Metra Issue 967 - JULY 2023

SAVE THE DATE

SAVE THE DATE

Last year was our comeback but 2023 is our

Last year was our comeback but 2023 is our

Our biggest celebration of the year will include an incredible selection of local food vendors, a renowned DJ, an electrifying drag performance, and more. We can't wait for our radiant community to show up and show out for this year's bash!

Our biggest celebration of the year will include an incredible selection of local food vendors, a renowned DJ, an electrifying drag performance, and more. We can't wait for our radiant community to show up and show out for this year's bash!

Saturday, September 23

6:30 pm-11 pm

General Motors Auditorium 460 W. Baltimore St,. Detroit, MI 48202

$150 per ticket

Tickets on sale June 24

GLOW UP

Made possible by:

National Advertising: Rivendell Media 212-242-6863

Social Media: Bright Torch Media

Distributors: Eddie Desormeau Peter Rene

Wade Mercury UPS

Publication of the name of photograph of any person or organization in articles in METRA Magazine is not to be construed as an indication of the sexual organization of such person or organization. All copy text, display photos and illustrations in advertising are published with the understanding that the advertisers are fully authorized, have secured proper consents (written, verbal, e-mail, etc..) forthe use of names, pictures or testimonials of any living person(s) and METRA Magazine may lawfully publish and cause such publication to be made and advertiser automatically agrees to by submitting said ad and to indemnify and save blameless the publisher from any and all liability loss and expense of any nature of such publication. Nothing appearing in METRA Magazine may be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission/e-mail from the publishers. Writings in Publication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs

Fourth of July is a day to celebrate American Independence. But what about those of us living with the burden of HIV? It isn’t something to necessarily celebrate, is it?

This Independence Day, I would challenge you to think about the things we can celebrate as a form of independence.

Did you take your daily meds? Celebrate! Did you

take all of your vitamins? Celebrate!

For so many before us living with a House in Virginia was a death sentence not worthy of any celebration.

This year, let’s take a moment to reflect on those who have succumbed to the disease in hopes that one day we can actually get out and be ourselves and live our best lives. Remember, there’s no day like today!

Around Town

Camp Grounds

UPCOMING SUMMER LEAGUES

Sundays, 12pm-2pm

Registration Dates: 07/ 29 - 0 8/ 12

League Dates: 0 8/ 27 - 1 0/ 29

Thursdays, 6pm-8pm

Registration Dates: 07/ 10 - 07/ 28

League Dates: 0 8/0 1 - 09/ 26

Real Estate Talk with Realtor Kory

Hey Cuties!

Let’s spill the tea on real estate offers and dive into the fabulous world of escalation clauses! So, picture this: you’ve found the perfect home, but there’s fierce competition from other buyers. Don’t fret because an escalation clause can be your secret weapon to snatch that dreamy property and say sashays away to your competition.

An escalation clause is like a fierce diva in your offer. You set a base offer price, and then you’re like, “Bam! I’m willing to top any competing offers, honey!” Specify an increment by which you’re ready to slay the competition. For example, your base offer is $300,000, and your increment is $5,000. You betta work! If another buyer struts in with an offer of $305,000, your escalation clause is ready to take the stage. It automatically increases your offer, increasing it to $310,000! Your agent can place a limit to protect you from going way over your budget. Let’s say the cap is set at $315,000. Werk that limit, boo!

To keep things real, your escalation clause needs receipts. The seller’s agent will provide proof of the competing offer the escalation clause sashayed way upon request. Transparency is key, honey! Remember, it’s the seller who has the final say. They can werk their magic by accepting or rejecting your fabulous offer. They might even counter or ask for the highest and best offers from everyone in the game.

Including an escalation clause is like serving fierce realness in a hot real estate market, babe. Consult with a real estate pro to make sure it’s slaying for your situation and the local scene. So, slay you fabulous homebuyer with an escalation clause in your arsenal, you’ll be strutting into your dream home, leaving everyone gagging with your fierce negotiating skills!

Check out my TikTok for more Real Estate tips, @realtorkory or contact me today for all your real estate needs! Email, DM, Text, or Call because I do it all!

