haven’t. And I probably never will. RM: That movie contained a version of the Joan Crawford we know today, but I’m excited about your performance because it majorly reinvents her. I don’t want to call it “Joan’s Revenge,” but I think it shows the real Joan. She wasn’t all terrible—she wasn’t the “wire hangers” Joan. In fact, around town there were many people still alive who knew Joan Crawford, and they all said she was actually a very sweet, tortured soul. She was also an alcoholic, so the story of [her daughter and Mommie Dearest author] Christina [Crawford] may be true. But I love how you humanize her and show her to be a real person, not a monster. JL: Well, I’ve never seen her as being monstrous at all. We did all that research—I read the four biographies, her own books, and hundreds of interviews—and no one ever said anything but kind things about her. I don’t want to comment on mothers and daughters [and the relationship described in Mommie Dearest], because within any family there’s always a part of a relationship that no one outside can ever understand. But from everything I’ve read, it seems impossible that the woman was as monstrous as she was made out to be. What we did [with Feud] is explore all the other different aspects of her: her tragic childhood, her tremendous ambition. I think any time you come out of a situation like Joan did—which was really a Dickensian kind of childhood, with a mother who didn’t want her—there’s a survival instinct that propels you. When she got to MGM she really fell into lockstep—she said it was her only family. It taught her everything she knew. So it was a combination of being grateful to that system for giving her a life, and also this kind of strident playing by the rules… Whether O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 6 9

or not you want to conflate that with ambition, she did rise to the top of a very competitive profession, coming from absolutely nowhere, with every strike against her and nobody in her corner to help her. And she did it with a certain amount of grace. I think that’s extraordinary. RM: Our crew would pick “Team Joan” or “Team Bette,” but I’m still firmly in the middle. I had great affection for both, but I was so moved by Joan. I was moved by her sexual abuse. I was moved at how we tried to explain her behavior. For example, she’s mocked for being a clean fanatic and a fastidious person, but there was a real reason for that: She worked at schools scrubbing toilets to pay her way through school. JL: This psychiatrist I talked to about Joan’s obsessiveness said, “Well, all that is classic for the kind of trauma she would’ve 7 0 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

experienced as a child.” So if you think about that, then the cleanliness doesn’t make her a freak of nature—it’s a reaction to that horrible trauma. Also, her wanton sexuality—anybody who’s grown up with a mother who doesn’t love her and who has had no family is going to be looking for comfort wherever she can find it. It seemed to me that if people understood more about her, then they wouldn’t have this unjust, preconceived idea of her from Mommie Dearest. RM: There were a lot of bizarre details about Joan that I was obsessed with. For example, her dunking her face every morning in ice cubes and witch hazel. Was there anything about Joan that was so deliciously crazy that you got a kick out of it? JL: How she covered all her furniture with plastic was pretty

“I’ve never allowed myself to be restricted. I’ve done everything I wanted to do, and no one could ever tell me there was something I couldn’t do.”

Dress by Dolce and Gabbana. Earrings and pearl ring by Yoko London. Diamond ring by H. Stern. Stockings by Wolford. Shoes by Christian Louboutin

far out there. [Laughs.] There’s that scene where she goes down to Baton Rouge when they are shooting Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte [1964], and she’s actually packed plastic in her suitcases so that when she gets to the motel room she can cover the furniture. That to me was so batshit crazy. RM: In the ’60s and ’70s, she covered everything with plastic because she thought it kept furniture and clothes cleaner and fresher. And one of my great regrets in life is that I didn’t put together a gag reel of all you guys sliding off the furniture in her house because it was so slippery from the plastic. You and Judy [Davis, who plays gossip columnist Hedda Hopper] both fell off once. JL: I know, it was hilarious! RM: Because I’ve worked with you closing in on eight years

