Not My First Rodeo
Do You Want to be a Cowboy this Month
One of the great things about my job is every month I have to be a chameleon. One day I’m a cowboy, another day. I’m marching in AIDS walk, soon I’ll be at one-n-ten Fresh Brunch. In April I’ll be wearing rainbows for Rainbows Festival. The list goes on. It’s fun to experience different people and cultures within our community. Never a dull moment.
This month experience the thrill of the 39th Annual Arizona Gay Rodeo, February 14-16, at Corona Ranch in Phoenix. Every year they raise money for non-profits throughout the Valley. A great time for great causes. Enjoy bull riding, barrel racing, and the Wild Drag Race. Don’t miss the dance party on Friday night. Tickets are $20 per day; children 12 and under enter free.
Charlie’s Phoenix offers Party Bus tickets to the the Rodeo. Tickets include rodeo admission, a commemorative t-shirt, $10 in drink tickets, and transportation between Charlie’s and Corona Ranch. Purchase tix exclusively at CharliesPhoenix.com. Getting there is half the fun.
ION Arizona has been a proud sponsor of the AGRA rodeo since 2002. Stop by the ION Arizona booth for free swag and go shopping at The Adult Shoppe next to us for all your fun sexy attire and accessories.
There’s a lot more going on this month including SD Boys FLIRT Rodeo party at The Grand, parties all rodeo weekend at FLEX (page 78) and more so get out and have some fun. Have a great month and we’ll see you out and about rodeo weekend!
Jack Tesorero Eye On Cowboys
WEB: Zachary Cross / Custom Resumes APP: Steve Sovacki / Biz Burst Mobile SOCIAL MEDIA: Exceed Multimedia
original artwork and photography for ION
NOTE: The views expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect the views of ION Arizona, its staff, or that of its parent company.
Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization within ION Arizona is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or organization. To our knowledge, all people photographed and published in ION Arizona are over the age of 18. Some photos were submitted by our readers. To our knowledge, they own the copyrights, and they have given us permission to reproduce them. If you see a picture that you own, please call us immediately and we will remove it from future publications. All copy, text, display, photos, and illustrations in the ads are published with the understanding that the advertisers are fully authorized, have secured proper written consent for the use of names, pictures, and testimonials of any living person, and that ION Arizona is not responsible for unlawful use of such content.
ION DESPERADO FILM FESTIVAL
PHX ATTRACTIONS
Arizona Renaissance Festival
What ho! Time to party like it’s 1599! Hoist a mug o’ grog, eat a giant turkey leg, and watch a jolly joust. See mermaids, the Dead Bob Show, Hey Nunny Nunny and more! Be a Queen for a Day! (What else is new, boys?) Go to ArizonaRenFestInfo.com for tickets, directions and royal decrees.
Weekends thru’ March 31
Mr. & Ms. Phoenix Leather
Appreciation Weekend
It’s the last hurrah for this local leather-get-together. In lieu of a contest, the organization is hosting an “Appreciation Weekend.” Enjoy the cigar social, bar bus tour, brunch, leather formal, Anvil Back Yard party, and more. Info and tix: MrPhoenixLeather.com
February 6-9
Bikini Bottom!
SpongeBob Dance Party
“Pip pip, de doodly doo!” You don’t have to go to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for this animated aquatic party featuring inspired drag performances. Get out of your pineapple for the night, because it all happens at Stacy’s @ Melrose, 4343 N. 7th Ave. in Phoenix.
Friday, February 14
Mrs. Roper’s Romp
“Oh, Stanley! It’s Fiesta!” Put on your caftan, bad perm wig, junk jewelry for a bar crawl named after the tacky, horny Helen Roper from TV classic Three’s Company. Booze it up at Thunderbird Lounge, Boycott, The Royale, Stacy’s, and Title IX. Meet at Melrose Lyceum Park at Montecito and 7th Avenues.
Saturday, February 15 at 1-6 p.m.
70th Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show
This world famous equine event showcases over 2,100 horses competing for more than $1 million in prizes. Don’t miss the shopping expo, and interactive and other immersive experiences. WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Rd. in Scottsdale. For more info go to ScottsdaleShow.com
February 13-23
Alwun House
41st Annual Exotic Art Show
A Valley tradition with an extraordinary exhibit pushing the boundaries of creativity and passion. Over 40 artists showcase a sexy blend of erotic, provocative, playful, sensual, sexual and audacious works. 1204 E. Roosevelt St. in Phoenix. Complete schedule and info at AlwunHouse.org
February 14 – March 14
Melrose Street Fair
A free one-day event that spans over a half mile in the heart of the Melrose District on 7th Avenue. Featuring over 200 local and independent artisans, food trucks, live musicians, entertainment zone, car show, craft beer garden and local businesses. And it’s FREE!