-Kory Lambarth

Are you looking for that special bar where “everybody knows your name?” Look no further than The Adam’s Apple, located at 18931 W Warren Ave (just down the road from Gigi’s). This establishment is definitely that kind of neighborhood bar where everyone really does know your name, taken from firsthand experience.

Often times bar owner Jaye Marie Carolan will be the first to greet you when you first walk in. But don’t make the mistake I did the first time going there and try tugging on the front door, you’ll want to enter though the back door (hee-hee).

From their weekly karaoke nights with the world-famous KJ Karen, to their many special events and fundraisers, there is always something

new and exciting happening at the Apple. If you are looking for a space that you can be your true, authentic, self, Adam’s Apple will welcome you with no judgements or animosities.

When asked what makes their space so special, Jaye told us it is “very friendly, welcoming to all. A true neighborhood bar.”

So next time you’re in the area, be sure to grab a drink or two over at the Adam’s Apple, guaranteed not to disappoint!

Grieving Tina Turner’s Passing

Unfortunately, people often can be dismissive of others’ feelings of grief over the loss of someone they’ve never met, not understanding how that grief can run so deep. This can easily result in the grieving person feeling judged, withdrawing, becoming silent or isolated, an altogether unhealthy state.

In our society, we are uncomfortable with the grieving process. Even if we accept that someone is sad over the loss of someone or something they felt strongly about, we become dismissive, especially if after a while they don’t “just get over it” and move on. These people miss the point that the grieving is not really for the person who died. It’s about them.

Disenfranchised grief

This kind of deeply felt loss over someone or something that is not immediately related is known as “disenfranchised grief,” and it can happen over anything from the death of a pop idol to a pet to a coworker or patient, or of someone we knew resulting from a socially stigmatized cause, such as AIDS, drug addiction, or even lung cancer. When someone we care about develops dementia, we may grieve for who they were to us. People might say, “At least they are still with you” but they are not the person they were before and that is a loss. It can include a miscarriage where people respond, “You didn’t

narcissist, and while that is good for you it raises deep grief for you about the loss of what could have been or wished it had been that people don’t understand.

Why disenfranchised grief?

In the case of a pop idol such as Tina Turner, we associate that person with how we felt at various times in our life—perhaps we remember when we first heard that artist sing something that perfectly reflected how we felt inside at that moment.

But it may be even harder to understand when someone is deeply affected by, say, the death of an ex-partner or ex-spouse who was abusive. Like these other examples, it may not be as much grief for the ex themselves, but who we were before the abuse became intolerable. There may have been good years in which the relationship was a joy, or in which the person who is grieving believed, maybe naively, in the ideal of a healthy, fulfilling relationship. They are not grieving as much for the ex, but for the loss of the idealistic person they were then.

Remember, whether it is you or someone you know who is grieving the loss of someone significant to them, honor the process. Be there for yourself or that person and be part of the healing process.

Joe Kort, Ph.D., LMSW

SATURDAY'S: BOYZ NIGHT OUT

UNDERWEAR CONTEST

#1 PRESCRIBED HIV TREATMENT*

*Source: IQVIA NPA Weekly, 04/19/2019 through 01/20/2023.

No matter where life takes you, Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

People featured take BIKTARVY and are compensated by Gilead.

ELIAS SWITCHED TO BIKTARVY

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

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

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

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

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who 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.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body.

(bik-TAR-vee)

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.

 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 BIKTARVY

 Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

 Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

You are encouraged to report negative side e ects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

Continued on next page.

Please see Important Facts, including important warnings, continued on the next page and at BIKTARVY.com.

Meet a few of the extraordinary people who take BIKTARVY. Watch their stories at BIKTARVY.com

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

 This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5.

 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY® (cont’d)

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-0296 06/23

D’EVA

NIKKI

ELIAS CHAD HUGO

DIMITRI ZACH THERON PHIL

How long have you been with Affirmations? 3 months in an official capacity but I have help out and volunteered in some way for about 3 years.