now, I’ve obviously seen your tremendous gay fan base—I count myself in that group. Why do you think gay people idolize stars like yourself, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis? JL: Well, I don’t know about fans, but ever since way back when I lived in Paris, [gay people] have always been my best friends. I don’t know where along the way my career created gay fans. I just know that there’s always been a tremendous mutual affection. I’d be curious what you think [about gay people idolizing certain stars]. RM: I think it has a lot to do with a projection of the person one wants to be in the world. You’re a survivor. You’re somebody that one can look to as a role model—to say, “OK, they were able to live and be happy, and I can too.” You’ve had a very courageous career. When you first started, you were pigeonholed as an ingenue, and very quickly you were like, “Well, I’m not going to take that lying down.” And then you became an Oscar-winning actress. You conquered television. You conquered stage. I look at you as somebody no one could ever keep down, who has a huge reserve of passion. You just move forward in your life. Nothing stops Jessica Lange. It’s exciting that you’ve been able to inspire people. JL: If I have inspired people, that would make me feel wonderful. It’s funny because my granddaughters started this girls’ group, and they’ve had people come and speak about being a woman within different professions. They’ve had an FBI agent, teachers, artists. And they asked me to speak. So I said to my daughter, “Well, I don’t know what to say, because I’ve never thought of myself as a feminist.” Obviously I am very independent, but I never used that term. But the one thing I’ve always felt is that I’ve never allowed myself to be restricted. I’ve done everything I wanted to do, and no one could ever tell me there was something I couldn’t do. And maybe that’s what you’re talking about, what resonates with people. RM: Go to your granddaughters’ class and say, “Here’s my lesson to you: Do what the fuck you want.” And then turn and walk out. JL: [Laughs.] Right! Just like the end of [the 1922 James Joyce novel] Ulysses: “Yes, I said yes.” RM: I’ve never met anybody other than myself who’s more dogged about going after a certain truth and not letting go of that bone until they have it. You did that a lot with Joan Crawford. You’d send me highlighted pages from books, and you had ideas about scenes. I feel one of the reasons you’ve had such a great career is that you’re incapable of bullshit. You’re always trying to get to the truth of the human being you’re portraying. O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 7 1

Dress by Jovani. Earrings and pearl ring by Yoko London. Circular ring by Anita Ko 7 2 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

H A I R : R O B E R T V E T I C A AT M AG N E T. M A K E U P : F R A N C E S C A TO LOT AT C LO U T I E R R E M I X U S I N G M AC C O S M E T I C S . M A N I C U R E : L I S A J AC H N O AT A I M A R T I S T S . P R O P S T Y L I S T: R O N Z A K H A R

“Do I have a character I can sink deep into to find all the emotional turmoil? A character who’s just barely hanging on, always walking that line between madness and sanity? Those are the kind of parts I’ve always gravitated to.”

JL: Well, it’s great to be able to work that way, which is how we’ve always worked together. It makes a huge difference to have that room to explore. RM: You and I and Susan [Sarandon] went into Feud feeling the same way: Yes, some of this stuff is theatrical and humorous, but we also dive deep into the social issues these women were up against. In the show, we talk about the brutal treatment of women, not just in Hollywood but around the world—sexism, ageism, misogyny. Why do you think women are always pitted against each other in the press? You had that with Gwyneth Paltrow, but none of it was true. Susan said during Thelma and Louise the media wrote things about her and Geena [Davis]. Why do you think the media loves a good catfight? JL: It’s like that one line you guys wrote for [the character] Jack Warner [in Feud]: “The saying doesn’t go, ‘Unite and conquer.’” As long as you can pit sides against one another, they have less power. That’s historical. So in some ways that’s what we’re talking about, isn’t it? Keeping women powerless. RM: And keeping them insecure. If you never have firm footing, if people are pitting you against others, of course you’re going to strike back. It’s so deeply ingrained in our culture that even when we started shooting Feud, I would get calls from people saying, “Are Jessica and Susan getting along? Are they fighting?” And I was like, “Go fuck yourself. Of course they’re getting along. They’re great pros. They’ve known each other forever.” People wanted that drama that’s been there historically. I’m glad we’re finally putting a light on that and letting women know, “You’re stronger united.” That’s the great thesis statement of the show: If Bette and Joan, who had so much in common, had just not listened to the other voices, they would have done so much better economically and spiritually. I think that’s the message of the show, don’t you? JL: Yes, I do. It has so much to do with that attempt to keep women in their place. We see more and more of that now because of this political atmosphere we’re in. I mean, the fact that this series is coming out now, with the situation that’s being fomented by this administration? It’s extraordinary timing. Somehow, Ryan, you’re always in tune with whatever is about to play out in the zeitgeist. It’s amazing that we’re telling a story about disempowerment—and how it’s so insidious— now. It’s a cautionary tale. RM: That’s true. In a weird way, we’ve made a political show. I don’t know how that happened, but I’m proud of it. We were making it right before the election, and I thought we were making something that was going to be seen as irony—like, “Look how far we’ve come.” And then we woke up on Election Day and it was, “Nope.” JL: Maybe it will work, which is all we can hope for.