Saturday, March 1 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
M3F Fest
Don’t miss this music festival, is bringing in some big names, including dance-punk act LCD Soundsystem, French electronic music duo Justice, and electropop duo Sylvan Esso plus artists from multiple genres at Steele Indian School Park. Two-day tickets are $180 for GA and $340 for VIP access. Full lineup & deets at M3FFest.com
March 7 & 8
Giddy up! You don’t have to be an old cowhand from the Rio Grande to go to the 38th Annual Arizona Gay Rodeo. Heck, some of you greenhorn, city slicker, whippersnappers weren’t even born when it first started. There’s entertainment, drag (of course), dancing, and a market in the pavilion. Feeling parched? Don’t worry. There’s plenty of firewater on hand. Horngry? They’ve got vittles for you, too. Dust off your boots and we’ll see you at the Corona Ranch, 7811 S. 29th Ave. on the SE corner of 29th Avenue and Baseline Rd. in Laveen. Don’t want to drive? Charlie’s has party bus transportation from the big city to the rodeo. Check out CharliesPhoenix.com for info. For
Creative Direction by: Alex Campos and Rafael Santana Models: Zach Watson and Rubye Moore
Photography by: Rafalogie Studio
ION FEBRUARY 25
2 16 9 23 2 4 18 11 25 4 3 17 10 24 3
Charlie’s Sunday Funday (W)
Walter Studios Weekend Brunch (W)
Corona Ranch Arizona Gay Rodeo
Charlie’s Sunday Funday (W)
Charlie’s Sunday Funday (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Karaoke (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Karaoke (W)
Undie Mundies (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W)
Charlie’s Blackout Bingo / Karaoke (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Rising Star Drag Show (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Rising Star Drag Show (W)
Sazerac Karaoke (W)
Charlie’s
Charlie’s WTF! Wednesdays (W)
THURSDAY
Sazerac 80’s Throwback Thursdays (W)
Sazerac Whiskey Flights / Cigars (W)
Arabian Horse Show Arabian Horse Asso. of Arizona
Stacy’s @ Melrose Communion Goth Night (W)
Sazerac 80’s Throwback Thursdays (W)
Sazerac / Roosevelt Row First Friday (M)
Flex Spa’s Phoenix Blackout Night (W)
Charlie’s Pipin’ Hot Friday’s (W)
Sazerac Whiskey Flights / Cigars (W)
WEDNESDAY 5 19 12 26 5
Stacy’s @ Melrose Communion Goth Night (W)
Sazerac 80’s Throwback Thursdays (W)
FRIDAY 6 20 13 27 6 8 22 15 1 8 7 21 14 28 7
Sazerac 80’s Throwback Thursdays (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose RuPaul Watch Party
Sazerac/Roosevelt Row First Friday (M)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Dance Party (W)
Corona Ranch Arizona Gay Rodeo
Stacy’s @ Melrose Dance Party (W)
Stacy’s @ Melrose Dance Party (W)
Walter Studios Weekend Brunch (W)
ION STREAMING
Caligula
This extensive reconstruction of the notorious (some say awful) 1980 all-star spectacle scandalized audiences. Tormented by the murder of his family, the young Caligula eliminates his devious grandfather Tiberius and seizes control of the declining Roman Empire as it descends into a spiral of depravity, destruction and madness. Available on DVD, too.
Sex Love Venice
Michael is yearning for meaningful love beyond a hookup. In Venice, he meets Marco, a soulful local who believes in the transformative power of cultivating desire, maintaining that the things we long for most are infinitely sweeter when savored with patience and intention. Select theaters, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube Movies.
February 14
Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln
Abe Lincoln: President. Statesman. Cocksucker. Was he or wasn’t he? This doc details Lincoln’s romantic relationships with four men then widens its lens into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the differences between the 19th century and today. (Don’t tell Mary Todd!)
SEX LOVE VENICE
Some Like It Hot
Set in the Prohibition era, this fast-paced comedy follows two musicians who take up new identities in drag and go on the run after witnessing a mob hit. They battle for the attention of a dazzling singer with dreams of stardom. ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Ave. in Tempe. For tickets and more visit ASUgammage.com or call 480-965-3434.