What is Affirmations to you? To me, Affirmations is an amazing group of people that continue to inspire me everyday. The hard work that everyone does day in and day out to combat homophobia, transphobia, and help provide crucial services to the community... it truly is an amazing place.

When you’re not working, what do you do for fun? I love to tend to my garden, cook, play soccer, and travel the world.

If you could collaborate with any musician/ artist who would it be and why? As a child I wanted to be an actor, so I think it would be super cool to do a very dramatic scene with Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, or any other method actor.

What’s something you're proud of at Affirmations? When I talk to the community and get to hear about their experiences with Affirmations, it makes me truly proud to hear so many positive stories.

Gianluca Pesce, Marketing Associate

Hook-up from hell Hook-up from hell Hook-up from hell

“I hooked up with a cute guy who was very dominant. Things heated up and he eventually wanted me to toss his salad. I agreed. As I spread his cheeks, this waft of poisonous rat odor began to rise from his untamed region. I realized that not only had he clearly not prepared for the evening, but he may have just shit (barely remembered to wipe). I didn’t even know what to do...So I did it anyways and promptly found a way to leave. I will never gargle with enough mouthwash.”

ARIES: The sexual tension is so high right in the middle of the month that you need to relax and watch some good VPL as it swings around them inches. Be on your best behavior so that who is watching sees that we are all pink in the middle. Work related fun is sort of sketchy and you must feel it out or rub one out.

TAURUS: You might have to be that guy who gives that Brojob to make things move to the next level. If you must be the person to make the first move, you will get this! You go the shy road, and you might lose the donkey dick you been drooling over. Move past the awkwardness for it’s out of your control.

GEMINI: If you’re waiting for your second wind, it might not cum. Do what works for you and try to not be overwhelmed. This is a good time to organize your life. There is still enough time this summer to have fun and make plans. But blowing off too many plans will leave you in a situation that might not be your normal.

CANCER: Embrace that people ignore you or ditch you. Make new friends or build up that friendship circle bigger. Have a blow bang and only invite the cocks you want to play with. You make the rules. Be that Top that makes that bottom feel he has a juicy ass. Everyone loves Compliments try using

them this month.

LEO: You been feeling that you’re slowing down or being suppressed? Take a break and come back! It will feel as if you never left. If you’re gone long enough, you will appear as fresh meat again. Give yourself a new look sometimes even a haircut does wonders on getting more dick.

VIRGO: If you feel like you’re mute this month try to step out of the closet. Don’t be so far in the closet that you enter Narnia! Embrace how things are going vs how you want them to be. You get what you put out. Excuses are like assholes, everyone has one and just like condoms, they are to be used once.

LIBRA: Missing that Nostalgic Crazy Cock? The blast from the past is coming back. Make sure it’s what you want. It doesn’t matter if you are a soy boy, boy toy, or a fuck boy. You have a place in this hot mess and the sex is just sex. You’re not ready to repeat this relationshit again, are you?

SCORPIO: Most of You are holding back well for as stressed out you are. Life is not giving you a boner at all. Do not stress over other people’s problems that you cannot solve. But doesn’t mean you can listen with open ears & legs. Wave that ass in the air and twerk it like you just don’t care. Make sure you cum up for air and respond

so we know you’re still with us.

SAGITTARIUS: Feeling lost and Nothing to fuck or do? Make more time with those you want but don’t forget about the people you left lingering with invites. Remember even that ugly dude is getting dick. Scars can be sexy too! You never know who is packing that clandestine monster. #AllPenisesMatter

CAPRICORN: Most of you have things down, you’re cocked and loaded. But some of the Cappies are craving some nourishment that only that juicy ass bottom or an alpha top can only deliver. The body craves what it needs. Miss out and you might not get that chance again.

AQUARIUS: If you’re feeling ignored or not being heard? Then talk to the dick you’re sucking and have a conversation. Life has put a fog around you to be misunder stood, so use the power of body language to seduce and talk less but listen and reply.

PISCES: If you’re being stuck between a hard cock and nice face, know that you’re not stuck. You can get that voluptuous bottom or that hunky top you have been following. Do not sweat the small details but keep your eye on the prize. Wander off the path and you have less time to play with that cock.