RM: Do you think Joan and Bette would like our show if they were alive to watch it? JL: Yes, I do, because I think it’s tremendously honest. We made a great attempt to tell their story with as much understanding and empathy as we could, and not to judge them. Why wouldn’t they like it? We covered a lot of ground: from the humor to the tragedy, to the sorrow, to their talent, to their drive. I don’t want to blow our horn too much, but it felt like we really touched on everything we knew of them. I think we approached it with great honor. RM: Something people always ask me is, “When is Lady Lange coming back to American Horror Story?” My answer is always, “Well, I’ll just keep blackmailing her.” [Laughs.] What was your experience like doing it? You have such an audience from it. JL: Even now, people will come up and say, “Oh, my God, I loved you on American Horror Story.” What you did for me over those four seasons was create these extraordinary characters. You gave each of them some bizarre history and allowed me as an actor to build on that to make it more real. I loved every one of them. Sometimes I felt our story would jump the tracks [laughs], but they were always amazing characters to play. And for me that’s the only thing that matters: Do I have a character I can sink deep into to find all the emotional turmoil? A character who’s just barely hanging on, always walking that line between madness and sanity? Those are the kind of parts I’ve always gravitated to. Those four and now, of course, Crawford—they were just so complete, with a kind of bottomless depth. RM: What I also love about you as an actress is you’re incredibly bold. You’ve only said no to one thing I’ve wanted you to do. JL: [Laughs.] What was that? RM: Spank somebody again with the wood panel, with [your character] Sister Jude in American Horror Story: Asylum. Remember we wrote another scene where that was Sister Jude’s m.o.? You were like, “No, I think we’ve had enough of that.” JL: [Laughs.] That’s true. I thought we had done that. RM: My last question for you: Why aren’t you on social media? I’ve been screaming at you for years, “Please get on social media!” I find it hilarious that you have all these people online who are obsessed with you and you have no idea about any of them. JL: No, I don’t, thank God. It would make me so nervous if I knew what people were saying about me out there. I don’t think I could survive it. [Laughs.] RM: [joking] Well, I’m disappointed that you haven’t spent hours reading the Twitter feed for @JessicaLangeGayGoddess. JL: [Laughs.] “Gay Goddess”? Oh, I love that! O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 7 3

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OUT S EP T EM B ER 2015

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All clothing by Gucci. Models: Jacopo Olmo and Brooke Smith at Heroes New York

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All clothing by Topman Design. Models: David Yang at Heroes NY. Sean at St. Claire Modeling

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OUT M A R C H 2016

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THE OUT GUIDE TO LIFE’S DEEPEST MYSTERIES

A Slice of Love Simple, complex, tall, or small. Fondant-filled or fruit-glazed. Icing-topped or sugar-dusted. Or something completely different. Choosing your wedding cake can be a chore. But have no fear—our handpicked sugar maestros have some valuable insights on how to avoid the pitfalls on your special day. Take their advice, and however you slice and dice it, you’ll hit the sweet spot.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake, made by Baked’s Renato Poliafito

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y M O YA M C A L L I S T E R

O U T A P R I L 2 0 17 8 5

Wedding Cakes: A Primer

1. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION You likely wouldn’t be foolish enough to order an ice cream cake for a beach wedding, unless you have a portable freezer on hand, but whatever cake you’re considering, make sure it works with your location. “The dream location may be a logistical nightmare,” says Petroff. “Think these issues through or you’ll pay for it, one way or another, either in dollars or heartache.”

2. KNOW YOUR BATTER “People often go for design rather than flavor,” says Pura. “When tasting cakes, ask your cake maker the hard questions: Do they use real butter and cream in their fillings?” Petroff agrees. “Do you want to spend $8 a slice to find out they’re using store-bought cake mix?” he says. “It happens.”

3. BIGGER IS NOT BETTER “By focusing only on height, you’ll end up ignoring an array of intriguing designs, plus all sorts of unconventional desserts that would make your wedding that much more memorable for guests,” says Petroff. For Pura, simplicity is key. “It’s not uncommon for people to try to jam too many ideas on style, color, and flavor into one cake,” he says. “Sometimes less is more.”

4. IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU It’s your wedding, and it’s your cake. “Don’t worry about whether or not people like pistachio or pomegranate,” says Petroff. “People will eat whatever sweet you put

8 6 A P R I L 2 0 17 O U T

Our three experts tell us what they’d serve at a wedding.

RENATO POLIAFITO

in front of them.” But if the cake is the only dessert you’re serving, says Poliafito, maybe plump for a crowd-pleaser. Just forget trying to accommodate everyone’s palate. “We live in a very finicky culture now,” adds Poliafito, “and I’ve seen couples brought to tears over something as simple as choosing a cake flavor.”