February 11-16
ION ARTS
Frida
The painful and magical world of the celebrated unibrow queer icon Mexican painter Frida Kahlo comes to life on stage. Kahlo’s motifs, paintings, and dreams are reimagined through dance and woven with her story in an extraordinary ballet. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. 2nd St. downtown Phoenix. For performances and tix do a grand jeté to BalletAZ.org
February 13-16
Love is Love
“A Valentine’s Day Queer Cabaret” presented by the new, All Queer Shakespeare Company, LGBTQIA owned and operated. Queer performers showcase about “the love that dare not speak its name” – until now. Featuring the sexy Seth Tucker, the lovely Monica Sampson and others! Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place, 4425 N. Granite Reef Rd. Visit AllQueerShakespeare.com for tix.
February 14 & 15
Chandler Center for the Arts
Much Ado About
About Something
All Queer Shakespeare puts the spotlight on Love with Valentine’s Day cabaret
By Deon Brown
“
All the world’s a stage,” William Shakespeare said. And now we have a theatre company who brings the spirit of the Elizabethan playwright’s to the local stage. But with a twist: every production is a little bit queer. A lot queer, really.
Founder and artistic director Monica Sampson, who identifies as bisexual, serves up modern day magic by bringing a selection of Shakespeare’s (and Shakespeare inspired) masterpieces into the limelight with All Queer Shakespeare theatre company.
In 2018 Monica trained and perform with the Globe Theatre in jollye olde England where she starred in Hamlet as the melancholy Dane. It created a natural fit for her when she formed All Queer Shakespeare. “We are a company focused on performing queer stories, so why not go directly to the source with Shakespeare’s plays?” she said. After all, the Bard of Avon didn’t just write about kings, queens, nobles, and starcrossed lovers; he wrote about skinkers, costermongers, ostlers, bearherds – you know, ordinary folk– the hipsters of the Elizabethan Age. Some scholars speculate that playboy-playwright Billy Boy may have been bisexual himself.
“At All Queer Shakespeare we blend traditional storytelling with contemporary perspectives, bringing Shakespeare’s timeless work to life in vibrant and inclusive ways; we’re here to support and uplift your unique voice.” she said. “Shakespeare’s work is intrinsically queer. Our stories focus on folks from all walks of life, and all orientations,” Monica explained about the troupe’s philosophy. “Traditional narratives don’t have to be stuffy or boring. Queer folks have always been a part of history; All Queer Shakespeare just illuminates those works.”
The thespians are rehearsing for “LOVE IS LOVE Valentine’s Day Cabaret” to celebrate the holiday for sweethearts. Audiences can expect an new old fashioned, romantic, variety show re-examined through a queer lens featuring singers, dancers, puppets, and surprises at every corner with a cast of queer artists exploring your favorite love songs and stories with a uniquely gay, lesbian, and non-binary main character energy. “Love exists simultaneously as an act of defiance as well as an expression of Love,” is Monica’s philosophy.
No stranger to stages across the Valley, the talented and disarmingly charming Seth Tucker is collaborating with Sampson and AQS for the first time in the upcoming production.
“My passion is cabaret: I never get a chance to do things like this I am sponsoring the performance with my husband and real estate partner, Šima Košta,” Seth said. “We wanted to give back to the LGBTQ+ community by supporting, devising, and performing in this celebration of love with All Queer Shakespeare. I’m co-directing and devising the show from the ground up with Monica: creating the set list, choosing the Shakespearean scenes, casting the ensemble, and putting it all together.”
Being part of AQS satisfies a theatrical craving for Seth. “I’ve been starving for gay theatre. The majority of characters being portrayed on stages in the Valley are straight. Most mainstream theatre that does include a queer puts focus on the trauma of ‘the gay experience.’ It’s refreshing as a performer to be able to tell stories that emotionally resonate with me as a gay man.”
Seth also observed, “AQS provides the community with a place to embrace queer love by including gender swapping roles, duets, and Shakespearean tropes in order to see a reflection of our community on stage. Nearly every single person on and off stage is part of the LGBTQ+ community, which is exciting and inspiring.”
Expect something different and thought provoking at an AQS performance.
“Audiences can expect to leave our shows experiencing queer joy, seeing actors portraying roles that reflect the real experiences of their own lives,” Monica shared. “All Queer Shakespeare centers diversity and inclusion in our leadership – behind the scenes and on stage. You are welcome here. Our theater isn’t just a performance space, but a community space; folks who experience All Queer Shakespeare enter
All Queer Shakespeare has room for every member of the audience and every queer performer from every walk of life. Pantaloons and tunics, courtesans and eunuchs. Old situations, new complications. Something erratic, something dramatic. Nothing that’s formal and nothing that’s normal. There’s something for everyone. You could say All Queer Shakespeare is exactly – to quote old Willie S. himself – “As You Like It.” And you’ll like it.