“Ideally it would be an autumn wedding, set in a barn or another bucolic setting. Desserts would range from harvest fair (think cider donuts, maple oat cookies, pumpkin loaves, carrot cakes, apple pies, blueberry buckles) to German specialties (my partner is German) such as lebkuchen, apple strudel, mohnkuchen (poppyseed cake) and bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake) to Italian pastries (representing my heritage), such as tricolor cakes, cannoli, and citrus olive oil cake. Lastly, we both love chocolate, so the wedding cake would be a Brooklyn Blackout Cake—devil’s food cake layered with dark chocolate pudding and topped with a dark chocolate ganache.”

5. DON’T GET TRAPPED BY TRADITION “A little pop of color in what may otherwise be a subtle and classical cake is a great way of putting one foot out of the box,” says Pura. “A few bursting bright peonies on a couple of the tiers can make all the difference.” Petroff suggests going for a small focal cake but playing up the desserts. “Choose something that has emotional significance to you,” he says. “What did you eat on your first date, or when you proposed?” Bonus: Guests will think you’ve really delivered. “If the tiered wedding cake is made smaller, you can splurge on other treats,” says Poliafito. “It creates the impression that you went all out when really you just spread your budget a little differently.”

6. IT’S YOUR MONEY—SPEND IT WISELY “At Baked, we try to work with any budget we’re given, but don’t expect a wedding cake the size of a mountain with a $300 budget,” says Poliafito. One way to keep within budget is to work with a favorite restaurant or sweet shop and avoid the traditional cake decorator. “There’s a reason you love that ice cream shop or cupcake place,” says Petroff. “See if they can make a cake or cater a more unique, unexpected dessert.”

YIGIT PURA “A big beautiful croquembouche [left]—it’s one of my favorite things to make for weddings and has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. It’s really whimsical (if made properly!), classical, and still so friggin’ delicious. I also like the concept of each guest breaking off a piece of it, like a symbol for sharing the beginning of the couple’s new journey with all their loved ones.”

BRYAN PETROFF “Weddings tend to bring out the worst in everyone, so why not go for something that embraces that fact and allows the couple to let off some steam? Create a dessert mini-city, village, or diorama: skyscrapers out of cake, castles out of ice cream sandwiches, rivers out of pudding, cars sculpted in marzipan, trees of spun sugar and licorice. Then channel your inner (and literal) Bridezilla and systematically destroy (and eat) it. The couple gets to let loose, finally. The guests will love it, the kids will help out, and the photographer will immortalize it.”

S H U T T E R S TO C K . C O U R T E S Y O F M OYA M C A L L I S T E R ( P O L I A F I TO) . C O U R T E S Y O F F R A N K E N Y I M AG E S ( P U R A ). C O U R T E S Y O F D O N N Y T S A N G ( P E T R O F F )

We invited some of our favorite gay sweet tooths to offer their tips on one of the Big Day’s most anticipated—and dreadinducing—traditions: the cake. Below, sage advice from three dessert dynamos: Renato Poliaﬁto of New York’s ultimate cake and cookie outpost, Baked; Bryan Petroff, one half of Big Gay Ice Cream, purveyors of our favorite soft serve; and Yigit Pura, winner of 2011’s Top Chef: Just Desserts and now the owner and executive chef behind Tout Sweet Pâtisserie in San Francisco.

SWEET INSPIRATION

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1,000 WO R D S

Grudge Match

“JOAN CRAWFORD HAS SLEPT WITH every male star at MGM except Lassie,” Bette Davis once quipped. Decades before featherweight spats like Jolie v. Aniston or J.Lo. v. Mariah, Davis and Crawford set the claws-out standard for Hollywood catfights. Their mutual hatred for each other—sparked when both were vying for the same men, many of whom Crawford bedded—is the stuff of legend. It’s exploited to the hilt in their sole movie together, the hag horror classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and now, in Ryan Murphy’s new FX series Feud: Bette and Joan. “She has a cult,” Crawford said of Davis. “I have fans. There’s a big difference.” Baby Jane, which put the actresses’ sadomasochistic sparring on the silver screen, pulled in big box-office numbers and earned Davis an Oscar nod. But that didn’t help quell the rage. Davis declared, “I wouldn’t piss on Joan Crawford if she were on fire.”

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To day’s celeb nemeses have nothing on Hollywo o d’s gre atest rivals.

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