The Love Is Love Queer Cabaret is in partnership with local queer organizations and this cabaret will include a youth production. Friday, February 14 with shows at 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
All Queer Shakespeare treads the boards at Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. 4425 N. Granite Reef Rd. just north of Camelback Rd. in Scottsdale. For more information visit AllQueerShakespeare.com email: info@AllQueerShakespeare.com Follow them on Facebook and Instagram
ION SAZERAC
ION STACY’S @ MELROSE
NAVIGATION
Use the ION ARIZONA APP for Google Maps turn-by-turn directions with links to UBER & LYFT!
DON’T DRINK & DRIVE!
In a world where conformity often takes center stage, Fort Troff’s latest underwear collection dares to be different. With its innovative use of materials, meticulous craftsmanship, and boundary-pushing designs, the collection is a celebration of boldness and self-expression.
Striking the perfect balance between functionality and sex appeal was a top priority for the in-house design team and their European partners. The result is a collection that reflects Fort Troff’s playful, edgy aesthetic with bold colors, unexpected cuts, and materials that feel luxurious against the skin. The collection blends soft, breathable cotton, sleek microfibers, and sheer mesh—each chosen to maximize comfort while amplifying visual appeal. Every piece in the collection is designed to inspire confidence, sexiness, and a sense of adventure.
“When someone wears Fort Troff,” Fort Troff founder Louis Ceruzzi says, “it sets a tone that says, ‘I’m kinky AF let’s get down.’”
Explore the collection at FortTroff.com
ION FABULANCE
Love, Lust, and a few cosmic shenanigans. Valentine’s Day is giving you a booty call, and if you’re hoping for Cupid to work some magic, you might want to double-check your birth chart. Venus is doing her usual seductive dance, but don’t expect any fairy-tale endings—this month is more about fun than forever. Whether you’re in the mood for casual flirtation or something deeper (Like that’ll happen), the stars are here to help. So strap in, darling, and strap one on while you’re at it. It’s time for some cosmic mischief!, Be sure to say “Thank you” when you’re not saying, “More! MORE!”
ARIES Mar. 21 - Apr. 20
ION HOMOSCOPES
Jupiter is serving up some serious heat. Someone’s going to notice— no complaints here, right? Just be mindful of that fiery temper, and keep a chill pill on your pocket. And some Viagra. You never know!
TAURUS April. 21 - May 20
You can emerge from your Tupperware cocoon feeling fresh as a 3-bean salad. You’re on to something big. New ideas! You’re a visionary. You might invent something new, like Rent-A-Baby.
GEMINI May 21 - June 21
Ups and downs. Highs and lows. Pay attention. Don’t look for easy shortcuts or you’ll end up in a bad emotional neighborhood. Trust your instincts. Like the “Pizza Instinct.”
CANCER June 22 - July 22
Jupiter and Mars are your besties. You’ll overcome limitations and some personal fears, like your next door neighbor who doesn’t like you. You didn’t already know that? Oops!
LEO July 23 - Aug. 22
It’s important that you show up to Life. Every day. Something significant will be accomplished. A complicated issue is perplexing. Maybe you should pass the wand to someone else.
VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sep. 22
Feeling a little insecure? Indecisive? It’s the New Moon’s fault. Mercury stresses you out, too. You know what will help grease the wheels? Compromise. Cookies help, too.
LIBRA Sep. 23 - Oct. 22
You win almost any argument, but not all of them, because you think logically rather than emotionally. This makes you kind of a know-it-all. Oh, come on! Didn’t you know that? Sorry! Cat’s out of the bag now.
SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov.23
Those resolutions you made for the New Year are really happening, which is rare. You’re a real go-getter thanks to your confidence. Warning: don’t let all your newfound authority piss off everybody. Because it will. Trust.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 23 - Dec. 23
You’re a free spirit, so explore— whether it’s new experiences, new lovers, or even a spontaneous trip to FLEX. Be mindful: the lure of temptation to run away from a variety of deeper emotions is strong.
CAPRICORN Dec. 23 - Jan. 20
You feeling flirty, frisky and you’re ready to get down to business, but don’t let your often headstrong attitude kill the vibe. Take the edge off and enjoy the moment. A connection you’ve takes a surprising turn.
AQUARIUS Jan. 21 - Feb. 19
You’re a cosmic rebel. Love is anything but conventional for you. You’re in the mood for something unique, maybe a little wild. It might involves battery powered toys. But let’s face it—you’re not the settling-down type, are you? We know why. ’Ho.
PISCES Feb. 20 - Mar. 20
February’s bringing you a tossed salad of dreaminess and desire. You’re in your element, letting your intuition guide you, but don’t get too lost in your fantasies. Let someone in on your secrets And toss some salad.
